Can Men Be Wiccan?

The more you read about Wicca and Paganism, the more you may feel that contemporary writings are geared towards female practitioners. Does this mean that Wicca is limited to only women, or than men can't be Wiccan? Not at all!

Why Paganism Appeals to Women

In fact, Wicca — and other forms of Pagan belief — are not limited to one gender or the other. And if you're reading this and you're one of the people who is telling the menfolk they can't be Wiccan or Pagan, please just stop it right now.

Although the exact percentages aren't clear, you'll find that statistically, many more women are drawn to Pagan religions than men, including but not limited to Wicca. Go to any Pagan event, and chances are good that the population is going to skew more towards the ladies than the gents. Why is this? It's often because Pagan religions, including Wicca, embrace the sacred feminine alongside the power of the masculine. There's a duality, a polarity in Pagan religions that's not often found in mainstream faiths. For women, particularly those who were raised in a monotheistic, patriarchal religion, this can be a welcome and empowering change — especially since leadership roles are available equally to women in Pagan spiritual paths.

Also, remember that many Pagan religions were originally fertility religions. Wicca itself certainly is, and some sub-branches of reconstructionist faiths are as well. By its very nature, a fertility cult confers high status upon the feminine.

What About the Menfolk?

So what does this mean in terms of the guys in the community? Does it mean they aren't welcome in modern Paganism? Hardly. Most traditions of Paganism have room for both the male and the female, often side by side and equal. Although there are some groups that honor only a goddess and not a god, far more are dedicated to both a god and goddess, or in some cases, multiple deities of both genders.

If a ritual looks as though it was written with a female practitioner in mind, consider a couple of possibilities. Is it one that needs to have feminine language in it, such as a rite honoring mothers? Or is it simply that the person who wrote it was female, and so it's got feminine language in it, but is still something that could be adapted to a masculine perspective? For instance, in the Self Dedication Ritual on this site, one section reads as follows:

Anoint your genital area, and say: May my womb be blessed, so that I may honor the creation of life.

Now, clearly, if you're a male practitioner, you're not going to blessing your womb. However, there are certainly other areas you could bless that would honor the creation of life. Likewise, if a ritual tells you to say, "I am a woman of the goddess," or something similar, it's perfectly okay to substitute an appropriate male variation.

Morgan Ravenwood over at WitchVox writes,

"[I]t seems illogical and counter-productive to relegate the God along with male practitioners to a minor role in other Wiccan rites. While I am certainly not advocating the dissolution of all female-only covens, I DO encourage them to give some serious consideration to allowing serious male practitioners to participate in their rites. This would present many opportunities for fellowship and the sharing of knowledge, which would surely outweigh any perceived disadvantages."

One thing that's important to remember in magic and ritual is that it's crucial that you learn to think outside the box sometimes. If a ritual is written a certain way, and that way doesn't work for you in your situation, then find ways to adapt it so that it does work for you. The gods will understand.

All of that being said, yes, men absolutely can be Wiccan. Although you may find some groups that are female-only, particularly in some feminist traditions, there are plenty of groups out there that accept members of both genders. And quite frankly, if you're practicing as a solitary anyway, it doesn't matter one way or another what your local groups are doing. So, keep studying, keep learning, keep thinking, and know that your status as male or female won't make a bit of difference as far as your welcome in the greater Pagan community.