The Use of Blood in Magick and Ritual
The use of blood in Magick has been documented throughout time. Even in the bible it speaks of ritual sacrifice, the spilling of blood in honor of deity. Blood is considered the essence of life, without it all living creatures cease to exist. It is conceivably the most powerful substance one can use in magick.
Unfortunately use of blood in ritual breaks the main law of magick. The Witch's Rede "An it harm none, do what thou will." How does blood use in magick break the witch's rede? How do you obtain blood from a creature without hurting it? Not possible, even if you sedate it you're taking some of it's life essence. The same goes for using your own blood in a ritual, "Harm none" includes yourself. The majority of spells that use blood either harm or bind the person the blood was taken from in some way.
Some times blood is used in initiation rituals, wicca and most other pagan religions are based of of peace, love and oneness with nature, why initiate a new member through pain? Doesn't this give them a false notion of the God and Goddess and what they want from their followers? They do not wish us to cause ourselves pain they wish us to be at peace and be happy ant to live life close to the earth.
On the rare occasion that you wish to perform a spell or ritual that uses blood, that DOESN'T harm anyone or anything, there are a few substitutions to blood. The best of which being cherry juice, cherries are a symbol of life energies and are often used to divine how long someone will live. Bloodstone can also be used since it emits the same kinds of energies. Any other herbs or gems used for longevity also work well, finding a substitute is easy.
With the risk of blood born disease and other sanitation issues blood is something to keep out of your rituals and spell work. Using herbs or stones in it's place is perfectly viable and sparing your or a creatures pain will bring you closer to the Lord and Lady.
Blessed Be
Effex