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by D. L. Scott
As I was reading The Witches of Eastwick by John Updike a few weeks ago, I was struck by the author's paradoxical understanding of the feelings of magick alongside a comical ignorance of the process. The book, incidentally, is very different from the movie. The three coveners in the book collect and use body fluids and sheddings in order to torment their neighbors as casually as baking cookies, and on the slightest whim. In fact, they bake them into their cookies. Most Craft practitioners I know would never dream of this kind of mal-intent.
The inquisitors of the middle ages squeezed stories of sex, blood and murder from their tortured victims to justify Catholic purification of society. Protestant zealots were hardly more merciful in their accusations and convictions during the burning times. Authors, even before the Common Era, played upon fears and secret, repressed desires to create monstrous scenes of unreality. Fascination, revulsion, obsession and terror all are evoked by the sight of blood.
Hysteria and sensationalism bloat fables and spurious accounts into entertainment or nightmare. The modern pagan community (laughing...Anyone care to define that?) suffers from a lot of bad press and misinformation about its practices.
A long time ago, as a solitary, I practiced my Craft primarily on instinct, ancient memory and even perhaps some forgotten Hollywood movie scene. I instinctively knew that body fluids were powerful, and I used them to anoint my altar tools, my statuary, even my divination tools. Later, as a more formal student of the Craft, I was taught that this was a very dangerous thing to do. Everything had to be cleansed and the most powerful working tools had to be buried. Anything that touched blood could no longer be used in circle.
Many anthropological and mystical accounts are cited by James Frazer in The Golden Bough. He observes, "The general explanation of the reluctance to shed blood on the ground is probably to be found in the belief that the soul is in the blood, and that therefore any ground on which it may fall necessarily becomes taboo or sacred."
For work with this much inherent power, it is my gentle opinion that one should seek out the advice of the elders of one's own tradition or community. For this article, I sought the wisdom and insight of three of our community's respected elders: Leon Reed, Lady Setara and Willow Moon.
It is said that behind every myth is a grain of truth. So what truth hides in today's application of new and ancient mysteries? Lady Setara, who possesses a wealth of information about early Hittite and Mesopotamian culture, remarked, "In Mesopotamia, many of the sacred practices of the old religion became practices that were considered unclean by the new religion." Reinterpretation: This is the organic flow of culture, for better or worse. Much as we pagans would like to absolve ourselves from the norms of the majority in the land we inhabit, we retain their influence. We are who we are, in great part, because of the family, society and history that raised us.
So is there a rule about the relationship of bodily fluids to ritual and magickal practice?
That depends on whom you ask. Of course, you knew I was going to say that, didn't you? Ask nine witches a question, you get thirteen answers. We all know this joke.
Break it down a little. What is the Craft worker's overarching worldview? Urban or farm raised? Male or female? Open pagan socialite or closeted Bible Belt solitary? Book taught; community class taught; coven taught; family tradition taught; not-at-all taught? Seeker, kitchen witch, warrior or priestess? Put us all together and we have difficulty agreeing on the most basic of circle rules; never mind the nature of cosmic substance!
In my interview with Leon Reed about blood in ritual, the first thing he said is that his views won't be popular because he was raised on a working farm in rural Poe Valley, Oregon. Animals functioned as family and food. The rule was "Don't kill anything you don't eat." Nothing was more sacred than the taking of life, and nothing was wasted. Leon went on to say that killing in this context does not equate to sacrifice. "It is not a bargain with God; it is a bargain with the animal."
A bargain? This sheds an interesting light on the concept of sacrifice. A bargain is a contract entered into by two beings in agreement. Yes, we can speak to the animal about our need to sustain ourselves, be respectful in the use of its resources, and aid growth and habitat for its kin. It is not our deity we petition to take life for sustenance; it is the sentient being who relinquishes its own life to us.
Our bodies exist on many planes. The fluids of our body, our fingernails, hair, anything with DNA also carries our signature. In her book, Mutilating the Body: Identity in Blood and Ink, Kim Hewitt describes blood as "the fluid that carries materialized energy." It can be argued that magickally used items that contain or have touched these things carry our signature with them. Some traditions prescribe that a separate tool be kept surrounded by very protective coverings for work requiring the use of body fluids.
