Wicca for Life

The Power of Sex

In working magic, the main ingredient is the power that is raised, by the individual or by the group. I spoke of this in chapter 7. Without such power, no magic can be performed. There are many ways of doing this power raising: chanting, dancing, awakening the kundalini, drumming, scourging, and the sex act. Sex magic is the art of using the sexual experience, and especially the orgasm, for magical purposes.

Dr. Jonn Mumford, in Sexual Occultism, says that the most important psychophysiological event in the life of a human is the orgasm. This orgasm is achieved following much the same pattern as any magical working and power raising. It starts slowly and very gradually builds to a climax.

Sex magic is the art and science of utilizing sexual experience for the concrete materialization of desire and the expansion of the inner life.

—Swami Anandakapila

During sexual excitation, all aspects of extrasensory perception are heightened. You become much more sharply attuned to the psychic realm than in your normal state. Immediately before, during, and after climax the mind is in a state of hypersensitivity, which can be especially useful when working magic. During orgasm, many people have experienced timelessness, accompanied by subjective sensations of being “absorbed” by their partner. Successful sex magic involves an interplay of all of these factors.

When working sex magic, the magical process can be broken down into the following steps. First is the planning stage, when the exact details of how to proceed are worked out and agreed upon. This includes what “goal” to aim at, what methods of arousal will be used, what to visualize during the act, and—especially at the climax—what to set your sights on during the release of the power. Then comes the actual practice: the magical, sensual, and sexual foreplay that develops into the serious buildup of power. There is a connection, in the case of coital working, and the gradual building of power leading to the aiming and the final release.

Let us look at the working of a couple first. Then we’ll examine how sex magic is performed both by solitaries and by whole covens.

Sex magick can be a very potent way of achieving results. In the first place, sexual power is tightly connected to psychic energy; both run up the central spine (the kundalini force) and it is easy to mistake one for another when you are in circle.. . . Sex magick utilizes the process of building energy through sexual excitation, the orgasm releases it.

—Yasmine Galenorn, Embracing the Moon

One, Two, or More

The literal climax of sex magic is the orgasm. As I pointed out in my Buckland’s Complete Book of Witchcraft, just how this is achieved is unimportant; sex magic can thus be done by the solitary, by a couple, or by a whole coven. All that matters is that the orgasm be the time of directing the power generated to the target selected.

A couple would start by kneeling facing one another. Perhaps with eyes closed, they gently caress each other’s bodies, not especially trying for arousal. At this point the breasts and genitals are best avoided, concentrating more on the hair, face, arms, and legs. Thoughts can be on one another at this time, since arousal will eventually need to come about. At some point they begin to kiss and hug, pressing their bodies close together and caressing backs and buttocks. On moving apart again, the caressing will continue but may now include breasts and genitals, the aim being definitely toward awakening the kundalini. Here the mouth, tongue, and lips may be brought into play as much as the hands. As the couple become totally aroused, the male may sit back and allow the female to sit astride his legs, with his phallus entering her. At this point it is necessary to focus the mind on the object of the magic.

The couple proceed by gently rocking back and forth, each focusing on the person to whom the power will be directed; as always in magic, seeing in their mind’s eye the result of a successful working. Both should try to hold off the orgasm as long as possible while they work on the visualization. When he can hold off no longer, the male should let the female know, by prearranged signal, when he is about to ejaculate (or vice versa, if the female is likely to be the first to climax). The female should try to arrive at orgasm as close to the same time as possible, which she can do by working her clitoris with her fingers. At the moment of orgasm (whether together or one after the other), they should see the power shooting out from them to the target, like a bolt of lightning. One Witch has described the release as a force “that pulses from my lower chakras, surging up through the others before blasting out of my crown chakra, at the top of my head.”20

The couple should try to stay joined for as long as possible, though if they wish the male may gently fall backward to lie on his back with the female on top of him. (If the male has trouble holding off his ejaculation for sufficient time, he may lie on his back from the start with the female on top of him, and control the movement of them both.)

As I’ve said, the method of achieving orgasm is unimportant. For this reason it is quite possible for such sex magic to be performed by couples of the same sex, through mutual masturbation. In fact, any variety of sexual stimulation methods may be employed, whether by homo- or heterosexual couples, including mutual masturbation and oral stimulation.

