Joanna Wiedźma (polish.folk.witch on Instagram) has shared some prompts to get people thinking about online witchcraft community.
Topic 3: Imposter Syndrome and FOMO
• When I follow other creators in the community space, does it make me feel genuinely inspired and empowered or does it create feelings of FOMO and being less than?
• If I experience FOMO, has it ever left me feeling vulnerable to be taken advantage of financially, or otherwise?
• An example would be: the “need” to purchase the latest popular product or book to “fit in”?
• When practising my craft, do I find myself comparing what I do to what I’ve been seeing people do online?
• In what ways do I combat imposter syndrome?
• What would my practice look like without the social media influence of other creators?
When I follow other creators in the community space, does it make me feel genuinely inspired and empowered or does it create feelings of FOMO and being less than?
What makes me feel inspired: photos of natural beauty, stone circles, burial mounds and scenery, together with their reflections on what they’ve seen or experienced there. I love to see altar pictures, and I especially enjoyed the Regional Witchcraft Challenge hashtag, where people posted pictures of the witchy things they had collected from their local environment. But the thing that inspires me the most is people’s interactions with places. I also really like the What Witches Look Like hashtag, where people post pictures of themselves to show the diversity of witches.
FOMO & less-than feelings: Where FOMO kicks in for me is online discussions on Discord. And wanting to go to conferences and meet people who I’ve known online for years. It’s also hard sometimes when “shinier” witches get more followers and likes.
Do I “need” to purchase the latest popular product or book to “fit in”?
No, I have never felt this urge. Once a maverick and an anarchist, always a maverick and an anarchist. However if you feel this urge—buy my books!
When practising my craft, do I find myself comparing what I do to what I’ve been seeing people do online?
No. I do get inspiration for rituals and magical work from online articles, but once done, I don’t compare.
What would my practice look like without the social media influence of other creators?
Pretty much the same, I think. I’ve been practising Wicca for nearly 33 years now, and I’ve been on Instagram for five years — so my practice was already well established before I even got on to Instagram.
Dowsing for Divinity 