Modern Day Witches: the WitchTok Community

Most of the time, when we think of witches, we imagine this old ugly lady with a black cat, a crooked nose, and a pointy hat flying on a broom or making a green potion. But what if I told you that witches don't look like that at all. They are just normal people who are connected to nature and its energy; to live a peaceful, tolerant, and balanced life in tune with nature and humanity. During the 14th century, most witches were thought to be pagans doing the Devil’s work, because people believed that he gave them the power to harm others in return for their loyalty. However, most of them were simply natural healers or so-called “wise women” whose choice of profession was misunderstood by society; and therefore, seen as a threat to society, they were silenced due to their feminist empowerment and embraced wisdom. To be a Witch is to be a healer, a teacher, a seeker, a giver, and a protector of all things. According to some practicing witches, it's a completely customizable practice. Whatever your spirituality is, it helps deepen that connection and makes it stronger.

Many witches have created a community through TikTok known as Witchtok; in which its members, that include witches, healers, occultists, Wiccans, Brujas, herbalists, and other spiritual guides; share an interest in witchcraft and presence, and post their journeys, tips, and passions to the community. At the time of writing, TikTok’s #witch has 3.1B views, #babywitch (a hashtag for those who are beginners to the craft) has 711.0M, and more specifically to the community, #WitchTok has 4.6B and  #witchesoftiktok 1B. If you look into one of these hashtags you’ll encounter a blooming and supportive community that live-streams tarot readings, spell tutorials, and engaging educational videos on crystals, candles, plants, astrology, and their take on the study of “magick” (witches use this spelling to distinguish what they do from the more common optical illusion magic). TikTok’s tools and algorithm encourage creativity and promote variety which can help witches spread their craft. A big part of its algorithmic advantage comes from the For You page, which encompasses a collection of recommended videos, personalized to your interests. But rather than getting trapped in a bubble of seeing the same things over and over again, as you might with other platforms, TikTok’s fyp works to introduce you to new content creators that embrace new ways of thinking. This is how many “baby witches'' were introduced to this amazing craft, and even if you are not a witch you can learn a lot and you can expand your spirituality and ideas.

 Through this, I've learned that we all have in us the potential to become witches if we are willing to reconnect with nature and embrace its wisdom. The first step to discovering our magic is to understand that all we need to grow and make the world around us what we want it to be, is within us; realizing that we have and are the perfect ingredients to do magic. I invite you to expand your interests and get to know this wonderful side of TikTok, because there is so much to learn and who knows, maybe you are destined to become a witch.

You can watch this video to learn more about witches!