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This is rather technical stuff, but I assume that it is going to be very useful for anyone who wants to use blood in their practice or might be doing something wrong. However I'm not a medic, definitely not anyone licensed for medical advice, keep that in mind, okay? This is only my current knowledge, right or wrong...
Tool for opening the skin
Whatever you choose to use, it must be made from stainless steel/chirurgic steel. First reason is that it doesn't rust, so the rust won't get into your skin. Second reason is that you don't know what honestly is contained in the oil protecting steel that can rust. Even natural oils should never be applied into the skin or even worse, under it. Third reason is that you need to clean and sanitize the tool before every use. The tool must be sterile for safe use. No exceptions!
Some examples of tools that can be used: scalpel, pin, lancet, nail clipper (my choice)
Sterility knowledge base
Before we discuss how to make the tool sterile, I need to explain it. Sterility is concerned with bacteria: removing or destroying every bacteria present on the tool. You don't want them in your skin.
Bacteria are single-cell organisms that evolved powerful way to survive in conditions that are not good for them. To make it simpler we will call them active and inactive state. In active state bacteria is very active metabolically and it multiplies. It also makes it way easier to destroy as it is interacting with its surroundings. On the other hand inactive bacteria is in hibernated like state. In this state is is biologically very little active and can be very hard to destroy. Its surface can be much stronger than in active state. Inactive bacteria can be in this state for very long time. Some bacterial spores (inactive bacteria) can survive for hundreds of years waiting for the time when it gets to conditions where it can reactivate itself and start living and multiplying.
Activity and inactivity of bacteria is based on reaction on warm/cold and dry/wetness. Bacteria goes active in warm environment, but in cold it inactivates itself. And it is active in wet, but inactivates in dry. So wet warm space is making bacteria very active (and destroyable), while cold and dry makes them inactive for self-preserving.
How to sterilize
There are multiple methods that are used. Usually they more or less serve the purpose well. Basic outline is: properly clean the tool until it seems completely clean, then sterilize it. Important: Your fingers are covered with bacteria too. If you sterilize the tool and then touch the part of it used for cutting with your fingers, you can start again, because you possibly replaced the bacteria.
Lancet is using single use needles, that has to be replaced every time. Here the concern is more about safe disposal. Medical tools ready to use are sterile.
Alcohol and fire: on itself the method works very well. Alcohol is poured on the tool and then is set aflame. Fire raises the temperature so high, that even inactive bacteria are fried. On pros it works perfect. On cons the fire creates soot on the surface. Now understand, soot is still sterile, but if you remove it with your fingers, you are annulling the process. If you keep it there, it's kind of like tattooing yourself. It shouldn't last unless you get it deeper, but it can stay there a long time. This method of sterilization is well known and ancient, because it's excellent way to stop bleeding by burning the wound used for centuries. There it doesn't matter that much. For use of opening the skin it is workable too, if you figure out how to make as little of soot as possible. It is possible to sterilize the tool this way and then use it quite fine.
Boiling water: In hospitals actually a boiling steam is used, but water serves the same and is accessible easily in home. Just like fire it raises the heat and it's also wet. Only bacteria that would survive boiling water are native to hot springs and other extreme conditions. So no worry about it. Simply boil the tool.
Blood work
Make everything ready before you start ritual. Not only the tool itself, but disinfection, patches and other stuff that you might need. Remember when working with medical stuff, whatever palce on it you trouch with your fingers is no longer sterile. So with scalpel, never touch the sharp edge. Don't touch the point and some length behind the point of the pin. Don't touch the lancet needle. And so on.
I'm recommending use of disinfection in spray. It covers more area, and you can place it without getting in accidental contact with the skin. Spray the skin to make it less "contaminated" and then open it. (by opening the skin I mean making cut or pinch to cause the blood to come out) Especially with the skalpel try to go for as small cut as possible. Avoid any veins that you can see. And for fuck sake avoid the palms of your hands! More than one reason for that. There are more spaces on the body to avoid, but I assume you want to get blood from hand or leg, especially when solo, it's hard enough to do hand. There are tiny veins everywhere in your skin, that are very thin and will provide a drop of red. Claim the blood, if possible without touching the wound. Remember that your fingers are not sterile. (disinfection on them might help a little) Spray the would with disinfection again to remove what could get in and patch the wound.
Drop of blood is more than enough for most rituals. If you want to have more of blood, use substitute, like red juice and add that drop of blood into it to make it energetically into blood.
Some advices
Tool for opening the skin
Whatever you choose to use, it must be made from stainless steel/chirurgic steel. First reason is that it doesn't rust, so the rust won't get into your skin. Second reason is that you don't know what honestly is contained in the oil protecting steel that can rust. Even natural oils should never be applied into the skin or even worse, under it. Third reason is that you need to clean and sanitize the tool before every use. The tool must be sterile for safe use. No exceptions!
