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What is Blood Magick?

HOW TO UTILIZE BLOODLETTING IN MAGICKAL RITUAL

When the term blood magick is mentioned it conjures images in your mind of a cloaked figured, dagger in hand, hunched over an altar containing a goat, a chicken, or some unfortunate person whilst he mutters in some arcane language. Well, maybe not that exact image but you get the idea. That is not the type of blood magick we will be talking about. True blood magick is centered around personal sacrifice and contribution, not mindless ritual slaughter.

So what is blood magick? Blood magick is simply the use of blood from a willing participant in a magick ritual and or talisman, charm, etc. Note the term willing participant. I use the term willing not enforce some, " as it harms none.." or similar moral point of view. Magick is based on the old adage of," you get what you put in". If you've used the blood of a un-willing participant in your ritual, what have you put into the magick yourself? What have you personally sacrificed? Therefore, the blood used should be either of the person working the magick or of the person that it is to be worked for. With that being said, I suppose a more accurate definition of blood magick would be; The use of ones own blood in a magickal ritual or talisman to bring upon change in accordance to your will.

The next question we will address is .

WHY USE BLOOD?

Why use blood? One reason, as I mentioned earlier is that with magick you get what you put into it. The act of shedding blood during a ritual is very symbolic of personal sacrifice. It is not as extreme as saying, giving up and eye as Odin did, but no one will hold that against you. Another reason is that blood it's self is a very powerful catalyst to use in ritual. It course all through out your body and therefore is already quite charged with your personal essence. Combine that energy with the energy raised during the ritual, direct it all in accordance to your will, and you can see how that can increase the potency of your work. It's like Emeril Lagassi's essence, it'll ` kick it up a notch".

Not much is needed for it to be effective, you will want to take a, "less is more" approach when using blood. I small finger prick, and a few drops will do the trick. How effective will your work be if you're bleeding profusely on your altar, and have to take several minutes to stop the bleeding.
,br> This brings us to our next topic.

Safety

Bloodletting is a very serious and potentially dangerous practice. Please exercise caution and common sense at all times. Naturally, there are concerns of personal injury, as well as sanitary issues. You will want to make sure that you have a first aid kit on hand just in case of emergency, or at the very least alcohol, peroxide, bandages, and gauze.

The best tools to use for blood letting of any kind are the following:
,br> . Diabetic Lancet Device (preferred as it produces just the right amount)
. Fresh Unused Straight Razor blades
. Medical Scalpel
. New Unused Exacto Knife

You're going to want to leave your fancy daggers, and athames out of this one.

Be smart, and be safe. If you exercise caution, and use bloodletting responsibly it can be a very effective addition to your magickal arsenal.

When to use Blood

There really aren't any guidelines or does and don't of when to use blood in ritual. That doesn't mean you should go off pricking yourself every time you light a candle. Blood is very effective in talismans and charms that are going to be worn for particular purposes. It's also good when used with sigil magick since the sigil is also a pictorial representation of your will. Using it in rituals meant for spirit evocation, or necromancy is also recommended. Ultimately, it's up to the magician to make the decision as to when to use it.

I hope this has been helpful in explaining the reason for using blood in magickal work.

Be safe, and responsible. I wish you luck in your work,

Ashmodai
Founder of the Order of the Triple Flame
" Burn bright. Light your own path"

For Questions, please contact the VC Magazine Staff at VCMagazine_Staff@yahoogroups.com

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