#gender in witchcraft

[thestrawberraebunn]

[magical-reid]

Wagers and Wishes

Pairing: Fred Weasley x Gryffindor?GN!Reader (No use of Y/n) (They're in the Gryffindor common room but there's nothing that actually claims that the reader is a Gryffindor.)

Word Count: 900

Prompt: 6: “You owe me a kiss.”

Summary: In the Gryffindor common room, Fred teases you into fulfilling a bet by demanding a kiss after you miss a shot in Wizard's Chess. Despite your initial disdain, the kiss is unexpectedly enjoyable, leaving both of you caught in a moment where you make a genuine connection.

The Gryffindor common room was its usual lively self, filled with the crackling warmth of the fire and the buzz of students chatting, laughing, and occasionally yelling over a heated game of Wizard’s Chess. You, however, were not part of the cheerful crowd.

You were sitting on the couch, arms crossed, glaring at Fred Weasley, who was lounging across from you like he hadn’t just ruined your entire evening. His long legs stretched out, his head tilted back in mock relaxation, and a devilish grin plastered across his face.

“I cannot believe you,” you said, your voice cutting through the noise around you.

Fred opened one eye lazily, pretending to be confused. “What’d I do this time, love?”

“What’d I do?” you repeated, incredulous. “You know exactly what you did, Fred! You tricked me into that bet!”

He straightened slightly, sitting up just enough to toss you one of his signature grins. “Now, now. Tricked is a strong word. I’d say I gave you a fair challenge, and you were the one who said, If I miss, I’ll do whatever you say.”

You groaned, burying your face in your hands for a moment. “I didn’t think I’d actually miss!”

“Well, you did,” Fred said, shrugging with mock sympathy. “And lucky for me, I already knew what I wanted.”

You glared at him, your cheeks flushing. “Of all the things you could’ve asked for, you chose this?”

“Obviously,” he said with a wink. “Why would I waste an opportunity like this? I’ve been waiting for ages to catch your attention.”

“Oh, so interrupting my evening to make a ridiculous demand was your best plan?” you shot back, your voice dripping with sarcasm.

Fred leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he fixed you with a mischievous gaze. “Ridiculous demand? Love, I didn’t ask for the moon. I just asked for a kiss.”

Your heart skipped a beat, but you quickly masked it with a glare. “A kiss,” you said, your voice low and deadly, “is not exactly a small request, Weasley.”

“Sure it is!” he said brightly. “It’s just one little kiss. Won’t take more than a second. Two, tops. Unless you want to go for three—”

“Fred!” you hissed, your cheeks burning as a few nearby Gryffindors glanced your way, clearly trying to eavesdrop.

He laughed, leaning back again and throwing his arms over the back of his chair. “You’re cute when you’re angry, you know that?”

You grabbed a cushion from the couch and lobbed it at him. He dodged easily, his grin widening. “That’s no way to treat the man you owe a kiss to,” he teased.

“You’re impossible,” you muttered, crossing your arms again.

Fred stood up then, his tall frame towering over you as he walked around the table separating you. “Maybe,” he said, standing just in front of you. “But you’re not denying it.”

“Denying what?” you shot back, craning your neck to glare up at him.

“That you owe me a kiss,” he said, leaning down slightly, his face entirely too close for comfort—or maybe too close for your own sanity.

You opened your mouth to retort, but no words came out. Instead, you found yourself standing abruptly, determined to put an end to this nonsense before Fred’s smug grin drove you completely mad.

“Fine,” you said sharply, making him blink in surprise.

“Fine?” he repeated, his brows shooting up.

“Fine,” you said again, stepping closer to him and poking a finger into his chest. “Let’s just get it over with so you can stop being so unbearably smug.”

Fred’s expression shifted, his surprise melting into something softer, something that made your heart skip a beat. “You’re serious?” he asked, his voice quieter now.

“Five seconds,” you warned, folding your arms. “You’ve got five seconds before I change my mind.”

Fred grinned, his usual cocky confidence tempered by a flicker of nervousness. “Alright, alright. But don’t say I didn’t warn you—I’m a fantastic kisser.”

