Witchcraft: Changing patterns of participation in the early twenty first century

Abstract

There are indications that the phenomenal growth of Witchcraft and Paganism during the late twentieth and early twenty-first century may be slowing, based on statistics from selected search engines, websites, and blogs. In particular, inquisitive inquiry about contemporary Witchcraftthat is, those who are not Witches but are looking for information about it, such as seekers, dabblers, researchers, students doing term papers, and newspaper reporters-has declined since 2004. This decline, however, does not indicate that the religion is "dying out" because while the rate of increase has slowed it has not been eliminated; and of greater import, community networking appears to have remained stable, or possibly to have increased. Community networking can be seen in the use of Internet sites to share information about Witchcraft, upcoming rituals, or books and teachers, those participating in dialogue, or using the Internet as part of their spiritual work or for communications between coven meetings, or with coven members who are unable to attend. The statistics suggest that contemporary Witchcraft and Paganism may be in a period of change, in which there is a consolidation of membership with a slowing of the rate of new members, particularly among the young. Community building on the Internet continues to be important, but the intensity appears to be lessening, with indications of more people "posting" but doing so less frequently. We suggest that this indicates that Witchcraft is now entering a new phase of consolidation with less intense participation by members.

A Political Profile of U.S. Pagans

“…Although fewer in number than those who actively choose Paganism, children raised by Pagan parents are as likely as members of mainstream religions to retain their religious identity from childhood to adulthood (Fennell and Wildman-Hanlon 2017). Rates of Paganism can also be influenced by popular culture—an increase in Pagan identity in the late 1990s through early 2000s was attributed to a “teen witch craze” of media at the time which subsequently impacted young women's attraction to Pagan traditions like Wicca (Berger and Ezzy 2009, Ezzy and Berger 2009, Lewis 2012). Recently, rates of new Pagans have leveled off making it a stable religious minority in the United States (Ezzy and Berger 2009; Lewis 2012) with an estimated one million adherents (0.3% of the U.S. population) (Pew 2014).…”

“…However, Vencálek (2017) finds that texts like Raymond Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft and Scott Cunningham's Wicca: Guide for the Solitary Practitioner are commonly read Pagan resources while Heathens often refer to the Icelandic prose and poetic Eddas as foundational texts making Norse Pagan traditions somewhat unique in terms of unified Pagan readings (Snook 2015). Given the deinstitutionalized and individualized nature of Pagan practice, the Internet has become very important in drawing new practitioners to Paganism and facilitating Pagan community (Ezzy and Berger 2009; Lewis 2014; Cragle 2017; Magliocco 2020). Many Pagans turn to Internet forums (e.g., r/pagan on Reddit) and social media spaces such as Facebook groups and YouTube for resources and religious knowledge (Renser and Tiidenberg 2020).…”

What is Wrong with Pagan Studies?

“…The modern pagan movement experienced explosive growth in the 1990s, largely due to the Internet, and surveys suggest that there are now at least 500,000 pagans worldwide, most in the United States and other Anglophone countries (Berger;Lewis 2007). 1 In the 21st century, the growth rate has declined and paganism seems to have entered a period of consolidation (Ezzy;Ezzy and Berger 2009). …”

“…A few studies have been done on pagans and the Internet byCowan (2005) andEzzy and Berger (2009). In a number of recent publications, Berger and Ezzy have furthermore opened up the field of (largely Internet-mediated) 'teenage witchcraft'(Berger and Ezzy 2007;2009).…”