The etheric, astral and fairy planes are home to beings both good and ill, much like our own. Once we begin walking between the worlds, the other beings that inhabit these worlds start taking notice of us. Many of us know what it is like to encounter an "astral icky" who intrudes, unbidden, into our space. It can create a lot of chaos if not returned to its realm.
As magical beings, we intrude into their space. We cease to be a dull shadow of a "muggle" and become a barely noticeable intrusion into their world or, perhaps, a brilliant beacon of disruptive activity. Can't you just picture some multi-limbed, tube-nosed greenish entity waving three arms around in a secret sigil, dripping with slime, exclaiming to us with frustration, "Be gone! Go back to your realm!" Well, that doesn't really happen. I think, er...hope...er...Naaaaaah.
Levity aside, we do create an energic signature on the etheric plane. The fluids of our body, which carry our life essence, live on both planes. It is possible that when we consciously expose them within the magickal realm, a curious local being may decide to latch on, riding the signature like a beacon back to our temporal selves.
This is also true for all of the pieces of our body we leave lying around. Fingernail clippings, fallen hair, skin cells and spit also retain our energy signature long after falling from our bodies.
If someone unethical wished to do magickal harm to an individual, gathering a few hairs or a broken nail is all that is needed to connect the spell to the victim. Imagine the power of a drop of blood, our very life force. Before the Wiccan Rede and variations of it defining ethical standards were published, older texts contained numerous references to curses and spells for love and revenge. Certainly these texts gave inspiration to John Updike in his fanciful accounting of coveners.
Can body fluids be used in positive workings?
Willow Moon relates; "In my tradition (Italian Witchcraft) body fluids are considered sacred and very potent; a direct link to the practitioner. It is my belief that this has been the case throughout history, but I can only speculate. Personally, my experiences have mirrored my teachings concerning these things; I do not know, however, if the belief has created the experience, or if the experience created the belief."
This is a good point. Most of us cull our practice from many different sources and traditions. Experience heightens belief, which heightens experience! This adds to the dilemma, as it becomes increasingly difficult to separate any given practice into neat little logical packages.
Asked if blood or other body fluids are ever used in ritual, she continued; "Ever is a strong word. Sometimes, for some things, body fluids are used. This is usually reserved for very specific magicks, and for the more experienced practitioner. Alternatives can be used, if they hold meaning for the practitioner."
An elfishly cryptic response! Sometimes...for some things. Caution speaks loud within silence. But I do want to delve further into use of alternatives, which can open up new options for us. More on this later.
Lady Setara feels that the use of body fluids to consecrate one's personal tools is an appropriate practice, and this is one of the prime reasons that one should never touch anyone else's tools or magical jewelry without asking.
Further, regarding her own practice she says, "In my tradition, blood is used for bonding within the group." It is "carefully done" using "clean blood" (blood free of disease). Blood is also cleansed by mixing it with lots of "other stuff." It is never ingested and is used "more for the psychological bang than for its substance." It is the shock value that allows us to say, "we are now blood-bonded." She notes a second use, that of "creating a spirit to do our own will." This "binds the spirit to us." (Don't try this at home, kids!)
On the subject of ritual, Leon Reed notes that, when working with bloodthirsty deities it is "better to have an agreement with your own blood" than to use an animal's. Although there are legends about some animals that offer their lives in sacrifice, animals are sentient beings with their own rules for life. Food chain issues aside, I do not believe that we have a right to determine their level of sacrifice for them. We can, however, determine our own level of sacrifice!
Leon reflected that "western pagans often don't relate to blood deities," such as Kali, Cybele and Poseidon. Behind the frenzied music and orgiastic rites of Cybele stands the castration goddess whose stone, obsidian, is razor sharp. Blood is nearly inevitable, yet here it holds a cathartic and healing release. Poseidon, that gorgeous, muscular ruler rising out of the deep sea, had his followers throw animals over the cliff as sacrifice to him. Kali, in spite of a popular New-Age attempt to cast her as a happy, dancing mother goddess, is all about the cutting away of untruth. Her knife is sharp and always dripping with blood.
Leon echoed Willow in the need to search out substitutes that are just as acceptable to the gods as the actual use of blood or the taking of life. For example, he says he often suggests to followers of Poseidon to throw animal crackers off the cliff instead of actual animals. It is all in the intent.
