June 23rd 2024.
In today's world, witches are no longer just found in fairytales and legends. They have taken their magic online, using digital platforms to connect with like-minded individuals and practice their craft. For Emma Carney, her day begins with a ritual of lighting a candle and drawing a Tarot card from her beloved deck. She sets her intentions for the day and reflects on how she will achieve her goals. Emma, a 36-year-old digital marketing agency owner, says that if she wants to manifest financial abundance, she will add a dash of cinnamon to her morning coffee and stir it in. Throughout her workday, she takes breaks to light incense, cast spells, and perform ceremonies. "Everything has a touch of magic to it," she says with a smile. It's simply how she lives her life.
Emma is a successful businesswoman, but she is also a witch. She believes that her daily rituals and ceremonies help her reach her full potential and bring joy and meaning to her world. And she's not alone. Witchcraft is experiencing a revival, with Emma being just one of many in the UK who lead normal, professional lives while also practicing magic, making potions, and meeting in covens. A quick scroll through Instagram will lead you to @TheHoodWitch, a tarot reader with 474k followers who offers "everyday magic for the modern mystic." And the hashtag #Witchtok has racked up more than 25 billion views.
Emma has known she was a witch since she was young, but she is not the only one. The growing interest in witchcraft has led to a surge in media coverage, including a Channel 4 documentary presented by actor Suranne Jones. The documentary, "Investigating the Witch Trials," delves into the historical roots of witchcraft and its present-day practices. In 2022, Cassandra Latham-Jones became the UK's first official witch, allowed to use the term "village witch" on her tax return. And in Scotland, former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon issued a posthumous apology to the thousands of people persecuted as witches under the Witchcraft Act of 1563.
The digital age has also brought about a shift in how witchcraft is practiced. With apps for moon work, tarot, and astrology, and subscription boxes that deliver gems, oils, and spell kits straight to your doorstep, it's clear that the occult has fully embraced technology. For Emma, witchcraft is about owning your own power and understanding how you can influence the world around you by tapping into your true self. She clarifies that despite the use of magical language and spells, it's simply a way of using your mind to achieve your desires through specific actions, similar to meditation and manifestation.
Ashleigh-Jayne O'Connell, a social media manager and witch since the age of 15, agrees that witchcraft brings balance to her busy life. Her flat in East Finchley is filled with herbs, crystals, books, candles, and incense. She says that being a witch allows her to focus on personal growth and do as little harm to the world as possible. Her neighbors know her as the girl who does litter picks on the street, but they also see her sitting in her front garden during a full moon, burning herbs in her tiny cauldron. Ashleigh-Jayne believes in using corresponding herbs to complement the energy of the moon.
John, a 53-year-old IT professional from Exeter, is also a witch. He prefers to use a pseudonym as he is not yet ready to reveal his involvement in witchcraft to his employers and some of his family members. However, his wife is also a witch, and they attend sabbaths and esbats (witch gatherings) together. John says that he got into witchcraft as a means to find balance in his busy life. He adds that he is drawn to the lore, history, and mythology of witchcraft and is eager to learn more about herbs from a medicinal perspective. With the growing interest in witchcraft and the accessibility of information through social media, John and others like him are finding their place in the modern witch community.
In today's world, magic has found a new home - the online world. Just like Emma Carney, a successful businesswoman who starts her day by lighting a candle and drawing a Tarot card from her beloved deck. She sets an intention for the day and contemplates on how to achieve her goals. Emma, who is 36 years old, believes in the power of manifestation and incorporates magic into her daily routine. For instance, if she wants to attract abundance, she would burn some cinnamon and stir her coffee with it.
Throughout her workday, Emma takes breaks to light incense, cast spells, and perform ceremonies. As she puts it, "everything just needs a little magic touch." It's a way of life for her. Emma firmly believes that her daily rituals and ceremonies help her reach her full potential and bring joy and meaning to her world. And she's not alone. Witchcraft is experiencing a revival, with Emma being one of many in the UK who balance their normal professional lives with practicing magic, making potions, casting spells, and gathering in covens.
A quick visit to Instagram will lead you to @TheHoodWitch, a tarot reader with 474k followers, who provides "everyday magic for the modern mystic." It's also impossible to ignore the hashtag #Witchtok, which has garnered over 25 billion views. Emma has known she was a witch since she was young, and the recent boom in witchcraft has led to a Channel 4 documentary hosted by actor Suranne Jones, who hails from Oldham, just 25 miles away from where the infamous Pendle witch trials took place. The documentary, "Investigating the Witch Trials," delves into both the historical and present-day practices of witchcraft.
In recent years, there has been a growing interest in witchcraft. In 2022, Cassandra Latham-Jones became the UK's first official witch, and former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon issued a posthumous apology to the thousands of people persecuted as witches in Scotland under the Witchcraft Act of 1563. With the rise of apps for moon work, Tarot, and Astrology, as well as subscription boxes that deliver gems, oils, and spell kits right to your doorstep, it's clear that the occult has embraced the digital age.
According to Emma, "witchcraft is essentially about owning your own power and understanding how you can control the world around you by understanding yourself and your desires." She acknowledges that the language of magic and spells can be confusing for some, but at its core, it's about harnessing your power and using your mind to achieve your goals through specific actions, such as meditation and manifestation.
Ashleigh-Jayne O'Connell, a social media manager, is Emma's friend and co-founder of a digital coven. She describes the coven as an online "witchy space" where people can connect and share ideas. Ashleigh-Jayne, who has been a witch since she was 15, lives in a flat in East Finchley filled with herbs, crystals, books, candles, and incense. For her, witchcraft brings balance to her busy life and helps her grow as a person while doing minimal harm to the world around her. She is known as the girl who picks up litter in her neighborhood and the one who spends full moons burning things in her front garden using her tiny cauldron and corresponding herbs.
John, a 53-year-old from Exeter, is also a witch, but he uses a pseudonym to protect his identity. He works in IT and has not revealed his involvement in witchcraft to his employers or all of his family members, except for his wife, who is also a witch. John found himself drawn to witchcraft as a means to find balance in his hectic life. He became more involved after attending a few sabbaths and esbats (witch gatherings) with his wife. He also has a keen interest in herbs and their medicinal properties, as well as the lore, history, and mythology surrounding witchcraft.
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