Context is important when starting any conversation, and especially so when examining why a movement towards more inclusive magick is needed. When one digs deeply into the far past of most Western religious traditions, the idea of gender non-conformity and diverse representation of the divine erotic were very present. Some examples:
- Ancient Roman religion including deities such as Pales and Agdistis (who is possibly linked to a line of androgynous deities stretching back to 2000 B.C.) and the story of Iphis who was assigned female at birth but identified as male and transitioned with divine assistance.
- The Greek deification of Antinous, gay male lover of the emperor.
- Native American indigenous traditions including the third gender identity of Two Spirit, which often came with special spiritual roles. (source)
However, as the influence of Christianity began to spread, so also did the cultural erasure of a more inclusive perspective on gender and sexuality. With cultural shifts come religious shifts as well, which makes it hard to truly examine ancient religions as they existed pre-Christianity. Especially since Christianity has had so much control over which historical narratives and perspectives were preserved.
Earth-based religions have not been exempt. While there are not necessarily canonized teachings for these spiritual paths, the concept of dualism has pervaded modern approaches to religious thought. Dualism is the idea of two fundamental polarizing forces, often opposing concepts reflecting and pushing against each other in a struggle for balance. In modern earth-based religions, dualism is often contextualized as a gender binary of ideal “masculine” attributes and ideal “feminine” attributes, with heterosexual union venerated as a magickal rite invoking equilibrium and life. More on that here.
Some specific examples of gender binary dualism can be easily found in Wicca. Wicca worships gender binary dualism through the Great Horned God and Great Goddess – both thought to encompass all other gods and goddess in their attributes. Gerald Gardner, the Wiccan priest who initially introduced Wicca to the public through his writings and founded the branch Gardnerian Wicca, has been accused by contemporaries like Lois Bourne of plainly stating one could not be homosexual and a witch. Gardner himself wrote of the gender binary dualism :
The witches tell me ‘The law always has been that power must be passed from man to woman or from woman to man, […]’ (the reason is that great love is apt to occur between people who go through the rites together.) […] For this reason, they say, the goddess has strictly forbidden a man to be initiated by or to work with a man, or a woman to be initiated by or to work with a woman […]the curse of the goddess may be on any who break this law.
Gerald Gardner, Witchcraft Today (1954)
Wiccan priestess Margaret Addler accurately points out:
Some will claim that modern Wiccans venerating a homophobic priest, living by his rules, and defending him dogmatically doesn’t have any effect on how they treat LGBT people. That would be the most obvious possible cause of a logical fallacy.
Margaret Addler, Drawing down the moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-worshippers, and other pagans in America (1979)
Wicca emerged alongside second-wave feminism, the idea of Goddess veneration being associated with white feminine power (something lacking in the structures of Christianity). Unfortunately, women-only traditions of Wicca from this period, such as Dianic Wicca, actively do not allow transwomen witches to join in their sacred practices. Zsuzsanna Budapest, the founder of the first female-only coven in Dianic Wicca, has made many transphobic statements and has allegedly actively taken part in excluding transwomen from her religious practice and coven.
But Wicca is not alone in its association to transphobic and homophobic perspectives. Tarot and astrology both utilize binary gender archetypes. Norse and Germanic traditions are heavily steeped in the concept of male-female duality and tend to be more ideologically conservative than other earth-based religious paths.
For current practitioners of earth-based religion, it is vital that this context is exposed and its past and present harm on communities be confronted. As witches, occultists, fortune-tellers, heathens, druids, and pagans have all been banished to the fringes of a predominantly Christian society, so also have the LGBTQ+ community. We are all outcasts seeking to step into our own power. When we talk about “Queering the Craft” on this website, we apply “queer” as an inclusive term referring to sexuality as well as gender identity.
And so, it is not merely enough that LGBTQIA+ individuals be tolerated in earth-based religions. These modern interpretations of ancient traditions are currently weighed down with the bigotry of the present and recent-past…instead, let us look further back, beyond the influence (and judgements) of Christianity to draw inspiration and build a truly inclusive culture going forward. One that manifests welcoming in its form and action, like a spell crafted of carefully selected herbs, oils, and heartfelt intention. The essence of magick need not restrict itself to a particular perspective of gender duality, gender identity, and celebrate particular sexualities over others. There is nothing lost and everything to be gained by choosing to embrace inclusive magick.
Convinced? Let’s start the conversation about what needs to change by dissecting the flawed concept of gender duality. Or you can return to the home page.
A HUGE thanks to this Wikipedia article for serving as my starting place in what I’ve learned and written about here.
queering the craft 