BOTH in rites of invocation and evocation and in all sorts of other Draconian workings, the key to gateways existing within the inner mind is the blood of the practitioner, the primal substance of the Dragon. It is the very essence of gnosis and the basic tool of sorcery and spiritual alchemy. Rites of invocation are opened with blood that is used to activate the seals of the summoned forces. With the blooded ritual blade we open gates of the Nightside by calling gods and spirits into the temple. Blood is also required by spirits to manifest in rituals of evocation. They are called by chanting their names and focusing the mind on their seals which should also be drawn or traced with blood. In other words, blood is a key that unlocks many doors and gates, both on the physical and the astral plane, as well as on the subconscious level. Sometimes blood in rituals is viewed as a fetish. This is also true, because many magicians find bloodletting helpful in shifting and altering their consciousness. Bloodletting has always been disturbing for more and less sensitive individuals. Its smell stimulates the senses, intoxicates the mind, and produces a specific kind of trance. Many people either faint at the sight of blood or it stirs their excitation and aggression in an extraordinary way, unlike any other stimulant. It triggers fascination and excitement, as well as repulsion and anxiety. There are few that remain untouched by the sight of freshly spilt blood. It is the key to the unconscious and to the divine potential of each man, the link to the Draconian current and its gods and spirits. That is why the use of blood sacrifice also functions as a means of producing the feeling of intoxication, ecstatic trance, which allows for transcendence beyond the commonplace states of mind. The color, smell and texture of blood - all this has a powerful impact on imagination, no matter if it is our own blood or the vital substance of another living being. Also, it is a very antinomian practice, as the ritual use of blood has always been an extremely controversial issue, which has not changed even in modern times. In many forms of magic, however, blood is much more than just a fetish, and bloodletting has a deeper esoteric meaning. There are magical systems in which the foremost function of blood is to open gates to the Other Side and provide substance for spirits to manifest. It is also a token of worship and offering given to gods and spirits in return for their guidance and teachings. The use of blood sacrifice, either one's own or that which belongs to another living being, releases a certain amount of energy, and energy is needed to obtain physical manifestation of an evoked entity on the material plane. This role of blood sacrifice makes it useful in evocation. Spirits, which naturally belong to subtle planes, have no material substance and cannot take physical form by themselves. In the case of astral magic and magic of the Void, which constitute the greater part of Draconian operations, this is not needed, but there are forms of magic in which bringing a spirit to manifestation on the physical plane requires substance that contains enough energy within. This is usually blood or sexual fluids - both are often employed by magicians and prove to be useful in various operations. We have already discussed the art of evocation, and you know that Draconian magic not necessarily works this way and you do not need large amounts of blood to communicate with gods and spirits. However, you may encounter such a view on the role of blood in some magical traditions. Such practices usually involve the use of sacrificial blood of a killed animal, which is not needed in Draconian magic, but we will speak about it later. Blood can also be used for consecration of ritual tools and magical items, to draw sigils and write magical formulas, to sign pacts with spirits, etc. In simple magical operations it is usually enough to offer a few drops of your own vital substance, and it is usually placed on the ritual blade, seals of gods or spirits, and other tools that we employ in the work. Sometimes the summoned forces may want more, and then we will either find ourselves bleeding in mysteriously great amounts from a small ritual cut or the spirits will openly ask for a greater sacrifice. It may happen that some deities and spirits will ask not only for your own blood but for the blood and life of another living being. This may be required for a magical operation to work, or as a token of gratitude for the gnosis and assistance granted to you by these forces. In this case, you have to follow the instructions or discuss another sort of offering with the gods and spirits themselves. In my experience, there is always another solution and they will accept another form of sacrifice as well, as long as it is offered with the proper intent. Many ancient religious and magical traditions involved (or still involve) animal sacrifice, because blood and death energies released in the act of ritual killing were believed to open certain gateways and allow the summoned deities to manifest. This may not be necessary in your own practice, but you have to be aware that further stages of the path may include more bloodletting and practices that you may find hard to accept. This, however, will not be required in rituals and meditations provided in this book, and the choice to include such elements in your personal work is completely up to you. I personally recommend being careful with practices such as animal sacrifice. I have witnessed such rituals and have found these methods completely unnecessary in the self-initiatory magic of the Left Hand Path. Many Draconian gods and spirits will not welcome this kind of sacrifice at all, and instead of it they will ask the Initiate for a sacrifice of something personal. I believe that promoting such practices as magical tools only encourages violent urges, senseless cruelty and disrespect for life. Moreover, such cruelty and disrespect often return to the practitioner through many unexpected and dramatic situations. This is seen in a different way in traditions where an animal is raised, taken care of, offered as a sacrifice in a respectful way, and finally, eaten. This, however, is not the way of the modern Left Hand Path, where the notions of "sacrifice" and "offering" are seen as two distinct concepts, with the meaning not limited to blood magic. Offerings can include