Why has witchcraft become so popular?

We’re in a period of great transition and we’re all very aware of it.

Climate change, nature and the environment, energy and food prices, the rising cost of living, racism, the Pandemic, War, Brexit, gender inequality….I could go on. The world is in trouble.

In short, people feel powerless. They are looking for answers, comfort and reassurance. In days gone by, this would have been offered by the Church and, while the church does some good work, for many this is no longer relevant.

Interest in the areas of nature, witchcraft and energy tends to increase in periods of major upheaval.

According to a 2017 survey, 60% of people believe in one or more of the following: psychics, astrology, the presence of energy around us and in objects (like mountains or trees) or reincarnation. More than a quarter of adults say they think of themselves as spiritual but not religious.

As energy and nature are at the root of witchcraft, it should come as no surprise that witchcraft is attracting people, particularly millennial women.

Although men can be witches, witches have long been linked to women’s issues and women’s power.

Indeed, many believe that midwives were persecuted for being witches. Women who liked sex were called witches. In the 2008 US election, Hillary Clinton was called a witch. Women part of the #MeToo movement were said to be on a “witch hunt.”

If you choose to follow witchcraft, you’ll realise you are able to tap into the energies of the natural world and the elements to help yourself, and others.

You just need to recognise that power, YOUR power, and learn to direct it – because ultimately, that’s the real source of witchcraft.