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Discussion
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Yesterday, I came across a banishing work on TikTok that got me thinking. I feel like it’s implied that anyone who comes across these spells can just copy what they see and have success with it. I don’t believe that beginners and dabblers – regardless of the path, including simple folk magic – have the capacity for most work beyond basic protection spells and the like. I’m just not buying it, and wish more emphasis was placed on fundamentals like grounding, visualization, etc.
Why is this even a concern? Because beginner witches might become disillusioned when they don’t see results and that is ultimately a disservice to the community at large. I realize that on a platform like TikTok there isn’t much room for nuance; so maybe that’s not the right venue for posting advanced work. Maybe in your path a person can hit the ground running with curses and love spells. Please chime in if so, but it doesn’t seem realistic.
Just food for thought for any content creators reading this.
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Witchtok has given beginners and dabblers a false sense of what they can accomplish at the outset.
updated 2 years ago
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I’m pretty sure the posts are deliberately exaggerated and often times deliberately outrageous (I haven’t forgotten about the “hex the moon/fae” debacle), that’s what gets the engagement, attention is a hell of a drug
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It’s definitely a mixed bag on there- I think it’s great for some people to find their footing or put them on their path to witchcraft. It’s kinda what started me on mine- I remember one day being like, “How did I end up on witchtok?”…and then a week or so later I was on reddit, and doing research elsewhere.
Totally agree the lack of nuance can be potentially harmful! I get a lot of manifestation videos, and per a lot of creators, toxic positivity is a must- no doubt or your manifestations won’t come to fruition! But click like and follow and it’ll come true in 24 hours! My brain’s always trying to find ways to make astrology readings apply to my life and I have to remind myself that not everything is a sign.
I guess in a weirdly positive way, it’s made me more connected to my actual practice- it makes me stop and think about the work I’ve done and find confidence in it. When I’m out in the world it’s made me really stop and think about if something is a sign or if I’m engaging in illusion/confirmation bias. There’s also a few creators I’ve found who focus on education that have been helpful as well, especially in assuaging my anxiety that I’ve done something wrong or reminding me that I don’t need every single crystal or herb known to mankind!
Guess in the end I kind of feel like it partially sucks, but it can be a great leaping point for someone who is serious about learning also!
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I feel like witchtok is like misdirection……make it seem easy so when they try it and nothing works they give up lol
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Basic symbolism feels like it’s lacking. Cinnamon, ginger, rose in a love jar? Sure but why? If someone doesn’t understand why things go in something, then how do they expect it to work?
Frankly I figure half the time even the folks putting these spells up don’t understand WHY the spell is the way it is.
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Our local apothecary/”witch” store always knows what the next trend in Witchtok is. Suddenly everyone within a certain age range is buying the same stuff and that’s the sign.
It’s fast fashion for witchcraft, and the quality of their work and understanding shows.
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I think a witch, within reason, can do whatever they set their mind to. Will a beginner witch have as much success as an elder in their spell work? Possibly not, but they should still give it a whirl, and experiment, and not be afraid to try things. That’s how people go from beginner to advanced. I’ve been a witch for over 30 years, all of it completely solitary, not even knowing one other fellow witch until the last couple years. If I hadn’t tried advanced shit and was successful, or failed, I wouldn’t have learned anything.
In my opinion, the only path we should be worried about is our own. Let the beginner and the dabbler witches figure it out. Those that get discouraged and possibly fall out of the community weren’t here for the long haul anyway. Those that are meant to be here will dig in their heels and keep learning, keep seeking, keep trying.
Witchtok is another fad in the long life of the internet that will die as soon as the next shiny thing hits our phones, then we can all love and hate that. Let the kids have their fun, figure their shit out, and find their own path. They aren’t affecting our practices.
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I’ve never heard anything nice about witch tok. I’ve seen so many clips of teenagers claiming their deity possesses them, talks to them about starbucks or somehow married their deity. I know some of this is possible in theory for advanced practioners but…not my jive.
I always remember a friend coming to me once asking me ‘I saw witches on tiktok saying males can’t call themselves witches, is that true?’. So much gatekeeping on there it’s awful.
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I feel like witchtok is super dangerous for witches who aren’t willing to research, especially baby witches who don’t understand grounding, centering, circle casting, etc.
While I’m admittedly a baby witch, I do really like some witchtok because it gives me ideas for my research. Key word: ideas.
I find videos about spell jars–I look into the ingredients, the methods, the opposition on using jars, etc. Now I have my own method of utilizing people’s spell jars. I personally like to find a couple of the ingredients in a spell jar list, wrap them in a paper with a sigil on it, and burn it. I just use it as inspiration and go about it my own way with my own protection.
Then again, I’ve never seen super powerful spells float around on witchtok though. I rarely even see banishment spells… Most of the stuff I see are spell jars and sun water and meditating outside, which are all gentle and calm–I got into witchcraft because of the gentle self-love routines, after all!
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I can’t stand 95% of witchtok. I keep telling my friend to get off it since some videos have literally given her panic attacks.
The creators want clicks and are going to scam, scare, and culturally appropriate until being *witchy* isn’t trendy anymore.
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I don’t think you’re right. Some spells can be done just like that, copy words, say something, throw it in a jar, and it will work. One of the most successful spells I ever did was just throwing a few things into a jar and setting it aside, no intention, no charging, no nothing, just some stuff in a jar. And it made something almost impossible happen.
The witches that get disilusioned because something didn’t work the first few times they tried, aren’t witch material.
You put in the work into your craft, good for you. But don’t dismiss other paths. If you haven’t tried doing something a certain way, you have no right to judge it. Tiktok was already discussed a few times. It’s no different that any other medium, you get some good stuff with some not so good stuff.
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Welcome to social media in general lol. It’s all a plague when it comes to reliable information and the ones with the most views/followers/etc are also the most likely to be full of it.
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I think it’s equally bad when a novice who may have some natural talent starts trying out these complicated spells without the right foundation. The results can be unpredictable
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Maybe I’m just weird, but as someone who has just started looking into witchery and has yet to do anything other than read, witchtok is actually what started me looking into witchery. I’ve never felt like I should be able to do all the things I see TT creators do – nor would I want to follow in someone else’s footsteps in that way. The only things witchtok has done for me are 1) get my brain thinking and 2) be entertaining. But again, maybe I’m just weird about how I’m approaching witchcraft (super careful to read up on *everything*).
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I HAAAAAAATE WitchTok. As someone who has practiced magick for over 15 years, it drives me insane how superficial and basic witchcraft has become. Short-form content on TikTok doesn’t allow enough time to explain the energy manipulation happening behind the scenes to actually make a spell WORK. It’s not just about pretty crystals and putting herbs in jars. There’s a massive energy component that’s missing and it makes me want to pull my hair out.
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I don’t like witchtok at all. TikTok in general doesn’t sit well with me. But I think it is a good way to get started. But that’s it. I think instead of showing spells or hexes or whatever on there, I think they should give tips and little snippets of information. Facts that someone could do further research into to understand it better and develop their knowledge. Unfortunately that seems very unlikely, but being “witchy” is just a trend and it will die out soon.