For the solitary, the obvious answer is masturbation. This type of magic has been performed by solitary Witches for generations; probably the majority induce the power release with their hands, but some Witches certainly use such magical items as priapic (phallic) wands and, these days, such seemingly nonmagical items as dildos and vibrators.

So potent is Sex magick that even when practiced half-heartedly or by the inept, there is always some result.

—Louis T. Culling, A Manual of Sex Magick

Sex magic by whole covens is unusual, in the sense of being rarely performed. There is absolutely no reason why it should not be done—with the coven working in pairs or solitary—but to many modern witches it carries connotations of an orgy, and this, of course, is an image we are trying to avoid. So much depends upon the makeup of the coven—the relationships, ease, and comfort among members. It is also not easy to arrange an orgasm for all members at, or even close to, the same time, so the benefit of group working is mostly lost. This is yet another reason why it is more common to find sex magic done by single couples and solitaries rather than by covens. Donald Michael Kraig, in his excellent book Modern Sex Magick, details the methodology of working with a group—not as individuals or individual couples, but as a whole group—that would work well but would also need very mature participants.

One thing does need to be emphasized where sex magic is concerned: No one should be coerced into doing it. Sex magic is simply one method out of many, and it is definitely not for everyone. If you encounter a group that claims that this has to be done, turn and walk away!

Although the persecuting Inquisitors may have tortured some of the (Knights) Templars into telling about Sufi secrets of Sex Magick, nevertheless all of this meant only “sex perversion” to the Inquisitors. To this day it is the same. Although the ideals and practices of Sex Magick are far more idealistic and spiritually inspiring than the ways of common sexual relations, it is not an uncommon thing for restricted minds to yelp. “Sex Magick! That’s immoral sex perversion!”

—Louis T. Culling, A Manual of Sex Magick

Witchcraft in the Bedroom

An adjunct to sex magic is the simple relationship of Witches to one another in the bedroom. With liberated minds and acceptance of sex as part of the whole pattern of nature, Witches enjoy a wonderful relationship in bed. They are not afraid to explore one another’s bodies, to try a variety of sexual positions, to accept the spirituality of sex, for they view the body as a temple. The woman is viewed by the man as an earthly representation of the Goddess, and the man is seen by the woman as an earthly representation of the God. To join together in sexual intercourse is to enact the Hieros Gamos, the Sacred Marriage, of the ancient mysteries. Even on a relatively mundane, domestic level, Witches retain this concept in their unconscious, or even conscious, minds, giving them a respect for the act while still being able to enjoy it at a deep, chthonic level.

Male and Female Energies

It must be remembered that we all have both male and female within us. We are all both God and Goddess. In this respect there is no negativity projected by true Witches toward homosexuals. In fact, historically, homosexuals were frequently venerated as instruments of the deities. Siva, or Shiva, is sometimes depicted as a hermaphroditic god, having divided himself into male and female, as did another Hindu god, Brahma. The Greek Janus was not only double headed but also of both sexes. Hermes was androgynous, as was the ancient Syrian god Baal. Even Zeus, the father of the gods, had his moments of homosexuality (though he was not androgynous), being attracted to Ganymede and seducing him. So all life, and all forms of sexuality, are revered in Wicca.

Salutes

This might be an appropriate place to speak of what are known in Wicca as salutes. A salute is nothing more than a kiss. When a ritual says “they salute,” it simply means “they kiss.” Again, hugging and kissing are a natural part of life for humans who are close to one another, as coven members are.

There are also certain ritual kisses, known variously as the threefold salute, the fivefold salute, and the eightfold salute. The threefold salute traces the outline of a triangle and is done on mouth, breast, breast, and back to the mouth (to close the figure). The fivefold salute describes a pentagram and is genitals, right foot, left knee, right knee, left foot, and genitals. The eightfold salute is both of these salutes, one after the other. In some traditions, there is an inverted threefold salute: genitals, breast, breast, genitals.

Kissing these parts of the body is an acknowledgment of the sacredness of the body and of life. It is also an honoring of the God or Goddess within each of us. In the rituals given in this book, I include these salutes, but if anyone is uncomfortable with them—being new to the Craft—then it is appropriate to simply kiss.

