Why Do Americans Find Witchcraft Appealing?

Witchcraft, a spiritual path that includes Wicca, paganism, folk magic, and other New Age traditions, is one of the fastest-growing spiritual paths in America. It is estimated that there could be around 1.5 million witches in the U.S., with practitioners predominantly depicted as female-identifying. The pandemic amplified this trend, as many people searching for meaning and order amid the frightening plague found it in witchcraft.

Paganism, or Neopaganism, is an umbrella term for various belief systems that pull from pre-Christian folk traditions. A 2014 Pew Research Center report stated that Wicca is the fastest-growing religion in North America. Wicca and witchcraft are popping up in pop culture, from teenage witches on TikTok to a Marvel comic superhero called Wiccan. Witchcraft practice in general stands for inclusion, equality, and the history of witches involves much more than bubbling cauldrons and flying broomsticks.

The spread of paganism and witchcraft should have been expected, as traditional beliefs were not accepted by many Americans. In folklore and practice, witchcraft acknowledges our intuition, talents, and wisdom in a way that many societal norms do not. The pandemic has amplified the trend, as many people searching for meaning and order amid the frightening plague found it in witchcraft.

Why are people accused of witchcraft?

Witchcraft in early modern England was a complex phenomenon that caused fear and became a normal part of life. Newcomers to a community might be accused of witchcraft due to suspicion from their neighbors, or it could be a way to make money. The harvest failed, leading to increased suspicion. Witchcraft trials became a platform for grievances and disputes to be discussed, and people could testify for or against their neighbors.

Understanding the history of witchcraft provides insights into the realities of everyday life for ordinary people in early modern England, rather than the supernatural. Dr. Jessica Nelson, Head of Collections at The National Archives, delivered a 30-minute talk on the topic.

How many Americans practice Wicca?

Since its arrival in the US in the 1960s, Wicca has been growing rapidly, with an estimated 1. 5 million witches in the country. However, not all witches consider themselves Wiccans, with around 800, 000 Americans being Wiccans according to recent survey data. The religion is an independent practice, celebrating a Goddess alongside a God, and lacks a formal institutional structure like a church. Adherents refer to themselves as practitioners, not believers, and the increasing numbers in surveys and the growth of groups on TikTok suggest that Wicca is continuing to grow.

How did witchcraft impact society?

Witchcraft in early modern England was a complex phenomenon that caused fear and became a normal part of life. Newcomers to a community might be accused of witchcraft due to suspicion from their neighbors, or it could be a way to make money. The harvest failed, leading to increased suspicion. Witchcraft trials became a platform for grievances and disputes to be discussed, and people could testify for or against their neighbors.

Understanding the history of witchcraft provides insights into the realities of everyday life for ordinary people in early modern England, rather than the supernatural. Dr. Jessica Nelson, Head of Collections at The National Archives, delivered a 30-minute talk on the topic.

Is witchcraft the fastest growing religion in America?

Wicca, the fastest-growing religion, worships a God and a Goddess. Its adherents recognize Earth as an extension of the Goddess and strive for harmony with nature. It differs from Hinduism in its espousal of the doctrine of reincarnation.

Why do people practice Wicca?

Wiccans employ a variety of techniques, including dance, visualization, hypnosis, and chant, to harness psychic energy for the purposes of healing, protection, and aiding in various events. Many adherents of Wicca also espouse the belief in reincarnation.

Do Wiccans believe in Jesus?

Wiccans espouse the view that Christianity and Judaism constitute a world mythical system that merits equal respect with all other religions, despite the absence of a Bible in their tenets.

Where does the Bible talk about witchcraft?

Exodus 22:18, Leviticus 19:26, Leviticus 20:27, and Deuteronomy 18:10-11 all prohibit the practice of necromancy, divination, and soothsaying. These laws are portrayed as foreign and are the only part of the Hebrew Bible to mention such practices. The presence of laws forbidding necromancy proves that it was practiced throughout Israel’s history.

The exact difference between the three forbidden forms of necromancy mentioned in Deuteronomy 18:11 is uncertain, as yidde’oni (“wizard”) is always used together with ob (“consulter with familiar spirits”) and its semantic similarity to doresh el ha-metim (“necromancer” or “one who directs inquiries to the dead”) raises the question of why all three are mentioned in the same verse. The Jewish tractate Sanhedrin distinguishes between a doresh el ha-metim, a person who would sleep in a cemetery after starving himself, to become possessed, and a yidde’oni, a wizard.

In summary, the prohibition of necromancy in the Hebrew Bible is a significant aspect of Jewish history.

How did witchcraft start in America?

The term “witchcraft” originated with European colonists and their views on supernatural powers, which were later adopted by Indigenous communities. The Salem witch trials in Massachusetts and other witch hunts in the United States exemplified European and Christian fear and hysteria surrounding accusations of witchcraft. Despite changes in laws and perspectives over time, accusations of witchcraft persisted into the 19th century in some regions, such as Tennessee.

The influences on witchcraft in Latin America impacted North American views both directly and indirectly, including the diaspora of African witchcraft beliefs through the slave trade and suppressed Indigenous cultures adopting the term for their own cultural practices. Neopagan witchcraft practices such as Wicca emerged in the mid-20th century.

Native American communities, such as the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Creek, Delaware, Hopi, Miami, Natchez, Navajo, and Seneca, have historically defined witches as evil-doers who harm their own communities. Witches are traditionally seen as criminals, and witchcraft is a crime punishable by death, if nothing else as a last resort. While some communities have passed laws outlawing vigilante killings, traditional views of witches and witchcraft have largely remained the same into the 20th century and through to the present among traditionals.

What is the significance of witchcraft?

Witchcraft is a widely accepted concept worldwide, referring to the use of harmful magic to cause harm or misfortune. This belief is rooted in the belief that some individuals can cause supernatural harm and misfortune, which may be attributed to human or superhuman agency. Historians and anthropologists view witchcraft as a way humans attempt to explain strange misfortune. Some cultures, such as the Gaels of Ireland and the Scottish Highlands, have a stronger belief in fairy folk who can cause supernatural harm, and witch-hunting is rare in these regions.

Historian Ronald Hutton outlined five key characteristics ascribed to witches and witchcraft: the use of magic to cause harm or misfortune, the witch’s use against their own community, the belief that powers of witchcraft were acquired through inheritance or initiation, the immoral nature of witchcraft, and the potential for thwarting through defensive magic, persuasion, intimidation, or physical punishment.

Witches are often believed to use objects, words, and gestures to cause supernatural harm, or have an innate power to do so. Both types of practitioners are often believed to exist in the same culture and often overlap, as someone with an inborn power could wield that power through material objects.

Was witchcraft illegal in the United States?

Over 300 years ago, practicing witchcraft in the American colonies was a felony, defined by English law as acting with magical powers. However, legal failings, mass paranoia, and Puritan religious and societal rules led to the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, where over 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft. Twenty were executed, most by hanging, and one man was pressed to death under heavy stones. Dozens suffered under inhumane conditions, including torture and imprisonment.

The tragedy of the Salem Witch Trials is largely due to the failure of the court and the laws during that time, which made visions, dreams, and the testimony of spirits permissible evidence. The court also accepted accusations that were so flimsy they would seem laughable today.

How popular is witchcraft in the US?

A survey conducted in 2021 revealed that 21% of Americans believe in the efficacy of spells or witchcraft, with women being more likely to espouse such beliefs. The data presented here are based on a survey conducted in the United States. It should be noted that the statistics presented are limited to free data and do not include premium statistics.