Sarah Magliocco explores how crystals, tarot and spellcasting have brought comfort and guidance to TikTok's #WitchTok community.
"You are at a crossroads in your life" the woman utters, turning the brightly illustrated Wheel of Fortune card over and placing it flat against an embroidered table cover, surrounded by black tourmaline and pink quartz crystals.
While this may sound like the ambiance of a fortune teller's grotto, it's actually an entirely virtual location - the For You page of short form video app TikTok.
Tarot card reading, potion making, crystals and spellcraft are all having a 2020s resurgence, garnering interest from a large and diverse community thanks to one of the world’s most popular social media apps. Users of the hashtag "Witchtok" can browse thousands of videos on a wide array of mystically oriented topics, which have racked up an impressive total of 11 billion views.
@jaykaizen How to charge crystals 🔮⚡️ - #crystals #learnontiktok #spiritual #witchtok #spiritualawakening #universe ♬ Take Me to Pluto - idonthateyou
Crystals, spell jars, tarot reading and hex casting are the most common video themes, while others encourage nosy hashtag browsers to "come out of the broom closet" and join the community. While some clearly believe in the work they're doing, there are others who simply enjoy the aesthetic and community aspect of it.
There is a practicality to witchcraft, a physical element to the rituals that has drawn many young people to it during the COVID-19 pandemic. #Witchtok kicked off in 2019, but saw a meteoric rise in popularity as uncertainty continues to grip the globe.
Baby witches
Novice mystics, known on TikTok as "baby witches," are seeking guidance and creating order in their lives through ancient crafts during this time of upheaval and chaos.
The first time I was exposed to the genre was during a mindless scroll through the TikTok app, when a number of videos of tarot readings popped up. TikTok works on an algorithm, so while those who are interested in a topic may see the video, it will also be spat out to random users on the app. For this reason, I know the outcome of the tarot reading could not possibly be tailored to me, but I was fascinated by the reassuring nature of the reading.
Having gone to one-on-one tarot readers in the past, I had a keen interest in the craft already, but seeing the flourishing community on TikTok gave me the encouragement to try it for myself. Just weeks later a friend gifted me my first tarot card deck, and I began schooling myself on the Major and Minor Arcanas – the specific sets of cards in a tarot.
Belief systems aside, tarot cards can help the future seem certain, and help the indecisive among us in making decisions during a time of unpredictability - much like the one we are all living through. They can also help make sense of the past.
With the free time lockdown allowed, many people slowed down for the first time in years, and reflected on past issues or traumas. Drawing tarot cards from the deck can reveal a fresh way of thinking about situations and past experiences, inspiring the interpreter to have a new perspective.
During a time when the pandemic has taken so much normalcy from so many of us, witchcraft has become a popular wellness hobby. The cultivation of routines in our lives has become a necessity while normal working conditions are disbanded and socialising is restricted, and the addition of mindful witchcraft practices like manifestation journals, crystal keeping and spell jars have filled a void for many.
Manifesting
I don’t define myself as a witch, unlike many practitioners online, but I seek comfort and focus through the reading of tarot cards and through manifestation as a form of self care.
Manifestation is the most basic form of witchcraft depicted on #Witchtok, and teaches that the practice of constructive thought can lead to your wants and dreams becoming a reality. It is the basic premise of long-hailed self-help book The Secret by Rhonda Byrnes, which has been touted as life changing by celebrities for years, but Tiktok is propelling the art into the modern day with an occult edge.
For me, small practices like keeping a five minute journal each morning to outline what would make my day great helps to manifest those points into existence, galvanizing the thoughts in my mind and psychologically steering me towards making productive choices.
It’s not about throwing a request out into the ether and sitting back, assuming the universe will take care of it for you. My witchcraft practices are simple rituals that help me reinforce the actions I will take to make them happen. From lighting pink candles to promote self love and jotting down positive affirmations, these acts strengthen my commitment to my aspirations.
Making big plans can seem futile while living through a pandemic, but making small steps towards long term goals is still possible, and manifestation organises those goals in a practical way.
Crystals have long been hailed as a healing tool, with ancient civilisations donning amulets made of different materials for luck or to promote health and fertility. They have been used in various religions as symbols, with Catholicism using the garnet, also known in ancient Catholic scripture as a carbuncle, to represent Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross.
In modern times, crystals can be used as symbols and charms to amplify manifestation, for protection while spellcasting and to promote the flow of good energy in the home. They can be seen sprinkled throughout many videos on the #WitchTok hashtag, as aesthetic accessories and tools of the trade.
Elders vs babies
However, the viral trend for witchcraft has led to criticism from more practiced witches. Known as elder witches, some have taken to TikTok and Twitter to lament the fact that witchcraft is being seen as a passing trend.
While witchcraft may be a fun viral fad for many to try out, for others it is a deeply held set of spiritual beliefs. A scroll through #WitchTok showcases young people making hexes for their exes, calling on ancient deities for assistance with magic and concocting strong herbal tea blends, sometimes with disastrous results - all of which are actions condemned by some elders on the app.
WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THE MOON?
— clingyjup ✿ VENTI HAVER (@sleepybur) July 19, 2020
✨
a thread, because everyone is confused.
In August of 2020, viral news outlets reported that a battle was ensuing online between baby witches and elder witches on TikTok, after a cohort of inexperienced social media users attempted to place a hex on the moon.
While this statement may seem ridiculous to those with more traditional beliefs, over on #WitchTok, this incident was the catalyst for a divide between new witches and longstanding practitioners of the craft. Despite the divide between new age TikTok witches and long established mystics, the community as a whole is open to welcoming anyone to try their hand at the craft.
Social media has made it easy to access the how-to of the methods, though TikTok isn’t the first place contemporary witches have congregated online. Early 2000s behemoth blogging website Tumblr features thousands of posts about witchcraft and new age spirituality.
Both Tumblr and TikTok share a passion for strong aesthetics, and with the popularity of TikTok growing steadily during the pandemic, witchcraft became accessible in a way it had never been before.
While witchcraft may be a fringe set of beliefs, it's simple manifestation rituals, commitment to making "me time," positive chants, and encouragement of writing down your thoughts and feelings are all proven ways of promoting self care, something we all need more of during the pandemic.
Whether you want to get fully invested in spellcasting and divination, or would rather ditch the occult energy and simply start keeping a diary of your goals, there are lifestyle lessons on #WitchTok that can improve your mindset - with or without the black cats and broomsticks.
The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent or reflect the views of RTÉ.
