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The Ordeal Path is most likely one of the most 'scary' paths out of the vast array there is to an outsider, and those who do not practice it or have an understanding of ordeal work.

Ordeal work utilizes the emotions that usually provide a negative image: fear, lack of comfort, agony, distress and torment for the many purposes of which we will explore: cleansing, inducing and returning from altered states of consciousness, to offer to or honor to some spirits or deities, or perhaps even to break down mental or emotional barriers within the self.

The idea of ordeal, with it's conscious use of pain and blood and mess can be immensely triggering and frightening to those who aren't familiar with its actual nature. It's easy to react, to speak and write about things without having any actual knowledge or first-hand experience. It's easy to demonize that which is so obviously ''other.'' It?s far more difficult and takes far more courage to engage with those practicing these techniques honestly, directly, and without the burden of inaccurate preconceptions. More people should try it. We might actually find the dialogue fruitful for both sides.

To some, it can appear truly terrifying, especially with the culture of modern times, of which many people see pain and suffering as something to be averted at any possible chance.

I definitely wouldn't recommend ordeal work for the less magically developed or faint-hearted, and even those who are more skilled need to take care and precaution.

To elaborate more on the reasons behind ordeal work:

1) Many deities perceive sacrifice of the self as respectful or as showing honor and dedication, often involving blood as mentioned in a previous forum post of mine, bloodletting, which I will link at the end of this article (blood is very personal). It also allows the deities to access some of our innermost states. Stereotypically, this seems to be more relative to 'darker' members of pantheons.

The pain is what enables one to do the work. It readies you, marks you (in a way others can see), trains you like nothing else. Pain breaks down our barriers of fear, shame, attachment, ego, hubris, and a thousand other things. It opens us to the immense compassion that the deities have to give. Not everyone is meant to go this route. There are other equally valuable and sacred paths, but for those who are meant to walk the ordeal road, it is an immense investment of time and trust on the part of the various entities we work with.

Ordeals can take many forms; a pain ordeal is what most people think of, but any sufficiently potent experience can be an Ordeal. Even an experience which might be seen as entirely positive for the majority of people can be an Ordeal for a specific individual. Ordeal work proper is about creating a kind of controlled trauma. You choose to undergo something that is beyond your normal capacity to bear, in the interests of breaking down the walls of the self so that you can 'blossom' spiritually.


2) Ordeal work can also help us pass what is called 'shaman sickness'. A member called Personified did an absolutely outstanding post on shaman sickness and what it is about within Northern cultures, in which I will also link at the end of the article.

To describe ordeal work within shaman sickness, I will quote from a site I found while researching ordeal, written by Raven Kaldera, a practicioner of Northern Shamanism.

''When one is literally spiritually dying in order to be reborn again, usually with a physical illness of some kind along with it, a pain ordeal that brings one temporarily closer to that moment of spiritual Death can hasten the period of shaman sickness. It won't make it go away entirely, and despite what some people say you can't do a series of ordeals instead of going through any shaman sickness in order to get to the same point. It is true that some would-be shamans have, in the past, subjected themselves to terrible ordeals that mimic the effects of shaman sickness in order to get the attention of the Spirits and be chosen by them, but once the Spirits have noticed them, it is assumed that they will trigger the actual shaman sickness, and these ordeals are just a preliminary. However, repeated ordeals (with the aid of the Gods and wights that one works with) during shaman sickness can move its course along more vividly, and get the suffering shaman out the other end quicker and perhaps with more of their health intact.''


3) Altered states of consciousness through ordeal- how this one works is quite simple, so I won't go into too much detail. When pain (not always causing injury) is implemented toward the body in a correct fashion, chemicals inside the body, such as endorphins, adrenaline, etc can cause trance states often seen within ASC. This method and those similar have been around for years.


4) Cleansing of the self, whether it be emotional barriers, mental barriers or something as simple as the removal of negative energy. Sometimes it takes an ordeal to get out particularly stubborn aspects of the self that we feel we need to break through.

This can also be a good way to bring a clarity of the mind, almost as if symbolically removing toxins from the self. Of course, there are many other methods that do not involve pain or suffering; and in no way am I suggesting self harm for any purpose other than an occult related focus.


5) Raising energy: you may have heard of something called the 'Path of the Flesh', which is similar to this- however, the Path of the Flesh tends to use sexual energy, whereas ordeal work uses energy from pain. Each uses different sensations in order to attain this energy.

From what I have found, the energy found by ordeal work seems to have a particular pattern in sense - it is strong, fiery, direct and a can be a little too coarse and harsh for more benign purposes, due to this it may be a good idea to plan beforehand accordingly; it can fit well in certain rituals or practices however may not suit others.


6) Lastly in my post, ordeal work can be of use when it comes to feelings of power and courage, and can be preformed as a rite in order to gain aforementioned feelings. Everyone sometimes feels sad, weak, disabled or powerless and may need to remember their own strength, whether mental, emotional or physical within and power through enduring tests and trials within their life or facing their fears.

When someone has been through suffering and they have lived to tell the tale, they may have encountered borders of their own ability and strength that they were unaware that they could endure and tolerate, there appears to be more strength and power available for them to access and utilize.

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Links-

Bloodletting:
http://www.spellsofmagic.com/read_post.html?post=422968

Shaman Sickness;
http://www.spellsofmagic.com/read_post.html?post=422435