You rolled your eyes, but you didn’t move as Fred stepped closer. The common room seemed to fade away, the warmth of the fire and the hum of voices replaced by the thundering of your heartbeat.

Fred paused just inches from you, his brown eyes searching yours. “You sure about this?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

You nodded, your cheeks burning but your resolve firm.

And then his lips were on yours, soft and warm and entirely too perfect. It wasn’t rushed or dramatic; it was gentle, almost hesitant, as though he was savoring the moment. His hand brushed against your waist, steadying you, and you felt yourself melt into him despite your earlier protests.

When he pulled back, his grin returned, though it was softer now, more genuine. “You know,” he said, his voice teasing but warm, “I think you enjoyed that more than you’re letting on.”

You raised an eyebrow, trying to ignore the way your cheeks flushed. “Don’t push your luck, Weasley.”

Fred chuckled, stepping back and running a hand through his messy hair. “Oh, I’ve already won the jackpot tonight. But I’ll try to behave. For now.”

You shook your head, unable to keep the smile from tugging at your lips. As you turned to sit back down, you called over your shoulder, “By the way, you still owe me for that missed target practice. You’re carrying my books to class tomorrow.”

Fred’s laughter followed you, rich and genuine. “Anything for you, love.”

And as you sank back into the couch, your heart still racing, you couldn’t help but think that Fred Weasley might just be the most infuriating—and wonderful—person you’d ever met.

[freakingholland]

"(Not) dancing in the moonlight" - Remus Lupin x teacher!reader

A/N: I was in a desperate need for something soft and winterish so uhhh here have this! <3 Headcanons? Memes? Let’s talk! My asks are here.

Warnings: setting of NYE, post-full moon Remus (minor descriptions of physical and mental discomfort), wit/sarcasm, smoking cigarettes, use of mobility aid, minor description of fireworks (hurt/comfort + fluff - mostly major fluff)

Summary: Professor Remus Lupin and his partner spend a soft NYE evening within the walls of Hogwarts. Turns out being on a teacher night duty isn’t so bad when you’re your pupils’ favourite.

Word count: 1.2K+

If you enjoyed my work: Ko-fi.com/freakingholland

questions/requests/ideas here! - rules here

masterlist

my AO3 archive is here

"On my heart, where you're resting your head.

And you just look so beautiful.

It's like you were an angel.

Can I stop the flow of time?

Can I swim in your divine?

'Cause I don't think I'd ever leave this place."

“You’ve got options,” you said, holding up two tea bags for him to see. “Which will it be, darling?”

Remus was sitting on the leather sofa of Gryffindor’s common room with his legs propped up on a wooden coffee table.

Unfortunately, Remus ended up being assigned for a New Year’s Eve teacher duty for Gryffindor. At first, you’d been quite disappointed by the fact that you and Remus couldn’t attend New Year’s Eve ball organized in your beloved restaurant in Hogsmeade. It was your annual tradition to go there ever since you were teenagers. The tradition started after Lily and James had found the restaurant ��� it wasn’t very popular amongst Hogwarts students since it’s on the fancier side. But after going there once you all made a promise to save some money throughout the year so that all of you could go there at least once a year for the New Year’s Eve party. Lily particularly loved the place for the delicious food. She hadn’t been able to stop raving about it for at least a couple of days back at school.  After their passing it felt mandatory for you and Moony to keep the tradition alive.

Even if it wasn’t for the teacher duty your plans would have changed anyway – full moon had fallen right after Christmas leaving Remus drained both physically and mentally. So, the change of plans kind of worked out for the better in a way. The idea of loud crowds and dancing was obviously out of the question. As much as you wanted to enjoy an evening out, you were glad to be with him in a way that didn’t push him beyond what he could handle.

Remus squinted across the room, clearly trying to see what you were holding up, but then he gave up with a small sigh. Leaning forward, he reached for his cane and slowly made his way towards you. The soft taps of the cane against the wooden floor were the only sound besides the crackle of the fireplace.

When he reached you, he stood for a moment, his head tilting as he scanned the options you held in your hands.

“Hmm,” he muttered, his lips quirking into a faint smile as he reached out. He plucked one of the tea bags from your hand, his fingers brushing against yours with a warmth that gave you butterflies.

