Animal Sacrifice

by F.V.Fargas

The thing with animal sacrifice is that very few people understand it. Everyone
nowadays says that this is just an act of cruelty, an act of stupidity and vandalism. The
modern man is not used to slaughter of animals (for whatever purpose) like he was in the
past. In the past animal slaughter was a necessity for everyone especially for those living
at farms. It was a very normal and natural thing, and has been practiced for any use.
However, the mentality has changed.
The slaughter of an animal is highly misunderstood. Especially when it comes to
religious traditions, the animal slaughter has been vehemently criticized by the modern
man. People dont understand the meaning of these practices. I too havent been able to
truly understand religious sacrifice of animals until quite recently. I too, just like many of
you, didnt consider this to be appropriate. But after it has been explained to me, after I
read about it and thought about it more, my opinion has changed. I respect it and believe
in it. For that, you might think of me as a cruel devil worshipper who kills animals for
fun. But of course, the truth is quite different. Let me now explain my OWN views on
animal sacrifice, before you get to the wrong conclusions.
First of all, I never did animal sacrifice. It was not necessary in the rituals Ive
done. Nevertheless, I would sacrifice an animal if it was necessary in my ritual practice.
This might sound rough, this might sound cruel. But that doesnt mean Im heartless. On
contrary. I for one, love animals, Ive had pets all my life and so Im quite sensitive when
I see them suffering. That doesnt mean that people who do it are heartless. That doesnt
mean that those Satanists who do it dont respect and love animals. In fact, almost all
Satanists love animals. This might sound very naive, but its true. Satanists respect
animals and consider them sacred beings. But.. its just that they respect and love Satan
and the Demons more. If they are to sacrifice an animal in the name of their god, they do
it. Of course, not all Satanists agree with animal sacrifice. In fact, very few of them do it.
Id say, 10%, if that much. Some do it, some dont. There are Satanists who do animal
sacrifice once a year. They choose to dedicate this animals life in the honor of their gods.
It is a tradition that has been practiced since ancient times. Some neo-pagans, wiccans
and even Satanists might ignore this, but it has been practiced by ancestors for hundreds
of years. It is a pagan and satanic tradition. There are many other traditions in Satanism
similar to this one that have been left out and forgotten because they are too extreme.
The people nowadays have a tendency to ignore, remove or even modify the traditions
that our religions are based on. Modifying of course, wouldnt be a crime as long as the
essential is kept. But they wish to modify our religions and our Gods to be more accepted
by the world or to better fit it to their personalities. But to those who cannot grasp the
essence of true religion, I have just one thing to say : Times may change, but the Gods
dont. Egotrism, Satanism, Demonolatry and others of the Left Hand Path are, in their
essence, very dark and extreme. If you cannot appreciate it, dont buy it.
Getting back to the subject, I believe it is important to first understand what it
means. Sacrifice literally means to make sacred (from Latin Sacrificium : Sacr =
Sacred + Facere = To make). What you must understand is that, people who choose

to sacrifice animals as a religious tradition dont do it for the joy of it. They do it as an
offering. To honor the gods. It is a symbolic action, considered by many a sacred thing.
Animal sacrifice has been present in almost all religions throughout time. For the
Ancient Greeks and Romans, for Aztecs and Yoruba, for Christians and Jews, animal
sacrifice has been a very important practice. It is an ancient tradition, that has a lot of
purposes, depending on the belief system .
For the ancient Greeks, animal sacrifice was a ceremony done to appease the
spirits of the Underworld, the realm of the dead and to honor gods such as Keres and
Hecate. They sacrificed and burned the animal and dedicated it to the spirits and the
gods .
The animals sacrificed in the ancient world were numerous. Most of these
animals were usually horses, goats, chickens, cows, bulls and pigs. Horses were sacrificed
more, and the best example of this is the Indian Ashvamedha where the horse is
sacrificed, dissected, roasted and then offered to deities. Another instance of horse
sacrifice is in the Norse tradition called Blot. The Scandinavians used to sacrifice horses
and pigs and dedicate them to the gods, mainly Freyr or Odin. Bulls have been sacrificed
too, and the best example for this is the Taurobolium which was practiced by the
Romans in the honour of Venus. Cattles have also been sacrificed. An example of this is
Hecatomb, a Greek sacrifice in which 100 cattles were sacrificed to the gods. Goats have
been sacrificed also. Ishtar the Goddess of fertility was given a goat sacrifice for the
fertility of crops and women alike this day we know now as Easter. There are Hindu
temples in India as well as Nepal where goats and chickens are sacrificed too. The Hindu
way of animal sacrifice is called Jhatka where the head of the animal is severed
completely by a single blow of a sword.
For the Hebrews, sacrifice of an animal is quite different. Instead of burning it,
the traditional Jewish sacrifice is followed by a feast in which the animal is cooked and
eaten. This is called Kapparos and takes place on the eve of Yom Kippur. According to
tradition, a man would have to sacrifice a rooster and a woman would sacrifice a hen.
Korban was a sacrifice of an animal such as a sheep or a bull that underwent
shechita (Jewish ritual slaughter), and was often cooked and eaten by the offerer. The
Shechita is the ritual slaughter of animals according to Jewish dietary Laws. The act is
performed by drawing a very sharp knife across the animals throat and allowing the
blood to drain out.
The Moslems have their own way of ritual slaughter of animals. This method of
slaughtering animals called Dhabihah consists of a swift, deep incision with a sharp knife
on the neck. The act is preceded by invoking the name of God at the moment of
slaughtering.
Another religion that uses animal sacrifice is the Afro-Caribbean religion called
Santeria. The word santeria is translated as the Way of the Saints. Santeria is a tribal
religion that combines the traditions of the African Yoruba with Roman Catholic and
Native American traditions. It has been brought to the New World by slaves imported
to the Caribbean to work the sugar plantations. The slaves brought with them various
religious traditions, including a tradition of a trance for communicating with their
ancestors and deities, the practice of sacred drumming and animal sacrifice. Sacrifice of

