Research shows...

[Joan Marie]

I welcome you all!

Data collected by the Pew Research Center and Trinity College in Connecticut show witchcraft and pre-Christian traditions have been revitalized by young adults, Quartz noted. Millennials are seeking more freedom in their spirituality and interest in astrology and tarot card readings have spiked in recent years. -Newsweek

You can read the full article HERE

[SaturnCeleste]

I agree with this article. It seems almost every part of the world has recently been touched with terrible things happening. I know here in the states, it's so bad, I'm speechless. People need to have something to cling to that they can do something better in their lives and to counter all of the awful effects of climate, government, health and politics. Different types of divinity can bring solace to worrying minds. We feel we no long have any control over our lives sometimes and there is no one or nothing that can help. Even reciting a spell can give peace of mind to someone who wants change to happen in their lives that that is enough to comfort them. While I agree with the millennials are the source of the study, I feel older people are in the same boat but no studies have been done. Older people who have seen so much and done so much in their lives have resorted to divinity for comfort also. People want to know if there is a way out and since they no longer get it from trusted sources, they are looking inward to try to comfort their own worries.

[Diana]

One of the main reasons that the world is in the state it is, is that it has been devoid of spirituality for so long. Organised religion took the spirituality out of the world - replacing it by creed and dogma and the most devastating of all, instilled a fear of God. If one fears God, then my goodness, one also fears man. Because he is apparently created in God's image.

It's all got so twisted.

There is a change occurring though. As Saturn Celeste says, it is not only the youngsters. It's all over. I'm amazed every day. People I know who scoffed at the idea of God are now searching for a spiritual meaning to life. It's always been the apanage of the older generation to seek some spirituality when they reach the twilight of their lives. Usually, the youngsters are not so interested. They're still growing up.

The mystics say that the band of light spanning the earth is getting larger. That is very encouraging. And we must remember, those of us who are on a spiritual path, that we too are adding to that light. I find it all very positive. I have great hopes for this planet. Once it's rebuilt from the ruins though. Our old civililisation is still in the process of crumbling and that is going to hurt a lot and for quite some time. Ouch and ouch. But after it should be better.

I don't think putting hexes on people though, even if it is Donald Trump, is in alignment with the spiritual principles that sustain the universe which can be summed up basically as Love. But of course, the newspapers would jump on that - it's the kind of event that is music to the ears of a journalist who has a deadline for their article. Also, what kind of hex ? The newspaper seems to imply that it was sort of sticking pins into him or something. A real witch wouldn't do that would they ? They would send a hex of peace wouldn't they ? Something positive ?

I know nothing about witches.

[Diana]

My only knowledge of witchcraft comes from Shakespeare. I love the witch scene in Macbeth. I love the baboon blood. I mean, I'm amazed Shakespeare even knew what a baboon was.

Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and caldron bubble.
Fillet of a fenny snake,
In the caldron boil and bake;
Eye of newt and toe of frog,
Wool of bat and tongue of dog,
Adder's fork and blind-worm's sting,
Lizard's leg and howlet's wing,
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.

Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and caldron bubble.
Cool it with a baboon's blood,
Then the charm is firm and good.

[Joan Marie]

Organised religion took the spirituality out of the world - replacing it by creed and dogma and the most devastating of all, instilled a fear of God. If one fears God, then my goodness, one also fears man. Because he is apparently created in God's image.

It's all got so twisted.

This reminded me of something else I read recently that I thought was kind of funny but also very true. It's from the actor and writer Steve Coogan:

“Greek mythology, I thought it was interesting, but I liked Greek philosophy more,” Coogan says, continuing his cultural appraisal. “And the world view of the three principal philosophers, Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. For me, having had a struggle with religion [he was raised Catholic], it always baffled me that people stick to Christianity when there was a more nuanced, holistic approach to living your life that pre-dated it by a few centuries.” He is not against Christianity, he insists. “It’s just that loads of idiots have co-opted it. And that hasn’t really happened with Greek philosophy. You don’t think of stupid idiotic rightwing fundamentalist Greek philosopher followers.”

The idea of Socratic Fundamentalists paints a funny picture.