He strongly advocates checking in with your own tradition when making the decision about what touches and does not touch your magickal tools and weapons. Regarding specifically the use of blood on tools or weapons, Leon noted that in ceremonial magick, a blooded athame would never be used, as it attracts lower energies, instead of the higher beings the celebrants seek. Morrigan, the Celtic war goddess, however, would probably insist on it. If a follower of Diana went on a bow hunt for a stag, she would certainly want her due! On the other hand, a peaceful deity who has a geis against fighting would well scorn a blooded tool.
In a tradition where blood is never used in circle, I asked if a blooded knife (one that has touched even the tiniest droplet of blood) should be buried or otherwise taken out of the known world. He replied, in typical Leon enigmatic fashion, "This presumes nothing can cleanse it."
Willow elaborated and raised further questions. "Much energy is embedded into a weapon over a long period of time in order to breathe life into it. It is a matter of intent, and a focus of purpose. A weapon is used to protect. If I infuse my weapon with my blood, how well will it then protect me?"
Noting the distinction between magickal tools and weapons, she continued, "Tools are sometimes used to create a specific manifestation. If, for instance, a priest/ess of my tradition were assisting a woman with fertility, they may use a tool bathed in amniotic fluid. Weapons are a different story. If by chance a practitioner's body fluids happen to touch something which is designed to protect them, destruction of the weapon would be the best course of action; bringing it back into a neutral state. If this option were unavailable, a symbolic death (usually by way of fire or earth) would be acceptable. The item is released and never used again."
Besides animal crackers, what are some other possible alternatives? Henna has a long history of association with symbolic blood, as does red body paint or chalk. The Doctrine of Signatures is a medieval concept whereby plants that resemble a thing can be used to represent it or even heal it; such as liverwort, a plant which not only looks like liver, but is also used to treat it. Bloodroot, (Poisonous!) has an orange-red juice in the rootstock, and, incidentally, is used to treat heart disease.
A cursory look at alchemy will produce a wealth of sigils and symbolic references to blood. Incense with a distinctive red coloring and pungency, such as dragon's blood, may be helpful. Red wine has been used for millennia to symbolize blood in grape-growing regions. Pomegranate not only is full of blood-red seeds, but the juice stains the flesh in a brownish red reminiscent of dried blood. It is the idea of the thing rather than the thing itself that we seek. We create our own realities and with our intent and focus; we can even create our own "materia vitae." However, you should do some divination. Ask the deity you are working with about the substitute you're considering.
What about working with others whose practice differs from our own?
When visiting a circle, be consistent in terms of the practice happening within that circle. If all my rituals surround traditions and deities who do not demand or expect the actual use of blood, then all my tools and weapons should remain clean and protected from blood. If all my rituals and deities do expect this, fine, but then I need to understand what impact this will have on my own energy signature. What will happen if I enter the space of a "clean" ritual? What energies have I introduced?
Most often, the widest swath of the Craft regularly crosses traditions from eclectic to specific throughout their practices and lifetimes. I count myself in that category. (Is a cross-traditioner like a cross-trainer? Are there special shoes?) It is a challenge to have not only different tools and weapons, but also different shields and diametrically opposed mindsets all in the same brain. Focus is crucial.
When attending a circle I am unfamiliar with, I arrive clean, ritually washed and well shielded. I may never know the inner workings of this circle, and I need to come as a neutral entity, so their workings will be as they intended. This also protects me, if I find that I become uncomfortable with it as it progresses. Shielded, I will not bring the energies back home with me unless I choose to. I know a few of the old spells now, and as a crone I try to use the little wisdom that seeps through my graying hair. The more I age, the less things seem cut-and-dried.
There are a few other important body fluids we must address.
Menstrual blood and semen are almost in a class by themselves when it comes to their importance in ritual.
Menstrual blood is an extremely magickal substance unique to women of childbearing age. Willow, speaking of Italian Craft, elaborates, "Menses is a very powerful time. In my tradition, death and ending is an important and necessary facet of life. This becomes emphasized during menses. Ending or letting go magicks in this phase of cycle can be very strong and rewarding (although exhausting) work. Menstrual fluids can be quite useful in this area."
