Thread by @RelMedCentre

**RMC Zoom Briefing**

@ruth_peacock is hosting our latest online discussion about modern paganism and witchcraft as the festivals of Halloween and Samhain.

We will be hearing about witches on TikTok and a rise in Wiccan and magical practice among younger generations.

@jenny_uzzell explains that while Halloween derives from the Christian festival of All Hallows, others are rooted in pagan religions, ancestors, the new year and relationships with the dead.

'There's a real difference of emphasis - it's a time of reflection and a serious connection with the dead. In Halloween we think about ghosts and scary things, but for pagans it's about remembering those who have died and celebrating them' - @jenny_uzzell

For many pagans, Samhain is the most important festival of the year, Jennifer says, of equivalent significance to Christmas for many.

'Paganism is more of an umbrella term. There are many different traditions within it and some regard them as religions and others don't. Witchcraft, druidry, Wicca - they are different but have some similar traits.' - @jenny_uzzell

Dr Melissa Harrington, district manager for the North West for the Pagan Federation, said the modern revival of witchcraft is relatively recent. A strong influence is the magical movement in the late 1800s, a response to industrialisation. Looks back to an older, rural idyll.

'This was the first religion for thousands of years to bring back the worship of the goddess - a female face of the divine.' - Melissa Harrington. But there is no direct link between contemporary paganism and ancient paganism, she says.

Dr Ethan Doyle-White, author and journalist, wrote 'Wicca: History, Belief, and Community in Modern Pagan Witchcraft'. He says it is quite a 'theologically diverse' movement, with many different perspectives on the nature of the divinity.

Unlike Christianity, Wicca is not primarily defined by its theology but is more like Hinduism in its diversity, Ethan Doyle-White argues.

'In some senses this is the wrong question. Post-Enlightenment Christian religion is firmly based on belief. But what unites paganism is not about commonality of belief - they are united more by practice and particular ways of orienting oneself towards the world.' - @jenny_uzzell

'You get good and bad people in witchcraft like you would in Christianity or Islam or Hinduism. There are Satanists, but I am not aware of any Satanist groups that identify as pagan.' - @jenny_uzzell

Helen Berger, one of the leading academic experts on paganism from Brandeis University, notes that the Satanist movement in the US is actually very active in social justice activism.

@AngelaPuca11 explains that in Italy, some Satanists do want to be identified as pagans, but @jenny_uzzell says there is little to no connection between modern witchcraft and worship of the devil. This myth entered the popular imagination through the history of witch trials.

Lucia Harrington is introduces the WitchTok movement of modern witches thriving as a sub-community on the social media site TikTok. Videos using the #witchtok hashtag vary enormously and not all represent people who are actually practising witchcraft or identify as 'baby witches'

Is social media fuelling a rise in witchcraft? It depends, says Lucia Harrington. It certainly allows practitioners to gather together online and share it. But as it filters through the internet it becomes vaguer and vaguer.

'Witchcraft is being capitalised on as people make money selling crystals and candles. At that point it becomes more of an aesthetic where people buy witchy things rather than people teaching actual witchcraft.' - Lucia Harrington

Helen Berger says hexing is generally avoided, as there is a fear of such things coming back on the hexer threefold. Her study of teenage witches from the early 2000s, a rise fuelled by TV shows such as Sabrina, suggests most who 'check out' witchcraft end up leaving it behind.

'I would suggest TikTok works the same way. The algorithm throws it onto their feed, but how long are they witches for? I suggest some are only witches for four weeks.'

How to even define witchcraft is very contested itself, Lucia Harrington notes. Someone using tarot cards or reading their zodiac horoscope could just be a hobby, not a religion. 'At what point would you call yourself a pagan or a Wiccan?'

'It is a fashion trend in some subcultures, such as the Goth scene. This is quite different from calling yourself an actual witch.' - Lucia Harrington

The issue is not about age or social media, but about where are the contested boundaries, says @jenny_uzzell. Some traditions such as Wicca and druidry are initiatory, you cannot simply just state you are a member.

The idea of a conflict between baby witches on TikTok and older witches is false, says Melissa Harrington.

'Every single generation the young lot are discovering it and talking about it. Most initiated witches are really happy about it. I have watched some of these TikToks and some are phenomenal. Some are funny, some are stupid, some are very clever.' - Melissa Harrington

Maddy Pennington asks how truth is discerned and where authority comes from within modern paganism. What is the relationships between religious experience versus the tradition?

@Jenny_uzzell says this depends on tradition. Some strands do have sources of authority, such as Wicca going through lines of initiation and the high priests/priestesses of the various covens. Others have correspondence courses to take to pass on the tradition.

'Pagans tend to be quite counter-cultural people and tend not to like the idea of somebody telling them what to do. There aren't really scriptural sources, there is no text to which people are referring.' - @jenny_uzzell

@AngelaPuca11 says even with non-initiatory traditions of eclectic pagans, you will tend to find people who act as priests/priestesses with a degree of authority. 'There is a tendency to try to find a leader in each group'.

@jenny_uzzell says journalists covering paganism must not make assumptions and do their research. The main port of call is briefing sheets posted on the @RelMedCentre website, and also the @paganfederation, who can find experts.

Melissa Harrington warns against tenuous links in the press between supposed mutilation of animals and paganism/witchcraft. Some of the suggested connections actually can be traced back to groups promoting the 'Satanic panic' in the 1990s.

Ethan Doyle-White said since the 1970s some pagans have linked their beliefs with a more nature-centred attitude, which dovetails easily to environmentalism. 'But just describing it as an Earth-religion doesn't necessarily mean you will take more action.'

Helen Berger says research shows American pagans are more environmentally active than average, but 'of course that's a low bar'. They claim environmentalism is the most important movement for them, but rarely is this actually demonstrated in their lives.

@jenny_uzzell explains how she will be attempting to do the normal Samhain and Halloween rituals this week with fellow pagans but all online due to covid.

That's the end of our latest RMC Zoom session. Our next will be on Thursday at 2pm on 'Can philanthropy recover its soul?', with @rosiedawson interviewing writer @pvall. You can sign up for free here: eventbrite.co.uk/e/can-philanth…