Sex Magick 101 Donald Michael Kraig Over the last decade or so, the interest in sex magick has skyrocketed. Certain early books on the subject gave the nuts and bolts: put this here, move this way and do this. Some recent books have been more philosophical, leaving the exact how-to section to a latter chapter or appendix. Still others have redefined the usual terms of these practices in new ways, confusing those who are trying to study the traditions. I think that they may be doing this in an attempt to validate their superficial and silly excuses for real sex magick. To begin, let's look at some of the basic terminology. Tantra is an Eastern philosophy and huge set of spiritual practices. There are Indian and Hindu versions as well as Tibetan and Buddhist versions. Only a small aspect of Tantra has to do with sexuality. Tantra is a pagan tradition. Most Western commentators on Tantra have only focused on the sexual aspect. This would be like writing books revealing all the secrets of Witchcraft but only discussing the Great Rite. Tantra and Sex Magick Like all great, all involving spiritual philosophies, Tantra deals with sex. Some Tantric sects advise abstinence. A few do not and have even developed an elaborate literature of philosophy and ritual. One of the most famous aspects of Tantric sexuality is that it should last a long time. However, if endurance were the only thing needed to achieve nirvana, the usual goal of Tantric sexuality, then some male porn stars would be spiritual masters! Obviously, such is not the case. While there are Tantric techniques of practical magick (the ability to change your environment), most have not been written about in the popular literature and are only available in the original Tantric writings and from some initiate orders. Western sex magick is a magical technique. It does not require a spiritual orientation. Usually its goal is to positively alter a magician's environment by focusing the energy raised during sexual activity. Calling something Western Tantra is a misnomer. It would be like saying Christian Witchcraft. Because sex magick and Tantra are such broad subjects, it is impossible to go into them full in this brief article. I want to just give some ideas about how to begin a study of sex magick. Sex Magick, Theory Sex magick is nothing new. Some claim that it originated with the immediate predecessors of the O.T.O. I have traced the basic techniques to a book from the late 1200's. My guess, however, is that it goes back to some of the earliest philosophical beliefs about sperm, including that many drops of blood were needed to make one drop of sperm and that a little person was in each drop of seminal fluid. Although dubious in their science, the ancients clearly valued sperm (hence some of the biblical proscriptions not to waste it). This value system may have been due to a misunderstanding on the part of theologians as to the value of raising sexual energy for magick. Alternatively, sex magick may have developed when magicians saw the value placed upon sperm by theologians. In any event, sex magick is not new and may be as old as eastern Tantric systems. Sex magicians, however, quickly realized that it was not the sperm that was of value, but the energy that went into its creation. The more energy put into it, the more energy that would come out of it. This corresponded exactly with notions of other forms of magick: the more energy you put into your ritual, the faster and stronger will be the result. Some magicians who only read books and got no real training, however, saw only the value of the physical object, the sperm, and did useless rituals with it. They were the same people trying to follow the student notes that make up most of the classical grimoires. (Note: sperm can be used to anoint talismans, etc., but after a short period it will lose its ability to hold the energy that is within it. Storing it for future use may be of value in sympathetic magick, but traditionally will not have valid use in sex magick.) Since real sex magick used the energy created during sexual activity, and traditional Western magick used the energy raised during a ritual, it became obvious that either one could be used to achieve the same result. Sex magick is a powerful system of magick, but it is not the only one, nor is it necessary to learn. No one should ever be coerced into performing sex magick. Since there is a relationship between the styles of magick, it is also clear that magicians should approach their tools identically from system to system. Here the main problem of sex magick occurs. The New Come On? Back in `60's and `70's, one of the famous pickup lines was, Hey, baby. What's your sign? In the `90's it may become, I think you are a powerful woman. I would like to work some sex magick with you. The problem with sex magick is the S-E-X. Like it or not, most of us were raised in a Christian society which constantly gives mixed signals about sex. The primary confused signal is, that sex is good, but don't do it. As a result, every one of us has certain predispositions about sex and sexual activity in the part of us that controls sex: our minds. Some have overcome those predispositions. But most of the people I have seen who claim to be doing sex magick, the real result is SEX magick. It is merely an excuse to have intercourse. It has been my experience that most people do not have a mind-set that makes them right for the performance of sex magick. They focus on the sex and not the magick. While the result might be pleasurable, it is certainly not the true goal of magick. It degrades both those who would like to practice real sex magick (by contagion) and those who use sex magick as an excuse for sexual activity and sexist manipulation. Should You Be a Sex Magician? In our society, sex is closely united with love. Such has not always been the case. European royalty, until relatively recently, wed and had children to insure the position of the ruling class. Most took lovers to bring them the spiritual, emotional and sexual satisfaction they desired. To be a sex magician you need to begin by considering your sexual organs as magical tools. You would use that tool in the appropriate matter to achieve an appropriate goal. Remember that this is not sex, it is sex magick. Love and sexual loving may have nothing to do with sex magick. The sex used in sex magick should be thought of as a means of raising energy, not physically expressing love. I have no right to declare who should or should not be a sex magician. Each individual should investigate this for him or herself. Here are some questions you should ask yourself if you want to become involved in sex magick:
1) Can I separate sex from love?
2) Can I concentrate on the magick rather than the sex?
3) If I have never done this before, how will I react?
