Someone tried to Hex the Moon and it made me so mad I came out of my depression
If you have not heard about the witches who tried to hex the moon, the fae, and maybe the sun, you probably inhabit a very different part of the internet to me and therefore have a much better mental health than I do. So congrats!! We should all be trying to get off social media in this apocalyptic time but what would I do all day?
So if you are not very witchy inclined here are some things you may need clarification on.
WITCHCRAFT: Yes witches are real. Unfortunately, Hogwarts is not (to my knowledge, feel free to disagree). And I don’t have a generic definition for magic, simply because there isn’t one. It is something that is very different for everyone and varies from person to person and culture to culture. However, witchcraft is often about accessing your personal power, whether it be your intuition, empathy, or whatever subsection of magic you are drawn to, you are what is magic you just need action + intention. For example, if you were to light a candle (action) to express your love and respect for the moon and protect her in this weird time (intention) the moon would know and benefit.
“In religion, we call it spirits. In science, we call it energy. In the streets, we call it vibes. All I‘m saying is...trust it.”
THE MOON: While not all witches work with cosmic entities or deities, the moon is respected because she is beautiful and who doesn’t love to look at her. The moon can be incorporated into the practice of magic, with the new moon being important for rebirth, intent, and new beginnings and the full moon being important for cleansing, psychic abilities, healing and light work. No matter whether you use the moon or don’t in your practice, she sits up there, controlling the tides and werewolves and looking beautiful.
THE FAE: The fae are magical beings and include a variety of creatures, but the most well known to be fairies. While they are often considered to be mischievous tricksters, they live by the rules of their own society, which is very different to human customs. They are very powerful and often vengeful. You do not want to piss off the fae.
BABY WITCHES: Witchcraft has had rising popularity in recent years, which is not surprising for a variety of reasons including badass witches in popular culture, and social media creating a space for very quick introductions cool things, like witchcraft. The witches who attempted to hex the moon are specifically from the app Tik Tok, from the subsection WitchTok. The problem is, that with the quick and easy aspects of social media, people begin to use things they don’t understand. They see an aesthetic without an appreciation for the culture or religious practices that went into it. Witchcraft has a lot of variation within it. For some it’s religious, for some it connects deeply to culture, and for some, it’s a practice, but for all, research and practice went into it. I personally have been obsessed with magic for over a decade (I’m only 21 now) I really don’t feel like an adult witch, maybe a toddler witch, or maybe I just know not to mess with the fae and just want to mind my own business.
So who was stupid enough to hex the moon, piss off the fae, and probably a few deities?
A small coven of baby witches from WitchTok who wanted to prove they were more powerful than the moon. The moon. The giant rock in the sky. Do not worry about the moon, she was unharmed. But the people who attempted such a thing clearly:
have no understanding of magic or witchcraft and;
may very well be cursed
[If anyone in a few decades wants to make a movie about a descendant of one of these witches trying to break a curse on their bloodline I am onboard.]But what the hell started this mess?
Social media has the tendency to show a fraction of a story, to show an end result without the effort that came before it. This happens in every subculture. Artists get their artwork stolen, there’s the illusion that a detox tea will make you look like a celebrity, entire cultures become an aesthetic or trend, the belief that a person can be more powerful than a cosmic entity like the moon falls in a similar ballpark. Two options arise:
a) they genuinely believe that they are worth more and are more powerful than the people who have dedicated their lives to studying magic and have been practicing it for generations.
b) they’re nothing more than a bunch of kids playing Bloody Mary at a sleepover and don’t believe that what they’re doing has any consequence or meaning.
c) or that the whole thing was fake. That the misinformation was spread online in an attempt to call out and mock anyone who “felt a shift”, which is not only straight up rude, but honestly a global deception with the ill intent of humiliating people who believe something different to you would piss a lot of deities off anyway.
While the app TikTok has a lot of controversy surrounding it, a lot of people have found solace and community through using it, while others condemn the use of technology through practice. With WitchTok on the rise, it’s becoming clear where values differ between witchcraft and current society, particularly the part of society that is celebrated online. A large number of people gaining fame and popularity from their practice are young, very young. Like 17 years old. In witchcraft, we respect the crone, or at least what she represents. That wisdom and age come hand in hand. There is also an obsession with power and fame in today’s society. I mean look at the people idolized by the media, even if you don’t idolise them yourselves. If you want to help people through your practice (and not overthrow the universe or whatever the long term plan was) it is thankless, hard, and you probably have your own shit to sort through first. Think hours of meditation and cleansing before you even get to the fun stuff. You cannot become a witch through a $50 2 hour course or develop a relationship with a deity through TikTok. To a lot of people, witchcraft is something practised religiously, it is an integral part of life, and even if it’s not something you believe.
And don’t get me wrong, there’s some cute shit on TikTok. I am in love with the cottagecore aesthetic and this very legit fairy. But witchcraft has a history, and a pretty grim one, like anything else. While witch hunts are something that have been trivialised they resulted in the death of thousands of women. And granted, most of these people were probably just women. Poor women, disabled women, women of colour, women who were smart, women who fought back, women who didn’t put up with men’s shit. The most heart-breaking part of it all is that these accusations and executions continue.
So learn about witchcraft. Learn how to help others, help the earth, and help yourself. But at the end of the day…
