User:HaileySluszka/sandbox

= Bloodstopping =

Bloodstopping refers to an American folk practice once common in the Ozarks and the Appalachians, Canadian lumbercamps and the northern woods of the United States. It was believed (and still is) that certain persons, known as bloodstoppers, could halt bleeding in humans and animals by supernatural means. The most common method was to walk east and recite Ezekiel 16:6. This is referred to as the blood verse.

"And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live.

History
Bloodstopping was used in areas of North American where modern medicine was not reachable. Many of these communities had one or two bloods toppers in their community. Since they were able to help when doctors were unavailable they became very popular in their community and were well respected. Bloodstopping was used mostly by the Ozarks, in the states Illinois, Missouri, and Arkansas. Each bloodstopper used their own technique to fix wounds. The person performing the Bloodstopping must have been the power to do so. The gift was mostly passed down through family (older younger). It can only be passed down to the opposite sex. It can only be told to three people, with the third person gaining the power. The person performing it does not to believe in it fully or be sinless since the blood verse is so powerful.

Throughout Europe Christianity was becoming the main religion. However those who lived in rural areas were not as quick to convert. They were more fond of polytheistic religions since they had been used to it for so many years. German settlers who ended up in the Appalachians had many folk beliefs about magic. At first they used stars to determine planting cycles and to predict weather. When medical treatment became scarce they turned to other forms of medicine. This is when bloodstopping became a practice.

Uses

 * There are many ways to practice bloodstopping. The most popular way is recite the sixth verse of the 17th chapter of the book Ezeikiel while walking East.
 * The best bloodstopper in the state of Missouri would put their hands up in the air while saying "Upon Christ's grave three roses bloom, stop, blood, stop!" and this would immediately stop the bleeding.
 * Another belief is that the item that caused the bleeding to occur plays a crucial role in stopping the bleeding. The item would be thrown into the ground and this would stop the bleeding.

Bloodstopping in popular culture
In the show Avatar:The Last Airbender there is an example of bloodstopping, but in the show it is referred to as blood bending. This practice allows the person to take control of the liquids in another persons body. In the show it is seen as a dark nature and only a few people are able to perform it, and it is only available to do during the full moon. In the show it is seen a negative thing since it's able to endanger the person receiving it's mental state.

Examples

 * A Farmers Almanac article goes into detail about Margo Holden's experience with bloodstopping. She asked a bloodstopper how they were able to do this. He stated that he just needed to concentrate hard and focus on the person who is bleeding. He imagined himself stoping the blood saying "it's stopping, it's stopped". This would stop the bleeding.