"In some Italian traditions, women in this phase of their cycle are asked not to participate in magicks. It is believed that those experiencing menses are vulnerable at this time. There is concern over their `bleeding' energy from the circle and the magicks therein. It is believed that the whole of the circle and its workings become open to undesirable forces."
Menstrual blood goes beyond any possible sharing quality of venous blood in its unique properties and potential. It is a substance of deep trance and separation.
The modern epidemic of PMS, cramps and bloating are, in my opinion, the result of neglecting our body's desire to shut out the world for a few days and turn our focus inward. The anthropological menstrual hut not only protected men from contamination by the intensely powerful fluids, it also provided a place where women were absolved from the mundane pressures of life and allowed to roam freely in and out of trance states. Celeste, a friend of mine, was calculating how many sick days she had and determined that once a month she could call in bleeding! I love this. In our desire to compete with the male-dominated work force, women have negated this important time as an inconvenience and deterrent to higher pay.
Seminal fluids are the unique counterpart for men. While women are secreted away by society to hide the existence and even the odor of their fluids, men celebrate, glorify, market and even make fun of their powerful semen and its method of delivery. This has become part of the masculine psyche of our culture, and not without reason. Semen carries a high energic value of its own. The various rituals, sacred and profane, conducted to coax it from its womb-like sacs builds up an unmistakable field of energy that is usually ignored for its importance. A man approaching orgasm goes into an unstoppable trance state of his own, transcending reality in an intense ripping apart of his cultural reserve, channeling everything into a fire hose of life.
Furthermore, when a magickal person has an orgasm, whether male or female, magick is being created. Sex magick is an intense and carefully orchestrated event. Semen delivered in a magickal context is highly potent in that the intent can be controlled (unlike menstruation, which is a natural flow).
Sex magick, however, must be a shared event, guys and gals! I listened in horror once as a pagan told me about how he had impressed his date by using sex magick on her without telling her, until she said, "Wow! What was that?" He laughed and said that after he told her, she wanted to study paganism. How many things can we count wrong with this picture? I don't care what version of ethics you go by, magickal manipulation is just plain wrong, folks. In this case, it amounts to energic rape.
Lady Setara cautioned that it is "very, very bad etiquette and evil magick for someone to trick someone else into ingesting theirs or anyone else's [bodily fluids of any kind]. If the intent is to evoke an emotional reaction, there must be informed consent."
For centuries men thought they had a monopoly on this ecstatic power. Women weren't even encouraged to have an orgasm. The little tidbit I found about the "making" of saints and kings shows that sometimes women didn't even get a chance to spread their legs. Just goes to prove mean people suck, nice people swallow.
Gladly, we have long passed this manipulative construct and come to the point of recognizing the health benefits to women of both orgasm and semen. Much to my surprise, Tiffany Kary reported on a recent study that concluded, "Semen contains hormones including testosterone, estrogen, prolactin, luteinizing hormone and prostaglandins; and some of these are absorbed through the walls of the vagina and are known to elevate mood." Pity the article (Crying over Spilled Semen: Hormone-Rich Sperm May Elevate Women's Moods) did not expound on whether oral and anal semen absorption have the same effect! Personally, I want a study done on the composition of female ejaculate! (Yes guys, some of us do...with pleasure!) Can hormones be absorbed under the tongue?
We are now in the merry season of Beltaine.
The fluids of the pagan body run hot and passionate and Earth surges with seeds breaking through the soil and flowers fill with fertile pollen. All of nature explodes in an ecstatic dance. The beasts of field and forest dance their instinctive rituals and we can hardly contain ourselves long enough to find a secluded place to ejaculate life into the natural world. For thousands of years, those who touched the pulse of the earth gave back to her in gratitude and ecstasy at this crucial part of the agricultural year.
In summary, Leon relates that blood in ritual is a dramatic link to you. He asks, "What are the gods looking for? They are looking for signs you care." What are the true sacrifices worthy of the gods? "Constancy, sincerity and truth." These, above all, are sacrifices rare in our time, and are of value to the gods.
Practice of the Craft is always a solitary choice, no matter how involved others are in our rites. We each stand alone before our chosen gods and when we cross the border between the worlds, it is to them we must answer. Seek well and Blessed Be.
Copyright © 2006 by the article's author