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Blood Magic (females)

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13:53 / 10.11.05

Oh, and regarding the "mistake of nature" issue - science has in fact been puzzling for a long time over the trick of evolution that resulted in the females of our species (and some other primates) going around for days reeking of blood, which one would think is not so good when you're living in the wilderness with predators about. Some have even suggested that this is the real origin of the widespread taboos associated with the menstrual flow, and the habit of sequestering menstruating women - it began as an attempt to protect the rest of the tribe from the creatures attracted to the blood-beacon-on-legs, and to the blood she shed.

The main benefit, of course, is that we can reproduce year-round, rather than seasonally.

Although, come to think - poor nutrition, low body weight, frequent pregnancies, protracted breastfeeding, and physical exertion can all serve to stave off the flow - so it's possible that people living in very primitive circumstances didn't get their periods very often. I'd be interested to see a study on the frequency of menstruation in modern tribal cultures...

16:03 / 10.11.05

Also, I'm crampy right now as I write this. Has this thread now become the equivalent of living with too many women and all getting on the same cycle?

I wish, I wouldn't mind someone else’s cycle.

The closest I can come to describing it is that menstrual blood seems to be more... earthy, while fresh blood feels more firey, perhaps?

Actually that makes a lot of sense to me, I personally get a underworld but not underworld feeling so earthy does fit better than anything I have come up with myself. Blood it’s self is pure to me and when fresh match up with fire, the heat of it when you badly cut yourself and the blood touches your skin, the colour and energy of it. Whereas menstrual blood isn’t pure blood it contains stuff which is very fertile hence it’s a great fertiler for plants and very earthy.

Thank you for that, it’s given me a lot to ponder and to re-think a lot of my given ideas on it.

And Sekhmet, I don’t know if you have read any of the anthrology books I was suggested or the links I put up but there is a fair bit about;
the trick of evolution that resulted in the females of our species (and some other primates) going around for days reeking of blood, which one would think is not so good when you're living in the wilderness with predators about. Some have even suggested that this is the real origin of the widespread taboos associated with the menstrual flow, and the habit of sequestering menstruating women - it began as an attempt to protect the rest of the tribe from the creatures attracted to the blood-beacon-on-legs, and to the blood she shed.

Although you do have to read carefully though it. I have found reading science explanations for some uses of magic and the anthrological side have started to give me a more rounded view of this.

I have to admit I didn't realise how deeply I was going to get involved with this but I'm actually really glad I did.

16:06 / 10.11.05

Also thanks for the book idea, FireFox's book is an interesting read. I can't actually believe it's an Llewellyn book from the writing style.

21:22 / 10.11.05

On the contraceptive front: I took The Pill for over ten years, and not only did my period gradually fade away and nearly stop, but it has taken almost two years of being off of the pill to bring it back on. I had no attraction at all to doing blood magic when I was pill-taking, except to save it (I don't know if anyone reading's ever done the pill for that long, but after over five years, my blood would all come out at once, in a little ball almost).

Now that I have a "real period" again, it makes sense. I had even been scoffing at a lot of the home-remedies for cramping and PMS that seemed downright witchy. "Pffff! I don't bleed like you women!" Now that I do again... my whole body feels new. Not even "better." I rather liked my ambiguously-gendered, faux-period-producing womb there.

I've never had much of a draw to the "Woman of Luna" witch archetype, and with my body headed back there, it's almost a little embarrassing. I need some new vicious blood archetype (not Kali, no). For me, it's not an affrimation of my fertility and thus womanliness -- it's a little monthly celebration of not being pregnant.

Anyone come acorss more ecstatic blood rites, vs. fertility based?

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