An Explication of the Principles of Wiccan Belief: Part 4

“We conceive of the Creative Power in the universe as manifesting through polarity – as masculine and feminine – and that this same Creative Power lies in all people and functions through the interaction of the masculine and the feminine.  We value neither above the other knowing each to be supportive of the other.  We value sex as pleasure as the symbol and embodiment of life, and as one of the sources of energy used in magical practice and religious worship.

Most practitioners of Wicca recognize energy in all forms of life consisting of duality. These opposing forces are conceived of as “masculine” and “feminine” energy; although, this does not refer to gender in a mundane sense, but the nature of this energy being a projecting or receiving force. Like tides in an ocean the ebbing and flowing waters are both necessary, and as one tide advances while another recedes, neither is dominant or superior to the other.

This energy is embodied as a God and Goddess who carry the nature of this receding and advancing energy. As all things in nature must have balance, Wiccans see polarity of opposites in the God and Goddess.  With the God and Goddess as the culmination of energy manifest in Divine form, it is then only natural to hold the exchange of energy between them, or the combination of masculine and feminine energies, as an act of divine union. In Wiccan religion, this is considered the “Great Marriage” of the God and Goddess and their union is the source of nurturing and fertility of all nature on a seasonal cycle.  Thus, the Wiccan view of combining masculine and feminine polarities in sexual union is considered sacred. In viewing sex in this manner, we see it as a Divine act of combining powerful energies, and it is an act to be treated with respect. Whether for pleasure or procreation we see it as an extension of the act of creation that allows nature to continually rejuvenate season after season.

We hold the concept of balance as being critical as we see all things in nature as existing in the context of their polar opposite. Joining with a partner in sex, regardless of gender, is a bringing together of complimentary energies which some choose to engage in for magickal practice; however, this is completely up to the individuals and should never be performed under any type of coercion.  One can be just as successful in magickal workings combining energies with others through gathering in a circle to raise energy through rituals that do not contain any intimate physical contact, or that contain symbolic representations of the God and Goddess joining in the Great Marriage, such as holding the athame (ritual knife) with the blade inside the ritual chalice (representing the Goddess). Magick is about harnessing energy through intent, and for a Wiccan to channel the powerful energy of opposites in nature, the act need not be literal but can be represented symbolically.

Angela Kaufman is the coauthor of Wicca: What’s the Real Deal? Breaking Through the Misconceptions, along with Dayna Winters, and Patricia Gardner.  You can find out more about the book at: http://www.wwtrd.webs.com.