It is interesting what he says about there being a more nuanced, holistic approach to living your life. I think maybe this is what people are really searching for now. And many are finding it in the world of esoteric practices.

The same thing happened at the turn of the 20th Century. There was a huge uptick in people struggling with the rise of modernity and the faster pace of life. Not only was there a growing interest in all things occult, but even lifestyle changes like healthier eating and more relaxed ways of dressing and getting back to nature.

We seem to be again in that particular cycle, 100 years later.

[stronglove]

ha! this is fascinating! three days ago my dutch newspaper had a 2 page article about how highly educated urban young people have embraced astrology, giving the same reasons/ background mentioned here, lol (loss of religion, increasing chaos and anxiety, needing a new sense of purpose etc) must be a widespread phenomenon.....

[Libra]

I don't think putting hexes on people though, even if it is Donald Trump, is in alignment with the spiritual principles that sustain the universe which can be summed up basically as Love. But of course, the newspapers would jump on that - it's the kind of event that is music to the ears of a journalist who has a deadline for their article. Also, what kind of hex ? The newspaper seems to imply that it was sort of sticking pins into him or something. A real witch wouldn't do that would they ? They would send a hex of peace wouldn't they ? Something positive ?

I know nothing about witches.

Iirc, it was actually a binding spell on Trump, with the intention of stopping him from being able to do harm. I'm not so certain that was a successful group effort :/

I know I defs saw some pins stuck in trump dolls on my witchier feeds. Witches are pretty diverse, some will only work positive magic, but others will 100% throw down a curse. I think my most recent one was cursing a guy to get unbearably itchy nether regions in an inconvenient moment, such as in front if someone he needed to impress. This was a punishment for being ... ungentlemanly.

[Diana]

I know I defs saw some pins stuck in trump dolls on my witchier feeds. Witches are pretty diverse, some will only work positive magic, but others will 100% throw down a curse. I think my most recent one was cursing a guy to get unbearably itchy nether regions in an inconvenient moment, such as in front if someone he needed to impress. This was a punishment for being ... ungentlemanly.

Hmm. So that is taking justice into our own hands. Sounds a bit like a kangaroo court. I hate kangaroo courts. Even if I'm glad they shot Ceaucescu and his wife - it was a jubilatory moment, I remember whooping with excitement - I still think they deserved to have a proper trial. Although I recognise the urgency of the situation at the time.

So if I blaspheme, like let's say I say something about Jesus or Muhammed (peace be upon him) that doesn't please someone - they could start laying curses on me. Just because they think blasphemy is a terrible thing and I don't.

I don't believe in the power of witchcraft myself, so I don't fear that anyone would be able to lay a curse on me. They could try - but it wouldn't work. Even a Bad Kahuna wouldn't bother me even if he did the curse and spell work in front of my eyes and told me I'd die that very night.

[devin]

This is interesting, thanks.

Now, I reckon an increased interest in the mysterious side of life is probably a good thing. That being said, I'm not sure if magic is any kind of replacement for religion. Not magic on its own, anyway. For it can be said that, stripped of religious inclination, magic is merely the strange twin of science, IE. the satisfaction of human needs via the application of laws and methodology.

Thus magic could be said to be quite in keeping with the spirit of our times and not represent a seismic or fundamental societal change.

[Joan Marie]

That being said, I'm not sure if magic is any kind of replacement for religion. Not magic on its own, anyway.

I think witchcraft and magic, though they are related, are not the same thing.

Also, if you want to ask the question, "are esoteric practices replacing religion" I think you would have to have a hard look at what religion really is.

Just some quick observations, how is "spell casting" much different from prayer? Both are used to wish good and ill.
How are religious rituals (Catholic Mass anyone?) significantly different from any witchcraft or other ritual? There are alters and relics and hand movements, chants etc etc.

But back to my original sentence about witchcraft and magic. Witchcraft is a way of life. There are as many ways to practice these things as there are people who practice them, but the trend I think we are seeing and that these articles are discussing are people looking for some kind of power in their lives, some control. I was raised catholic, prayer is all about trying to create a sense of some control of a situation. It's very comforting to pray when someone you know is in surgery. You feel like you are doing something, something helpful. You are putting out vibes, chanting prayers (incantations?) and bringing yourself into a meditative spiritual connected state with god or angels or whatever.