4) If my regular sexual partner does not want to be involved in sex magick, will they understand that my having sex with another person has nothing to do with my love for my partner?
5) Can I treat my sex organs as if they are nothing more than magical tools? Sex magick has ruined many relationships because one or more of the people involved cannot separate love from sexual activity. This is not meant to be condemning, it is simply describing a reality. I have heard of sex magick marriages where both partners are supposedly free to perform sex magick with others, but should only have a loving relationship between themselves. What usually happens, however, is that one person has sex with many partners while the other becomes more and more unhappy. Nobody has to do sex magick. There are many forms of magick which can be every bit as successful as sex magick and do not require sexual activity. Consider the questions above and whether or not sex magick is right for you. It Sounds Sexist to Me Now before some of you write in saying that all the theory of sex magick I wrote about above sounds sexist, hold on! I think you're right. Most books on sex magick have been written from a male point of view. Women, from the earliest philosophers on, have been written out of history, both for laymen and for magicians. For centuries and longer, women have been treated like chattel and their accomplishments ignored. Thank you St. Paul, St. Augustine and all you other pathologically sexophobic Christian creeps. While this explains the sexist trend in the writings on sex magick, it is not meant to excuse it. Luckily, a new group of women are investigating sex magick from the female side. Their writings are just beginning to make their way into the mainstream. Some of the ideas they present may sound very foreign. For example, a woman's vaginal blood is traditionally believed to be very powerful magically—use it to charge talismans, amulets, etc. Thus, a woman is considered to be magically powerful during menstruation. A woman writer, Mishlen Linden, disputes this. She says that a woman's true time of power is in the days before menstruation, when the energy is building internally. During menstruation the energy is released in the blood and men can use it. Thus, this part of the cycle can actually be a weak point for women. That men call this the time when the woman is in her power is only an attempt to control and limit the real power of women. Is this true? I don't know. I am not a woman. It will be up to future female sex magicians to experiment with sex magick before and during their periods to determine when their true time of power is. Perhaps everyone is different. I have personally encouraged some women who are both competent magicians and good writers to research and author books or articles on this subject. I encourage others to do so. Sex Magick, Practice The key to sex magick is that the thought held at orgasm comes to pass. It sounds simple, but it is not. As people who are involved in sexual activity can tell you, all orgasms are not the same. Some are a little release and others are explosive and overwhelming. The great psychotherapist Wilhelm Reich believed that there are two types of orgasm: one is a physical release and the other is the dynamic, all involving experience of having a potent orgasm. To be orgasmically potent requires that you lose your sense of self and become totally involved in the experience of the orgasm. You do not think about how you look or if it feels good to your partner—literally all you are are involved in reaching the orgasm. This is not easy to do. Further, how can you focus on your magical goal when all you are supposed to be doing is trying to achieve the orgasm. There is an answer. Create a simple symbol to represent your magical goal. Some people tape copies of the symbol all over the room or area where the ritual will occur. Others draw it on their hand or on their partner. You do not have to think that the symbol means such-and-such, all you have to do is see the symbol during the potent orgasm. Your subconscious will do the rest. Is it necessary to have long periods of sexual activity for successful sex magick? Some writers with their invented Western Tantra would have you believe so. In fact, what is really important is to know that there is a direct relationship between energy and the result: the more energy you generate, the better the result. Chances are that you can generate far more energy in 10 or 15 minutes of intercourse than during the American norm (2.5 minutes according to Masters and Johnson). However, there is also a point of diminishing returns. There is no proof that two hours of intercourse will raise more energy than 15 or 20 minutes. What is ideal will depend upon the people involved. Sex magick can be performed following any pattern. You may start by preparing your circle or area in the way you normally do, with banishings and cleansings. Next, follow what you would normally do in your magick, but instead of generating and releasing energy by another system, involve yourself with the sexual aspect and release the energy, while looking at the symbol, at orgasm. Then close the circle as you normally would. Some Notes Can sex magick be performed by a woman? Yes. The focus, of course, should be on her orgasm. Can simultaneous orgasm between partners can be beneficial? Yes, but the truth is that few people have simultaneous orgasms.
Can sex magick be performed autoerotically? Absolutely.
Can sex magick be performed by same sex couples? Yes.
Can sex magick be performed with multiple partners? Yes. Is this all there is to sex magick? No. I called this article Sex Magick 101 because it is an introduction to the subject. The information presented here can get you started. There is far more information that can be used to enhance your sex magick. Beside one chapter in my book, Modern Magick, there are some other very good practical books on the subject. Look for Sex Magick by Culling and De Arte Magica by Crowley. See also The Function of the Orgasm by Wilhelm Reich. For those interested in Tantra (which I intend to discuss in a future article), look for the books Ecstasy Through Tantra by Mumford (there is a chapter in it by me) and Cosmic Sex by Omega Kane (now out of print). There are some more recent books on the subject, but many of them are confusing or worse. For example, there is a book called Enochian Sex Magick which is a wonderful introduction to Enochiana, but absolutely terrible when it comes to sex magick. In fact, the sex magick aspect comes at the end of the book and, I think, was only included to help sell the book. The bottom line: sex magick is not for everyone and nobody should ever be coerced into unwanted sexual activity of any sort. Sex magick is also a powerful system of magick that can add another powerful tool to your magickal armory.
1993, Donald Michael Kraig
| 
