If you were interested in witchcraft in 1692, you probably would have been jailed or burned at the stake. If you’re interested in witchcraft in 2018, you are probably an Instagram influencer.
From crystal subscription boxes to astrologist-created lip balm, the metaphysical has gone mainstream. Millennials today know more about chakras than your kooky New Age aunt. That’s why it’s no surprise that the generation that is blamed for killing everything is actually bringing popularity to centuries-old practices.
According to the Pew Research Center, about 1.5 million Americans identify as Wiccan or pagan. A decade ago, that number was closer to 700,000. Presbyterians, by comparison, have about 1.4 million votaries.
So why has witch popularity doubled? Perhaps it’s because millennials were raised on Harry Potter? Or maybe it’s because of the rise in popularity of yoga and meditation, researchers suggest.
Regardless, millennials have embraced astrology and the supernatural, even if they aren’t quite sure why. In fact, Stella Bugbee, editor-in-chief and president of the Cut, told the Atlantic that their horoscope content traffic increased 150 percent from 2016 to 2017.
In the same article, Lucie Greene, worldwide director of J. Walter Thompson’s innovation group, which looks at cultural trends, said that over the past few years, New Age practices have “very much geared toward a millennial and young Gen X quotient.”
It’s important to note, however, that while most Wiccans are pagans, all pagans are not necessarily Wiccans. All “witches” also aren’t necessarily “Wiccan.” Confused? Us too. “Pagan” is an umbrella term that includes a number of different spiritual beliefs, often lumped in with “primitive beliefs,” which was used to describe people from rural areas who had not adopted Christianity. “Wicca” is a religion that “affirms the existence of supernatural power,” according to Merriam-Webster. The term “Wiccan” didn’t enter the mainstream until the late 1950s.
Meanwhile, social media has made it easy for witches of all kinds to bring their practices out into the light, because let’s face it, shiny things like crystals make prime social content.
Influencers like Hoodwitch bring “everyday magic for the modern mystic” to your Instagram feed daily. Moreover, there are more than 2 million posts on the app with the hashtag #witchesofinstagram. Still, it’s not just millennials embracing technology to spread the sorcery. Laurie Cabot, the “Original Witch of Salem,” shares daily spells and insight on Twitter. Cabot was bestowed that title by the then-governor of Massachusetts, Michael Dukakis, in 1977.
Now, it’s not clear if today’s witches are actually practicing spells and attending new moon meditations or if they’re just capitalist crones scooping up all the witch kitsch. Regardless, it all looks good on Instagram, and when it comes to millennials, that’s the whole point.