The Occult and The Orgasm: Our Discussion of Sex Magick

Discussions of witchcraft are typically centered around how we use the metaphysical to fuel the physical, however, we often neglect to acknowledge that the reverse is true as well. In no type of magick is this more apparent than in sex magick. Sex magick is the use of sexuality as a channeling point for metaphysical power to bring about change in our conscious and unconscious world. Sex magick is taboo as it is and even within sex magick’s small circle some still seem to have room to discriminate further. A misinformed belief of sex magick is that the union of divine feminine and masculine is necessary and that this union can only be accomplished through heterosexual intimacy. However, each of us is equipped with both the divine feminine and divine masculine energy, so this view is misinformed. 

MODERN DAY SEX MAGICK RESOURCES

    The occult and the orgasm were unavoidably linked by the Church’s undying distaste. Eroticism played a key role in the witch hunts when fornicators and amorous women were seen as signs of the devil's influence. Perhaps one of the most sexually explicit of the accused witches was Lady Alice Kyteler. When her belongings in her home were searched “ergot ointment” was found. Ergot was used in medieval times as a hallucinogenic drug. Individuals of that time found use resulted in some undesirable side effects which they felt were lessened when taken by the skin. The most effective ways to elicit these effects were in receiving areas of the skin such as the armpits or genitalia. Women were able to feel the effects of the drug by rubbing the ointment on a broomstick edge and using it for insertion. We can see how the church was able to claim that the two were linked after incidents such as this. However, we are still left with the question of whether sex actually has a role in magick or if it was all purely speculative.

    In modern-day witch circles and resources, we find that sex magick is often credited to Tantra, Aleister Crowley, and Ordo Templi Orientis or (O.T.O.).. The O.T.O believed sex magick to be their “supreme secret” practice, which I personally find egotistical and small-minded because if we’re being honest, they were far from the first to think sex felt magical. The order developed a degree system of magick divided into groups called triads. The final triad was the degrees of sex magick which originally fell into heteronormative scope until the addition of homoerotic levels - an addition said to be made by Aleister Crowley. 

    Unlike most other discussions of Sex Magick, Crowley’s Sex Magick was heavily influenced by homosexuality. (In fact, it is speculated that most of his research was done through literal sexual interactions with his associate Victor Neuburg) He identified sex as one of the strongest sources of magick and believed sexual activities that were deemed “immoral” brought about the strongest powers: homosexuality, masturbation, and fornication. Crowley’s Texts on Sex Magick provide a new lens through which to see the man attached to Modern Wicca. Although he is still a problematic voice (especially due to his constant cultural appropriation), we as witches can not deny that many of our modern resources are linked to him, so we need to do extensive deconstruction on all of the resources including those about sex magick. To this, you are probably thinking, “sex is for everyone”, which obviously that's how you got here, but the development of sex magick is a little more complex.

DECONSTRUCTING SEX MAGICK 

    Just like all forms of magick, sex magick also requires deconstruction. Two sources of deconstruction in sex magick are queerness and culture. The majority of writers on sex magick are white men who feel way too comfortable speaking about other cultures they are not apart of. Regardless if they had “proper teachers” using chakras and tantra as a basis for western sex magick is unprecedented. If we are going to create a new resource for sex magick that is open practice, it should not be based in practices that are attached to religion. We can not simply remove them from their context and use what we want, it just takes away the meaning. However, sex itself is a practice we can all agree we take part in.  

Although many of the sex magick resources I have found have admittedly been written by heterosexual men, Crowley’s (who as I stated previously had huge influence on modern day sex magick resources) sexuality remains a mystery. Although he incorporated the “homoerotic” into sexual practice, he did so without properly removing the stigma from it. Homosexuality was seen by him as an act of rebellion rather than an innate identity that is still capable of love and connection. So if he was truly part of the LGBTQ+ community, he had internalized homophobia steering the discussions he led around it. When discussing the magick of sex we must also incorporate the magick of sexuality to properly understand the importance of honesty in our conversation. 

BEGINNING OUR DISCUSSION OF SEX MAGICK

    There are a few key principles to keep in mind in our discussion of sex magick:

1. Although sex is open practice, certain rituals and applications of sexual magick belong to cultures that are not our own and should not be removed from their original context. These are not necessarily closed but doing so improperly is cultural appropriation.

2. The use of sex magick involves transforming physical sexual energy into a metaphysical source that can be used in magickal endeavours. 

3. Sexual energy can be created in all sexual contexts: Queer, Heterosexual, Homoerotic, and Asexual. 

4. Sex Magick is still a form of witchcraft and requires the proper research, groundwork, and protections before you begin. 

Our discussion of sex magick will encompass many aspects of sexual energy and will include conversations on masturbation, sexual intimacy, asexuality, sexual safety, and consent. We can not have a discussion on sex magick without first discussing the latter two.