Blood and Soil: The Old Magic of Menstrual Offerings

Long before shame was stitched to the hem of a woman’s skirt, menstrual blood was seen as sacred—a gift, not a curse. Across time and cultures, women bled in rhythm with the moon, and their blood was recognized not as waste, but as life-force—capable of nourishing both land and lineage.

In the old ways, it was said that to give your blood to the soil was to speak directly to the Earth.

A Ritual Older Than Religion

Among pre-Christian Slavs, the act of returning menstrual blood to the ground was both an offering and a bond. A woman might squat in a garden’s corner, whispering her hopes for children, a good harvest, or healing. Her blood, rich with iron and intent, would soak into the roots. No need for words—the soil understood.

In Irish and Scottish folk belief, a woman bleeding in sync with the moon was said to possess “silver sight”—a second sight—and her blood, when placed at the base of sacred trees or stone circles, was believed to call forth ancestors or fae.

Some Balkan mountain villages held quiet traditions where women would anoint the edges of fields with blood-stained linen—a charm to awaken the Earth’s fertility before planting seeds.

In parts of West Africa, menstrual blood was mixed with red clay to mark shrines and fertility symbols, connecting womb and world in visible prayer.

“A bleeding woman feeds both worlds—this one and the one yet to come.” — Old Croatian saying

Why Offer Blood to the Earth?

Modern witchcraft has reclaimed this ritual as remembrance. Returning blood to the soil serves as a spell for:

Fertility (of body, land, ideas, and relationships)

Offering Menstrual Blood to Mother Earth for Fertility explains how to do it correctly in sync witht the White Moon and Red Moon cycles.

Healing after miscarriage, grief, or trauma
Reconnection with nature and your own cyclical power
Protection and energetic grounding
Ancestral communication, especially with women of your bloodline

It’s also scientifically sound—menstrual blood is rich in nitrogen, phosphorus, and stem cells. Some witches feed their roses or mugwort with it. What once was taboo now becomes communion.

A Simple Menstrual Earth Ritual

Perform this during the New Moon or the first day of your bleed.

Steps:

Approach the soil with intention. Take three deep breaths and feel your feet root into the Earth.
Pour from a cup or just squat and release a few drops of blood into the soil. You may speak this charm aloud or silently:

“Blood of my body, gift of my womb,
To Earth I return, to life I attune.
Seed and spirit, root and bone,
By blood, I call my power home.”

Cover the offering gently with soil. Sit quietly and feel the exchange—what leaves you also nourishes you.

Things to Keep in Mind

Safety: Don’t leave blood where others might come into contact without consent. Use intention and respect.
Privacy: This is a sacred act, not a spectacle. Do it for yourself, not for show.
Alternatives: If collecting blood is difficult or you are no longer menstruating, you can bury a red-stained cloth or even visualize the ritual as a form of energy offering.

The Return of Sacred Cycles

In a world obsessed with productivity and sterility, bleeding becomes a radical act. Giving your blood to the soil revives a forgotten truth: you are not separate from nature—you are nature.

The witches of old knew this. The land remembers.
And when you return your blood to the earth, so will you.

Check out other Folk Fertility Rituals to create new beginnings, new ideas, and possibly new life.

May your roots grow deep, and your womb magic return to its rightful throne.

Blood and Soil: The Old Magic of Menstrual Offerings