Is there any magickal use in virginity? Or at least in females, considering the entire fuss religious traditions make over it?

I've been wondering about this for a while and I can't seem to find anything relevant to the question that isn't biased by our christian heritage. There's a good bit of magick centering around sex, but I'm reluctant because the opposite might be just as true. I'm loath to just have sex for shits and later discover a branch of magick that specifically asks for this!

Does anyone here know something about such a system? Or how the hymen virginity relates to energy? I vaguely recall one of the grimoirs asking for a female practitioner to also be a virgin.

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Well, what does virginity mean to you?
In most cases it simply means pureness, ie, an untouched individual or even an uninitiated individual. Keeping with the simple, virginity is percieved as a purity and can help in magical work, presumably, maybe to get in contact with dieties, especially if you have chosen to devote yourself to a diety which will aid in your workings.
Just some views, i'm not saying they're correct.
I'm actually interested in and looking forward to see how this post develops.

Peace
Al

This post has been edited by al_zaine: Feb 18 2008, 10:04 AM

In Roman mythology Vesta was the Goddess of virginity, home and hearth - very highly valued ideals in Roman society even though Vesta was a minor deity. Priestesses of Vest were known as Vestal virgins. These were mostly women brought up to be entirely pure from an early age - no drinking no vice in general, especially sex. When they were of age these virgins would devote at least 20 years of their lives to the service of the temple. If a Vestal virgin had sex, or was proven to not be a virgin, she would be either entombed and fed through a small hole for the rest of her life, should could be burned alive or drowned. Chastity was a very serious aspect to these Priestesses. If you wanted a blessing from the Goddess Vesta, her temple or her priestesses is where you would look to. Again she was mainly concerned in matters of purity, home and hearth.

To me, Al Zaines description is pretty much what comes to mind when I think of the magickal implications of virginity. here is a difference between virginity and chastity. A virgin is simply one who has not had sex or found a suitable man to mate with. Some who has vowed chastity (like a nun), yet may not be a virgin, but as a statement to their devotion to their patron deity, they refrain from all vice - especially sex.

Personally I can see virginity as a potent tool in working with entities that require the utmost purity for their magick. On the other hand, from a Wiccan perspective, the great rite - or sexual union that symbolizes the merging of divine feminine and masculine energies - is considered one of the most powerful rites a Wiccan can undergo. Also while I can see good reason to vow chastity I believe one is seriously inhibiting their personal growth and self discovery if they do not have sex ever in their life. I think sex can be just a potent tool as chastity.

i think, in terms of purity, that virginity is often equated with youth. if i were to compare the powers behind being a virgin, versus being chaste, versus being young and not jaded...i think the last is the most powerful, and yet the most fleeting. the second is more deliberate and therefore more focused/concentrated, and the first is simply a characteristic; a coincidence.

i am not saying that states of mind aren't powerful...and certainly there is a state of mind virgins can claim. But as far as the current world standing on virginity is, i doubt virginity is considered anything but a passive state of being. i don't agree at all. but then...lol. i'm a virgin.

(and wd all like to think we're virgins by choice) lol

but as long as we're looking at gods, lets look at one of the most powerful goddesses out there: Artemis (Diana). virgin goddess of the hunt, of young maidens, and ironically enough of birthing women. But is it ironic? i think virginity is an integral part of the cycle. And she is often ignored in the face of lovely Aphrodite. Did you know that Hera, after making love to her husband every night, would bathe in a fountain that restored her virginity?

As for my name's sake, look at the Valkyrie's role in virginity. Virginity wasn't a characteristic it was a state of mind. None wedded in their time, and if they did they lost their powers. (im not saying they didn't have sex...but remember, virginity was used in looser terms back then.)

Bridget, also, is considered the bride. She is an aspect of regeneration after winter. Along those lines, i have no doubt that virginity can be used in certain forms of magic, and rituals.

let me also state, that as a woman, i consider virginity and the loss of virginity a rite of passage. How a woman chooses to celebrate it is totally up to her; it is her privilege.

as for male virgins? i got nothing, sorry...male virginity is so much more understated then ever woman's "virtue" was.

I guess that virginity would be of large value to someone working magick within a "christian" framework, as you can more easily relate to the dogmas thereof and potentially if those are in fact relevant the appropriate godforms. However, sex can certainly be a tool for the expansion of concioussness. I would speculate that the physical act of copulation is beneficial in balancing the male and female polarities in the energy bodies of both/all participants. Finally, I recommend finding a like minded partner, potentially being in a relationship with them, hence facilitating the acknowledgement of the sacredness of sex and the practice of such methods as i have alluded to.

I disagree entirely. Something you'll have to consider is separating fact from fiction, and also the practicality of each of the methods. The amount of energy that can be raised through sexual means then redirected in a ritual is surpassed only by blood sacrifice. Virginity doesn't even come close to either of those two. Besides, it's Hollywood not Christianity that has played up female virginity. The "virgin damsel in distress" is a cliché overused in too many films. In fact, when they portray a "virgin sacrifice" it is utterly historically false. Most human sacrifices performed around the world in ancient times involved a young virgin boy between the ages of 6-10, not a young virgin girl in her teens or twenties old enough to marry the knight in shining armor that will inevitably rescue her and live happily ever after, as Hollywood would have you believe.

