Gay Spirituality

Anyone who’s worked ritual in a neo-pagan context (especially Wicca) is familiar with the concept of banishing at the end of ritual.  We all have different names for it–”closing the circle”, “the license to depart”, etc.  No matter what we call it though, the standard formula is pretty similar.  Typically, the banishing pentagrams are drawn at the four quarters and some type of license to depart is spoken.  But why do we do that and even more importantly, should we?

Modern Wicca’s ritual format is largely derived from the rituals of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.  In the Golden Dawn system, the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram is used extensively particularly after operations involving magickal evocation.  Wicca has long made a distinction between “invocation” and “evocation” so I wonder a bit why we still need to banish.

Additionally, most neo-pagan philosophy holds that the four elements make up the basis of our entire world.  Joined with a fifth element of spirit in a balanced fashion, they are the divine substance of the cosmos.  Wouldn’t it reason then that they’re part of us?  Why would we need to banish something that is inherent in our own nature?  It seems counter-intuitive.

“Well, hang on”, you might say, “What about dark or evil energies that need to be banished?”  This, in my opinion, is a hold back to what we commonly refer to as “white ligher” or “fluffy bunny paganism”.  After all, we recognize that the Goddess is both a creator and a destroyer and we claim that evil doesn’t really exist outside of her.  There’s light and dark but they’re not really good or evil.  So again, why banish the darkness if it’s just another aspect of Goddess and of ourselves?

Isn’t this, in some ways, what the straight world has tried to do with the GLBT community?  We represent impulses that they recognize within themselves so they try to banish us by outlawing us, by stripping us of our equality or claiming that its some kind of evil or sinful choice.  In many ways, GLBT people represent the shadow side of our straight brothers and sisters.  We refuse to be banished.  Should we not at the same time, recognize our own shadow–our destructive urges, our dark desires?

Incidentally, I do think that this is one area where the GLBT community is more in step with the nature of the universe.  In many ways, we recognize our darker sides and express them–through BDSM, leather, the stereotype of the bitchy queen.  I think perhaps in making our spirituality our own, it might be time to release this idea of banishing the “dark” or the “elements” and embrace these energies as our own.  Perhaps in developing a genuine gay spirituality we need to rethink how we do ritual and what energies are really there and what purpose they serve.  I think its time for gay pagans to devise a new ritual format that is more instep with our consciousness.