Be cool to each other. We'll welcome most occult themes, it's okay if you stray from witchcraft a bit.
No advertising. No trolling. No hate. Violaters will be removed unceremoniously.
We love art credits when possible.
I remember this happening when I was a teen, and there are still many women I know into it.
My mother was a self proclaimed witch since the 80's/90's, and told me as a child fairies were real, and constantly told me I "had psychic powers." She read my cards and all that. It fucked me up wholly, and pushed me to science and fact. It's not for me, and I don't understand the fascination. But, if it makes other women happy, it's really harmless.
Just about every time someone said something dumb about me or other people, it had real impacts on their lives. Some asshole said I could read minds which drove away friends who believed that's possible. They also said I was a whore despite never even touching anyone until I was an adult; between me and others this happened to, it seriously harmed our ability to form relationships for years.
Ignorance and lies are not harmless.
it’s really harmless.
No its not. Belief in bullshit has negative consequences for the individual, their friends and family, and society as a whole.
Now, is it comparatively less harmful than some other things they could believe in? Absolutely but its still bad.
This is an ironically anti-intellectual way to engage with it. Magic isnt real, but knowledge on the natural world and medicine has been maintained through cultural practices like "witchcraft" in the past. Even beyond that, there's knowledge gained for young women in a patriarchal society when they develop relationships with other women and identify with a group that is explicitly counter-cultural on the basis of women empowerment.
Knowledge isn't just facts, it's skills and introspection. Belief in something "bullshit" is often necessary to learn something that is not "bullshit." We teach kids scientifically inaccurate information when they are young because they dont have a basis of knowledge that would enable more nuanced and accurate understandings. They "believe" in something like three states of matter and two genders/sexes because we judge that as a necessary belief to foster the skills that will enable them to learn the reality of these things later.
If they gained self - understanding and empowerment through this phase, then it isn't bullshit. You should challenge this doomerism.
I was tryin to have good grace here
I know some people do it as a hobby/curiosity/passion/personality thing. They don't actually believe it, but it's fun and looks cool. That's harmless. The people who believe it's real though? That's not as harmless. It makes you less engaged with reality and fact, and maybe you won't participate in actual work to fix things because you think your magic is just as good, or better.
Yeah there's plenty of ways to take part in stuff like this without actually believing in magic, or fairies - or gods. It seems like our berry picking ape brains desire these types of narratives and the communities we can gain through them, so I'd even argue it is more stupid to try to fight against them than just accept they're part of us and play along when needed.
Practicing magic or going to a church can be about doing fun things that tickle your brain, about tradition, about community - it doesn't need to mean you don't believe in science or have to abandon realistic worldview. Pitting science against belief instead of seeing the tendency to create weird little narratives about the world as a thing we do hasn't solved things - the cults and beliefs are still there and ever so strong - just driven a lot of people deep deeeep into crazy
because being in a coven with amazing women is preferable than being near high school boys.
Even into adulthood, they love bullshit like horoscopes and blood types (the latter more prominent in Japan).
Isn't it assumed that witches get their power from the devil?
When Ezekiel raises the dead, it's a blessing from god. But when I do it...
