Blood magic (rituals, experience, pray, prayer)

[Mike182]

who here has experience or knowledge of magical workings involving blood?

i have used blood twice, to add a very personal and very strong bond to something... which authors have advertised blood for magic most? what are the common uses for it?

[Guitar's Cry]

Originally Posted by Mike182

who here has experience or knowledge of magical workings involving blood?

i have used blood twice, to add a very personal and very strong bond to something... which authors have advertised blood for magic most? what are the common uses for it?

I've personally used it as a self-sacrifice in some of my early spells, but haven't for many a year.

I believe Gardner advocated against it, though maintained that the spilling of blood was a powerful energy-release that could be used to jump start a spell. I need to reread his BOS, though.

[Luke Wolf]

Blood is great for binding things to you, especially ritual tools.
It can also help greatly increase to power of a ritual.

[rojse]

Is the act of spilling blood itself what binds one to an object, or is a prayer/ritual required in combination with the blood spilt to bind one to the object?

[Gentoo]

Originally Posted by rojse

Is the act of spilling blood itself what binds one to an object, or is a prayer/ritual required in combination with the blood spilt to bind one to the object?

I would say that it's the blood itself. Blood is a life force, and it's that strong bond (as it keeps you alive) that makes it so powerful.

[BFD_Zayl]

i've used blood in many of my rituals, as a sacrifice, to bind an item, and to help energize a ritual, for example, having some of my blood on my dagger, while charging it with my own energies, is the perfect way to set up the ritual triangle.