Penczak - Gay Witchcraft: Empowering the Tribe

ALSO BY CHRISTOPHER PENCZAK

City Magick: Urban Ritual, Spells, and Shamanism

Spirit Allies: Meet Your Team from the Other Side

The Inner Temple of Witchcraft: Magick, Meditation, and Psychic Development

The Inner Temple of Witchcraft Companion CD Set

The Outer Temple of Witchcraft: Circles, Spells, and Rituals (Forthcoming)

First published in 2003 by

Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC

With offices at:

500 Third Street, Suite 230

San Francisco, CA 94107

www.redwheelweiser.com

Copyright 2003 Christopher Penczak

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC. Reviewers may quote brief passages.

ISBN: 978-1-57863-281-7

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Penczak, Christopher.

Gay witchcraft : empowering the tribe / Christopher Penczak.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 1-57863-281-1 (pbk.)

1. Witchcraft. 2. GaysMiscellanea. I. Title.

BF1571.5.G39P46 2003

133.4308664dc21

2003002063

Typeset in 11 point Weiss

Printed in Canada

TCP

10 9 8 7 6 5 4

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PART I
History and Mythology

PART II
Tools of Our Tribe

PART III
EmpowermentLove, Sexuality, Healing, and Ritual

I want to thank some very special people whom I have found on my path: first and foremost is my husband and best friend, Steve, for sharing the magical path with me. I would like to thank my loving and supportive parents, Ronald and Rosalie, as well as the many spiritual community leaders who have been a great example to me, including Laurie Cabot, Jan Brink, Gita, Bryant, Chris Girioux, and Wendy Snow Fogg. Special thanks to: Erik Olson, Alixaendreia, Jessica, Wade, and Morris Weissinger for getting me started on this venture; my covenmates, the Gay Men's Spirit Group, and my modelsCasey O'Brien, Kevin Castelli, David E. Boyle, Nathanael Van Aalst, Rob Bouchard, Timothy Bedell, Jen Benos, Aviva Davi, Temptation, Benjamin Carpenter, Paul Carter, and Tim Reagan. Thanks to the many women and men who have shared their stories, traditions, techniques, and support for this project.

All of the charms, potions, and other magical formulas in this book are for external use only. Some of the formulas include essential oils and herbs. The reader should take care to use the proper ingredients and methods as advised by the author. Some individuals may have a sensitivity or allergic reaction to certain ingredients and they should consult with a professional before using or substituting such ingredients. The author and publisher are not responsible for any adverse effects or consequences resulting from the reader's use of the formulas or procedures in this book.

When I was a child, I never thought I would be writing a book on witchcraft, let alone dedicating my life to it. But life is filled with surprises, and I've grown to welcome them by now. I was raised Catholic. Yes, I'm a survivor of 13 years of Catholic school. Nuns didn't slap my wrists with rulers, but the last four years were in an all-boys high school. While that might sound like fun fantasy, the reality fell harshly short for a closeted boy desperately trying to figure out where his faith belonged.

Catholic school filled my childhood with ceremony and symbolism. Religion class and frequent liturgies were par for the course. I was surprised to learn that the kids in public school didn't have such things. I took them for granted. Mythic symbolism, statues, crosses, incense, and candles became a part of my life. I had a strong respect for the Catholic faith, but I later realized it was not so much the faith, but the rituala time for personal connection.

Not until high school did I consciously acknowledge being gay. I couldn't understand it myself, but I knew I felt different about the boys in my class. When religion class turned into morality classwhere we discussed such topics as suicide, abortion, and homosexualityin a single moment, the world came crashing down around me, and I confirmed all my feelings about not fitting into the whole. I intensely believed in something, but it no longer believed in me, or so I was told. The words love the sinner, hate the sin rang hollow for me, since I still felt hated, yet had not done anything at all.

That class created a schism between me and traditional Christian faiths. I went through a period of atheism, which in reality was more like a period of anger with Spirit, for some perceived betrayal from the emissaries of the Church. I later considered myself agnostic, believing in some form of Spirit, but felt that no one could define or interact with it. Spirituality was abstract, not anything personal. I drew closer to science for answers to my questions, and to art for my personal expression.

Fortunately, science and art could not answer the questions I had about life. In the past, I experienced seeing a ghost and I had an out-of-body episode, though I didn't know what these phenomena were at the time. I didn't find any answers, so I kept looking, without much luck. I didn't let go of much of my anger, though. I held on because I didn't have anything to take its place.

Then witchcraft opened a new world for me. An old friend of the family slowly introduced me to Wicca, the modern religion of witchcraft. The foundations were in ritual, the cycles of nature, ancient Goddess reverence, psychic awareness, and personal development. Witchcraft embraced ancient philosophies and practices from all around the world. So many beliefs fit my own. I never believed in the Christian devil, the source of evil. Contrary to popular belief, witches do not worship the devil. They believe it to be a construct of various organizations to control other people, a target of blame, and a scapegoat. Witches believe in self-responsibility, since all you do comes back to you. Many authors of the neo-witchcraft movement cite a greater acceptance of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered people because of our ancient ties. Several ancient cultures honored such peoplemy peoplefor their unique energies and perspective. A few modern groups, or covens, are exclusively gay or lesbian, though parts of the Wiccan community are as homophobic as the mainstream community is.

The more I read and studied about Wicca, the more I thought I had come home, but I was afraid. I was afraid to trust Spirit again.

As I studied the craft, with my friend and her teacher, I had some amazing personal experiences. My first spellwhat others call intentions or prayersproduced remarkable results. Through training, I had experiences with psychic magical abilities. The point of such work is not for the sake of accumulating power, but empowerment. Witchcraft gives a personal experience to what modern science, through quantum physics, is telling us; everything is connected. Everything is one. What one person does affects the whole. An experience with psychic healing opened my eyes to a completely new reality. We are connected.

As my studies deepened, I had to swallow a bitter pill. Magick (modern mystics often spell it with a k to differentiate their arts from a stage magician's sleights of hand) and, in fact, any form of mysticism, requires an inner harmony and unity. An aspiring witch must work to shed fear, anger, guilt, and hate, while gathering the qualities of love, self-esteem, and acceptance. Though I had found witchcraft, I held on to my anger at the world because I was different. To continue, to learn the mysteries of magick, I had to let go of my safety blanket of anger. Through the practice of the craft, deep self-introspection, and some healing counsel, I did, and my life changed completely. I then knew I was in control of my life, and always had been. The anger was no one's fault but my ownsimply my reaction to others. When you honor the sacred within you, when you find the witch's Perfect Love and Perfect Trust, what others do does not matter. Spirit is not a commodity that others can give or deny you. All things are Spirit. Spirituality is simply acknowledging Spirit in your daily, personal life. Witchcraft is one path of spirituality, the one that brought me home and continues to show me new paths to follow.