“I’ll take this one.” He watched you as you carefully poured water into your mugs. You turned over your shoulder to shoo him away and make him settle on the sofa comfortably, careful not to spill the boiling hot water over yourself.

Just as you were about to hand him his mug, the portrait hole creaked open. The cold outer air mixed in with the warm, pine-scented air within the common room.

You turned your head, half-expecting it to be the Fat Lady herself popping in to complain about something. Instead, three familiar figures shuffled in, trying - and failing to move quietly.

Ron tripped, stumbling over the hem of his own robe.

“Shhh!” Hermione hissed, quickly grabbing his arm to steady him.

“I didn’t even say anything!” Ron whispered back, louder than necessary.

She sent him a deathly glare in response.

Harry, stuck in the middle, shot both of them an irritated look before glancing towards the sofa. His blue eyes widened when he spotted you and Remus, clearly realizing they weren’t as sneaky as they thought.

“Weee- we. Umm we-- weren’t expecting anyone to be up.” he said awkwardly, scratching the back of his head.

Remus raised an eyebrow, a small smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

“Clearly…There’s nothing more subtle than tripping over your own feet, whisper-shouting, and holding the portrait hole open like you’re inviting Filch in for tea.”

You tried really hard not to laugh at your husband's remark. His quick wit was one of the main reasons why you fell for him in the first place.

Ron turned bright red.

“We weren’t doing anything! Just, uh, checking to see if—”

“You’re sneaking out." you interrupted, crossing your arms completely unable to hide the grin spreading across your face. Their shenanigans reminded you so much of yourself and the rest of marauders back in the day.

“No, we’re not!” Ron protested, which would’ve been more convincing if Hermione didn’t shoot him a sharp don’t-lie-to-a-teacher look.

“Alright, fine. WE ARE sneaking out…” Harry said. Honesty was the best approach in this situation.

“We just wanted to watch the fireworks over the lake. We’ll come right back, I promise.”

You exchanged a glance with Remus, who took a slow sip of his tea, clearly dragging out the suspense just to mess with them. You poked his side noticing Hermione’s pale face.

“Well,” he finally said, setting the mug down, “Fireworks over the lake, huh? Sounds nice."

“But let me guess — you haven’t thought this plan all the way through, have you?” Remus continued.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Ron asked defensively.

“We have!” Hermione said quickly, holding up a piece of fabric.

“We’ve got the invisibility cloak.”

Remus tilted his head, looking at the cloak with mock seriousness.

“And how, exactly, are you planning to fit all three of you under it?”

Ron looked down at his feet.

“It might be a liiiittle bit snug.” You shook your head.

“Remus, just let them go. If they get caught, they will have something funny to talk about.”

Remus sighed dramatically, but there was a twinkle in his eye.

“Fine. But,” he said, pointing a finger at them, “if you get caught, don’t come crying to me and professor Y/N.”

“Deal!” Harry said quickly, nudging Ron and Hermione back toward the portrait hole.

��Happy New Year!” Ron called over his shoulder.

“Don’t stay up too late professor Lupin — you’re looking a bit peaky! Good night professor Lupin II! Love you both!”

Remus chuckled, shaking his head.

The portrait closed, and you tucked yourself into his side.

“I swear to merlin that boy has absolutely no sense of self-preservation.”

He looked down to search through his pocket to grab his cigarette box and a lighter.

“We’re such pushovers for them.” You said laughing.

“Maybe so,” he admitted with a sincere smile.

He held out his cigarette box motioning to the balcony.

“Fancy a smoke ma’am?”

“Baaad, bad influence Lupin.“

He smirked, lighting his cigarette as he held the balcony door open for you.

“I’ve been called worse.”

You stepped out into the crisp night air, wrapping your arms around yourself.

“But ‘bad influence’ suits you tonight.” He lit your cigarette.

“Only on special occasions.” he said with a grin, blowing a stream of smoke.

“I can’t believe Ron called me ‘Professor Lupin II’.”

“See? You’re the second Lupin on the list. Maybe being soft isn’t so bad hun.“

You nudged him lightly with your elbow. He wrapped his arm around your waist and huffed with laughter into your hair.

