Quite often when I mention the use of blood magic, people get creeped out, thinking that I am talking about sacrificing small animals or humans. I assure you that no animals or humans are ever sacrificed during any of my rituals, blood magic rituals or any other. I do believe that I have mentioned in a previous blog [and if not, then I am mentioning it now] that blood magic includes any aspect of “fluid” that is produced by the human body. For example, it could be blood, but it could also be stuff like tears, saliva, semen, sweat and so on. What one uses is up to the practitioner. So, for example, if doing a fertility ritual, it might be the practitioner’s choice to use semen for obvious reasons. However, for today’s blog, I would like to talk more about my introduction into blood magic. For this, we have to go back….way back. And for this to fully be understood, you have to come to the realization that I have been trained in magical practices from the time I was born…and even before that in many, Many, MANY other lifetimes. So when I draw knowledge from these teachings, I draw it from thousands of years of teachers and thousands of different kinds of practices.
So, without getting too wrapped up in specific lifetimes, I will ask you to picture a young boy, of about 12 years of age. That boy is me. I know. When you are used to the 59-year-old version, it becomes challenging to envision me as much younger. So, if that is too challenging, just insert whatever image of a 12-year-old boy suits you best. That is none of my business.
When I was of that age, at a time when I was forming for the first time my sense of individuality on levels other than just consciousness, and dipping my toes into teenage rebellion, my teacher noticed that I was taking that individuality to a bit of an extreme, thinking that I was somewhat of an island. I was at risk of losing my conscious connection to all others in the world and in the universe simply because I was disconnecting myself from that. It was, indeed, a form of self-preservation, yes. However, my teacher, being the very wise woman that she was, saw where that was headed, and decided that it was time.
So, she pulled me aside and began the instructions around Blood Magic. The concept at first was challenging to me because I would feel sickened at the very sight of blood. It mattered not if it was my blood, someone else’s blood, or the blood of a wounded or dying or slaughtered animal. I would feel my stomach turn and get dizzy. I would not pass out, necessarily. But I was completely squeamish about it. With that in mind, she began with the more simple aspects of Blood Magic. This included teachings about how we are all interconnected with everything on this planet. Our blood connects us with the blood that runs through the veins of every living creature, even if that creature’s blood is a different color than that of our own. Yes, there are some creatures on our world that do not have red blood, and that has to do with their chemical makeup through evolution. But, hear me when I say this, blood is blood nonetheless. And through that blood, we are connected, not just with every creature on our world, but with every creature in the Universe.
One of the things that she said to me that resonated deeply was, “My dear, you must realize that you were born of blood. When you came into this world you were covered in the blood of your mother’s womb. You have the blood of your mother and father running through your veins. That blood is a combination of the blood of every living ancestor in your many family lines. It is a testament to the love and passion and connection that has brought you into existence in this realm at this time. It is not something to be feared. It is something to be honored. And as you were born of blood, you will also possibly die of blood. Wars happen and people get killed violently. And if you have the good fortune to die of old age, at some point in time, it will be your heart that stops and the blood that ceases to flow through your veins that will be the moment of your passing into the Other realms.” I found this to be incredibly wise and completely profound. It was like stadium lights turned on in my brain. I could suddenly see the interconnection of it all and how integral a part of that my entire being was!
Once I was readjusted in my insight into blood itself, the lessons in blood magic began. Now, I have to say that in doing blood magic, I do not use anyone else’s blood. There is an exception to this, and that is if a person that I am doing a blood magic ritual for wants me to use his/her blood and with good reason. However, a vast majority of the blood magic that I perform is for myself, and not anyone else. So it is my blood that is used. And when I do this, it is not like I have to take a blade to my hand and slice a huge line through my palm to get enough blood. With blood magic, it is not about the amount. Size does not matter. It is about the intent and with that intent a simple singular drop of blood is all that is required. So a simple pin prick will do.
So, what does the blood do? When doing a ritual, I often incorporate the use of a cauldron and various ingredients that are combined to create the desired outcome. These ingredients are sometimes burned, or boiled or steeped, depending upon the ritual. The blood serves as a connecting agent between myself and the spell that is being done in ritual form. It also serves as a connection between my intent and the rest of the world, Nature, the Universe etc. Now, because it is my blood that I use, it is also an assurance that my intent is honorable. When doing blood magic with your own blood, you do not want to be casting hexes or curses. That connection to you means that there will be severe blowback and YOU will be the one who suffers. They don’t tell you that when making movies about this in Hollywood. Once the ritual is complete, the remains of what is in the cauldron, be it liquid or ash or whatever, is offered back to the Earth. Again, this part is about honoring the connection with all of Nature.
As mentioned in previous blogs, Blood Magic is also a part of Water Witchery. Water is the element of emotions but also represents the deep soul level of existence. So, when we do any form of Water Witchery, be that Blood Magic or any other form, we are working on a deep soul level. Thus when we are doing a healing ritual with Blood Magic, we are also healing on a soul level AND we are doing multi-generational healing. As my teacher pointed out to me, our blood connects us with all of our ancestors. Healing ripples throughout time and space. So when we heal ourselves, we are also healing our ancestors and our descendants. This is why Blood Magic is ultimately important.