small animals such as chickens are a part of their religious rites or initiations. Animal
Sacrifice in Santeria is allowed by the US and Canadian constitution.
Christianity is also involved in animal sacrifice and the best example I can give is
the Lamb sacrifice on Easter. The pig sacrifice on Christmas is another tradition, but is
more folkloric than religious.
It is known that God asks for animal sacrifice, as it is stated numerous times in
the Bible (Leviticus 1:5 ; 23:12-18 ; 6:6-7 ; 17:11 ; 4:20,26,31,35 ; 5:10,16,18 | Numbers
15:27-28 ; 29:5 ; 18:17-19 | Genesis 4:4 ; 8:20-21 ; 15:9-10 | Exodus 20:24 ; 29:11-37 |
Deuteronomy 12:27) .
For the Satanists, this subject is of great debate. Many Satanists nowadays
consider this to be absurd. Those who call themselves LaVeyan Satanists are even
against it, as LaVey wrote in the Eleven Satanic Rules of the Earth Do not kill nonhuman animals unless you are attacked or for your food. Others, however, think of it as
an important tradition and practice in the Black Arts.
Many sources suggest that sacrifice of animals was a common practice of the
witches. Nicholas Remy in his book Demonolatry (chapter 11), tells us how witches
have, since Ancient Days, made yearly offerings to their Demons and that such Offerings,
when they were Animals, must be entirely Black. S.Connolly in her book Complete Book
of Demonolatry approves of this, saying that it has been, and still is to this day a
traditional practice of the sects. The sacrifice is an yearly offering to the Sects Patron
Demon. After the sacrifice the animal is consumed . Connolly points out that in the
Purswell grimoires all sect members plucked hair from their head and placed them on
the altar along with coins, herbal mixtures and other offerings. All the offerings were
then tied up in a white cloth and buried at the foot of the altar. This is also stated in
Remys Demonolatry (page 41) (Some pluck the hair from their heads, or present a
straw or a little bird or some such small gift, it may be coins made from ox-hide) .
In the book, Remy brings numerous accounts from people who were either
witches or witnesses of witchcraft who tell stories of animal sacrifices by the witches.
Dominique Zabella (of Rogeville in the Tendon district, 1583) tells of payments of
sacrifice done by witches who have sought exemption from their obligations (presenting
themselves at the Sabbath). When such sacrifices were to be done, a steer or a wether
was to be killed. This is confirmed by Didier Finance of Mandray and many others, who
freely confessed at Saint-Die on the 14th July 1581, that he was under compulsion to
make some such offering to his Demon late in the evening of a certain day, which fell
every year about the rising of the Dog Star (a.k.a. Sirius), and that such offering was not
acceptable unless it was entirely black. Beatrix of Bayon (Gerbeville, August 1585) says
that now even the poor witches, which were the majority of the sect, are immune from
such obligatory payments.
As history and tradition come along the way, animal sacrifice has remained a
practice to this day.The more learned religionist would know that this practice has a deep
meaning, and its not the actual killing of the animal that is important. While I do accept
and respect animal sacrifice, I do not believe that the slaughtering has to be done by any
man, especially for entertainment. I believe that animal sacrifice is a sacred thing which
must be done with great respect towards the animal and that the victim should be killed
in a reasonably humane manner, and afterwards eaten. What I mean by humane manner

