You can hire an online witch to cast a spell for you. As I write this, I’m staring at my computer screen, wondering how in the world that this is actually a thing. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised; witchcraft is on the rise, after all, but still . . .
And yet, hiring a witch is not only a possibility, but quite popular. A quick search on Etsy reveals a fascinating array of witches willing to cast a spell for a passing test score for the college class you’re failing, breaking a hex, or simply ensuring nice weather on your wedding day. Many of these enjoy thousands of excellent reviews, citing the witches as not only compassionate, but efficacious. It seems the spells do work, or work well enough, to garner such popularity.
But beyond the surface level, beyond the A+ on the economics exam and the sunshine on the big day, are these spells—is the hiring of these witches—doing any actual good, or are they more harmful than they seem?
It’s a real burden not to know the future sometimes. We want so badly for things to go well. That is understandable, but regardless of the desired outcome or how innocuous it might seem—“Is it really so bad that I want to land this job?” “Asking for sunshine on my wedding day isn’t hurting anybody!”—hiring a witch, or worse, to be the one engaging in witchcraft, puts us in the position of seeking to manipulate and control things that aren’t ours to control in the first place. For the witch and her customers, it becomes a matter of “my will be done,” not “thy will be done.”
Herein lies a major distinction: the manipulation of witchcraft is a far cry from the petition of the Christian in prayer.
Hiring a witch to cast a spell does not equal praying for our own petitions or asking a fellow Christian for prayers. The witch—and the customer—both believe that creation can, and even (at least sometimes) should, be controlled, and that reality ought to change for them. Prayers, rightly ordered, acknowledge that only God is truly in control of his creation; that we aren’t owed knowledge of what he plans for it; and that, ultimately, although it is good for us to ask, we can’t expect things to go our way because . . . well, we aren’t in charge. (That’s a good thing, too!)
Prayer strengthens our relationship with our Creator while acknowledging “thy will be done.” Humility, not manipulation, leads prayer. Oftentimes, we ask God in prayer not to change reality for us, but to change us, interiorly, so we may grow closer to him in holiness.
Sacred Scripture is quite clear on this matter. Consider “Let there not be found among you anyone who . . . practices divination, or is a soothsayer, augur, or sorcerer, or who casts spells, consults ghosts and spirits, or seeks oracles from the dead. Anyone who does such things is an abomination to the LORD” (Deut. 18:10-12) along with “Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:6-7).
God clearly wants us to speak to him about everything, no matter how small. In doing so, we grow closer to him in love, which can never do anything but bring goodness. He tells us through his word to abandon any false intermediaries who make promises to control creation because, unlike prayer, it drives us away from him. And nothing of everlasting goodness can ever come from that.
Besides, if ever witchcraft did appear successful, it would do so by harnessing demonic powers, which can and do have real influence over our physical world. God allows Satan dominion over parts of creation. Crafty and intelligent as he is, he will work to bring apparent fruitfulness to someone’s life so long as it means that person will turn away from God in the process.
So even if there are good intentions, or if good outcomes appear externally, there are real spiritual injuries done to those involved. As we read in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “all practices of magic or sorcery, by which one attempts to tame occult powers, so as to place them at one’s service and have a supernatural power over others—even if this were for the sake of restoring their health—are gravely contrary to the virtue of religion” (2117). Virtues guide us toward holiness and eternal happiness. Ignoring or acting against them harms us.
So for the sake of your soul, skip the online witchcraft, save a few bucks, and pray. (But do yourself a favor, too: study hard for that exam, and have a weather contingency plan for your wedding.)