Apparently it’s dope being a modern witch.

Cool Instagram posts that rack up the likes (#fullmoon), an assortment of different colour crystals for every occasion, the opportunity to sell your wares to other members of the dark arts family – what’s not to love?

Except that is a somewhat outdated (minus the Instagram) depiction of what it means to be a modern witch, and over at the Daily Beast they decided to take a closer look.

The starting point is a 33-year-old called Gala Darling [pictured above] and her ‘spiritual awakening’:

Darling is standing beside her altar—a round, pink table laid with energy-charged crystals and magic candles—at The Wing, an all-women social club in Manhattan where 60 members and guests have signed up for her “Radical Self-Love Workshop.”

…The audience is rapt because Darling isn’t just a self-help guru but a stylish, sassy witch who swears often and radiates cool-girl vibes. She used to be “really goth and cynical” and thought tapping was “bullshit”—until, she says, it worked. Now she casts spells on Donald Trump.

Uh yeah, now you have my attention.

You want to see what a modern witch’s Instagram looks like? Of course you do – enjoy.

Also check out #occult – interesting viewing.

Darling is now a full-time witch, leveraging her 60 000 Instagram followers and workshops into a way to earn a living. It helps that many celebs seem to have taken a liking to some aspects of the occult life, too:

Celebrities like Katy Perry, Victoria Beckham, Cara Delevingne, and Lena Dunham are hooked on crystals’ alleged healing powers and positive vibes (it doesn’t hurt that they’re also pretty). Adele chalked up her lackluster [sic] Grammy’s performance last year to misplacing hers.

They’re just hopping on the ‘ol bandwagon, though – what does it really mean to call oneself a modern day witch?

Today’s witchy sweet spot lies somewhere between the mind-body wellness movement and intersectional feminism. Embracing all things witchy and “magical”—believing that visualization rituals can help you manifest your dreams; that tarot cards can tell you something about your life which your logical brain might otherwise ignore; that wearing a crystal pendant necklace will protect you from negative energy—has become a way for women to feel empowered and trust their instincts…

In a moment when feminism has escaped the academy and captivated the popular imagination, it’s fitting that the witch—a radical and dangerous figure who can’t be controlled by stuffy and uptight men—has been recast as a symbol of resistance.

I’m going to leave it there, although there’s plenty more about what happens at a “Radical Self-Love Workshop” and the modern witch HERE.

Personally I think the dark arts peaked with Liz Hurley in Bedazzled.

[source:dailybeast]