Book Review: Gay Witchcraft by Christopher Penczak

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Recently, Weiser released an updated version of Gay Witchcraft by Christopher Penczak, which I had the opportunity to read! While there have been changes made from the original text, Penczak makes it clear that he didn't want to erase any of the original flaws with the book, noting that language changes with time. Despite this, there is an attempt made to make notes where modern language has changed and how the occult community has changed with it. I greatly appreciated this, and it clues the reader in (if they read the new introduction) that they should still read with a critical eye.

Gay Witchcraft is incredibly Wiccan-inspired, from its approach to ritual, Wheel of the Year, God and Goddess aspects, and even some of the language around ethics. I am not a fan of Wiccan-inspired practices, but I did find value in what Penczak has to say regarding queer culture and inclusion in occult practices. The book opens with the traditional history lesson, but Penczak makes it clear that the history he is relaying is not for academics, but his personal interpretations of the research he has done. Its important to note that queer and occult history has been largely erased, which makes it difficult to get a true idea of what previous civilizations regarded as acceptable. There is absolutely no doubt that other cultures historically respected queer individuals, and Penczak attempts to shed light on this history as best he can given the circumstances. While more ancient history is hard to piece together, modern history and the queer movement within the occult is not. The more modern history is riddled with important information, providing the reader with an excellent overview of queer witchcraft with foundational material/book recommendations.

This is followed by the traditional breakdown of what magic and witchcraft are, as well as the general practices, beliefs, and commonalities among witches who practice a Wiccan-inspired path. It is in this section that Penczak mentions that many modern witches are now shying away from the terms "black" and "white" magic because "They smack of racism and white European ethnocentricity." And "...our history should be kept in mind when looking at folkloric and academic resources that use the labels black or white magick." Yes, yes, yes! Say it again for those in the back! As with most things occult-related, there was an attempt made specifically by white Europeans to separate their magic from that of the "heathens," aka people of color. As such, the terms "black" and "white" arose to separate white European magic as "good" and all other forms of "low" magic as "bad." I appreciate Penczak for including this information and hope that the message of intersectionality makes it across to all readers.

Despite the mention of the racism behind "black & white" magic, Penczak still includes chakras in his book, which belongs to Hinduism. While Hinduism is not necessarily a closed practice, it is considered cultural appropriation as it is taken out of the context of the history and culture from which it is derived, and Penczak is profiting from incorporating such practices in his book. I glossed over these sections as I knew they would not be for me. However, this ties back with what Penczak mentioned in his new introduction about not erasing his mistakes, so once again, read with a critical eye. It would have been wise to include a note on cultural appropriation somewhere in the first section addressing chakras, but alas, there is not.

As with most introductory witchcraft books, Penczak includes basic meditation techniques, key concepts of ritual and spell making, casting a circle, the elements, basic spells and spell writing techniques, charm bags, potion recipes, and invocations. There is nothing particularly new or innovative here, so if you are a well-practiced witch, I would suggest skimming these sections. If you are new to witchcraft and are interested in Wiccan-inspired practices, then by all means, dive right in. My only issue with any of these chapters was the anti-curse rhetoric. I strongly disagree with this rhetoric because it is also inherently Eurocentric and a racist viewpoint, just as "black and white" magic is. This is very common in Wicca, which tries to justify its existence through false history and anti-blackness rhetoric (we are better than those "heathens"). Jinxes, curses, and hexes have long been used by oppressed people to seek justice within the confines of an unjust system. They are a time and place and are not inherently evil.

Despite this, there were some chapters commonly found in other introductory witchcraft books that are particularly new and relative to witches, especially queer ones. Penczak includes a chapter on queer-friendly deities as well as a break down of creation myths and their possibly queer interpretations. I thoroughly enjoyed these chapters, as it shed new light on my own understanding of our history and folklore, thus broadening my world-view in the process. As a queer witch myself, Penczak deliberately includes bisexual representation, which I appreciated greatly as more often than not we are erased, especially bi individuals such as myself who are in a heterosexual passing relationship. Penczak offers a variety of deities and myths across multiple cultures, so there is something for everyone. This inclusion across cultures is beautiful and only goes to show us that despite monotheism's desire to erase other deities, queer history, and women, we still managed to prevail across time and space.

This same approach is taken when discussing the Wheel of the Year. Penczak looks at same-sex imagery in the Wheel of the Year by looking at Greek and Celtic mythos and even how gender plays a role in magic. He discusses how we are not bound by our sex or gender in ritual and magic and transformation is encouraged as practitioners take on the aspects needed to enhance one's magical practices, damn the patriarchy! He states that we should "be bound only by the powers of your imagination," even shedding our human form and merging with that of an animal (this ritual dance wearing animal skins).

Gay Witchcraft concludes with a beautiful chapter on rites of passage, which includes coming of age and coming out rites, which is so incredibly important to the queer community, handfasting, dedication ritual, ending a relationship, funeral rites, even exploring heterosexuality! Exploring heterosexuality also discusses bisexuality and the struggles bisexual individuals face, "having to choose sides," and "bi erasure." It also includes a very small section on magic and activism, which needed to be much longer than three paragraphs!

While I am not Wiccan, nor do I aspire to ever include Wiccan-based practices back into my practice and faith, I thoroughly appreciated Gay Witchcraft by Christopher Penczak and believe it is a book many young and old witches alike need in their lives. This new updated edition is one I would recommend for your shelf, even if all it does is broaden your world view and inspire empathy for those not like you. Heck, it might even help you become more you in the process.

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