Monthly Cycle Rituals

Sara, I've never been part of any rituals although I know they exist. I'm just not familiar with any. The only time it was ever even brought up to me is to tell me that I should completely remove myself from one particular type of magick when I am on my period. Now, I don't practice that system and I likely never will, but I know all their female practitioners stay away once a month. Supposedly it has something to do with the blood being a waste product. *shrugs* I really don't even remember all of the specifics.

Sara, this is an interesting topic (maybe it should get its own thread?). I know that I personally have always felt that my magickal workings were stronger during that one week out of the month, almost as though there was a little extra "oomph" in there.

As to not performing certain rituals during one's period, I've heard of that but never followed it. I have used menstrual blood in ritual on a couple of occasions, and never found that things were less effective because of it.

Books on the system I mentioned or books on rituals for women?

Saritams8 said:

Good call, Patti.

You should check out that site. One of the women featured in the film does ritualistic art with her monthly blood. I found it a slightly disturbing idea, but after she was interviewed... Eh. To each her own, ya know?

Anyone else have info on period rituals?

Yes.

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It's very common to use one's menstrual blood in Hoodoo rituals. But some of that **** is **** you don't wanna mess w/.

In Hoodoo trads, it's not uncommon for mentstrual blood to be used as an "ingredient" -- as in, let's say, Sex Cake or the Special Land-Your-Man Gumbo. I've never had need to use it in such circumstances, but have used it as an offering to the gods, and with decent results.

Sara, read The Red Tent. The funny thing about this book is that it is Christian but the rituals listed are purely Pagan. There is a great deal in there about Cycle Rituals. The book is amazing. They had a ritual where the girl's first menstral blood was used as an offering as well as the blood from breaking her hyman. The cool thing was the rituals were female only, they used replicas of Pagan gods to break the hyman and offered the blood to that God. Supposedly this was an actual practice of the time.

I have never used menstal blood for any offering as I also see it as bodily waste, I did use some of the blood from my daughter's birth with amazing results.

PattiTheWicked said:

In Hoodoo trads, it's not uncommon for mentstrual blood to be used as an "ingredient" -- as in, let's say, Sex Cake or the Special Land-Your-Man Gumbo. I've never had need to use it in such circumstances, but have used it as an offering to the gods, and with decent results.

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Using menstrual blood in those sorts of spells is something I'd consider risky. I mean, one time I used blood from my wagina to hoodoo a man, and it had disasterous kharmic repercussions.

Using your blood as an offering is an interesting idear. I can understand both that and scifire's aversion to it. In ancient Japan, menstruation was considered a filthy thing, a time wherein one should avoid his woman, and it would consequently, I'm sure, be utmost taboo in any sort of magickal workings. But then again, Japan was and is a patriarchal society, so their viewpoint was rarely fair in this type of matter.

scfirenice said:

I have never used menstal blood for any offering as I also see it as bodily waste, I did use some of the blood from my daughter's birth with amazing results.

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Interesting perspective -- I don't look at menstrual blood as waste product at all, but as a life force. It's symbolic of where new life begins within us, or at least that's the way I view it. In workings related to conception and fertility, it seems like the perfect offering.

From a medical perspective, menstrual blood is actually very clean when it first leaves the body. It's only after it comes into contact with such things as urine, sanitary napkins, tampons, etc, that it becomes less than hygienic. Not that I personally would want to ingest it, but it isn't toxic or unsanitary or anything.

trumancoyote said:

In ancient Japan, menstruation was considered a filthy thing, a time wherein one should avoid his woman, and it would consequently, I'm sure, be utmost taboo in any sort of magickal workings. But then again, Japan was and is a patriarchal society, so their viewpoint was rarely fair in this type of matter.

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I think this was common in many male dominated societies. Heck, look at the Bible, where there's an injunction against even having carnal relations with a menstruating wife.

In some cultures women are considered more magickally potent during their period -- I spent ten years in South Carolina and had a friend whose grandfather was a "root doctor", and all the men tried really hard not to piss off menstruating wives, sisters, or grannies, because it was well known that "if she bleedin' she put the root on you."

That is fascinating and, if I may say, probably true. You've probably heard of men's reluctance to drink any sort of opaque liquid from a single woman in the South, huh? Eek.