In the distance, you could see the first flash of fireworks lighting up the sky over the lake, shimmering almost like falling stars, leaving a trail of glowing sparks that slowly disappeared into the night.

“Happy new year love.”

Thank you for reading! stay whelmed xx

[lemongrass77777-moved]

why are you multigender? wrong answers only

[samwisethewitch]

Rethinking "masculine" and "feminine" in Western magic

We all see it all the time. This plant has masculine energy. This crystal enhances feminine power. This ritual balances masculine and feminine forces. But what does any of that really mean?

After all, a plant does not have a gender. A crystal does not have a gender. Elements, planets, and celestial bodies do not have genders. So why is everything broken down into gendered categories in modern occult spaces?

The short answer: "Masculine" and "feminine" are shorthand terms that were developed by medieval alchemists, but modern occultists have lost that original context, leading to one-dimensional and reductive use of these terms.

The long answer: This model comes to us from Hermeticism by way of medieval alchemists. In the Hermetic model, the universe (or Prima Materia or Source or whatever) is a single whole divided into polarities -- sets of equal but opposite forces.

Here's a quote from the book Real Alchemy by Robert Allen Bartlett that I think explains this well:

"One of the earliest observations of Nature was that everything has its opposite -- day/night, male/female, hot/cold, wet/dry. The One divides into active and passive modes, with the active energy constituting the energies of life, and the passive one of the energy of matter.”

This idea was ridiculously widespread in the Middle Ages. To give just one example, Western traditional medicine (i.e., before modern medicine) was based on balancing the four humours by balancing opposite forces. So if you have inflammation, which is a hot and wet condition, you would treat it with herbal remedies that are cold and dry.

Early Hermeticists and alchemists classified different natural forces as either active or passive. Heat is active, cold is passive. Light is active, dark is passive. Fire (the force of transformation in alchemy) is active, while water (the universal solvent in alchemy) is passive. You get the idea.

Because of gender stereotypes in the Middle Ages and Renaissance, activeness eventually became associated with masculinity, and passiveness eventually became associated with femininity. You can still see this in old medical texts: Male bodies are hot and wet, but female bodies are cold and dry, so the medieval doctor should choose his treatment accordingly.

This has more to do with medieval European issues around gender than with nature or magic. My point here is that the gender stuff isn't literal: the Hermeticists did not literally believe that the planet Venus is female or that iron is male. Gendered terms were used as a shorthand to name opposites.

And even within medieval alchemical sources, gender is a spectrum! Let's take the elements as an example:

According to Bartlett, fire is the most active (“masculine”) element, while air is active but less active than fire. Water and earth are both considered passive (“feminine”) elements, but water is less passive/feminine than earth.

So, to recap: Hermetics believe in a perfect whole divided into polar opposites. Alchemists, doctors, and ceremonial magicians love this idea and run with it. Masculine/feminine is just one of many ways to describe these opposite forces. You could just as easily use active/passive to mean the same thing. And even in medieval times, each of these pairs of opposites was understood as a spectrum, with most energies falling somewhere between the two extremes.

The problem is that we've been playing a centuries-long game of telephone. Victorian occultists who were referencing Renaissance grimoires and still working in a vaguely Hermetic framework write in their books that, for example, roses have feminine qualities. A Wiccan author writing in the 1980s comes across this during their research and includes it in their book, but now it's one step further removed from that context. Several other authors repeat the claim that rose is feminine, all citing that one book from the '80s. Flash forward to 2025, and this claim is so removed from the original context that some witches genuinely believe rose is A Girl Flower because of some intangible Girlness inherent to the plant.

What does this mean for modern witches? Honestly, I think that kind of depends on the witch.

If you find working with masculine/feminine classifications helpful, I don't necessarily think you need to throw out that model. Just make sure you understand the background of these terms and remember that masculine/feminine in a magical sense is not the same as masculine/feminine in a gender sense. Maybe read up on Hermeticism, alchemy, and the other medieval and Renaissance occult systems that originated this model. Also, think about how using gendered terms in your practice is connected to your relationship with gender. How are you making space for nonbinary and agender energies and identities?

