Joanna Wiedźma (polish.folk.witch on Instagram) has shared some prompts to get people thinking about online witchcraft community. To participate, use the hashtag #occultea and tag her on Instagram or Threads.

Topic 1: Impact on Community

• What is my personal reasoning/inspiration behind sharing my practice online?

• What am I looking to achieve by participating? Do I seek to educate, learn or connect?

• How do I believe social media, as a whole, has impacted the community?

• How do I think social platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube have each impacted education/sharing information?

• Is consuming witchcraft content becoming a substitute for practice?

What is my personal reasoning/inspiration behind sharing my practice online?

I share very little of my actual practices but I write a lot about the underlying theory of witchcraft practices. Why do we do things in a specific way, or in a heterocentric way? Can we do them better and in a more inclusive way? What is the inner meaning of sweeping the circle, calling the quarters, or invoking deities? What is the magical effect you’re trying to achieve by casting and sweeping a circle or calling a quarter? Can you achieve that magical effect better by doing it differently?

My motivation in talking about all this is to make LGBTQ2SIA people feel welcome and included and affirmed in the Craft, and to get people to think about the magical and spiritual impact of their practice.

What am I looking to achieve by participating? Do I seek to educate, learn or connect?

Educate — yes, I want to encourage people to think about the Craft in a more inclusive way and to engage with the inner work of magical practices rather than the surface aspects of them. I also hope people will buy my books because I can go into more depth in a book. I don’t make a living out of my books— I’m a software developer.

Learn — yes I like to learn about others’ experiences and practices, and sometimes incorporate things that I have seen online into my practice (with credit to the author).

Connect — I like to connect with new people and existing friends in the magical community.

How do I believe social media, as a whole, has impacted the community?

I think it must be even harder to be a male witch as most of the highly visible social media witches are women. Though I’m following a lot of male witches!

In initiatory Wicca, online communication has resulted in a lot more mutual understanding and respect between different groups, and the vast majority of the community embracing inclusive practices. I imagine that’s also true for other communities.

There’s also a lot of misinformation shared online (especially about initiatory Wicca).

On the whole, though, I think having online community spaces has been beneficial for the Craft.

How do I think social platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube have each impacted education/sharing information?

The problem with these platforms is that the algorithm is king, and what’s shiny or pretty gets more views. So people with the time to make professional looking content tend to get more attention. It doesn’t necessarily mean that they know what they’re talking about.

Is consuming witchcraft content becoming a substitute for practice?

Probably, yes. At least in the mornings when I’m sitting with a cup of tea looking at Instagram instead of lighting incense in my temple.

My practice tends to be mostly coven based (y’know, old-fashioned in-person covens) so online content can never be a substitute for that, for me personally — the opportunity to gather with other witches and do magic and ritual together in person is my happy place.