Paganism - The Old Ways provide Modern Means of Worship

Distinctly identifiable gender variant and homoerotically-inclined peoples have existed on every occupied continent and in virtually every culture throughout history. Homoeroticism and gender variance often went hand in hand with the sacred experience in the Pagan societies of the Neolithic, Bronze Age and early Iron Age. Men and women exhibiting these behaviors were often honored and given prominent roles in the spiritual welfare of their societies. These roles often were not supplanted in the West until the advent of the Judeo-Christian and Islamic movements. In some parts of the world, societies still cling to native traditions that honor the “other.”

Interest in Pagan spiritual practices and the occult in general has been on an upswing in the Western world for the last 40 years, but most noticeably so within the last decade. One key contributor to this trend is a reaction to the increased visibility and influence of the fundamentalist branches of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Another factor is an increased awareness of the impact that mankind has had on the environment upon which we all depend for survival. So what is Paganism and what does it offer the gay community that the mainstream faiths do not?

“Paganism” is defined as a loosely-aligned collection of individual spiritual paths that are not spiritually descended from the prophet Abraham (i.e., Judaism, Christianity, or Islam) and that generally share several characteristics in common. Pagan spiritualities tend to be humanistic, environment-oriented, individual-based, and non-dogmatic. This allows Pagans, for example, to honor the female principle of Creation on par with the male, to see in the environment around us the immanent presence of the Divine, and to personify the belief that each person has within him or herself a spark of the God-force (however that is defined). Pagans generally practice alone or in small groups and do not proselytize, preferring instead to mind their own souls while allowing others to do the same. Most Pagans practice faiths rooted in personal freedom, holding that each person is responsible for their own actions. Finally, the lack of dogma provides a certain flexibility to Pagan paths, allowing the core mythology of a group to act as a frame upon which to build a belief structure, rather than a cage designed to imprison the spirit. Because of these ideals, most Pagan paths openly welcome queer worshippers. And in the last several decades traditions have come into existence to specifically honor queer consciousness and experience.

Feminist Dianic Witchcraft, which focuses exclusively on the Goddess and comprises women-only covens and groups, can trace its origins to the 1970s. The Minoan Brotherhood and Minoan Sisterhood were founded in 1977 as a sex-segregated Witchcraft tradition that honors and affirms the queer spiritual seeker. The Radical Faeries, founded in 1979, is a “mainly” queer men’s spiritual happening/movement defined by its lack of authoritarian structure and a pro-humanist, pro-environment, pro-sex vision of the world. There are many other queer-oriented pagan groups, from non-affiliated groups such as The Green Faerie Grove, to queer Wiccan, Druidic, Yoruban, Santerian, Norse, Qabbalist, Two-Spirit and Shamanic groups. National conferences such as the Between the Worlds Men’s Gathering (www.betweentheworlds.org) have sprung up to facilitate the exchange of information among individuals and groups. For more information, the interested reader can examine websites such as The Witches Voice (www.witchvox.com), which has a large queer presence.

Copyright (c) 2004 by Garan du. All rights reserved.
Originally published in the November 18-24, 2004 issue of Outlook Magazine.