Earlier this year, I was approached by a university student and her dissertation tutor to be interviewed for a research paper on the connections between witchcraft and misogyny. If you are here on my website, I think it's safe to say that you'll have at least some interest in the subject! So here are my answers.
What do you think being a witch means in our time period, and to you personally?
Personally, I believe that in our fast-paced modern lives, most of us just aren't living how we fundamentally should as humans.
Many of us are stuck in a way of living that is far removed from how we function and thrive as social and spiritual beings.
To me, in this time period, returning to Pagan practices, including witchcraft, is a way for people to connect and work with nature, spirit, and community.
Being a witch is a way to reclaim autonomy. To be a modern witch, means that a person has found personal power and shapes their life magically, is a person who rejects patriarchal and capitalist structures, and strives to live freely and authentically, trusting in their own power, intuition, and connection to earth and spirit.
Do you think that gender played a major role in the persecution of witches?
Absolutely. 100%. Although many of the persecuted were male (in my city, Newcastle, a man named Matthew Bulmer was hanged on the Town Moor alongside 14 women). I don't think anyone could argue that the trials weren't a feminist issue. Females were predominantly targeted.
Being accused as a witch was an act of degradation. This is a complex topic - many books, research papers, podcasts, and museums go through the fine details of patriarchy, fear, and power in relation to the witch trials, but in a nutshell, the concept of the witch was somewhere men could direct their frustrations.
This feeds into my first answer, that being a witch in the modern world is a feminist and political statement. We are people who refuse the patriarchal structures that lead to behaviour such as persecution during the witch trials.
Do you think that public opinion of witchcraft has changed significantly since the period of persecution? Why/why not?
Very much so. I live openly and un-apologetically as a witch.
In my lifetime, I've witnessed two 'booms' of witchcraft popularity. The first in the 90s when shows such as Sabrina and The Craft graced our screens. People across the globe watched women casting circle and goddesses like Hekate were being mentioned on prime-time TV. Metaphysical shops opened in most towns. It influenced a generation.
Then, we are in one now. I think, during the pandemic, many people felt the need to lean into spirituality and perhaps realised just how detached from nature they’d become. Subsequently, WitchTok came into being and mainstream retail and leisure brands embraced the craze (for better or for worse, I don’t know!). Urban Outfitters created ‘witch kits’, Waterstones sold books like ‘Hex Your Ex’ and high-end hotels began offering luxury tarot and astrology experiences. The search or mention of the words Tarot, Full Moon and Astrology on TripAdvisor have gone up 530% since this time last year. That being said. It is worth noting that the answer given in the previous slide is my experience of being a witch in the UK. There are still negative public opinions of witchcraft elsewhere in the world.
Tarot reading is illegal in Pennsylvania, with restrictions still being enforced today. Witch hunting still takes place in countries including Papua New Guinea, Saudi Arabia, India, and Sub-Saharan Africa. Violent crimes against accused witches frequently take place, and murder by both hanging and beheading continues.