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Queerly Pursuing the Wiccan Path
Reviewed by Anthony Fasolo
| Gay Witchcraft by Christopher Penczak Weiser Books, 2003. |
Titles on gay issues and how a homosexual might be able to relate to a polarity-oriented spiritual structure such as Wicca are few and far between. The most recent addition to the genre is Gay Witchcraft – Empowering the Tribe, by Christopher Penczak. Gay Witchcraft is written for LGBTs pursuing the Wiccan Path.
Penczak is careful to state that he is not attempting to prove or disprove what is already out there, but to remind us that all of our resources are suspect due to cultural bias. His purpose is to share his experiences both as an initiate into Wicca and in coming to terms with his own sexuality. He believes that individuals must discover for themselves what their relationship with the Divine is and then develop it.
GW is presented in three parts. The first section discusses the History and Mythology of Wicca, while the second section presents the basics of its structure and belief systems. The third and perhaps the most fascinating section is titled Empowerment – Love, Sexuality, Healing and Ritual.
Penczak spends much more time and space on the often-ignored issues of sexuality than most books on Wicca, which is welcome and appropriate. Even though the third section of GW is not devoted solely to sex magick, it does give more than adequate attention to the topic. With sub-topics such as Tantra, Sexual Spells, Combining Sex with Spell Work, Healing Sexuality, Exploring the Taboo, and Safe Sex and Magick, Penczak gives deep and insightful attention to sexuality within the craft specially geared to the LGBT Pagan.
Although the entire book is written specifically from a Gay Pagan’s perspective, I am focusing on the issues of sexuality and deity relationships as presented in GW. These are two stumbling points for many LGBTs attempting to adapt to Wicca’s often overtly heterosexual structures.
The core of many Wiccan belief systems revolves around the Divine Union of the Female and Male (keep in mind that this is a gross generalization, for Wicca is not uniform in its traditions). Penczak carefully reminds us that much of what we understand about Wicca and its modern practices are reinventions and reconstructions by Craft Elders such as Gerald Gardner, Doreen Valiente, Aleister Crowley, Starhawk, and many others. It was Gerald Gardner who placed heavy emphasis on strict adherence to male/female polarity within the practice.
Penczak points out that gender is not solely an issue of the physical body, but also of the emotional and psychic “bodies.” He reminds us of the indo-shamanic traditions that recognize the unique balance homosexual and transgendered individuals possess. Penczak recalls the ancient myths and practices of pre-Christian eras to point out that sexuality was often not so distinct an issue as it is in the modern era.
Specifically, Penczak retells the stories of many of the ancient deities emphasizing their own homoeroticism and androgyny. These facets are often glossed over or left out entirely, from the amorous relationship of Apollo and Hyacinth to the modern correspondences that some followers of Santeria attribute to Yemaya (a patron of transgendered and lesbian women because of her compassionate strength and warrior-like ways and often petitioned on behalf of those suffering from AIDS). Penczak provides more than enough material for an LGBT who is new to the Craft to digest, with the expectation that they should follow their own guidance and pursue continued research of their own.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Christopher Penczak about GW after his recent appearance at Spirit Dancer’s Books and Gifts for a book signing. He is currently on tour promoting his prior publication The Inner Temple of Witchcraft: Magick, Meditation and Psychic Development (Llewellyn). He is an eclectic witch, healer and teacher, an ordained minister of the Universal Brotherhood Movement, and a part-time faculty member at the North Eastern Institute of Whole Health. Christopher is also a trained Reiki Master (Teacher) in the Usui-Tibetan and Shamballa traditions and is certified as a flower essence consultant.
Penczak said that GW originally grew out of an article he was invited to write for Genre Magazine after questioning their lack of gay spirituality content. The article, “Coming out of the Broom Closet” (a non-technical comparison of coming out as a gay man to being initiated as a Wiccan), grew into a series of occasional contributions on the subject of “earth religions.”
Ironically, when he approached some of the gay-oriented publishers, Penczak said, “They were afraid of Witchcraft and wouldn’t touch it. Likewise, some of the New Age publishers wouldn’t go near it because of the gay aspect of it.” But after he had published a few books through Weiser Books and Llewellyn, it became a little easier to sell his idea.
He would like to publish a book on gay sex magick specifically for those who are interested in the subject but are not particularly interested in Wicca but, he said, it’ll depend on how well GW is received.
Penczak noted that it isn’t always easy for LGBTs to reconcile the overtly male/female polarity systems in Wicca. In his experience the older generations seem to have more difficulty with it than the younger generations. He likened it to the same situation experienced with homosexuality in general – youth are less likely to be confined by tradition.
Asked how he was able to reconcile his Roman Catholic upbringing with the Craft, he recalled a bumper sticker to sum up his experience: “It Took Becoming A Pagan To Find Jesus.” He recalled a group meditation in which the facilitator brought the “god form” Jesus into the meditation. Although Penczak no longer practiced Catholicism, he found comfort in the experience to be able to make peace with his Catholic past. By realizing the many common traits Jesus shares with other god figures in other traditions, Penczak has come to realize Jesus as one of many aspects of God.
He took classes with Laurie Cabot, in her Witchcraft As A Science tradition. He was fascinated with the science and philosophy of her teaching, grounding witchcraft in sound thinking and personal experience. Penczak recalled, “She was the first adult person to really make it clear without making it overt that being gay was ok, that being a gay witch was ok. She talked about gay witches she knew in her books and in her lectures. She talked about same-sex love spells and was very inclusive without making a big deal out of it.”
Penczak is also the author of City Magick: Urban Ritual, Spells and Shamanism (Weiser Books) and two other books on spirituality and magick (check out his website at www.christopherpenczak.com).
Penczak teaches, has a healing practice, and writes in New Hampshire, where he lives with his husband, science fiction/fantasy author Stephen Kenson.
Anthony Fasolo is a Tarot Reader and Spiritual Consultant who resides happily with his lifelong mate Shawn and their two cats, Sophia and Samantha in the Ol’ North End of Burlington. Anthony can be found on the web at www.gemini62167.freehomepage.com.