I think that while what you are saying has some truth, it is also a mistake to take things too *symbolically* as well. not just on this issue but on many. the panchamakara for example, while symbolizing other things, is also meant literally - taking a position at either end of the spectrum is missing out on the whole picture. anyway, the goats get slaughtered pretty quickly and don't suffer. they were destined for dinner anyway, they might as well be prashad! in any case, I think for most people, pure dakshinamarga is not enough; the collision between the self and experiences which are threatening or uncomfortable is needed. it is a lot different to talk about sacrifice than it is to see it. I didn't know how I would feel about many things on Kali Puja at Kalighat - the ritual slaughter of the goats, the corpses laid out at the smashan, etc... for me, Shaktism needs no reform. I am of the opinion that if I felt any of these practices were vile or in error, it would not have been my way. my fiancee is a vegetarian and not Hindu, and she was very comfortable with bali after she witnessed it. there is a wonderful connection with the cycle of life inherent in such a day. life! the surge of humanity, baking in the sun! the joy of people to see and be seen by Mother! death! the end of animals' lives, and what remains when we too have been laid to rest! flowers, smoke, blood, singing, the sweat of thousands of people... we're all just living and dying, being born and getting old. I can't put into words the sheer magnitude of that feeling of connection to all living things. we are all meat for the Mother, sacrifices to Her glory, part of the big majestic wheel of this dirty, bloody, beautiful creation.

JAI MA!

>If you really want to worship physically and you really want to please Maa, there's no better way then offering your own blood and not the animal for the sake of your own benefit.<

yepyep! i reckon sacrifice of something other than self [or anything seen as an attachment] is only representative. offering up a proxy is pretty fainthearted. and i'm not sure how fond Kali is of ritual and pretense.
i went to Kalighat last year, but at a time of day when she was veiled. the sacrificial square was empty; bleak and stark.
the ambiance in the neighbourhood was heavy thick like a dreamstate that evaporated as i walked back to the trainstation. all the people were so quiet and contained.. so different to the rest of the city.. i was surprised when a stallholder took the conch shell i was looking at and blew it.. and timid when he gave it to me to try. but my bastard father wouldn't give me the time to be wanton so i felt like a total fool not buying it after the demonstration [i went with the intent of stocking up on as much iconography as i could :D but walked away without a single thing. lame! but for those who haven't been, the few blocks leading to the temple are loaded with market stalls in Kali's honour] so anyway i wonder if days around the Kalighat are always like that, or if it was because Kali was sleeping or doing whatever she does in her private time. i'll probably go at the same time next time just to see. and so i don't see the sacrifice again!

Sidhu,
You can sacrifice yourself to Her without spilling any blood. Remember, bereft of our illusions, desires, aspirations,likes, dislikes and the like we are nothing but Her. Sacrifice all those things which define you as distinct from her- that is upasana, that is sacrifice- ultimately that is the path to bliss. Is is difficult too as it is to be done in every moment.

Every person's mind plays tricks. Do not take dreams literally. See if you can divine the inner meaning.

Jai Maa Kali.

> he explained it as being protected by the goatghost.
*****
"Included in your goat sacrifice fee – all at no additional charge – is a lifetime's worth of protection by the goat ghost!"

I wouldn't put much stock in the powers of the goat ghost, but have every confidence that your belief in the goat ghost is all that is necessary to provide the desired "protection."

from my pov, which the judges may not agree with :)

the karma of taking the life of the goat is now entangled with yours and your responsibility to work it all out in this life or another, a complicated matter, and not easily summed up in a few words...but, as Kali Ma eats our karma, if we offer it to Her wholeheartedly through proper puja, then it will all work itself out. of course i'm not recommending anyone try this at home : )