Sometimes I feel that witchcraft lets me down. Especially if you read â a witches bibleâ. Everything is male or female, because for them that is what nature means. What happens if Im a gay man? And I just do not consider myself a warrior? Am I out of witchcraft then? Theres gay boys and girls, trans people etc. Or cis people that just do not identify themselves into those roles. I love the moon goddess but I feel Im stepping into something I donât belong.
I understand completely where youâre coming from as a gay man, especially. The âWitchesâ Bibleâ was a product of its time, and is but one view of witchcraft and gender. However, there have always, ALWAYS been queer people as part of British Traditional Witchcraft. Back in the sixties, seventies, and eighties, many queer people went off to find their own mysteries, which is how we get groups like the Minoan Brotherhood and Sisterhood, the Unnamed Path, Radical Faery, American Feri witchcraft, and many, many others who wish to explore the mysteries of the Goddess outside of the views and beliefs of British Traditional Witchcraft. It would not be right for us to barge into their traditions and try to make them non-polaric because those are the mysteries they wish to explore, and that is their right. If we donât like it, we can find our own mysteries. The gods of witchcraft belong to no one.Â
My teacher explained it to me that when you are working with Gardnerians, you do it the Gardnerian way, and when youâre working with some other group, you do it their way. This is because groups are based upon group energy and group mind/ritual. If there are some people who are not focusing their energies correctly, then the entire group suffers. Now, of course, this does not mean that you have to pretend to be âstraightâ while working with other Gardnerians just because their magic works best as a polarity function. It just means that you are channeling the power of the God of witchcraft for this ritual as the âpure maleâ force, which compliments and enhances his polar opposite, the âpure femaleâ. They are two sides of a pole, and along that pole are many, many numerous forms of being which are all different emanations of gender and sexuality. Garderians, as I understand it, work with just the two extremes, but this does not mean that other gradations of those extremes are null. Otherwise, all those gay people wouldnât have very effective magic, and they DO. What you do in your own private practice is your business.Â
This is just one tradition, you must understand, of many. They are all, more or less, exploring the mysteries of the Goddess in their own way. The traditions are orthoPRAXIC, which means right practice. It works because of what you DO, not because of what you BELIEVE. That way, there are no arguments on what to do.Â
Now, as to warriorship: there are warrior traditions, yes, but, again, warrior is a spectrum. You donât have to be the one charging in front, sword blazing with righteous fire, yelling cursing, going into a berserker rage. And if anyone expects you to, they can take a hike. Healers are warriors. Sages. Musicians. Bards. Artists are warriors. If you have the courage to stand and say: âI AMâ, then you are a warrior. By facing the world each day as a gay man, you are a warrior. I had to do a lot of searching about that myself. Iâm passive and let things flow most of the time and let things sort themselves out, but I also create powerful allies who I can call upon when I need them, and they can rely on me because Iâm constantly in the swim. Find yourself. Have you read the Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell? Itâs on Netflix right now; it may help you.Â
Do not let another personâs view of witchcraft tell you what witchcraft, or whether or not youâre a witch. Find the parts of witchcraft that have power for you, and use them. Only the spirits and gods can decide whether you are witch enough by responding to you when you call. Andrew Chumbley said: âIf you call on the gods, and they answer, who then could deny you?âÂ
The Moon Goddess loves all Her children of the night. Her silver light reveals all secrets that are not shown by the sun. Queer people have always been Hers, and She sees our night revels, our trysts in alleyways and bathhouses, She knows our struggles. She is not owned by straight people; She isnât own by anyone. She is eternal, and belongs to no one. That is why She is the Virgin Queen.Â
I know more queer folk who are Gardnerian or Alexandrian than I do straight people. They have always been there, and theyâre not going anywhere. If you feel called to follow those traditions, it may take a while to find a teacher who can help guide you. One of my dearest friends recently went through this, and it was such a relief for them to finally find a teacher who was also queer.Â
Do not give into despair, dear one. Let the Goddess guide you.Â
