So my primary question is, why swords specifically?
is it simply symbolic, or is it more about having a weapon in specific?
would a gun work just as well?
does the geometry factor in?
just curious.
I assume you are talking about sacrifice and I don’t know
no, just general ritual use, not necessarily sacrificial. For example certain Wiccan rituals that require a sword pointed in one of the cardinal directions.
If im not misstaken the sword fills the same purpouse as the dagger but is more used in bigger rituals that involves more pppl.
Then ofc there comes a sense of power to wield a sword insted of a dagger but in the end as tools i would say none is superier then the other so one can use whichever one wants.
I have swords to use but not practical for my indoor space, outside thou it happends.
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I think it all depends on the system you are following. In S. Ben Qayin’s Book of Smokeless Fire, the magician wields a sword to show the Djinn that he is a warrior and thus unafraid, and will fight should he be attacked. In the mythology, a Djinn can only be killed by a single strike from a sword, so it is a show of strength.
In other systems, the sword is used for ceremonial purposes different than that of the athame. In the Golden Dawn and Hermetic systems, the dagger is Elemental while the sword is Planetary/Sephirotic in nature.
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I am a mason (for my sins) and some of the branches of masonry really get off on swords and heavy military weapons.
Metaphorically a sword is clearly more powerful than a dagger. As you progress you will find all are just mental constructs. Anything that you think is powerful/will defend will work.
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Thanks, man, that answers my question.
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I very much doubt a Djinn would be killed by a sword.
It’s in the mythology, as related by S. Ben Qayin. A Djinn can only be killed by a SINGLE strike of a sword. If it is struck more than once, the Djinn becomes invincible.
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Interesting. I know the Djinn, in the mythos, are not fond of metals (although ironically they are great metal workers). Being entirely incorporeal and of fire one wonders how a single sword strike could kill one. I suspect this is more mythology than fact 
Btw Djinn are not “evil” in the human sense - they have an organised society and mourn their dead.
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It’s really no different than the idea that the Fae can be killed by cold iron. A single touch is said to burn them and even a small wound can be fatal. Magical creatures have always been said to have some form of weakness that they are vulnerable to, and that humans can use to protect themselves. Most myths also warn against such actions, though, as the one who wounds a Djinn doesn’t live to tell the tale, and one who kills a Fae is hunted to extinction by their kin.
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I highly suggest the art of fencing. There is something very poetic about it. The sword becomes a part of its host, and the mental focus is somewhat addictive. When using the same weapon to attack and defend, the sword becomes the center of the will. The fencer’s body takes a supportive role.
This same kind of Zen can be reached through other martial arts, but the sword is super sexy about it. Lots of poets have taken their turns explaining the sublime art of swordplay, but a super simple reason lies in its geometry. The handle of a sword is a lot like another joint in the fencer’s arm. The subconcious has an easy time incorporating it into the reflexive image of the body.
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A sword is an old archtype by now, burned deep into the human psyche and therefore into the energetic currents of magick, and symbolism. It also, arguably, requires more fortitude to wield than a gun in battle, since you are fighting with your own muscles, up close, against someone, smelling his and seeing his eyes, feeling his struggles, maybe even having to go back again and again to wound more tha n before, and not given the slightly more distant opion of pulling a trigger and watching him fall.
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