Blood Magic

[Rezorian]

I was just wondering: What does everyone think about the use of blood in magic?

Here is where I stand. I will only use my own blood (What are you going to do, steal someones? In any case, I know people have tried using others' blood with them unwilling, and that is bad juju) or if I am doing it with someone and they give theirs, fine. Blood is life. It is primal and powerful. I think it shouldn't be used lightly (Oh, a spell! Lets bleed on it!). I think if you bleed every spell you do it loses it's force. Save it for the necessary things.,, Random musings smile  

[TeaDidikai]

I'm all for it. Most of the blood I use in ritual is animal blood (it's not my fault an elk has more blood than I do! scream )

I do use my own blood (usually drawn from my hand).

I'm not a fan of the substitution of menstral blood for real blood as some women do.

As for "over use", I don't buy it. The use of blood in ritual and magic is not something tied to how often it is used. (But then, I'm also the kind of person who can eat the same thing every day for weeks at a time and listen to the same song on repeat for days on end without bother)  

[TatteredAngel]

I've considered it, but I don't have handy access to animal blood and I'm not comfortable yet with using my own since I'm still kind of a headcase working out some self-injury issues. But I don't have any moral problems with the idea. Someday if I raise more of my own meat, I might try.  

[saint dreya]

TeaDidikai

I'm all for it. Most of the blood I use in ritual is animal blood (it's not my fault an elk has more blood than I do! scream )

lol.

haven't we touched on this subject, very briefly, when talking about devotions to certain deities?

as of yet, i have not used my blood in a ritual/spell. i don't really do spells anymore and i'm trying to figure out how best to give the offering for a ritual (private/like-minded only). but i still see the effectiveness in it. i see it as a sacrifice of oneself (even if only a part of) and thus see more energy going into it.

depending on the ritual/spell, i can also see a use for menstrual blood. not as a sacrifice, but maybe as an ingredient for banishing infertility? or maybe even banishing and cleansing given that the uterus cleans itself out to make way for great potential...  

[Deoridhe]

Blood is required for Bindrunes in order to make them fully potent, so that's when I use it. Bindrunes, runes combined to attempt a set result in the universe, are the main type of magic I focus on.  

[Sivirs]

I'll use blood, my own, when I feel it's appropriate (like the bindrunes thing Deo mentioned) or when something's really important to me and I'm willing to give that extra effort and that extra bit of myself for it.

That said, for some reason it is REALLY HARD to make me bleed, so there's a level of awkwardness to any ritual where I try to. That's my #1 deterrent from using blood in ritual - it's too damn hard and I look like an a** trying, although I guess you could argue I'm sacrificing some ego or pride or something in the process. wink  

[Rezorian]

Wow, I have never even thought of using animal blood. I don't think I could.

As for the overuse of blood, what I mean is on a magical level, what happens when you do it again and again and again for everything. It's like prosperity magic: If you do a prosperity charm once, and it works, You get a raise, or find money, or something. But then you do it again, and again, and again. Pretty soon the magic starts losing its power (agree, disagree?). So with blood, I save it for necessity. I use it when I need the power boost, and I feel this limitation strenghtens the power of it.

Edit: I also find it hard to cut myself. I've fount that a small cut right above the fingernail is effective.  

[Alarias]

Sutekh

Wow, I have never even thought of using animal blood. I don't think I could.

As for the overuse of blood, what I mean is on a magical level, what happens when you do it again and again and again for everything. It's like prosperity magic: If you do a prosperity charm once, and it works, You get a raise, or find money, or something. But then you do it again, and again, and again. Pretty soon the magic starts losing its power (agree, disagree?). So with blood, I save it for necessity. I use it when I need the power boost, and I feel this limitation strenghtens the power of it.

Edit: I also find it hard to cut myself. I've fount that a small cut right above the fingernail is effective.

ok im no expert in anything..im just curious about this...arent there some things that get more powerful the more you use them? ( i read once about that but i barely remember it) and if so, could this not apply to the use of blood? (sorry if i sound "fluffy"..but its difficult to learn when no questions are asked right?)  

[AingealOreiad]

I don't perform magic of any sort, so it's a non-issue for me.  

[Deoridhe]

Sutekh

Pretty soon the magic starts losing its power (agree, disagree?).

Disagree. The universe may get tired of accomodating you, or you may tap out all of the available chance for you to get a set item, but I don't think magic "loses power" as such, and especially not magical tools.

As for the frequent comments on the difficulty of getting blood, I use diabetic lancets in the spring loaded release thing they have. I need to pick up a lancet container, though. Odin laughs at me, but even he's got to admit it's fly technology.  

[MST3Kakalina]

Yeah, those lancets are dandy!

I don't use blood because it's a hassle and I don't do anything that would require it. I do have a box for my tarot cards lined with my menstrual blood, though--that is the only blood I would consider using.  

[TeaDidikai]

Deoridhe

Sutekh

Pretty soon the magic starts losing its power (agree, disagree?).

Disagree. The universe may get tired of accomodating you, or you may tap out all of the available chance for you to get a set item, but I don't think magic "loses power" as such, and especially not magical tools.

As for the frequent comments on the difficulty of getting blood, I use diabetic lancets in the spring loaded release thing they have. I need to pick up a lancet container, though. Odin laughs at me, but even he's got to admit it's fly technology.

Stop posting what I'm going to post before I post it! scream

Sutekh>> Re: Animal Blood- I hunt, I fish, I trap (when I can) and when I can, I practice some basic animal husbandry. That is to say- I have access to animal blood. That's why I use it.  

[Neko_Bast]

I have never used blood in any of my spells/rituals. I just havn't found a need for it yet I guess. I think the only problem I would have is that I don't think I could cut myself for it, and I don't hunt. If I really needed it I would find a way though, probably use menstral.

TeaDidikai

I'm not a fan of the substitution of menstral blood for real blood as some women do.

What is wrong with it? I mean its still blood, still the stuff of life. If you didn't have your period that blood would be creating life would it not?  

[queertastrophy]

Neko_Bast

I have never used blood in any of my spells/rituals. I just havn't found a need for it yet I guess. I think the only problem I would have is that I don't think I could cut myself for it, and I don't hunt. If I really needed it I would find a way though, probably use menstral.

TeaDidikai

I'm not a fan of the substitution of menstral blood for real blood as some women do.

What is wrong with it? I mean its still blood, still the stuff of life. If you didn't have your period that blood would be creating life would it not?

Not to speak for Tea, but from what I got out of her post: I think she meant that menstrual blood isn't really a sacrifice. It takes no effort on one's part to cause the blood to flow--all one has to do is collect it.  

[Neko_Bast]

I didn't think of that, it makes sence. If sacrifice is nessary to the ritual then mestrual blood wouldn't work.