Women, what brings you to paganism?

[Vicariousparabol]

Re: Women, what brings you to paganism?

The mead and naked dancing.

Oh, yes. Me, too. Haha!

[Aeran]

Re: Women, what brings you to paganism?

On this note, I've always been curious about why western occultism in general is such a male dominated field. It made sense in the past, with gender discrimination in academia and the church where many of these activities were focused, but why are there so few women interested in things like ceremonial magic, enochian, kabbalah, hermetics, thelema, golden dawn, etc? Is it just the case that women tend to find other occult and spiritual practices more suitable? Or is there something deeper at work within these system? Maybe they just aren't brought up with that 'wise magician' archetype to aspire to?

[Ophidia]

Re: Women, what brings you to paganism?

On this note, I've always been curious about why western occultism in general is such a male dominated field. It made sense in the past, with gender discrimination in academia and the church where many of these activities were focused, but why are there so few women interested in things like ceremonial magic, enochian, kabbalah, hermetics, thelema, golden dawn, etc? Is it just the case that women tend to find other occult and spiritual practices more suitable? Or is there something deeper at work within these system? Maybe they just aren't brought up with that 'wise magician' archetype to aspire to?

This may sound sexist, even coming from a woman, but I think it's because ceremonial systems appeal to the logic/mental side of things while witchcraft, shamanism, Wicca, reconstructionist paths & general Paganism are more emotional. There's a certain detachment the ceremonial magic(k)ian has to have because they are summoning & controlling spiritual entities, while the more natural 'witchier' magician is trying to work in harmony with spiritual entities.

I enjoy the mental exercise of ceremonialism, but sometimes there's too much math for me - all that astrology & astronomy, and little squares full of numbers and crap. Even the degree systems can be more convoluted than trigonometry :P