"Magia sexualis": sex, secrecy, and liberation in modern western esotericism.
Journal of the American Academy of Religion. American Academy of Religion January 1, 2004 Hugh B Urban
Though Eros and magic have long been connected in Western esoteric traditions, a substantial body of literature on sexual magic emerged only in the nineteenth century. This article examines the rise of sexual magic in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries within the context of Victorian-era American and British discourse on sexuality. Focusing on the teachings of Paschal Beverly Randolph, Aleister Crowley, and Pierre Bernard, and following Michel Foucault, the author argues that this literature was part of a broader Victorian explosion of discourse on sex, particularly its deviant forms. Sexual magic both reflected and subverted mainstream Victorian sexual values, while these figures also foreshadowed the modern American obsession with sex and its liberation.