The messiness of magic

So, I’ve been thinking.    yeah..those who know me well are undecided at the moment  whether or not they should sit and watch with a bowl of popcorn or hide from what is surely about to hit the fan.  But anyway, I was watching a conversation about the use of personal things in ritual work, such as urine, menstrual blood etc.  Some were repulsed, others not so much.  So being my opionated self, I decided to delve into this.

So let’s go into a little background about using menses in ritual work.  Many traditions from Taoists to the Egyptians involved the ingestion of menstrual blood mixed with red wine to increase spiritual power.  The Ancient Greeks included the mixing of menses with corn and spreading it upon the ground to increase fertility.    The Ogala Sioux traditionally had purification ceremonies for a girl to be consecrated as a Holy woman to be revered by the whole tribe. Some aboriginal people use this as a basis of women’s magic which makes it damn important.   At one time a woman’s “moontime” was considered to be when she was at the height of her power. It coincided with lunar cycles, tides and was considered to be a cosmic event. About  5000 years ago, it was later distorted into a time of “uncleanness” and women were forced to be apart , unable to participate in the preparation of food for men, or participate in ceremonies. It moved away from a spiritual connectedness with the earth and universe and the pendulum swung over to a patriarchal type of religion in which women were considered secondary citizen in many ways.  It began to be considered a time of “curse” because after all in biblical times, Eve was given this as a sign of disobedience to god..she would bleed, her life giving force to be excreted instead of being used to nourish a child within her., once a month unless she became with child.

With all we know of backgrounds , and the fact that many paths work differently, I find it interesting that some would absolutely sneer at the use of personal issue.  I know of some paths who take the “curse” part and use it accordingly.  It works damn well.  Some use it for love spells..now that is one that one should be damned sure you want the other person since this one is powerful enough to connect you to them.  Also it can be used for protection such as urine in a witch bottle.   The part many have to get past I guess is the way they feel about it in their own life.  If they find it inconvenient, or something worse than death(have heard that mentioned before), then they will of course find it unappealing to use in ritual work.  Some feel squeamish at the collection part of it, but in truth, one should be familiar with your body and with its functions so why should you go all childish at the thought of taking something natural and using it? Many consider it waste, since it is flushed from the body as it were , but I find that even though it’s not being used as was its original intent , it still holds the nutrients that it would have used to nourish a child.  It’s not for everyone I know, much the same way that the use of animal sacrifice or bones are not.  Some do not practice much more than the use of herbs, candles or incense (if at all) so to venture off their strict (and for me limiting) path fills them with a sense of revulsion.  But magic is messy, somewhat smelly and definitely limitless if one but chooses to embrace other areas.  What it really comes down to is how you want to infuse yourself into your working.  What you feel about yourself.  Much has been made about exclusion of self..whether it be bodily functions, parts of self such as nails, hair because of cultural beliefs, personal preferences, religious views and just general view of their own path they walk.  To my own thinking as I walk my path, that limits how I choose to work. It’s the same for me as someone saying they could never curse because they don’t harm others.  I call bullshit because I am sure they are not perfect people and somewhere at some time have been cruel to someone with their actions or speech.  Kind of blows that out of the water huh?  So when someone says they could never use bodily fluids in workings, I kind of want to ask them just WHAT do they use when they kick?  Why would you not use something so intensely personal to hex someone or protect yourself? I myself have no problem with it but I can understand that it is not for everyone.  Some just can’t get past that societal squeamishness that infuses their belief system.  But even if you choose to not include it, at least give the same respect you would wish for others to offer you at your offerings.  To equate them as something such as mucous snot(which is a by product of cold or allergies btw, not a bodily function that occurs as a natural cycle) is more than a little insulting to those who choose to accept such functions as a normal process of their path.  I would expect better of my peers. I demand better of my friends because respect is a two way street. I think as adults we can concede that we will not agree on everything, nor should we. But we can accept that we all have our own beliefs, practices without speaking without thought and trod on others because of our revulsion, beliefs, or prejudices. For me, that is my personal line in the sand.  I may not understand how you work or believe, but I will respect your right to do so.  I just ask the same from others.

tempête parfaite