Witchcraft, which includes Paganism, Wicca, and folk magic is one of the fastest growing spiritual paths in America in recent years. Why is that? In the year 1990, Trinity College in Connecticut estimated there were 8,000 followers of Wicca. In 2008, the U.S. Census Bureau figure was 342,000.
A 2014 Pew Research Center study increased that projection several times over in testing that 0.4% of Americans identified as Pagan, Wicca, or New Age. (Most modern pagan worship, of which Wicca is one type, draws on pre-Christian traditions in revering nature.)
By 2050, it said, the number of Americans practicing “other religions” — faiths outside Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism — would triple “due largely to switching into other religions (such as Wicca and Pagan religions).”
The exact number of Pagans is difficult to determine because many practitioners are solitary and, either by choice or circumstance, do not openly identify as Pagan. But the growth is extremely evident, especially to those who’ve made it their life’s work to study the community.
There’s been a trend online where people who used to be very religious in Christianity or other religions convert to study Paganism and practice it themselves. People started doing this because they felt it created space for recognition and representation. Many have felt seen and more comfortable practicing Paganism.
The escalation of Paganism, Wicca, and witchcraft reflects two universal urges: the need to draw meaning from chaos, and the desire to control the things around us. With everything happening in the world right now, it’s not surprising that Witchcraft, Paganism, and Wicca appeals to those seeking to fix things going wrong in the world.
Critics love to look down on these things, mostly because they don’t understand them. But many have gone from skepticism to believing after deciding to do something about a situation they were in with any of these three practices. Paganism, Wicca, and witchcraft to many, are a reminder that magic can be a beacon of hope during difficult times and healing when we need it the most.