Some examples of tools that can be used: scalpel, pin, lancet, nail clipper (my choice)
Sterility knowledge base
Before we discuss how to make the tool sterile, I need to explain it. Sterility is concerned with bacteria: removing or destroying every bacteria present on the tool. You don't want them in your skin.
Bacteria are single-cell organisms that evolved powerful way to survive in conditions that are not good for them. To make it simpler we will call them active and inactive state. In active state bacteria is very active metabolically and it multiplies. It also makes it way easier to destroy as it is interacting with its surroundings. On the other hand inactive bacteria is in hibernated like state. In this state is is biologically very little active and can be very hard to destroy. Its surface can be much stronger than in active state. Inactive bacteria can be in this state for very long time. Some bacterial spores (inactive bacteria) can survive for hundreds of years waiting for the time when it gets to conditions where it can reactivate itself and start living and multiplying.
Activity and inactivity of bacteria is based on reaction on warm/cold and dry/wetness. Bacteria goes active in warm environment, but in cold it inactivates itself. And it is active in wet, but inactivates in dry. So wet warm space is making bacteria very active (and destroyable), while cold and dry makes them inactive for self-preserving.
How to sterilize
There are multiple methods that are used. Usually they more or less serve the purpose well. Basic outline is: properly clean the tool until it seems completely clean, then sterilize it. Important: Your fingers are covered with bacteria too. If you sterilize the tool and then touch the part of it used for cutting with your fingers, you can start again, because you possibly replaced the bacteria.
Lancet is using single use needles, that has to be replaced every time. Here the concern is more about safe disposal. Medical tools ready to use are sterile.
Alcohol and fire: on itself the method works very well. Alcohol is poured on the tool and then is set aflame. Fire raises the temperature so high, that even inactive bacteria are fried. On pros it works perfect. On cons the fire creates soot on the surface. Now understand, soot is still sterile, but if you remove it with your fingers, you are annulling the process. If you keep it there, it's kind of like tattooing yourself. It shouldn't last unless you get it deeper, but it can stay there a long time. This method of sterilization is well known and ancient, because it's excellent way to stop bleeding by burning the wound used for centuries. There it doesn't matter that much. For use of opening the skin it is workable too, if you figure out how to make as little of soot as possible. It is possible to sterilize the tool this way and then use it quite fine.
Boiling water: In hospitals actually a boiling steam is used, but water serves the same and is accessible easily in home. Just like fire it raises the heat and it's also wet. Only bacteria that would survive boiling water are native to hot springs and other extreme conditions. So no worry about it. Simply boil the tool.
Blood work
Make everything ready before you start ritual. Not only the tool itself, but disinfection, patches and other stuff that you might need. Remember when working with medical stuff, whatever palce on it you trouch with your fingers is no longer sterile. So with scalpel, never touch the sharp edge. Don't touch the point and some length behind the point of the pin. Don't touch the lancet needle. And so on.
I'm recommending use of disinfection in spray. It covers more area, and you can place it without getting in accidental contact with the skin. Spray the skin to make it less "contaminated" and then open it. (by opening the skin I mean making cut or pinch to cause the blood to come out) Especially with the skalpel try to go for as small cut as possible. Avoid any veins that you can see. And for fuck sake avoid the palms of your hands! More than one reason for that. There are more spaces on the body to avoid, but I assume you want to get blood from hand or leg, especially when solo, it's hard enough to do hand. There are tiny veins everywhere in your skin, that are very thin and will provide a drop of red. Claim the blood, if possible without touching the wound. Remember that your fingers are not sterile. (disinfection on them might help a little) Spray the would with disinfection again to remove what could get in and patch the wound.
Drop of blood is more than enough for most rituals. If you want to have more of blood, use substitute, like red juice and add that drop of blood into it to make it energetically into blood.
Some advices
- Learn and remember the knowledge for first aid for this matter. Be ready for a situations when something goes wrong, like if you accidentally open bigger vein. In other words be ready to give yourself or someone else first aid
- Don't do blood magic if you have haemophilia or other condition that would make this practice dangerous or problematic for you
- Don't use tool for opening skin for blood magic for anything else, ever!
- When not using your tool, keep it somewhere clean, where nothing can get on it and no one can get to it, including animals
- Actually, avoid using scalpel, this is tool for a hand that is very still and well practiced, not really recommended tool, unless you are medical pro
- Feel free to replace blood with something else, don't go into this practice unless you really feel that you can do it
- Use moderation, if you want to practice blood magic continually as part of your ritual practice, once a month is enough
- Always be sober, when doing this, because alcohol can get you into real trouble really fast