Recently, magic has been in the air for plenty of social media users. Influencer Halley detailed how her friend Jaz bought a weather spell to ensure it didn't rain on her wedding. Another woman bought a good luck spell to help the Knicks win. One woman asked a witch to cast a love spell on a man, only for the witch to DM her target and rat her out.
Two Etsy witches talked with PEOPLE exclusively about their work, as did a woman who bought a love spell that ultimately worked. With social media and digital word of mouth, these services have only become more popular.
One Etsy witch, who has chosen to remain anonymous, shares her experience, noting that when she first started selling, she wanted only to do "tarot readings, or shipping out crystals or witch boxes that I bless."
The witch shares that "Etsy technically does not allow selling 'spells,' but allows psychic and tarot readings if you send the customer a digital downloadable file. I send the customer a picture of the altar used during the spell casting or tarot reading, a signed certificate as a receipt and proof of purchase, and also a downloadable PDF with a note on how the casting went or the reading itself."
"I wanted to work with Etsy and send people tangible items. I quickly discovered that that is not what the customer base wanted and was surprised," the witch continues. "People wanted us to cast spells for them and hold rituals for them. Use our magical energy to shape their world. I started with what I thought would be the most popular: love, luck, wealth/success, protection, healing."
Some of the items offered in her shop align with these offerings: good luck castings, protections and healings. In the past, she has also provided services such as manifesting one's dream partner, altering aspects of one's physical appearance and enhancing brain power.
"People were most interested in asking me for spells that changed them or the world around them," she details. "My most popular spells are very fantastical. Spells to change your body and face without plastic surgery. Spells to transform you into a vampire or a werewolf. Spells to design your perfect love partner and attract them to you."
"For the spells to change how you look, I cast self-love and confidence magick. Customers see themselves as more beautiful and become happier after I do this," the witch shares. "Those who wish to 'build a boyfriend' -- a strong love spell is in order, but they need to honor the important qualities they look for in a partner while letting go of ones that are less important."
The spells that are in the highest demand, the Etsy witch shares, are "honestly and sadly, spells that are to change some part of themselves."
"People typically ask to look different, to turn into someone completely different, to swap bodies with someone else. Every single time, I bless these clients with self-love and self-confidence, and I wish them a great change," she reveals. "They don't need to change a thing about themselves, their mindsets and their environment."
One of the biggest challenges, the witch shares, is "keeping up with the messages" and "requests for guidance."
"Someone who ordered one thing from me a year ago is still messaging me, asking for advice. I enjoy helping them and reminding people with serious issues to consult with medical or legal professionals if needed," the witch shares. "The messaging is the biggest challenge of the digital shop, as it allows people constant access to me. As a spiritual advisor, I am let into a lot of very personal details of my clients."
"I wish people knew that even with witchcraft and manifestation work, nothing will come to you instantly and without effort from yourself. The act of casting a spell is like saying a prayer; it's a self-fulfilling prophecy," she continues. "I don't think a protection spell to keep you safe on your walk home will give you physical armor and a shield, but it may bring you a feeling of comfort instead of anxiety."
Alexis Tolentino asked a witch to put a love spell on a guy she wanted to date in 2019.
"We dated for four years," Tolentino, 28, shares. "I eventually told him, and we laughed about it. Who's to say if it worked or it didn't work? The way I see witchcraft in this realm is that it's low-stakes. If you're trying every possible avenue, why not try an Etsy witch spell?"
"Since then, I have dabbled in the occasional Etsy witch because it's fun. Worst case, you spend $10 or $20, and it doesn't work," Tolentino continues. "Best case scenario, you might get what you want out of it. There is a level of validity in the sense that it's a placebo effect, where if you believe that this will be helpful, then maybe things will end up working out in your favor. Since then, I've asked witches for career success, for a money influx and help with moving."
Tolentino, like many others, has shared her experience with the spells on TikTok. The anonymous Etsy witch notes that "social media has made practicing witchcraft much more trendy."
"I noticed an ongoing trend of 'curses' being very popular online, which I am averse to," the witch shares. "Cursing your ex to meet some unfriendly fate is very popular. But, social media has made witchcraft more popular and accessible. Witchcraft is being more widely accepted and is seen in a more positive light."
For Sarah Maher, owner of Village and Vessel and a specialist in online Tarot readings, her online readings are reflective of "nature, which is beautiful but can be cruel."
For her, the rise of 'witchtok' and social media "allowed me to meet other practitioners in other spaces and collaborate with them."
"Social media will always tell you what people need, and there is an answer back from people that is helpful," Maher, who has been practicing for 10 years, says. "Things are hard, and people are finding solace in energy work and the unexplainable. There's so much unexplainable stuff happening in the world, and we have to lean into the unexplainable and learn that we have some agency in that."
Another WitchTok trend outside of people buying spells on Etsy is one that many casual scrollers have probably already encountered. Sometimes, practitioners will do general tarot readings on TikTok with no hashtags and no description, claiming the video was "meant to find you" if it appears on your For You page.
Maher says this is a "read for the collective."
"There are different types of witches," she explains, "and there are people that can tap into the collective."
"I have seen collective readings that hit me personally and felt very accurate for the collective," Maher adds.
Maher recently opened an Etsy shop to offer online Tarot readings, helping "people connect with the energy of the universe."
"Etsy works to create these sub-communities where people can find all the things they need," she continues. "They can find the tools they need, the spell tools, the spells, the casters. When I started the shop, I wanted to offer in-person readings, but I felt disconnected from the energy. I have to do online readings because we live in a global world now; that's why I'm called to do it."
Similar to the Etsy witch, Maher's challenge comes from sharing someone's personal information and guiding them through challenging times.
"Tarot tells the story of a full life that has experienced all that a person can experience. When we pull these cards, which are pretty serious, it's sometimes difficult to be the channel to deliver that information. I will often be the channel delivering the information, but I don't want to hurt someone's feelings. It's a practice of understanding that the energy of the universe is inherently supportive. It wants to give us more information. For tarot, the difficulty that comes with the hard cards is an understanding that it's for the highest good."
A common misconception is that "witchcraft is evil, delving into the dark arts, and tapping into something painful," Maher shares.
"The energy around us is supportive, and it's for us to be open to the illumination of it," she explains. "Witchcraft is so community-oriented that if people could open their minds and hearts to the ideas surrounding witchcraft, they would find a wealth of support, community, love kindness learning. It's about supporting each other getting into [a] space where we're interconnected again."