“You break the rules and become a hero. I do it, and I become the enemy. That doesn’t seem fair.” – Wanda Maximoff to Stephen Strange in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
This spellbinding quote starts the MCU Wiki page on the Scarlet Witch, a comic book character turned cultural icon through Marvel’s recent saga of blockbusters. Fans and casual viewers alike know and love Wanda, but she isn’t the only magic wielder to dominate screens this past decade.
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina revived the 90s beloved “teenage witch” for a new generation, and in 2024, Selena Gomez reprised the Russo family legacy in Wizards Beyond Waverly Place. Disney’s Descendants franchise, centered on young witches forging their own destinies, remains a major success—with a fifth film arriving this year.
And the music industry . . . it’s laced with witchy allusions. Look no further than Taylor Swift’s record-breaking Eras Tour, during which her song “Willow” unfolded as a mystical tableau of cloaked dancers and glowing orbs.
For more on the symbolism behind Taylor Swift’s performances, watch this video—one of our most popular!
We can’t forget Maximoff and Strange’s superhero/villain counterparts (Agatha Harkness, Black Adam, Loki, Shazam, etc.) or the most “meme-able” witches around: Wicked’s Elphaba and Glinda. Elphaba, especially, embodies the “witch” moniker. Like Wanda, she’s judged by fear concocted in a cruel system that labels “righteous” misfits as the enemy.
From Wicked to Disney to the music industry, the message is crystal-ball clear: a misfit’s magic = their only way to fight back. The chilling outcome? Life imitating art.
Magic is no longer contained to screens or hidden behind cloaks. It’s aestheticized, praised, and marketed. From crystals and “manifesting” to rootwork and social media covens, the taboo has transformed into the trendy. Many who feel rejected by an unfair world are turning to witchcraft for empowerment.
They’re right about one thing: the world is unfair. But they’re wrong about magic. Beneath the sparkle of empowerment lies a spiritual cost many fail to see.
Tracking the Surge of Modern Witchcraft
A recent Quartz analysis used Trinity College’s American Religious Identification Surveys and Pew Research Center data to show Wicca growing dramatically in the United States:
Wicca is a neo-pagan religion inspired by pre-Christian religions around the world. Its followers identify as witches.
Pew’s most recent Religious Landscape Study (2023–2024) found that 0.7 % of U.S. adults—roughly 2 million people—identify with those same “New Age” groups.
These numbers may not surprise you. The rise of Wicca in American culture hasn’t been hidden in surveys and stats. It’s been unfolding in plain sight.
Etsy Witches, #WitchTok, and the Rise of Wicca Chic
In September, Time Magazine released an article titled “The Rise of the Etsy Witch.” The author explains that Etsy, a popular online marketplace, has evolved into a hub for buying and selling spell-casting services: “a mass-market social media trend, rather than an explicitly religious act.”
Hiring witches, a practice once associated with elite circles, is now available to anyone with WiFi and a credit card. Magic has gone mainstream—largely because modern witchcraft blends with New Age spirituality, feminism, and wellness culture. Social media has accelerated this normalization. (Are we surprised?) Hashtags like #witchtok and #babywitch on TikTok boast millions of posts, promoting spell jars, moon rituals, tarot readings, and “energy cleansing.”
People everywhere are hiring witches—or practicing magic themselves—for all kinds of things: from improving the weather and enhancing their health to protecting their loved ones and cursing people they hate (e.g., Lana Del Rey called for fans to cast a mass hex on Donald Trump, and last year, a Jezebel writer hired Etsy witches to curse Charlie Kirk).
Self-identified Pagans aren’t the only ones practicing magic. Christian witches are on the rise. (Learn more about this startling trend!)
What so many fail to understand is the stark reality of the spiritual world. Engaging in spells, divination, or “energy work” is an invitation to forces that strive to hurt you, forces that hate you because you are loved by God. And nothing, NOTHING, will ever stop His love.
“For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38–39)
So What Is This Stark Reality? Let’s break it down.
Instead, it begins with curiosity, a search for community, or a desperate attempt to regain control. This is especially true among women seeking empowerment. Think back to the Salem Witch Trials, which many consider an assault on educated women, not a defense against Satanic powers. And consider the term “witch” itself, often utilized as a misogynist slur. It tracks that modern-day women wish to reclaim the term. Sadly, that often means finding ways to connect with its dark origins.
