The ejective moment, therefore, is the most divine and tremendously important one in the human career as an independent entity; for not only may we launch Genius, Power, Beauty, Deformity, Crime, Idiocy, Shame or Glory on the world’s great sea of Life, in the person of the children we may then produce, but we may plunge our own souls neck-deep in Hell’s horrid slime, or else mount the Azure as coequal associate Gods; for then the mystic Soul swings wide its Golden gates, opens its portals to the whole vast Universe and through them come trooping either Angels of Light or the Grizzly Presence from the dark corners of the Spaces. Therefore, human copulation is either ascentive and ennobling, or descensive and degrading…
P.B. Randolph in “Paschal Beverly Randolph
Sexual Magick in the 19th Century” by T Allen Greenfield
First, a disclaimer. I am utterly unqualified to speak on these matters. When encountering any esoteric theory it is incumbent on the student to remain both open minded and deeply skeptical at once. This admonition is doubly important in matters of sex, as it can be a vehicle for harassment, abuse and manipulation.
Yet, sex can also be the vehicle for enlightenment and initiation. The force that is sex moves through us all, and creates some of the most exquisite beauty on this planet.
What is Sex?
Physically, sex is one means by which life propagates itself. Plants use asexual means to reproduce, as do viruses, bacteria, and some lizards. The advantage of asexual reproduction is that you don’t have to incur the risk and energy cost of attracting and interacting with other organisms in order to pass along your DNA.
The big disadvantage of asexual reproduction is that it takes huge amounts of time to produce anything new, and thus allow species to adapt to new circumstances. As long as environmental conditions remain consistent this isn’t so much of a problem. But if a new player comes on the scene, you could easily be looking at an Irish potato famine type situation.
Sex, on the other hand, provides mind-boggling amounts of newness with every iteration. This variation enables much more flexible and speedy response to environmental changes, making it more likely a species will survive through time and be able to spread geographically.
This flexibility comes at a cost. It takes a lot of energy to attract a mate, mating itself can be quite taxing, your partner may have trouble differentiating you from food, and so on. Despite the many organisms who have died in the pursuit of sexual reproduction, sex is so powerful as a force for newness, change, and adaptation that it’s been going strong for 1.2 billion years.
To the esotericist, reality comprises various levels. The above comments pertain to physical sex reproduction, but the force of sex exists on all levels. You’ve heard it termed “chemistry”, a free flowing exchange of energy/ideas/emotion/etc. between two people which generates a spark of newness. It’s quite palpable.
I know a few podcasters and they all dread the one-person show for precisely this reason. Creating excitement and newness all by yourself takes much more energy than it does when you’ve connected with a genial guest. More importantly to note for our discussion, responding to written listener submitted questions can also make recording a lively solo show much easier – physical presence and connection is not necessary for this chemistry to flow. Recognizing that imaginative spark in another, taking it on and transmuting it to something new is the essence of much sex magic.
How can practitioners use the force of sex in magic? I summarize four broad strategies below. But first, a bit of theory on the energetic side of sex.
The Subtle Mechanics Involved in Sex Magic
The subtle principles utilized in sex magic are simple in basic outline. Firstly, bringing large amounts of energy to parts of the subtle bodies will generally result in physiological excitement in the corresponding area of the physical body. The converse is also true. This interplay can be leveraged for magical purposes.
In traditions of partnered sex magic, the partners are imagined as forming a complete energetic circuit between them. One participant will embody the positive pole, the other the negative – or yin and yang. As a rule, subtle energy flows from the higher chakras of the positive partner down the core of their subtle body to the root chakra, where the other partner ‘catches’ it. The negative partner then draws this energy up their spine to their higher chakras and then make it available, transmuted, to their partner.
This circuit can be completed as a form of devotion or initiation, or deliberately short-circuited at any point in order to direct this energy towards magical purposes. Aleister Crowley used the latter method on the physical plane by engaging in types of sex which wouldn’t allow for procreation. But, I argue, he short circuited the energetic flow even more egregiously by denying his partners the respect and honor due them as vehicles for his own spiritual/magical growth.
Four Varieties of Sex Magic
Raising Energy
This category of sex magic involves using sexual stimulation/excitation as a way to raise energy which is then directed towards a magical goal. It’s popular in Wicca and Chaos Magic and may be practiced alone or with other people. Practitioners can also use many other methods for raising energy in these traditions – dancing, drumming, meditation, prayer, binding and flogging, etc.
Manifestation thru Use of Bodily Fluids
This method of magically bringing changes into the physical world is found in many folk and esoteric traditions. Blood, semen, fecal matter, and other bodily fluids may be used to facilitate manifestation of discarnate intelligences or to create a magnetic link with another person. Interestingly, a shaman of my acquaintance told me that in her tradition animal bones were only considered useful for magical purposes if they had flesh remaining on them.
These substances can be obtained through ritual, performed solo or not, or through deception, theft, purchase, etc. In “The Rebirth of Pan” Jim Brandon suspects that sexual energy and menstrual blood may result in spontaneous manifestation of supernatural creatures, for example Bigfoot.
Make A Wish
Certain strains of sex magic focus on partners performing the act of love as a ritual itself. This often involves prolonging intercourse in order to increase the power released by simultaneous orgasm. One or both parties endeavor to focus their intention on some desired goal or object at the time of orgasm, directing the energetic release towards the goal.
It is also possible for a practitioner to approach lovemaking with a partner as a magical act, with their own private goal, without informing their partner. The main characteristic which differentiates this form of sex magic from the fourth is the focus on manifesting physical goals through bodily union.
Higher Sex Magic
This type of sex magic focuses on the exchange and transmutation of subtle energies between the partners, and may or may not involve physical contact between them. This type of sex magic may use the energy produced through sexual stimulation to attain expanded states of consciousness, to reflect the manifest divine to your partner, to initiate your partner through energetic transmission, to channel gods or goddesses, etc.
Cosmic union, as depicted in so much Tibetan Buddhist iconography, is an obvious example of this kind of sex magic. However, the same energetic flowchart and intention – enlightenment of all sentient beings – lie behind the public, group practice of Chenrezi meditation. In this ritual the group of devotees cultivate energy through prayer, meditation, mantra, and visualization (of healing liquor descending from the crown chakra through the subtle bodies). At the culmination of the ceremony the group releases this energy towards the lama leading the ceremony, who directs it at his discretion.
I intend this as an introduction to broad concepts of sex magic found in many traditions. The individual nuances, different theories, and practical application all vary considerably. I hope that this article gives interested persons a framework for learning more about this powerful and all-pervading force as it moves around and through us, in matters mundane and magical.
photos of Kali and Rasputin on Haight Avenue in San Francisco
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