is that the animal should not be tortured. This means that the animal suffers very little, if
more preferably not at all. There are many ways of accomplishing this such as beheading
in one swift blow, feed it a sleeping aide or something of the effect of being numb or
sleeping as these things will easily overdose animals under the size of an average man..
etc. Some other more surgical or professional means are injecting air into a vein, which
will cause a heart attack or using an electrical currant, which that latter is hard to
reproduce or practice without electrical producing machines and general knowledge of
amps and milliamperes.
In my opinion decapitation is best. It has the symbolic head detached from the
body. Everyone knows the removal of the head is near the closest instant death. The
spirit that removed from the body. A snapped neck can cause problems with this kind of
creature for it has a large head swivel and you do not want to rip it in half removing the
torso from the abdomen and can be a little too gruesome and as well as too much pain.
This should be painless. Putting it into the freezer can numb the central nervous system
and can cause systemic death. Removing the head with your athame is my
recommendation. You can also burn it alive but the pain factor is inhuman. Crucifixion
for what ever reason may be looked on as acceptable blasphemy but please tie the limbs.
Rodents can easily rip its own arm from small nails. Then cut the throat. In some
grimoires such as the Key Of Solomon and the Grimorium Verum, the animal is
supposed to be killed in a relatively humane manner such as by cutting off its head with
only one blow. The Grimorium Verum for example, teaches us that in order to kill a goat,
one must cut its throat with a single stroke while pronouncing the name of the Spirit that
is to be invoked in the ritual. After killing the animal the practitioner begins skinning it
while calling forth the Holy Angels of God, Adonay, Dalmay, Lauday, Anereton and
Tetragrammaton. Its skin being used to make parchment.
However not all the grimoires do. An example is the Grimoire Of Honorius in
which the eyes, tongue and heart of a black cock are to be torn out while saying prayers
to God. The same grimoire tells us to cut the throat of a male lamb of nine days and cast
its tongue and heart into the fire. This is by no means an act of respect towards the
animal so I suggest you not to try this. Animals sould be respected. More often, we
should choose to sacrifice animals who are suffering. The practitioner releases the
animal from the pain, and prays to God (if he is a Christian), Satan (if he is a Satanist) or
Eurynomous (if he is a Demonolator.. Eurynomous is said to be the demon of death) to
take care of the animals soul. As Ive heard (though Im not 100% sure of this), American
Indians and even Vodou priests used to sacrifice animals and they used to pray for the
animals forgiveness and soul.
In every second an animal dies so that we may not starve. Every day an animal
dies so that another one may survive. Why cant an animal die once a year in your gods
name ? This is of personal preference. It is an offering we chose to give to our gods . The
gods do not ask for sacrifice, but they doesnt dismiss it either. Of course, this is not the
only physical offering we give to our gods . We can also do blood offering, food offering,
drink offering (especially red wine or alcoholic beverages) and even semen offering .
However, I shall not get into this subject any deeper now.
In Satanism and some Demonolatry sects, the animal that is to be sacrificed is
mostly a small one, such as a frog, gerbil, rat, mouse, hamster, but most of all chicken
because most people choose to cook and eat it at a feast afterwards. As it is stated again

in Remys Demonolatry, people use to give black cocks or hens (stated by Desiree Paray
of the district Etival in November 1589)
This is a symbolic action. When you consume it, you become one with the animal.
When you sacrifice it, you become one with the animal.
If you are to consume it, you should cook the carcass and if you know anything
about fish, just empty the chest cavity. Your finger can work best. Use your athame to
remove the skin/fur. If you dont care about the meat, the back leg of the rodent has the
most muscle for fat ratio. Eating it sends the message that this creature that you care so
much for is now nourishing you as its soul is nourishing the gods. You should have sea
salt. It makes the cooking process faster and taste better. If you are really worried about
temperature 165* F for ten minutes kills poultry bacteria. 175* F for ten minutes Kills
Trig from swine and 185 for ten minutes kills most beef bacteria except for the deadly
mad cow. Rodents are similar to poultry. Removing the skin takes slight skill. Remove it
with the sharp side of the knife slicing into the meat instead of going too shallow. If you
do remove it without rip good for you if not well then take what you have. Salt the skin.
Put it under a heat lamp or inside an oven that is already heated. 400 is good. Quickly
watch it. You do not want burning fur. .. Soak it immediately in normal water. Perfume
the fur. Wait a day or so to let the perfume to perforate the skin or to finally dry.
If you simply want leather boil the hide after scraping of the meat. The fur will fall off. To
finally finish the leather process if you want that, boil it in oil. It will get hard. Soak it
after 3-4 hours in water for a day or more. You can use this as you wish. For the fur, I
would attach it to your robe if you have one or part of a large talisman. For the leather,
you can use it with a handle for your athame. A part of a belt.
I want to state this again: This practice is of personal preference. Its up to the
individual. I do NOT urge anyone to do this, and I highly recommend that if any of you
reading this essay are willing to sacrifice animals, to be very careful with the laws in your
country. While religious sacrifice is legal in some places, it may not be the same in your
country. I advice you to consult a lawyer and find out about it before doing anything.
Even if religious sacrifice is legal, Im not sure if its applicable for any religion. It also
depends on the way you sacrifice the animal, on the animal, the place where you sacrifice
it and in what conditions. So be careful.
As I said, Animal Sacrifice is a practice with a deep meaning, and a very difficult
thing to do. First of all because it is a highly emotional thing to do. Especially because if
you choose to dedicate an animal to the gods, you must treat it with great respect to
make it sacred. You need the animal to get close to you and viceversa, to take care of it
and love it with all your heart. You need to have a small animal that will grow and grow
to need you. You must feed it, care for it and the whole ten yards. You must treat this
animal next to sacred and make it get used to you and love you. You must never get
angry with it. The animal must learn to trust you. You must also purify this animal once a
month . Thus, this would get to be a very hard thing to do, because it is something dear
to you. According to ONAs Satanic tradition, in the past, the initiate was constrained to
experience many things in reality, and was led into situations that were sometimes
dangerous, not to mention difficult. These experiences were meant to take the individual
to his limits, and to learn how to face them and exceed them. To learn how to accept and
embrace death, injustice, greed.. all those things that have taken control over man
because of the Christian moral.

