Turning to Witchcraft: How Witchcraft Practices Can Improve Mental Health

By Allie Reilly

With the state of the world being what it is currently, it is no surprise that people are looking for a way to connect with each other and a way to heal their own mental trauma. 

Globally, about 8.9% of the world’s population – 690 million people – go to bed on an empty stomach each night. A shocking 9.2% of the world survives on $1.90 a day or less. I haven’t even mentioned climate change, warming oceans, disastrous events, ice caps melting, ocean acidification. And of course, the current global pandemic. 

All of this is having a catastrophic impact on young people’s mental health. Suicide is the second leading cause of death in 15 to 29-year-olds. Depression is a leading cause of disability worldwide and is a major contributor to the overall global burden of disease. 

So, what are young people doing to combat this? Turning to witchcraft.

The author of Witches of America, Alex Marr, estimates that there are up to one million practitioners of witchcraft today in the US across big cities, tiny towns, and the countryside. A 2014 Pew Research Center report suggested that the United States’ adult population of pagans and Wiccans was about 730,000, on par with the number of Unitarians – a lot of young people are turning to the craft! 

Witchcraft encompasses mainstream ideas and practices such as yoga and meditation, mindfulness, manifesting, and seeing ourselves as one collective being. These practices have been utilised for years in CBT and other forms of therapy, and it makes sense. 

Meditation is great for anxiety control; it gives you new perspectives on stressful situations and allows you to build skills to manage your stress, increase self-awareness, and focus on the present. These benefits don't end when the meditation session ends. Meditation can help carry you more calmly through your day and help you manage symptoms of stress, anxiety, and general existential dread. 

Manifesting also helps witches and practitioners take control of what they really want. The elements of manifesting – intention, purposeful attention, and anticipation of favourable future events – are also known to have a positive impact on mental health. These foundational elements of manifestation are already used as part of many therapies. 

Most therapists are helping their clients examine their thoughts and understand the connection between their thoughts, their emotions, and their experiences. Manifesting is good for mental health since it may help people realise that their thoughts matter. What you think shapes how you feel, what you do, and what you experience.

Witches see each other as one collective being experiencing the world as individuals. We are all connected, and knowing this helps mitigate loneliness, isolation, and depression. Witches are becoming a strong group. Spiritual Instagram alone has millions of accounts. The tag for witchcraft has 6.3 million posts! It is hard to feel alone and like an outsider when so many of us are sharing ourselves online in such a big community.

Witchcraft can have such a profound impact on mental health. I have never felt more together and happier than when I am sharing information about the new moon or having a tarot reading from an old high school friend. 

The craft might not be able to heal the world, but the collective group of us are trying! We are here for each other; we are manifesting change; we are protecting indigenous and marginalised peoples. Most importantly, we have a bright outlook for the world of tomorrow.