6 minute read
QUEER IN SPIRIT
By Rachel Badham
Rachel Badham investigates the relationship between the LGBTQ+ community, paganism and witchcraft
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Queerness, the spiritual religion of paganism and the practices of magick and witchcraft have long been companions. Historically, the diverse pagan community has provided a space for the marginalised, with contemporary paganism consisting of a rich array of traditions, alongside newer movements such as Eclectic Wicca.
The intersection of queerness and spirituality is explored in the book Becoming Dangerous: Witchy Femmes, Queer Conjurers and Magical Rebels – a collection of personal essays in which those who identify with any kind of spiritual movement explain how they offer a kind of freedom that other religions do not.
With many modern pagan subcultures actively rejecting hetero and cisnormativity, it’s no wonder that LGBTQ+ people continue to be drawn to the notion of spirituality, whether that be identifying with the pagan religion or practising magick without any religious connotations.
This phenomenon can be seen in pop culture, perhaps most notably in LGBTQ+ fan-favourite Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which combined queer representation with the practice of witchcraft. Similarly, the presence of spiritual religions and practices is becoming ever more apparent on social media, with popular bisexual musician Princess Nokia sharing her bruja practices with her 900k+ Instagram followers.
So how did queerness become so heavily intertwined with paganism and spiritual practices? With an extensive knowledge of the history of magick and a PhD in the Anthropology of Religion, there is perhaps no better person to answer that question than university lecturer and YouTube creator Dr Angela Puca (YouTube: Angela’s Symposium).
Speaking to Scene, Dr Puca explained the historical connection between the LGBTQ+ community and paganism: “Paganism was particularly prevalent in the US in the early gay and women’s liberation movements – it then reached back to Europe through that lens, and having attended the pagan community in Italy for over 10 years, I have noticed that the overwhelming majority of self-identifying pagans are LGBTQ+.”
Through her extensive research into paganism in Italy, Dr Puca has found that LGBTQ+ people have a very large presence within the pagan community and suggested that paganism may hold a certain appeal for queer people as its “world view tends to be more in line with a non-heteronormative way of looking at society”. While LGBTQ+ people often find themselves marginalised by dominant religions and movements, spiritual alternatives have provided a space for the queer community.
Dr Puca says it is this marginalised state that often leaves LGBTQ+ people in a “liminal stage” where they are not fully part of society “due to patriarchal and heteronormative structures”. As a result, many queer people are both drawn to and identify with the societal and metaphysical liminality of alternative religions and/or spiritual practices, which, according to Dr Puca, can help marginalised groups of people affirm their sense of agency in a society where it is often denied.
Today, practising magick continues to be a source of ‘empowerment’ for many queer people, with Dr Puca saying that this can be seen in “more recent ways of engaging with witchcraft and magick that are not necessarily practical – you can see people engaging with witchcraft on social media more in terms of the aesthetics and embodying that.” She notes that even by just aesthetically embodying this archetype, it can possibly “help people who feel disempowered” by transforming their appearance into a symbol associated with the empowerment of marginalised groups such as the LGBTQ+ community.
When it comes to witnessing the relationship between queerness and spirituality in the modern day, self-proclaimed feminist punk witches Dream Nails (consisting of Anya, Lucy, Leah and Mimi) are a fabulously riotous example of how practising witchcraft can provide a space of agency for LGBTQ+ people, with the collective now using their platform to address oppressive heteronormative structures.
While members of the London-based band do not identify with paganism or Wicca as a religion, drummer Lucy explains that she identifies with the history of witches in folklore, and what “these figures represented in society”, with lead vocalist Leah adding they find empowerment in “reclaiming” the witch identity.
Anya, the band’s guitarist, first discovered witchcraft at 19 and was “stunned by the incredible stories of real witches in the UK historically, and the level of persecution witches have always experienced”. She considers these witches, who often lived without a male partner, to be the first punks, adding: “We always say that we write hexes, not songs, because we feel that our collective power speaks to and draws from the power of women and LGBTQ+ people on the margins of society”, much like the witches who were also excluded from society.
Descended from two great grandmothers who were spiritual healers, Leah feels that witchcraft is “ingrained” within them. They suggest that the “witch community attracts people who are already rejecting binary notions of gender and heteronormativity”, and provides an alternative community for those who feel or have been actively rejected from society. Noting that witchcraft is a deeply personal practice, Leah, who identifies as non-binary, says that being a witch helps to assert “ownership of yourself and body”, adding: “For me that’s a very trans experience. Taking control and allowing yourself to live freely and truthfully.”
Much like the witch community, punk as a subculture, genre and aesthetic is known for rejecting contemporary societal norms. Lucy says there are “huge parallels” between the Dream Nails definition of punk, which she articulates as “an attempt to construct a community, safe spaces, and music that is at once powerful, joyful and vengeful for people who are marginalised and negatively affected by patriarchal society”. Anya affirms that quite a few Dream Nails fans are practising witches, with music acting as “a vehicle” for the band’s message to ride in.
Dream Nails has a strong focus on LGBTQ+ liberation and human rights, with the band dedicating the sales of their Vagina Police EP to the Abortion Support Network. Anya says she has found the witch community to be “super-inclusive”, with the band’s message of equality and liberation appealing to many practising witches. For anyone interested in witchcraft, Anya says there are plenty of ways to discover more about magick, such as rituals that can be done with friends or spells that can be found online.
She highlights that while the queer community and practising witches are “not homogeneous by any means”, there are many characteristics that these groups share, with the “rebellious spirit” and “rejection of the mainstream” being a key part of both. So, as many queer and marginalised people seek to affirm their individuality and existence in a society which has historically denied them such rights, their communities have colluded with paganism, witchcraft and magick in a way that can be witnessed today.
While paganism and witchcraft isn’t exclusively for LGBTQ+ and marginalised people, it is the inclusivity of the community that seems to appeal to those who are searching for an alternative way to navigate the self and the world around us. For those who follow paganism or actively practise witchcraft, such as Dream Nails, spirituality has provided a much-needed space for resistance against the norm, while also allowing for the creation of a like-minded community.
Leah explains this phenomenon, saying: “We all search for community and when you live in a cishet society that rejects you, you want something that allows you to tap into your power without rules and restrictions.” And it seems for many LGBTQ+ people, spirituality has offered this sense of empowerment that they have been denied for so long.
Angela’s Symposium: www.youtube.com/ channel/UCPSbip_LX2AxbGeAQfLp-Ig
Dream Nails: www.facebook.com/yourdreamnails
