18/07/2026
Why I hate modern witchcraft
This being initiatory Wicca, feminist witchcraft, channeling, manifestation, white witches, light working systems etc
Ok hate is a strong word, I used to get riled up about the use of the word witch. I used to see the memes you know the ones "we are the daughters of the witches you failed to burn" and I'd cringe, I'd see posts about how witchcraft is intention, how to be high vibe, how this system is better because it's of the light and we only deal with high vibe ascended Masters and angels. It would make me tense up, it would make me angry, i'd feel like I needed to comment and right a wrong. This post is a reflection of how my attitude has changed. I don't dislike any of these things any less, but I don't feel anything when I see the posts and people promoting them anymore. I've accepted that witchcraft is niche, hidden and occult and you won't see it out in the open and on the rare instance that you do, you won't recognise it because it will look so alien to what everyone is promoting at progress.
But back to the why. I see the intention behind modern witchcraft, it is empowerment, it is giving everyone an opportunity to improve their lives and connect with something greater. The WHY I hate it is because not only does it fail to do this but it undermines the things that actually do this.
Let's break it down what we call metaphysics and light work or white witchcraft fails to teach in-depth discernment. There are much older witchcraft systems that have spirits inbuilt into the initiations. Spirits pacted with many generations ago that protect the system and the people of it, spirits that become like ancestors who guide and correct, who keep out opposing forces and spirits who are misrepresenting themselves. The ceremonial systems of magic have practices, they build and purify the energy systems, they teach the feeling of energy signatures and give the practitioner the ability to feel when something is different or wrong. They also encourage skepticism which is always wise when dealing with spirits as spirits can present themselves however and as whatever they wish. Spirits are vetted, tested and methods to dispel them are taught. While building relationships with spirits who can assist when things get out of hand is part of the practice. The systems are geared at gradually increasing authority, wisdom and ability to affect reality and shape the world to your desire.
Light worker, white witch and metaphysics systems also fails to accept reality. Reality is neither good nor evil, magic and witchcraft, spirits are neither good nor evil. Harm happens constantly, we are always harming others. Our dislike of others is harmful (evil eye) our accepting a job is harmful as it deprives another from employment, speeding up medical treatment to get the needed surgery is harmful as it means others go without. Standing back and refusing to harm an abuser or dangerous person is harmful because it means there will be more victims, not fighting against corrupt policies and government is harmful and I don't need to explain why. Harm isn't evil, the good and morally right are contextual. If we truly wanted to go through life not causing harm we'd have to refuse to consume and dedicated our life to farming and producing for others and taking nothing for ourselves, never encountering others, never knowing others, never thinking of others. It just isn't possible.
Feminist witchcraft I feel is misguided, it shrinks witchcraft by trying to say that witches weren't burnt, innocent and disliked women were. Sure the justice system was leveraged to take the life of non witches but why argue that women simply are witches. Why argue that everything is magic and mundanify power. You don't make power accessible instead you are asking women to accept less. Feminist witchcraft is often akin to snake oil, very passionate women speaking up to sell to the masses something easier to digest that has one thousandth of the oomph.
By all means feminists should utilise witchcraft, witchcraft should be used to fight politics. But the whole all women are witches, witches is a slur against women. It's tired and pointless. Also witchcraft is gender neutral there are many male witches and non binary witches.
As far as channelling goes I'm sure people feel awesome connecting with spirits, I love spirits. However I practice within pacts, systems and relationships and constantly deal with the same spirits. Spirits I know, spirits chosen for their capabilities, spirits I've vetted to be true speaking and reliable. A variety of spirits to achieve different goals. I do sometimes seek out information from other spirits however I distrust it, I test it and I wait to see if it has merit. I then don't assume that if a spirit has delivered good information or results that it will again or everytime. Having a team of spirits or a spirit court means I can fairly quickly diagnose something that's amiss in my life and guide it back to circumstances that are more beneficial, it means less things catch me off guard and I can see the results of the spirit court overflow into me and my reality, I become more like them, more capable, more knowledgeable and my world becomes faster and faster to bring me bigger and bigger desires.
Manifestation, recipe based magic (spells), affirmation, high vibe. I see these as more snake oil. They do have some results but nothing compared to what you get from learning to direct power, gaining spiritual authority and dealing with capable spirits. These things are also misleading, sells teach that the power is in the objects, not that you can connect to and create synergy using objects to generate an environmental condition that can hold power.
What even is high vibe? Magic uses emotional energy to direct power. Anger can be a fantastic way to build power to direct into a useful result. Anger can be righteous and help form healthy boundaries. Anger as a response to certain conditions and actions is very healthy.
Manifestation can work for the few, however most systems don't teach how it works properly and what mechanisms are at play.
Wicca I dislike because it's just bits of other systems mashed into one and because of how it's talked about many don't know that other systems exist. It's also more religion focused which creates confusing dialogue for the community about witchcraft not being a religion.
Folk practices, shrines, ancestor worship, midwifery, medicine work, power animals, crystal healing, smudging, sweat lodges, bone setting, herbalism these things I've never classified as witchcraft. All good and useful things but all relatively normal everyday human things.
Just like intuition and psychic skills very mundane normal human things.
I used to get bothered by all these things being spoken about as witchcraft because it meant that the frequency of talking about spirit possession to attain skills and deliver messages and healing, astral flight for information gathering, combat, healing and real world affects, what large intelligences and local spirits are capable of, miracles and the tech of how to change the world just wasn't being discussed. It felt like people gave up and were playing small, like people didn't want to be happy, healthy, safe and prosperous. It seemed pretty baffling to me.
As for now I just accept that people get things from these systems, they have good points and they serve a purpose. For many they are as far as they are comfortable going, or they are the limit of how much discipline and energy one can devote into something. They perhaps feel safer or more comfortable. Some people are relatively happy and they find social connections, like minds and the types of results they are after. All that is ok, traditions and old magic still thrive in the same places they have always been and those who seek will find them. There are great resources when one looks in the right places.
So at the end of the day, I don't feel frustrated as nothing has really changed. Everything is still where it always was.