Honestly, I would bet that someone trying to work with Artemis, Hera, Bridget, Vesta, or a Valkerie using sex as a means to raise energy and focuse would have a better chance of contacting them than a virgin. Besides, there are numerous texts that dictate many useless rituals and unnecessary requirements "that must be done" for the magickal work to succeed. For example, The Grimoire of Honorius would have you prepare a ceremony with almost a month's worth of meaningless rituals, including two animal sacrifices, the preparation of a lambskin covered with dozens of incoherent symbols, and traveling to fields and "secret" places to bury various parts of the animals' corpses. When it comes down to it, however, all you need is a short protective/banishing ritual and a Triangle of the Arte (and a magick mirror or crystal ball if you want to make it quick) to summon a spirit.

This post has been edited by Slayden: Feb 22 2008, 06:38 PM

The only use I have heard for being a virgin is that it can be found attractive when searching for a partner.

"loss of virginity" implies that that you are losing a state. One never says, 'attainment of sexuality'..and i figure this is because virgins have their own sense of sexuality which is displaced when they come to a final gratification. No one ever thinks of children as being virgins...the thought seems contradictory, but i think the title implies that they HAVE a sexuality. It is interesting why anyone would find virginity attractive if it is such a passive state.

as for Hollywood, we all know how sexist it really is. the archetypal 'woman in distress' however has existed long before movies were using it. there is indeed a fragile and hopeless image connected with "virgins", but why do you think the image is attacked so?
i think that before it was connected to weakness, it was a symbol of power. Otherwise, why would virginity hold such a powerful place in our consciousness? Do you think that it is coincidence that Hollywood gets big bucks off of it?

Think of it this way. Unas stated that sex was a powerful means of balancing male and female energies; does that mean that a woman's virginity is a state of raw feminine power? Hollywood warped it into an image of helplessness, where these women needed man to complete them. Not so. Virginity is a complete state as it is.

But how to use this state in ritual? Its a good question...and im a little curious...any suggestions? and then i have another question.

Why is male virginity so underplayed? is it not a form of raw male energy? Ive wondered if it is often characterized with penetration and action, then why does it rely so heavily on its female counterpart? Why is it not considered a complete force by itself?

If someone was to pleasure themselves are they still classed as virgins, because they still experience the arousal and climax, its just alone?

I'd still call them virgins in a sense. But sexual activity on a magickal level can be considered "impure", thus many models of magick require purification or fasting to cleanse one's soul so that they may perform a ritual without "tainting" their work with impure thoughts. And some rituals do require sexual activity at that too. but t echniquely I think a virgin is anyone who has not had actual intercourse. One way to look at it for women is if they still have an intact hymen, which is basically skin that is broken when a virgin woman has sex the first time.

Being a virgin is a potent symbol of a person's devotion toward love. Female virginity is especially powerful in this day because in women are constantly told that they need to make babies, or they need men. So for a women to conciously wait for proper man or to be ready to never be with said man for her life is indeed a powerful choice. Both sides of virginity are strong but for a female it has become something close ot an act of power in this male ruled society.

As alluded to there's nothing wrong with sex or people that use sexual magic, but anyone who believes that physical sexual activity is necessary would be sorely mistaken. What it's important to see is that being a virgin is of itself not a state of power, rather purity and devotion. It's when a person recognizes conciously the choice they are making to have dominion over their sexual energy that that choice becomes powerful. There are plenty of virgins out there who have no power whatsoever because they are merley waiting for the mr or mrs right who they will have kids with and live the dream that society has cast upon them. Nothing wrong with that either but there's a difference in waiting, and being ready to die waiting, one is true, one is not.

Ritualistically and magically it's hard to say what exactly the benefit of being a virgin might be. Peace of mind would seem to be something that stands out, because the quality of such a peace of mind is a marvelous thing. Being pure is a potent force that can open doors as well as afford a great deal of protection. And FYI if your virgin you can still participate in sexual activity on the astral or ethereal level.

not unless you are using your sexual frusteration to fuel a working designed to get you laid. I can't make sense of that, however this wont be easy to find out...Virginity is rarely a prized posession in "sex magick" from what I've seen. However you may have much better luck with this, the hindu's thought it was important. However the tantric sex works were the eqivalent of satanism to their religion. Sex with someone other than the person you are married to is highly frowned upon in that culture. If you want to look into it, i suggest in hinduism and buddhism.




Sex is not necessary for individual survival, however you mistake in noting that if it is not done, your species will die. That is why we have such powerful impluses to do it, and rightly so. The powerful energies released can be utilized, and can help with many magical workings. Why not do that? It seems foolish to not utilize your full potential and learn how to control these things if for anything, be it you and your partners sexual benefits. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

This post has been edited by burnzorz: Nov 6 2008, 04:58 PM

I’m a virgin, and I don’t see anything spectacularly powerful about virginity. Abstinence yes, but not virginity. That’s just an oppressive thing forced on women back in the day. Its natural to be sexual. I just personally haven’t met the right guy. And I think its great when someone has enough control to wait and be safe (not go out and catch as many STDs as possible, which is becoming as common as catching the flu). (IMG:style_emoticons/default/fie.gif)

i personally, for no certain reason whatsoever, believe virginity adds to your spiritual energies. im a virgin and i plan on staying that way for a good long while.