How Feminism and Witchcraft Go Hand in Hand

At first, the term “pagan” was a derogatory term used to describe rural European peasants that still clung tight to the old faith instead of converting to the increasingly popularized Christian faith. When it comes to pagan witchcraft, however, there is a misconception dating back to the 1400s that the craft is inherently dark and wrong. Witchcraft uses nature, superstition, supernatural forces, and other practices as a means of influencing one’s life. Witches take power into their own hands, holding an internal locus of control that threatened many as Christianity became a dominating religion in fifteenth-century Europe. Christians would demonize pagan witchcraft and wrongfully accuse witches of worshipping Satan, an Abrahamic personification of evil that actually had no place in pre-Christian religions.

Today, witchcraft has had a major resurgence through the help of pop culture drawing attention to its taboo as early as the 1990s, piquing the interest of many young women for a plethora of reasons. For example, at any Urban Outfitters right now, one could find themselves a set of tarot cards, spell books, crystals, and a beginner’s guide to witchcraft. As time goes on, the population of humans that deem themselves “spiritual, but not religious” increases. Many are enjoying taking bits and pieces of ideology and rituals from a variety of faiths, including witchcraft, and incorporating them into their own set of beliefs. Witchcraft has real value that the young women of today’s culture recognize and practice. Young women are drawn to modern witchcraft for everything that it is not.

Beyond the natural urge within Gen Z to rebel against what is expected of them and push boundaries, young women are also simply in need of their own power. It is no secret that today’s society is patriarchal. From a young age, girls are taught that must cover themselves up if they do not want to be harassed. They are taught to be passive and dependent otherwise they are to be deemed a “bitch”. Strict patriarchal standards are set for women to be the ones who are emotional, vulnerable, and weak to the point where it is not even socially acceptable for men to cry, since they are to be only strong and powerful. Young women are, and for good reason, warned never to roam the streets alone at night. Men quite literally make more money than women working the same job. Additionally, it seems ages now that women have almost exclusively been portrayed as sex objects in media, often limiting them to the role of a love interest. It is no wonder why teenage girls turn to witchcraft to achieve a sense of control and internal strength, regardless of the negative stigma surrounding it. First published in 1979, Starhawk wrote a pivotal book on reintroducing Goddess worship and Neopagan belief systems to the world. Starhawk wonderfully wrote that “to reclaim the word witch is to reclaim our right, as women, to be powerful; as men, to know the feminine within as divine”(Starhawk). When women partake in witchcraft, they are owning their divine power. Since witch hunts were historically used as an excuse to control women, especially those that acted independently or lived on the outskirts of town, identifying oneself as a witch is an act of rebellion.

The growing rejection of traditional religion amongst Millennial and Gen Z reveals the allure of neopagan witchcraft in that Christianity is misogynistic and witchcraft goes hand in hand with feminism. Original sin, according to the Bible, was committed by the first-ever woman to walk the Earth, Eve. Timothy 2:11-15 states that a woman is to “learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control” (Timothy 2:11-15). The Virgin Mary is to be worshipped for she was submissive and out of touch with her sexuality, God is a man up in the sky who holds all the power, and Eve’s desire to eat the apple of knowledge made her the ultimate sinner. Simply being a woman is enough to be ashamed about in current traditional religions. Alternatively, neopagan witchcraft is a faith that encourages everyone, especially women, to seek knowledge, gain experience, connect with nature, and embrace their sexuality. Bianca Bosker explains in her article, “Why Witchcraft Is on the Rise”, that “witchcraft beckons with the promise of a spirituality that is self-determined, anti-patriarchal, and flexible enough to incorporate varied cultural traditions”(Bosker, 14). Compared to the ruling majority of Christian faiths so often shoved down everyone’s throats, witchcraft is a breath of fresh air and a haven for young women. Practicing witchcraft draws in teenage girls because witchcraft brought them everything Christianity was incapable of bringing.

Witchcraft is just as valid as any other religion, including those under the Christian umbrella. It works for people as a means of faith and manifestation, everyone is different and they are entitled to their own spiritual journey. Nina Bahadur’s interview with a modern witch, Stacy Rapp, “A Modern-Day Witch Explains How Magic Can Empower Women”, supports the notion that witchcraft does deserve to be labeled sinful, but instead independent when Rapp explains that “the biggest draw with witchcraft, unlike a lot of spiritual craft, is that it’s proactive [and] you have the ability to manifest positive change in your life [instead of] thinking, if you pray really hard, maybe this will happen [witchcraft] is a lot more focused on working with the universe”(Bahadur, 7). If anything, holding oneself accountable for getting what one wants in life is admirable, not satanic. It is not often that people discuss how the Law of Attraction is evil, but when it comes to witchcraft, the devil is almost always brought up. Witchcraft will not be as heavily judged and stigmatized if people are also informed it exists beyond the boundaries of its taboo role in western civilization. In fact, witchcraft is still practiced in places like Africa, India, and Brazil where it remains heavily respected to this day. The Family Education staff does a great job of this in their 2020 article, “What Is Witchcraft?”, where they initially explain that “witchcraft of one sort of another has been practiced in many cultures for thousands of years -- witches are shamans, priests and priestesses, historians, teachers, gods, and healers”(Family Education Staff, 1). Smoothing out the stigma attached to witchcraft right away, the Family Education Staff acknowledges the many other normalized facets of witchcraft instead of turning their article into some tale of darkness.

In reality, there is an abundance of cultural factors that make neo-pagan witchcraft increasingly appealing to both Millennial and Gen Z women across the world. Spirituality is a crucial part of everyone’s life. Any ubiquitous higher power that one aligns themselves with deserves the same respect, whether it is God, the Universe, the Sun, Buddha, etc. With so many misogynistic, racist, and homophobic undertones within the beliefs of modern traditionalist religions, it is no wonder that young women are drawn to witchcraft for everything that it is not. Witchcraft is not sexist, strict, spartan, discouraging, ostentatious, or forbidding. Women love it for the freedom it gives them beyond what is expected of them in this society, such as being baby machines and sex toys. They love it for the power they are encouraged to harness. They love it for its flexible understanding and personalization. They love it for the sacrifices of strong women before them that paved their way. They love it for all they are defying and all they are becoming as young witches in the twenty-first century.