Modern witchcraft revival brings the practice 'out of the broom closet'

Alexandra Raquel ted hughes wears many hats: fuss, business concern possessor, leaders mentor — and witch.

It’s the latter, she says, that stirs up significant intrigue. 

"People are very curious about what that means," she said. "There's this stigma and there's this myth. And so for someone who looks like a normal person, you know, to come about and to claim or reclaim that word, often people have a lot of questions."

The 53-year-old from Toronto is part of what some witch communities and academics point to as a witchcraft resurgence as seen in rising social media trends. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, some reports and studies have suggested there is a rising interest in religion and spirituality, including witchcraft.

More Canadians embrace witchcraft in modern revival

Hughes began her journey at the start of the pandemic while her family was posted in Brazil for her husband's job.

"What actually rooted me into witchcraft was a connection with the earth, because I was spending so much time outside," she said. "I had nothing to do, I wasn't seeing other people, and so I suppose I was seeking to fill that in a different way."

However, in the years since, the cauldron of curiosity still bubbles for her and others.

Google Trends shows that since 2021, there has been a 70 per cent increase in searches for the question "What is witchcraft?" in Canada. Social media has been one of the catalysts in transitioning witchcraft from a widely misunderstood practice into a cultural phenomenon. On TikTok, the subgenre #WitchTok has now amassed more than 9.1 million tagged videos, up 50 per cent in two years. 

Mélanie Houle, an adjunct professor at the University of Ottawa’s Department of Classics and Religious Studies, says periods of upheaval and change historically see people seeking self-empowerment. 

"We are living through a very bizarre time. There is a lot of anxiety," she said. "People feel they don't have a good grasp on their own life, so practising magic is a way to get control sometimes."

She says most people involved in witchcraft "practise white magic rituals of protection and positive magic."

Witchcraft is diverse and difficult to define, evolving throughout its complex and deeply stigmatized history, which encompasses thousands of years. Witch hunts and trials spanned from the 15th to 18th centuries, resulting in an estimated 30,000 to 60,000 executions, according to scholars.

Stigma related to witchcraft have persisted. As recently as December 2018, a Canadian woman was charged with "pretending to practice witchcraft." Two days later, that section of the Criminal Code was formally repealed.

Modern witchcraft is often described as a nature-based practice or spirituality that can operate independently of religious belief, or within various religious frameworks.

Houle teaches a course on witchcraft, magic and occult traditions and says defining the terms witchcraft and magic is the hardest part. 

"Normally, people think that they know what magic and witchcraft is. But when we look more closely, we realize that it's not that obvious."

Wicca is a modern, Earth-centred religion where witchcraft is deeply intertwined. However, not all witches identify as Wiccan and not all Wiccans are witches. 

Canada’s 2021 census identified 12,625 Wiccans, with the broader Pagan umbrella totaling 45,325 people.

Tua Broom is a 38-year-old "witchfluencer" from rural B.C. "I'm aware it's the coolest witch name ever," she said, laughing. 

On TikTok, she goes by @tua.the.witch, providing what she calls "witchy auntie advice." She also mails out a monthly witchcraft 'coven club' zine.

"I've started social media accounts before, I’ve never had them grow this quickly," Broom said of her TikTok that has gained more than 8,000 followers since October. 

Her fellow "witch aesthetic" creators predominantly share tarot, spells and spiritual education.

"I think the reason why people are so drawn to witchcraft accounts in general, is they're just looking for that sense of community," said Broom, who was raised Christian, but diverted to Wicca as a teenager.

She eventually left the religion but maintained her love of witchcraft and its feminist leadership qualities.  

"I think women specifically are attracted to witchcraft because it gives them that sense of power."

But she says a handful of #WitchTok content she sees can appear performative.

That’s not surprising according to Colleen Derkatch, a professor in the Department of English at Toronto Metropolitan University, who studies the rhetoric of science, health and medicine.

"Absolutely, [some] creators are seeing an opportunity to create essentially a sales funnel."

She says the spiritual movement could be viewed as a chance to sell goods, like homemade oils and tea, and warns that there's no regulatory oversight over the safety of these products. 

"I think consumers might want to ask, who's benefiting in this scenario?"

When Kiki Keskinen started her witch school in 2017, she knew it would get attention.

"I'm not wrong to call it a witch school. It is a formal program that you enrol in, like a private school, but it's closer to a feminist MBA than anything," she said.

Run out of her home in Chelsea, Que., the online and in-person program also includes lessons in herbal magic, shapeshifting and tarot reading. She says demand for places is surging, and notes there are around 900 alumni coast to coast to coast.

"We've grown from three teachers to 13. We've grown from one course to three courses a year."

Hughes, who is one of Keskinen's students, is proudly "out of the broom closet," as it's known, however, not all are.

Keskinen says she’s delighted by the curiousity of younger generations and hopes this increased interest reduces stigma around the practice.

"We're deeply rooted in nature and community and substance, where we want to make change happen to better the world," she said. 

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