The same thing with animal sacrifice. It is a lesson that might affect the
practitioner in a bad way, making him feel guilty and hunting him for the rest of his life,
or in a good way, making him stronger, making him strong enough for the world, making
him accept that this world is indeed cruel at times, making him understand and
appreciate the value of life.. a life that can be taken so easily. When you sacrifice the
animal, you also sacrifice a part of yourself, because it is not an easy thing to do. It is a
difficult and emotional thing to do and this it can be considered an act of loyalty and
dedication to the gods.
The psychological act of taking its life and giving it to a particular god changes
the relationship you have. This is proof that nothing is stronger then the bond between
you and that god. This creatures death is one of the greatest gifts you can give.
But, as I said, it is of personal preference. Its up to the individual, so you can
renounce these practices if you dont find them useful. Animal sacrifice could be placed
in a category of practices that remove the rituals intention. Not because it doesnt have a
purpose in the ritual, but because it is a difficult thing to do especially for an animal lover
and thus the practitioner would start focusing on the pain of the animal rather than the
ritual itself. So in this case, if you are not able to do it, dont. It is not obligatory. It is a
ritual one should not begin until years of devotion, understanding and occult practice
before you consider it. Life is precious, and death is simply a cycle of this, but should be
honored and respected.
The sacrifice is also a strong tool in magickal practice. Many grimoires suggest
that the sacrifice is an action done to increase the supply of magickal power. In occult
theory, a living creature is a storehouse of energy and when it is killed most of its energy
is suddenly liberated. When this energy is liberated the magician can make use of it by
numerous methods, absorbing it, directing it or controlling it.
This energy or force comes from two parts of the living creature. The first is the
spiritual part. When a living creature dies, there is a discharge of bio-electrical energy
very similar to the phenomenon which occurs during profound heightening of emotions
such as sexual orgasm, anger, fright, sadness and happiness/love. All of these emotions
can be used in magickal operations but the bio-electrical energy is a bit different. For
example, sexual orgasm can be used to increase magickal power and different spiritual
conditions (ecstasy/trance).
The second is the physical part. It is an ancient idea that blood is the life-energy
of a being. As it is well known, blood is used in ritual practice. It can be used in
protection, destruction, offerings etc. If you have stumbled upon the idea of Blood Rites
and Blood Offering you might have asked yourself what is the purpose of blood in the
ritual.
Blood, sweat, tears, urine, semen.. All of these is said to contain life-energy. They
are used in rituals for various purposes. And because were talking about sacrifice, well
take blood as an example. Blood (including menstrual blood) is used for various
purposes in ritual, such as : anointing candles, people, adding to inks or to sign
parchments, oleums and drinks.
Another purpose of blood in ritual is to offer it to the spirits and the Demons. It is
used by magicians and religionists as a proof of loyalty and love. It represents giving a

part of yourself to the spirit. Also, in a more practical matter, blood is used to offer
energy to the spirit.
However, I shall not get more into this subject more than I have already did.
To give an end to this essay, I will respond to your question : Yes, animal sacrifice is a
tradition of great importance in every religion and in magick. Yes, it is still practiced
even today. What you think of this is up to you.