The first time someone sees flesh hooks in use, the reaction is usually something along the lines of "holy shit, what the hell is going on there!" Flesh hook suspension is becoming more visible in the mainstream all the time with shows like Ripley's Believe It Or Not, and films like The Cell showing images of people suspending from hooks all the time. The history behind flesh hooks is firmly rooted in ritual from around the world. This is by no means a complete history of flesh hook rituals, but a work in progress, showing some of the regions that performed these rituals, their methods, and the reasons.

In India, the practice goes back approximately five thousand years, the oldest recorded history of piercing flesh and pulling or hanging from it. This was during a time when body and spirit connections were being explored and the idea of using the body to transcend the body played an important role in spirituality and life. There are two major Hindu festivals that focus on piercing rituals: Thaipusam and Chidi Mari. These two festivals are primarily celebrated by Savite Hindus, who are devotees of Lord Siva, Murugan, and Kali. These Hindus are primarily the Tamil people of Southern India. The Thaipusam and Chidi Mari festivals have been effectively outlawed as public festivals in India and Sri Lanka, but in other parts of Southeast Asia, like Malaysia and Thailand, these festivals flourish today.

Thaipusam is a piercing festival to Lord Siva and the other Hindu deities who are "stars in his crown". Devotees vow to bear a gift to the deity under physical hardship, which is considered the purest of gifts. Piercing the flesh with spears, skewers, and hooks to deliver the gift is especially accepted and blessed by Murugan, Lord of Piercing and patron Saint of the Tamils.

The Native American practice of piercing the flesh and suspending or hanging objects from it dates back at least several hundred years. The exact dates are unknown since there are no written records left by these people, just what settlers heard and saw in the late 1700's and early 1800's. One of these rituals was performed by the Mandan, a tribe that lived in villages along the Missouri River (now North and South Dakota).

This suspension ritual was called the O-Kee-Pa, and was a rite of passage for all young men, as well as a vision quest ritual for the shaman. This ritual was performed by piercing two hooks into the chest and two hooks into the back of a young man about to enter adult life. This young man was then suspended for about twenty minutes to seek communion with "The Great White Spirit", under the guidance of someone who had taken the journey before called a Ka-See-Ka, or guide.

Perhaps the best known flesh hook ritual was performed by various Sioux tribes like the Lakota, Ogalala, Teton, and Yellow Hand, called the Sun Dance. This ritual was performed by being pierced in the chest twice, and then fastened to a tree or pole, where the ritual participants would pledge to pull against the piercings until the flesh broke. The objective was to reach a trance state and commune with "The Great White Spirit" for healing, or knowledge. Sometimes it would take several days for the flesh to break free.

Today, Fakir Musafar holds a ritual throughout the year in various locations called "Spirit And Flesh", which is a flesh hook ritual based on a fusion of various rituals of the past. I was fortunate enough to be invited into the ritual in June 2003 to assist Fakir pierce people into the ritual, and then be pierced into the ritual myself. It was an amazing experience that lasted several hours, but seemed like minutes and days at the same time. I would urge anyone that has the opportunity to enter a ritual like this to do it. It is an experience that will stay with you forever.

Since my return from California with this experience, I have had the opportunity to perform this ritual again with myself and a couple friends on Galiano Island in August. The experience was amazing again, with the surroundings affecting me in a different way this time. The cool of a British Columbia rainforest was refreshing, compared to the heat of the California sun. I am looking forward to the next opportunity I have to perform this ritual again.