Everyday witches (including Christians) who engage in “light sorcery,” such as crystal healing or “manifestation,” are often seeking peace, healing, and enlightenment—not communion with dark spirits. Doesn’t matter. Modern New Age spirituality borrows directly from occult roots, subtly bypassing your wits and replacing dependence on God with dependence on “universal energy.”
“For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.” (2 Corinthians 11:13–14)
The Old Testament tells us that King Saul, once anointed by God, turned to a witch for guidance. His enemies were approaching, and heaven seemed silent. Gripped by fear, He approached a medium to summon the spirit of God’s prophet, to protect God’s people, to find hope. Instead, he found only fear, judgment, and death. His kingdom soon crumbled. (1 Samuel 28)
Witchcraft presents spiritual power as neutral, a way for humans to wield divine energy apart from God. But spiritual power without God’s holiness is counterfeit. It lures the mind toward reliance on symbols and rituals, robbing you of your gift to reason. It mocks the Lord, glorifying the evil Jesus conquered on the cross.
Masking as power while quietly surrendering control to the enemy, witchcraft invites spiritual bondage.
Scripture repeats that only two kingdoms exist—light and darkness—and those who practice witchcraft have no place in God’s kingdom of light (Deuteronomy 18:10–12; John 12:35–36; Galatians 5:19–21; Revelation 21:8).
Why? Because witchcraft is a “broken cistern,” unable to fulfill us. There is but one Source able to give daily bread and eternal life: Jesus.
“For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water.” (Jeremiah 2:13)
Choosing a relationship with God unveils real freedom because God invites you to reason, to choose dependence on Him because only He grants limitless mercy and life (Isaiah 1:18). Unlike earthly practices that promise control yet capture your mind, accepting the truth of Jesus’ sacrifice releases your chains (John 8:32). It brings you under the protection of “the head of all principality and power” (Colossians 2:8–10).
One more thing—and it’s important. God’s love runs toward the outcasts, the rejects, and the misfits. He welcomes them with open arms.
“The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit.” (Psalm 34:18)
God’s invitation, His promise of continued renewal, makes spiritual discernment essential. But without question, our modern era has muddled the line between Satan’s offerings and God’s, between witchcraft and wellness, between demonic rituals and godly habits. How can we learn the difference? Keep reading.
Five Tips for Battling New Age Spiritualism
Crystals and tarot cards may seem harmless, but they replace prayer with performance. As a rule: avoid objects and habits that replace a personal relationship with the Creator with a transactional reliance on the creation (Romans 1:25).
“And when they say to you, ‘Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter,’ should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living?” (Isaiah 8:19)
The heavens declare God’s glory (Psalm 19:1). The earth calls Him sovereign (Job 12:7–10). Animals, forests, crystals, and stars point to Him—but are never to be bowed to.
Witchcraft teaches control. God teaches trust. Don’t be like Saul running to the medium. Instead, remember Moses’ words to the Israelites in Exodus 14, before God split the Red Sea:
“Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD. . . . The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” (vs. 13–14)
“Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” (James 4:7–8a)
Want to Go Deeper?
If this article stirred something in you—whether it be scorn, defensiveness, realization, or curiosity—we invite you to dig deeper:
🎥 Watch Our Videos!
Many are waking up to the influence of New Age spiritualism on the entertainment they consume, their faith, and their families. That’s why we’ve created a variety of videos on the dangers of modern witchcraft. In them, we break down the hidden messages behind today’s most popular trends, characters, and films.
Come with your Bible. Bring your questions. And prepare to see pop culture in a whole new light.
Watch now at LittleLightStudios.tv or on our YouTube channel.
📖 Open the Word
We get it. You have questions, and this article didn’t answer them all. To learn more about God, Scripture, and the spiritual forces fighting over you right now, visit lls.tv/bibleschool.
For further reading on witchcraft’s deceptions, God’s promises, and other topics we covered here, check out:
🙏 Pray
“Dear LORD,
I come to You wanting what is real and true. Forgive me for seeking power or comfort apart from You, and free me from anything that would draw my heart toward witchcraft or false promises. Teach me to trust Your Spirit and to find my strength in You alone. I place my life in Your hands, knowing You are the Source of all life, healing, and hope.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.”
