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Looking for love? Want to manifest more money? How about hoping to curse an evil ex? For over a decade, there’s been an Etsy Witch for that. With 2025 dubbed the “year of the Etsy witch,” spellcasters selling services for as little as $3 seemed unstoppable—at least until recently.
Now, the platform has been cracking down on the policy implemented in 2015, banning metaphysical services such as spells and tarot readings.
To some, it seems like a modern witch hunt. However, this ban has done little to curb the curiosity in witchcraft.
If anything, interest in contemporary witchcraft continues to expand as estimates suggest there are millions of witches, wiccans and pagans globally.
According to the 2016 Australian Census, 27,194 Australians identified as pagan, while 6,616 people specifically identified as “Wiccan/witchcraft”.
However, these numbers hint at a much broader, and still growing, spiritual movement.
So, who exactly is modern witchcraft for, and how does it function outside of the humble Etsy witch?
Who is the modern witch?
Stereotypically, covens consist of middle-aged and elderly women hovering over a cauldron, yet according to the author of Coven: Where Witches Gather Fiona Horne, witchcraft has become a practice for the masses.
“Compared to when I came out of the broom closet thirty years ago, where it was really kind of shrouded in mystery and secrecy and a lot of fear, it’s fascinating to see how it’s crossed over into the mainstream,” Horne says.
“Now it especially speaks to young women who love the idea of being able to co-create their lives in a magical, empowered way, especially in the wellness space.”
Currently, there are 9.1 million posts under #WitchTok. Here, you’ll find videos spanning tips for beginner witches, signs you might be a witch and people detailing their spell-casting success stories.
Spotify data also points to a rise in interest from young people.
From 2025 to 2026, there has been a 289 per cent increase in Australian playlists featuring terms like “manifesting,” “affirmations,” “spell,” or “witchy”—nearly half created by Gen Z.
What does modern witchcraft do?
Modern witchcraft is a personalised spiritual practice blending ritual, intention-setting, and nature reverence, often incorporating tools like tarot, astrology and spellwork.
While it now centres heavily on manifestation, its roots are much older.
In times of environmental instability, communities historically turned to witchcraft to explain misfortune and regain a sense of control.
“Modern Witches also add the environmental element into it because we honour nature, we also seek to tread lightly as much as possible on the earth to heal the damage done and venerate and adore our planet, and that’s a big part of modern witchcraft as well,” Horne notes.
According to psychic, medium & Witch Michelle Cook (@the_witch_of_moons_lane), the appeal is also social.
“We need sisterhood, we need to feel valued, appreciated, and the hard realisation is that no life comes to earth without a mother,” Cook says.
“It’s clear young people, who are facing increasing uncertainty and potential instability in the world, are keen to look towards manifesting positive energy despite it all.”
What tools are used in witchcraft?
Modern witches often work with tools such as music, crystals, herbs and candles to help focus intentions and connect practitioners with nature and energy. Michelle recommends starting small before working up to more traditional practices.
“I’d encourage anyone who’s feeling the weight of the world, or keen to manifest a more positive energy in their life, to try creating a playlist on Spotify and seeing what happens,” she says.
“Crystals, in particular, are believed to hold and amplify intention, and can be consciously programmed to work toward goals such as love, health, protection, or cultivating a happier and more positive life.”
Cook notes that many practitioners also engage in circle work, creating a sacred space for meditation, manifestation, or ritual.
“Working with Mother Nature and the four elements, earth, air, fire, and water, is also central to many modern practices,” she says.
“These tools act as physical reminders of intention, helping to align mindset, energy, and action.”
In an increasingly uncertain world, it seems modern witchcraft offers something simple but powerful: a sense of control, connection, and the possibility of shaping your own future, spell or no spell.
