River of life..., Why is using your OWN blood taboo? Options

Lets face it, blood is one of the most metaphysically powerful substances a witch has access to. And it is HERS (or his). So what is the hysteria that is so prevailent these days about using your OWN blood in rituals to add power to it. i can see in the old days when witchcraft was first struggling to come back and gain acceptance and they wanted to seem as bunny fluff as possible so that there would be no violent reprecussions. But we are past that stage now. i understand that wiccans don't want anyone to think that their Godess demands blood, but i am talking about witches. Blood freely and joyfully given is a powerful tool and i think it is a shame that we are letting fear ruin it for us. Now i know that it is a touchy subject for alot of people so, please, lets keep this as a friendly discussion. Thanks all

Ok Kitty, i misspoke. i should never have said or implied that you were afraid to use blood, and i respect your path and applaud you willingness and strength in defending it. Perhaps i was reacting viscerally to your slurs about my path being "completly ridiculous", however that is no excuse and i apologize for the comment. Also it was never my intention to try to convert you, only to adress your concerns and illistrate to you that i have thought long and hard on the subject and done alot of research, i was not doing it for the 'coolness' factor but because my personal path led me there.
BLACKSTAFF
HI! As long as i am making ammends, i want you to know that i was in no way dis'ing your use of Pain. i agree with you and i think that Pain is a wonderful way to bring your mind into pinpoint focus. i was just trying to share with you what i do. Unfortunatly i have a mad high pain tolerance and in order for me to even feel it, i would have to do some major damage, and doing damage is not the purpose, right?
Also, i really apreciated the point you made that you should have some anatomical knowledge before setting out. i was a Pre-Med major in college so i have a pretty solid background.
And hey, i have a book for you too! i just found it on line and i havent read it yet, but i went to the authors website and he seems very down to earth and grounded. The book is called "Out of the shadows: an exploration of dark paganism and magick" by John J. Coughlin. BTW, he uses the term "dark" as more of and organic "entropy" definition rather than 'evil'. and PS. i think the author of 'blood magick's name is Seth. No last name. Talk to you soon, i hope

This post has been edited by gavriel: Sep 8 2005, 08:27 PM