WitchTok: A new wave of witches is taking over TikTok

Witchcraft, a new TikTok trend? The #WitchTok hashtag generates billions of views on the Chinese social network. There is content of all types: from card drawing to the preparation of natural remedies, and including lithotherapy and star reading. If these 2.0 witches are more and more numerous, not all content is equal.

But where does this new impetus for witchcraft come from?

“I think this growing interest in witchcraft and magic says a lot about the state of our society,” said Lottie Salako, 26, a white witch from Liverpool working in search marketing. “Crystals, astrology, tarot, spells are all easy-to-use empowerment tools for people who feel like they’ve lost control of their lives. »

feminist movement

If the attraction for witchcraft is strongly displayed today on social networks, its resurgence dates back a few decades. “Modern interest in witches dates back to the 1970s, with the feminist movement’s rediscovery of the persecution of women and witchcraft trials across Europe. With the idea that this represented the suppression of a whole world of feminine knowledge in terms of spirituality and healing, ”analyzes in the columns of Metro UK Robert Poole, professor of history at the University of Lancashire.

According to the historian, this recent momentum is also due… to the coronavirus pandemic. “A lot of people were then looking for exciting mysteries to escape the sad reality of confinements,” he points out.

Whether in books or in movies, witches are often portrayed as horrific and malevolent characters. The historical reality, however, is quite different. “In Europe, witches were mainly poor and vulnerable women, victims of intimidation and persecution by their more powerful neighbours”, explains Robert Poole.

Connection to nature

Even today, witchcraft is surrounded by clichés. “There are so many misconceptions about witches. That we only wear black, that we dance naked under the moon, that we are ‘weird’ or evil, even though one of the few rules of witchcraft is ‘thou shalt do no harm’”, says Ceryn Rowntree, an eclectic British witch who incorporates witchcraft into her work as a therapist and coach.

In reality, there are different types of witches, and they come from all walks of life. It’s not really about spells and potions, Ceryn continues. “It’s much more about connecting to ourselves and to nature. Personally, witchcraft has led me to develop a sense of belonging to a world that can so often be hard to find. »

The orientation towards the living of witchcraft is also what explains its resurgence in popularity, at a time when the living is more than ever threatened by climate change.