WitchTok, Performative Witchy-ness, and How to Learn in the Age of Misinformation [REPOST]
7/11/2020
Hello, all! I am back after a short hiatus. It’s been a busy week or so since I last posted a blog entry. Between the failed fair endeavor, my podcast with Eyedra, my flash sale (which ended this morning), expanding my brand, and just LIFE in general…. I’ve been stretched pretty thin. As of today, however, I have reached a nice point of calm within the storm. It would seem that the whole country is breathing a collective sigh of relief. We are not out of the woods yet, but we are finally at a point where we can take a good break. In celebration of that little break, I am taking some time to write about something I feel to be very important… Especially now! In times of struggle, we always see a resurgence in spirituality of all kinds. So it comes as no surprise that so many folks all around the world are beginning to step into their witchy power. It seems that the “witchy” craze has reached the furthest corners of the internet. It’s everywhere! You can’t swing a dead cat without hitting a post about witchcraft! It’s absolutely amazing! ….And terrifying. Also maddening, frustrating… perhaps even devastating if I’m allowed to be dramatic. Misinformation is at an all time high. We see so many people living the witch aesthetic, parading around in all black, wearing big rimmed hats, taking salacious photoshoots in a pentagram in the woods, coated in fake blood…… *deep sigh* All these things are perfectly fine, in and of themselves! In fact, I am a huge fan of the witch aesthetic. I wear almost exclusively black and big rimmed hats. There is nothing wrong with aesthetic and I definitely believe that witchcraft requires a certain visual element. However, the problem arises when people think that’s all witchcraft is. People think that you can wear dark eye liner and buy a tarot deck and then all of a sudden you’re a witch. We so often forget that to be a witch is to be a guardian of nature; to walk the line between human and animal. It is something that takes years of dedication and mastery; I wouldn’t even consider myself a master and I’ve been a dedicated solitary for ten years. That’s almost half my lifetime. When I began my journey, I was so very lost and alone. I didn’t know anyone else like me except for two other women, the women who owned and ran my local metaphysical shop; the only metaphysical shop accessible to me at the time. My teachers were the trees. I learned through reading everything I could get my hands on, trying everything, and dealing with the consequences. I’ve learned some hard lessons, let me tell you. I pretty effectively fucked up my whole life for a hot minute there. However this made me strong. I learned my lessons, I got stronger, I learned what is real and what is not. By no means am I saying that my path is the only path, but it certainly was effective in teaching me the ins and outs as a solitary practioner. If TikTok had been around when I was first starting out, I would have never made it this far. Is TikTok the worst thing out there in the realm of witchcraft? Absolutely not. In fact, I think Facebook witchcraft groups are a far worse place to learn about witchcraft than TikTok. At least on TikTok you can see what people are doing usually which, in my personal experience, is easier to view objectively. Where I find fault with WitchTok is that it relies a little heavily on spellcraft which I consider to be the most subjective part of witchcraft. I’d say for every 10 posts I see on TikTok, 4 to 5 are decent, and 5 to 6 are awful information. However this is also based on my personal experience with the app. My experience can not speak for the app as a whole, due to the nature of the algorithm. However I would not be doing my job as a witchy intermediate if I did not warn all of you of the dangers that can be had because of misinformation. Dangers not just of the spiritual kind! Witchcraft can involve dangerous materials (such as poisonous plants) and seeing people on TikTok using things like Belladona, Night Shade, and Pokeweed without discussing the dangers makes my skin crawl. TikTok is known for giving out bite sized bits of information. They are sample sized pieces, little crumbs of the whole picture. These crumbs are very useful! They give us a starting point! However, that’s all it is. A starting point. You will not become a master of anything by watching TikTok alone. I suppose my main point here is to please just be careful and do your fucking homework. Witchcraft involves a wee bit of gate keeping (none of which should involve race, gender, age, or choice of path mind you), simply because not everyone is meant to be a witch! That is okay and completely valid. I do encourage everyone who is interested to give it a good look! Do your research and really form an opinion on it. More people than ever before are reclaiming their power and I love that so much. Seeing all the new witches awakening is so exciting and fills me with hope. I am not alone anymore. Magik is real, but so are predators, false prophets, and snake oil salespersons. As with all things, if something magickal sounds too good to be true, it usually is. If anyone promises you a truth that only they can give you, it’s usually a scam. Ex Nihilio Nihil Fit, nothing comes from nothing. You need to work for all things in this life, loves. Work doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Work can be liberating in its own right. Witchcraft is an art, its a lifestyle, its decades of study and practice. Own your craft, but don’t be afraid to be a novice. Question everything. Read everything. Experiment. Find out for yourself. ….And above all, be true thine self and thine craft.
