However, there’s a select group of people who try to use their orgasms in a more purposeful manner. These are people who practice “sex magic” (or magick, as it’s more commonly spelled). Practitioners of sex magick—we’re talking modern-day witches—use their orgasms and overall sexual energy to cast spells to produce any number of desired outcomes. There may not be science behind it, but who are we to frown upon people cumming to get what they want?
Here’s what to know about sex magick and how people use it. (And if you attempt it yourself, we definitely can’t promise you’ll get results—but at least you’ll feel really good in the process!)
How does sex magick work?
According to folks who believe in it, sex magick works by harnessing sexual and orgasmic energy and using it to help manifest something you desire.
“In a spell, a witch will raise energy for a desired outcome through a ‘cone of power,’ which is when you build up energy and then when it’s at its highest, you send it through your body to the cosmos,” explains Gabriela Herstik, author of Bewitching the Elements: A Guide to Empowering Yourself Through Earth, Air, Fire, Water and Spirit and Inner Witch: A Modern Guide to the Ancient Craft. “Sex magick is using orgasms, a very potent form of energetic release, to do this.”
Practitioners say they’re able to achieve a variety of outcomes when harnessing the power of sex magick—”really, anything you want,” explains Sophie Saint Thomas, author of the upcoming Sex Witch: Magickal Spells for Love, Lust, & Self-Protection. While she uses sex magick more for professional or monetary gain, Thomas notes that you can use it to find a romantic partner, to connect further with your body, or to send positive energy to someone who desperately needs it.
How do practitioners perform sex magick?
People who practice sex magick typically think of an intention—what is it that they want to manifest or connect to—before masturbating, explains Herstik. Once the intention is set, they start going at it.
“As you [masturbate], focus your intention in your mind’s eye,” says Herstik. The key, supposedly, is to focus on your breath and connect that breath to your intention as you masturbate. Then, as you orgasm, “imagine your intention as a beam of light shooting out the crown of your head and jetting into the cosmos,” she says. “As you stay in the afterglow, continue connecting to this intention, sending it out into the universe by feeling it throughout your whole body.”
When you’re done, you’re supposed to go ahead and thank yourself and the universe, and at that point, the ceremony is done and your intention has been set.
Why is it spelled “sex magick” and not “sex magic”?
Magick with a “k” was allegedly created by the infamous occultist Aleister Crowley to distinguish occultists from sleight-of-hand stage magicians, explains Herstik.
Does sex magick have to do with dark magic or the devil?
There’s nothing inherently evil about practicing sex magick, Herstik says. It’s only dark if you use it to negatively influence someone’s will or intentionally intend to hurt an individual.
And it doesn’t have to do with the devil—unless you want it to, explains Thomas. However, she says very few modern-day witches are Satanists; most work with other deities, their ancestors, or simply themselves.
Can you practice sex magick with a partner?
Yes, but that’s not typically how it’s practiced, since having someone else present can distract you. Instead of focusing on your intention and connecting to yourself (or your personal deities), you’ll likely find yourself connecting to your partner. This is great for building a relationship, but not for pulling off sex magick.
Herstik always recommends developing a solo practice before involving a partner. “When you practice sex magick with a partner you are merging energy bodies, you are involving their will, and there’s a lot of potential to get messy,” she says.
Do you need to orgasm in order to practice sex magick?
Absolutely not! As Herstik says, “All that matters is that you raise the sexual energy.”
This article originally appeared on Men’s Health
