Blood Over Intent (BOI) is a YouTube-based occult movement that emerged around 2013, with Mark Braun, a Florida plumber and electrician, as its most prominent figure. Braun, who goes by the name “QuasiLuminous” online, claims to be the earthly incarnation of Satan.
The central practice of BOI is a form of occult magick involving the creation of a sigil to achieve a desired goal. In modern practice, a sigil is created by writing an intention on a piece of paper and “charging” the declaration through some sort of personal physical action, such as masturbation, over it. As its name indicates, the BOI practice is centered on smearing one’s blood on the intention to make it come true.
About five years before posting his first BOI video, Braun was shot in the groin during an attempted robbery. Several months later, Braun was involved in an incident with the Coral Springs Police Department, during which he was taken into custody under Florida’s Baker Act, which permits the involuntary commitment of individuals deemed mentally unstable in a way that could cause harm to themselves or others. Braun claimed he was “kidnapped” and subsequently beaten, asserting that the experience served as an “awakening” that allowed him to “see the reality” of the world as a “hell.”
This experience, and other run-ins with the law on theft, battery, and drug and weapons possession charges in the years ahead, increased Braun’s sense of anger at the world and separation from it. In December 2013, he posted the first Blood Over Intent video on YouTube, widely considered the movement’s inception. In the video, Braun publicly performed the ritual, which involves writing a statement of intent on paper and then applying a few drops of one’s own blood onto it.
Braun claims that by posting this initial video, he “opened the Book of Life,” a register that he says contains 144,000 names. Braun says that inclusion in the “book” can be obtained by completing the BOI ritual, and that inclusion in the book is the only way to avoid an “endless cycle of pointless suffering and death.” He summarizes this teaching as “Blood Up or Shut Up,” meaning that the BOI ritual is the only path to salvation.
A crucial and defining element of the ritual, as prescribed by Braun and followed by many adherents, is the filming of the ritual and its subsequent upload to YouTube. This public display serves as the final step of the ritual, transforming a private act into a communal declaration. Upon uploading, participants often find their videos added to channel lists by other members, facilitating a network of interconnected “blood brothers” and “blood sisters.” This online community fosters a sense of shared purpose and mutual recognition among practitioners.
The ideological framework of BOI is a complex amalgam of conspiracy theories, new-age beliefs, and occult concepts. Central to its tenets is the idea that practitioners can develop spiritual powers and shifts in perception, enabling them to discern a “false reality” in which humanity is purportedly imprisoned. This false reality is often attributed to malevolent, hidden forces, sometimes referred to as the “Saturn cult” or shapeshifting reptilians who are believed to control society. The ritual is presented as a “proof of life,” a declaration to these perceived controlling entities that one is aware and seeking liberation.
While some practitioners may perform the ritual for personal desires, a significant portion of the BOI community expresses the intention to “bring forth heaven onto earth for the benefit of all,” reflecting a desire for collective spiritual transformation. This grander aspiration is often intertwined with other conspiratorial beliefs, such as the Flat Earth theory, which appears to be a common conviction among BOI adherents. Practitioners report varied experiences following the ritual, ranging from claims of heightened awareness and improved personal relationships to concerns about inviting “dark forces” into their lives.
As BOI spread on YouTube, another prominent figure emerged. Devin Madgy, known online as “Hermes,” runs a channel called “Flat Earth Paradise” where he discussed Flat Earth theories, mysticism, and esoteric topics such as the Holy Grail mythos. Madgy has a disposition that is friendlier than that of the aggressive and often obscene Braun, and this helped him gain a significant following. The two men feuded openly for some time but seem to have reconciled. Madgy was essential in keeping BOI in the eye of the YouTube community during the several periods when Braun’s channels had been banned and removed.
Though Braun presents himself as the savior of humanity, he also states — and seems to truly believe — that he is the literal incarnation of the Devil. Even his family, including his son and wife, are reportedly aware of his self-proclaimed identity as Satan. In his videos, when not discussing the BOI ritual specifically, he often speaks of leading his followers to a paradise that they will access through a black hole at the center of the Flat Earth.
While some online dabblers in BOI seem to take it no more seriously than a lighthearted round with a Ouija board, pricking a fingertip to create a sigil, other videos show more aggressive acts of self-harm. BOI’s appeal to the alienated and its overlap with conspiracy rabbit holes has attracted some YouTube users with mental health issues. In one notable case, a 19-year-old Alberta man shared a BOI video on YouTube days before committing a murder by stabbing, writing in the video, “Thank you Mr Satan.”
Key Sources:
Maimann, K. (2024, July 27). Teen accused of stabbing student to death was into online blood rituals and conspiracies. Vice.
Oelbaum, J. (2018, May 15). The blood ritual that lives on YouTube. Gizmodo.
Voets, C. (2021, January 10). Into the dark world of YouTube blood rituals. Cracked.
Encyclopedia of Cults, Sects, and New Religious Movements 