Blood in Magick.We've all heard of it, and many of us view it as "black magick" or "dark magick". Some people even go as far as to declare it "forbidden" in their tradition/coven. A lot of people also say that it is against the Wiccan Rede, as the "harm none" part applies to yourself as well.
To a degree, I agree. When one kills an animal or cuts it and uses its blood, it is unethical and inhumane and totally against the Rede. When one takes blood from someone else against their will to use in magick, that is also unethical. I heard a report that in 2009 a man was arrested for sacrificing a goat on his property (he practiced Santeria). He took it to court and he won the case. His attorney declared it a "victory for religious freedom." Okay, so it was all part of his religion and all, but that doesn't mean it wasn't inhumane and unethical. So I rather disagree with that type of blood magick.
And then people talk about how it's okay to use blood in magick as long as it's your own menstrual blood. Well, where does that leave the guys? They don't have periods. (unless, of course, they're hermaphrodites, but I'm not educated in that subject so I'm not sure about that.)
And so, I think it's fine to use a bit of blood in your magick and rituals, if it is from your own body. And if it is other people's blood as well as your own, it should be given willingly. And by willingly, I mean the person is in the circle, involved with the magick, and knows what they are doing.
I myself just used a bit of my own blood the day before the Blue Moon. I was consecrating a candle that I was going to use for something very important during the Blue Moon, and I knew that providing a bit of my blood would make the spell more powerful. That, I think, is ethical.
In this sense, I'll come to the whole thing about "harm none" applying to yourself as well. And my argument for this is: it is impossible not to harm. Everything we do causes someone or something some kind of harm, either in a big way or a small way. We can try to harm as little as possible, though, and I figure that if you're going to harm someone, then it might as well be yourself instead of someone else, and it should be part of magick. ON THIS NOTE, I think cutting goes against the law of "harm none," because you are harming yourself in a negative way.
And that was my little rant on blood in magick =)
Happy New Year 2010, everybody!
Your Little Alaskan Witchy,
Celeste Airdancer
The previous image is not owned by me.
I agree with this whole post. Blood magick is extremly powerful and if taken willingly, perfectly ethical.
ReplyDeleteIn my experience, spells done with blood work much faster and effectivly than without.