If you want to work with pairs of opposites but get weirded out by all the gender stuff, why not use a different polarity like active/passive or hot/cold to classify things instead? (This is how I classify herbs in my Southern Folk Magic practice.)

And if you don't particularly care about working with opposites in your practice, feel free to ignore this whole thing. There's no rule saying you have to label things this way.

[nous-teleios]

I've seen some people online post about how men shouldn't worship feminine goddesses, and how women shouldn't worship masculine gods, and I just wanted to post a rant on here giving my thoughts and debunking this take.

So, basically, the idea is that goddesses such as Juno, Venus or various goddesses that fall in the mother goddess group should not be worshipped by men, because they preside over things which are exclusive to women, and which men can't metaphysically relate to.

The issue is that these goddesses preside over aspects of everyone's experience. Venus, for example, is the goddess of beauty and love. Is a person of either gender somehow unable to relate to these ideas?

As for the mother goddesses, to deny any group of people, the worship of mother goddesses would basically deny their nature. They are universal mothers, and as such, this group of deities is the most open and accepting of worshippers of different kinds. A mother loves all her children equally, and is equally willing to help them all.

Even in incredibly masculinity centred religions such as Christianity, mother goddesses such as Mary are widely worshipped because of this motherly quality of universal and unconditional love.

In pagan spaces, I often see people reducing various deities to glorified vending machines that give out specific kinds of things in response to prayer or ritual. The Gods are not simply sky people who give gifts to people who say the right words. We owe them unconditional love, even to ones we feel like we can't relate to, because that is the first step in our awakening. Realising that everything in our reality is spiritual and that the spiritual/material dichotomy is a false one is the most important breakthrough.

To learn to see and appreciate the influence of a blacksmith god in your daily life, or of a childbirth goddess is a good way to start this process. Don't reduce deities to their gender, and be wary of anyone trying to push for this rigid division.

[little-witchys-garden]

[typhlonectes]

[justinhubbell]

The original "J Them They" series circa 2022. Loved working on it but stopped, feeling brokenhearted. Feelings.

[creature-wizard]

Anyway, no form of witchcraft that normalizes transphobia, gender essentialism, ableism, eugenicist rhetoric, conspiracism, pseudohistory, racism, or cultural appropriation by acting like it's just a little phase that's good for your personal growth is valid, and that's that on that.

[bolszaja-miedwedica]

I'm a Dionysus devotee, of course i watched heathers and can sing "meant to be yours" from memory

I'm a Dionysus devotee, of course i cope with humor

I'm a Dionysus devotee, of course i love energy drinks

I'm a Dionysus devotee, of course i love spicy chips

I'm a Dionysus devotee, of course i love watching meme compilations

I'm a Dionysus devotee, of course they pulled pranks on me

I'm a Dionysus devotee, of course i love grapes

I'm a Dionysus devotee, of course i hold my alcohol well

I'm a Dionysus devotee, of course I'm genderfucked (lol)

I'm a Dionysus devotee, of course i listen to mother mother

I'm a Dionysus devotee, of course theyre like a fun uncle to me

I'm a Dionysus devotee, of course i laugh loudly and you can't calm me down

[juneaupaws]

Pumpkin Witch YCH and Broomstick Witch YCH!

All three are any gender/species (including humanoid) and come fully shaded! Outfits can be added/altered! These are single slot!

(Payment is via PayPal only, complex outfits/designs may cost extra!)

Pumpkin Witch YCH is 110 usd (OPEN)

Broomstick Witch 1 is 80 usd (OPEN)

Broomstick Witch 2 isd 80 usd (CLOSED)

[serpentsillusion]

I had to see it, and now so do all of you. 😂🤣 (not sorry)

Hogwarts Legacy boys ✨as women✨

✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧

✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧

MioCreate/Picsart was used

[occultist-romantic]

when will the gods erase men off this world and leave everything to women

[kingstarkingslay]

Is it just me or do y’all also have that one fic that helped you realise your sexuality??

For me it was Of Leaves and Stars by irrationalmoony and LadyAmina. It was the first Genderfluid! Sirius Wolfstar fic I read and I was like “ Holy shit that’s me!”

[jeanlouiecastillo]

Bambie Thug wears Jean Louie Castillo at Download Festival