The Great Rite

At the Sabbat rites (see chapter 19), there is the enactment of the Great Rite. This is the Hieros Gamos I mentioned previously; the sacred marriage of God and Goddess. As the earthly representatives of the Lord and the Lady, the High Priest and High Priestess of a coven will have ritual coitus as part of the Sabbat rite. Enacting the Great Rite at Samhain is a reaffirmation of life necessary when entering the dark half of the year, with all of nature seemingly dying. It is a similar celebration at the opposite turn of the wheel, at Beltane, as a celebration of the return of life.

There is much discussion in Wicca as to whether or not the Great Rite should be enacted “in token” (symbolically) or in reality. In my formative years in Wicca, I was taught to believe that not to do it in reality was something of a slight to the gods. I still feel this way. However, I understand that there are those for whom this is too big a leap from their non-Pagan upbringing, and I would not attempt to pressure them. Even for those who agree that it should be done in reality, many feel that the rest of the coven should leave the Circle for this rite, returning when it is completed. Again, I disagree. In the early days of the Craft, the people were attuned to fertility and the naturalness of sexuality; I cannot believe that these early Witches would have dutifully tramped out of the Circle just because their leaders were performing ritual coitus. Indeed, it is the fact that this is ritual coitus that, to my mind, makes it acceptable. But again, I would not force my opinion on others.

So the Great Rite is performed at the Sabbats. In some traditions, it is also performed at other times, such as when a Witch is taken to the Third Degree in a degree-oriented tradition. In my Ray Buckland’s Magic Cauldron, speaking of the Great Rite when performed at the Third Degree, I say, “There is sex involved in the Great Rite, then. But, of course, it is not sex for its own sake. It is a very sacred, holy, union which is the culmination not only of that particular ritual, but of the whole journey the initiate has traveled through the degrees (over a period of several years).”

The symbolic version of the rite is found in the Cakes and Ale ritual (and there I would not argue with its “in token” appropriateness). The High Priest’s athame represents the male phallus, and the goblet of wine the female vagina. In the words of that ritual, “As the athame is to the male, so the cup is to the female, and conjoined they bring blessedness.” The High Priest then lowers his athame into the wine held by the High Priestess.

THE GREAT RITE

HPS lies on the ground before the altar, her head to the east, with arms and legs outstretched to form a pentagram. HP kneels between her legs.

HP:	I am here to adore thee, at the sacred place, the center of the most revered altar of life. That center is itself the origin of all things, and so I do adore it.

HP salutes HPS on the genitals.

HP:	I worship at this altar, this cup of joy and beauty, by the power of the raised sword.

HP again salutes HPS.

HP:	By seed and root, by stem and bud, by leaf and flower and fruit, I invoke thee, Lady of Light and Beauty, to lift me to the stars.

HP gives HPS a threefold salute.

HP:	Lovely Lady of Life, I am your servant in all things. I adore you.

HP gives HPS an eightfold salute.

HP:	As the Lord of Life and Death welcomed and embraced his Lady, so do I welcome and embrace you. As the God joined with the Goddess, so do I join with you. As our Lord became one with our Lady, so do I with you.

HP lies forward on HPS, touching his phallus to her genitals as he salutes her on the lips. He then returns to kneeling.

HP:	By moon rays’ silver shaft of power, By green leaf breaking from the bud, By seed that springeth into flower, By life that courseth in the blood. Altar of mystery manifold, The sacred Circle’s central point. Thus do I join thee as of old, With kisses of my lips anoint.

HP salutes HPS’ genitals, then gives the eightfold salute.

HP:	Open for me the secret way between the gates of night and day. Here where sword and cup unite in infinite joy and love.

HP then lies on the living altar, and the Great Rite is enacted.

HP and HPS kneel facing one another. Both speak together:

HP and HPS:

Bear witness, Lord and Lady, to this rite of love and devotion enacted by your faithful servants here today. It was done in your honor and in witness to your lifebringing power and beauty. Blessed be!

Come forth, under the stars, and take your fill of love. I am above you and in you. My ecstasy is in yours. My joy is to see your joy. I am divided for love’s sake, for the chance of union. And the sign shall be my ecstasy, the consciousness of the continuity of existence, the omnipresence of my body. Be not animal; refine thy rapture. If thou drink, drink by the eight and ninety rules of art: if thou love, exceed by delicacy; and if thou do aught joyous, let there be subtlety therein. But ever unto me—unto me.

—Aleister Crowley, Liber 31