Witchcraft, spell casting, is the same. You are using these rituals and words to connect with the spirits of nature. Much of witchcraft is about connecting with the forces of nature through herbs and stones and alters and rainwater and full moons and all those beautiful things the earth, the goddess, god, the gods, provide. It is an honouring of those things and a beseeching of them to come to your aid or that of a loved one.

There are beautiful and confused people everywhere. To focus on just the cases of "pin-sticking" is to miss the point of the majority of the people who practice. I wouldn't discredit what they are doing because the search is real and a very human thing. It shows a curiosity about the human spirit and respect for tradition and history.

[Diana]

Just some quick observations, how is "spell casting" much different from prayer? Both are used to wish good and ill.
How are religious rituals (Catholic Mass anyone?) significantly different from any witchcraft or other ritual? There are alters and relics and hand movements, chants etc etc.

I don't think prayer is wishing good or ill. That's just wishful thinking. Prayer is another word for meditation. Its purpose is to connect to our true identity. To recognise this identity, to have a conscious awareness of it. Asking God or whatever we wish to call it to serve our purposes is to use God as as our servant. And that doesn't make any sense whatsoever. If we wish to use those terms, then it's rather man (generic) who is at the service of greater, who is the "servant" sort of.

That's why the traditional concept of prayer has never worked. It's been tried for thousands of years. It hasn't worked - or else our civilisation would not be on its deathbed. It's the idea that God is a sort of super Santa Claus.

It's more the "not my will by thy will" that is true prayer/meditation. Magic and witchcraft is using the Power for our own personal needs which may not be advisable in the big scheme of things which we as mere humans/mortals cannot see.

Edited to add: To give an example of what we think is good but may not be. During WWII, there was a plot to assassinate Hitler. It didn't work. People were naturally devastated. Often people say "if only someone had assassinated him". But if they had, we may have had Nazism for a long long time. Because his generals were cleverer than him. And hugely frustrated that he led them into lost causes. They would have probably not ventured into the wild stuff Hitler forced them to do which ended up by their losing the war. It was better for the rest of the world in the long term to have a man who had no clue about military strategy at the helm. I shudder sometimes to think what would have happened if he had been assassinated.

During the impeachment business with Trump, I often used to think "omg - if he goes, we'll have Pence in his place. Is that really any better ???". I got shivers down my back thinking that Pence would be sitting in the White House in that position.

[Joan Marie]

That's why the traditional concept of prayer has never worked. It's been tried for thousands of years. It hasn't worked - or else our civilisation would not be on its deathbed. Its the idea that God is a sort of super Santa Claus.

I guess I was just talking about how people practice these things.
Are they doing it wrong?
Well, I guess that's what we're all trying to figure out.

In asking god or in casting a spell to help with a dire financial problem for example, the solution to that problem could be triggered in the process of the asking, the searching. People get better at this with practice, with age.

I don't want to try and dissect here how prayer or witchcraft work or don't work. I'm only saying that the increase of people seeking out the old traditions is something that I find easy to understand and very much of our times. It's a cultural phenomena. Also, there is historical evidence of these trends in similar times. (like exactly 100 years ago) I'm sure post WW1 civilisation looked to be on it's "deathbed" for sure. As it had many other times in human history. And then didn't die.

I think it is a tremendously interesting time to be part of this community right now. Tarot is an occult art, people looking for answers and understanding of themselves and the world with cards. And as we know, it is practiced all kinds of ways, but with common threads. And I think a lot of the current experimentation and exploration is a reaction against fanaticism and marginalisation.

These things are all more alike than they are different and I find it gives me a very connected feeling, a very powerful and exciting one.
I love that we can help and support each other in these journeys.

[devin]

Sure, it depends on what's going on underneath the practice.... what are the metaphysical assumptions, etc. Still, contemporary paganism strikes me as being a rather modernist phenomena as opposed to anything that could be called an 'old way.' I feel the same way about both conservative and progressive Christianity.

Then again, my knowledge of neo-paganism is rather thin, so my view here is probably not worth very much.