In this penultimate episode of The Hidden Cut: The Sacred Cut, we step outside Abraham’s tent and trace circumcision across the world’s religions and cultures.

From tribal initiations to temple rituals, from African rites to Islamic practice, from ancient gods to modern medicine — the blade has always traveled farther than the covenant.

Why did cultures on every continent choose the knife? What did they believe it gave them? And what wound does it leave behind?

This episode explores the oldest ritual in human history — and how it became the throughline connecting faith, power, and the human body itself.

Read the full essay.

The Cut Continues: Get future episodes, deep-dive essays, and access to The Vault. Subscribe now to join the investigation.

🎬 Continue the Series

← Previous Episode: Submission and Identity→ Next Episode: Modesty’s Revenge📂 Full Episode Guide: Cold Open

Think something got left on the cutting room floor?Add your notes below—we’re still editing in real time.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lisawritesnow.substack.com/subscribe