Spiritual and Social Media Predators and How to Spot Them
Happy first of the month everyone! Blow cinnamon in your doors and welcome the good things the universe has to offer!
Firstly, I must apologize - I ended up skipping the entire month of August because I was having issues with my laptop. Thankfully, those seem to be resolved, so hopefully it won’t be an issue moving forward.
Onto the topic of the day: Witchtok, and, magical practitioners.
If you’re like me, you’re on Witchtok - a subsect of Tik Tok where you’ll find people putting herbs in bottles, talking astrology, and, encouraging various spell workings. Many will advertise their services, and many others deal in fear and offers for clients.
My big fat disclaimer: I personally do not believe that all of these people are out to scam others out of their hard earned money.
BUT
There are quite a few out there who are. So, what do we look for when we’re looking at who to follow?
1) Trust your gut.
Personal example - I’m a fan of paranormal podcasts. I love listening to stories about ghosts, goolies, and creepy things. There was a podcast (which shall remain nameless) that centered around a great deal of deity work. I found this interesting, since I’ve always been fascinated by mythology and folklore. I started listening to this podcast. Then, I gravitated away from the podcast because I began to feel like the hosts were heavily gatekeeping what are open practices. They were chastizing people for the ways in which they worked with their deities, as if they were the only authorities who could be listened to. I basically stopped listening because I felt like it was negatively impacting my mental health and making me feel too hesitant to explore and continue in my own spiritual journey. If I’m being honest, it felt a little like being in Sunday School again, and for me - that’s not a good feeling.
Most recently, one of the hosts of the podcast has come under fire on social media for cultural appropriation and ignoring BIPOC voices regarding deities who belong to those cultures. Moral of the story? If something feels off, there’s probably a good reason you’re feeling that way; listen to your gut.
2) Does the practitioner respect closed practices?
I’ve talked a bit about closed practices on here, but some that have become very popular in new age spirituality are:
The use of white sage - Do not use white sage. It is an endangered plant and indigenous peoples have been asking white people to stop using it. Please don’t use it.
The use and invocation of deities who are part of closed practices - There are deities/entities who are part of closed practices. Practices that might not be open to you as a white person, and that is okay. White people have been using and abusing BIPOC peoples, practices, and cultures for centuries - they have a right to ask us to stay away from certain rituals/spiritual rites/etc. And we need to listen.
Basically, a practitioner ignoring BIPOC voices, being transphobic, being anti-LGBTQIA, are all gigantic red flags.
3) Does the practitioner use fear as a weapon?
This is a tactic that makes you feel like you don’t know what’s right for you, and, puts them in a position of power over you. Examples of how manipulative people use this tactic:
A practitioner reaches out claiming that you have a dark energy or curse. They can remove it, but, it will be a long journey and naturally, there will be a monetary cost.
A reverend senses a demon in you, and you’ll need an exorcism, blessing, whatever, for the low low price of…you get the idea.
4) Does the practitioner’s spell work align with what they say they’re doing?
A good way to see if it does, is by paying attention to the ingredients they use. Much like if you’re cooking, the ingredients used need to make sense. For example, if I tell you I’m making you something to help you sleep, but I brew you a cup of strong coffee, the ingredients do not align with the intention, right? But, if I instead make you a cup of tea with lavender and chamomile, the ingredients make more sense with the intention of helping you sleep.
There are lots of herbal encyclopedias that talk about what herbs correspond with what intentions. You can also look up the history of herbal uses on trusted sites like Google Scholar to confirm whether what you’re looking at makes sense.
5) Is Tik Tok your primary source of information about witch craft?
I sincerely hope it isn’t; while Tik Tok and other social media platforms can be great places to find communities to fit into, it is not a place to gain primary knowledge about anything. It’s a great place for stories, but, it should not be your primary source of information. No social media platform should be. Instead, read. Do your research, and, look into authors of the books you’re looking up - are those authors problematic? What are their views on modern issues? Are they worth listening to?
Use your ability to think critically. Question this post and every other I’ve posted - I’m not an expert on anything, I just know what I’ve learned from books and personal experience. Question me. Do not blindly follow anyone.
Hope this is helpful to my lovely witches out there.
-NL
