May 2, 2023
Author, teacher, and warlock Storm Faerywolf
On this episode, I was joined by my guest, author, teacher and warlock, Storm Faerywolf. I've known Storm for some time so our conversation flowed naturally and easily. We covered a lot of ground, too much to summarize here, so be sure to listen to the full episode below.
On Queer spirituality
One question I like to ask all my guests is "What does queer spirituality mean to you?". Storm explained that queer spirituality is one in which our spirituality is centered in our lived queer experience. Our spirituality cannot be separate from the rest of our queer life. To be valid, queer spirituality needs to recognize sex and the nature of desire as a core belief and inherently spiritual.
Why Storm Uses Warlock
Storm has chosen to use the term warlock rather than witch for as long as I've known him, which is close to 20 years. For Storm, using the word warlock is a way to reclaim and redefine masculinity on his terms. He noted that the dictionary definition of a warlock is a male witch. Some Pagans consider warlock to be an insult because during the Christian era, it was redefined as a breaker of oaths or covenants. Storm noted that as this redefining happens during the height of the Christian era, who's covenant is it that a warlock is breaking?
Storm also compared reclaiming the word warlock to the ways in which queer people have reclaimed words such as faggot and queer. When we reclaim words used to insult us, we take the power out of the words.
Talking about growing up queer, Storm shared how he felt different even before he knew he was queer. He would often be called names like sissy or fag, an experience many of us have also had. For Storm, choosing to use warlock rather than the word witch was about claiming ownership of being a man.
I could also relate when he shared that he grew up loving the television series, Bewitched. Bewitched is also a story about an outsider trying to fit into a culture in which they are totally different than everyone else. On the show, the male witches were called warlocks. I loved this show as well growing up. I think maybe it resonated with queer men everywhere. As Storm noted, the story is very much a queer coded story even without considering the number of queer actors who were on it.
The Satyr's Kiss and Queer Sex Magic
In talking about his latest book, The Satyr's Kiss, we had a really interesting discussion on sex magic and the energetic nature of sex. Naturally, I was curious if a book on sex magick brought people his way that were more interested in the sex than the magic. Storm explained that his approach to sex magic is energetic. In fact, sex itself is more about energy than it is about bodies touching. In his definition, one can have sex watching a beautiful sunset or enjoying an incredible meal. The experience invites in new energy which opens the energetic body.
We also talked about hookup culture. I've often identified hookup culture as an issue in our community because of the ways it invites judgment and division. Storm explained that he didn't see hookup culture as inherently bad. In fact, in the right circumstances it can be enjoyable. Where it becomes a problem is when you partake of it to the point that you are unable to develop and sustain relationships with other people, both sexually and platonically. The objectivation that occurs in hookup culture becomes a problem when we no longer see others as human beings with desires and feelings, but instead view them as objects for release.
The overall message being that sex is spiritual. Pleasure is spiritual. The body is not something we need to transcend or deny. In fact, we experience the spiritual vibration through our body. Instead, we should embrace our body and the pleasure of our body.
The importance of Physical Queer Spaces
While we discussed a number of topics, another major one we talked about is the ways in which physical queer spaces have diminished. The use of apps has led to the demise of the gay bars, which have in the past been the primary drivers of queer community. This topic came up in episode 9 with Rolf Nolasco. Having bars be the primary physical space for community building can be problematic with the overuse of drugs and alcohol. This leaves a space and a need for physical queer spaces that are not bars in which we can meet and converse with other queer people, including ones that we aren't looking to have sex with.
Storm mentioned the Between the Worlds festival that Michael Llyod and I co-founded and his experiences being in a physical queer spiritual space. In particular, he noted dropped shields that he hadn't even realized he had erected. So many queer people go through day-to-day living with these shields in place because there is a constant awareness that this might not be a safe space to be themselves. This is why physical queer spaces are important.
If you would like to experience physical queer spiritual space, I am hosting a series of Sacred Kin weekend retreats. The next one is Sacred Kin Samhain in October 2023 at Oakwood Retreat Center in Selma, IN.
Episode Summary
Author, teacher, and warlock Storm Faerywolf joined us in this episode to discuss centering our spirituality in our queer experience. We also discuss Storm's latest book on queer sex magick, The Satyr's Kiss.
Key Talking Points:
- Queer spirituality is about how we experience our spirituality within our queer experience rather than separate from it
- Reclaiming masculinity through using the word warlock
- Misogyny in the queer community and the larger culture
- Sex as an energetic process
- The importance of physical queer spaces
Get in touch with Storm:
Faerywolf.com
ModernWitch.com
ModernWitchUniversity.com
DaturaTrading.com
WitchPowerDaily.com
Enroll in the Black Rose Witchcraft course at ModernWitchUniversity.com and get your first month free with the code MAGISTER.
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