incense, plants, alcohol, jewelry, or other items that can be placed on the altar or used as temple decorations to channel and concentrate the energy of chosen spirits or deities. Sacrifice is a complex concept that includes a change, action, transition, rite of passage, etc., that occurs during the initiatory process. This has nothing to do with blood magic and it is a part of the personal process of an individual practitioner. The only true sacrifice on the Left Hand Path is the sacrifice of the Lower Self to the Higher Self, as it is illustrated by a number of myths and legendary rites of passage, such as e.g. the Sumerian story of Inanna's descent into the underworld. The only blood we can offer is our own, as this is a symbolic sacrifice of a part of ourselves, and therefore it has the initiatory and transforming value that is needed in the personal process of transcendence. The killing of an animal is often senseless, as its life does not belong to us, and we cannot sacrifice what we do not own, as this would contradict the very concept of "sacrifice." Many workings provided in this book include the element of bloodletting. Its value in Draconian magic rests on its power to induce a particular state of consciousness that opens inner gateways and acts as a bridge between the conscious and subconscious parts of the mind. The moment of piercing the flesh creates a vacuum in which communication with other planes and their denizens becomes possible and the intent of the ritual can be planted in the Void. It is a similar mechanism as in the case of orgasm and other forms of practices that produce a certain crisis and dissolve the ego. Bloodletting, however, depletes the organism, and it is recommended to use only as much blood as it is absolutely necessary to charge and activate the sigils. Usually, you only need a few drops, which are easily drawn with a sharp knife, but a simple razor or lancet will do as well. In the workings of this book, the blood has to be your own - it is your own life substance that opens inner gateways within your consciousness in the symbolic act of self-sacrifice. In my own work, I have found that the blood of the Initiate empowers magical operations in a greater extent than any other offering, ritual practice, or sacrifice, but if the idea of working this way puts you off, you do not have to do it. You can either work without the blood element or you can try replacing it with other forms of sacrifice. In this case, remember that what you choose to sacrifice has to be personal and valuable to you alone. Female practitioners often wonder about the value of menstrual blood in Draconian magic. This is another controversial subject and you will find here many different opinions. In my personal experience, I have never seen a Draconian god, goddess, or any entity that would be offended by being offered menstrual blood. If you use it, nothing bad should happen and it will often empower your rituals. But venous blood and menstrual blood are not exactly interchangeable and they should not be used as substitutes for each other. Menstrual blood has a magical potential because it is connected with female sexuality. Generally, sexual fluids and secretions are widely used in magic, but all of them have specific qualities and carry different types of energy. Menstrual blood contains many dead cells and does not carry the same vital element as venous blood. There are many magical operations where it is better to use it instead of other substances - a lot of operations of female magic, such as love spells, are based on menstrual blood only - but venous blood is a better vehicle of manifestation, and for simple workings, such as provided in this book, I would rather recommend using this kind of blood. As I have already said, there is "offering" but there is also "sacrifice" - and sacrifice usually means giving away a part of ourselves, a vital element - such as spilling your own blood during the rite and the element of pain and suffering that is included in the practice. This is something that is not present when you offer menstrual blood. Moreover, if you are a male practitioner offering menstrual blood of your female partner in the ritual, this kind of sacrifice will have no sacrificial value at all - it will be just another form of the offering. On the other hand, a female practitioner can try to empower it by combining such offering with techniques of sex magic - by taking herself to the point of orgasm and then using blood charged with sexual energy in magical work. This is a powerful substance that can be used to activate sigils and consecrate ritual tools, and such practices also include a trance that allows for planting the seed/intent within the subconscious mind. There are many ways to experiment with menstrual blood and I leave them to the other female Initiates to discover and explore. Finally, there is another issue that comes up while discussing blood magic and ritual bloodletting - "I am afraid to work with blood because I do not want scars." I know that having scars is not nice, especially if you have to interact with an environment that is not aware of your magical work and not very tolerant to such practices. This is also usually a great concern for female practitioners. But there is actually nothing to be afraid of. I have used blood in magic for decades and I do not have a single scar. How is it possible? Make the cuts in places that heal quickly, like the palms of your hands, fingers, and so on. Use very sharp blades, such as thin razors - if you make small cuts, they will heal fast and leave no trace. Diabetic lancets are a good solution for those who prefer the easy way to draw blood as well, and this leaves no scars at all. It is, however, more painful. Avoid typical ritual athames - they are usually not meant to cut anything, and using them is not only painful but also leaves deep and wide wounds that heal slowly and leave nasty scars. Do not cut your arms or the chest - this will leave scars for the rest of your life. On the other hand, ritual cutting is also a token of devotion, so not everyone may be interested in the "easy way." In any case, it is up to you how and if you choose to work with blood magic in your operations. The best way is to experiment with both methods - perform your rituals with and without blood, compare the effects and see what brings better results.

Mason, Asenath. Draconian Ritual Book (pp. 227-231). Kindle Edition.