Interestingly enough, certain Santerian rituals specifically forbid a mentruating woman to participate as well as pregnant women, but for different reasons.

I know this is dumb, Miss Carole, but what is Santeria?

Not dumb. I like your new avatar, by the way.

Santeria is sometimes compared to voodoo and from the outside it does look similar, but it's a lot different. It has roots in Africa and the Islands. When the religion developed here, it was because slaves were forbidden to practice their natural faiths and were forced to conform to Christianity. They adopted many of the Christian saints to represent their Orishas so that when they were praying or offering to their Gods it would appear that they were praying to Christian saints. I'm not sure of a lot of the correlations, but one in particular that I am familiar with is the Catholic Nino de Atocha represents Elegua. Elegua is the Orisha that all practitioners must go through to reach the other Orishas. A practitioner offers certain things to each Orisha they deal with. Elegua LOVES rum and he LOVES cigars. He also is partial to candy.

When someone wants to become part of the Santerian religion, they go through a really extensive and very ritualistic initiation and one specific Orisha will select that person to have a special connection with. Had I decided to continue with my study and practice, Oshun had already selceted me. I opted out for a lot fo different reasons. I loved being around it, though. The drumming, the joy and more specifically the precise way specific work would be carried out. It's a beautiful religion.

It's a really rich and diverse culture, Santeria. I managed a Santerian Botanica for a year and I gained a real appreciation for it.

Where did you go to learn about it? And were they hesitant to teach you?

trumancoyote said:

Using menstrual blood in those sorts of spells is something I'd consider risky. I mean, one time I used blood from my wagina to hoodoo a man, and it had disasterous kharmic repercussions.

Using your blood as an offering is an interesting idear. I can understand both that and scifire's aversion to it. In ancient Japan, menstruation was considered a filthy thing, a time wherein one should avoid his woman, and it would consequently, I'm sure, be utmost taboo in any sort of magickal workings. But then again, Japan was and is a patriarchal society, so their viewpoint was rarely fair in this type of matter.

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I don't have an aversion, I just don't do it. If I need blood I get it from a different source is all. While menstral blood is the stuff of life, the only reason you bleed is because you are not pregnant, the uterus is cleaning itself for the next cycle. I am sure it has its specific uses, I would not use it outside of that purpose.

trumancoyote said:

Where did you go to learn about it? And were they hesitant to teach you?

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It was a "quite-by-accident" little thing. I was out of work once when we were living in Orlando. There was this Botanica that hubby & I shopped in and I was just in there wandering around one day, chatting with a girl who worked there and picking up some candles and incense. I told her that I was looking for work and she told me that they were looking for a part timer. She had me write my name and BD on a paper and she took it to the owner who was also a Santerian High Priest. The next week when I was in there, she told me he "read" me and liked me and wanted me to work there so I did.

The girl quit shortly thereafter and I took her place as manager of the shop. That was probably my favorite job ever. The owner is who taught me and encouraged me. He became friends with hubby and the three of us would spend a lot of time just discussing magick. Since I worked there, I was surrounded by it all day long. Oh, the stories I could tell. *grin*

The owner had been initiated in Haiti and was a very powerful practitioner, when he wasn't drunk and/or coked up. Yeah, that was the bad part of the job. Since Santeria actively deals with invoking rather than Evoking, I was a little leary of going forward. It's not something to play around with. My boss respected that and didn't push me to continue when I decided it was not for me. I still worked there and continued to learn about that faith for a year. Hubby and I did readings for customers out of the store and one day it was just time to move on.

I don't recommend anyone trying to get their feet wet with Santeria without having a very strong mentor to guide them. Like I said, it isn't something to toy around with.

Where could I get more information, Carole? Do you know of any reliable sources?

Hmmm...I don't know if I have any books around on it, but I'll check. That's a tough question because Santeria is a very Mentor oriented faith. Lemme look around and see what I come up with

scfirenice said:

The cool thing was the rituals were female only, they used replicas of Pagan gods to break the hyman and offered the blood to that God.

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Wow, you're right, that is supercool! Do I have to wait til my girls are, like, 16, or can I do it this weekend? Man, I can't wait to see their little faces!

I mean, seriously, what the **** is wrong with you?

Saritams8 said:

This is, indeed, what the people back in the day did.

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It's not fiction then, is it? And what she said was,

The cool thing was the rituals were female only.

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