5 Myths About Witches and Magical People (And the Truth)

Think magical people are anti-science, delusional, or casting spells on you? Here are 5 common myths about witches and magical folk—debunked.

Magical spirituality has never been more visible than it is right now—yet some of the same tired myths keep circling about who we are and what we actually believe. If you’ve ever wondered whether witches and magical practitioners are anti-science, anti-Christian, or a little bit delusional, you’re not alone. Here are five of the most common myths about magical people, and the truth behind each one.

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1. WE ARE ANTI-SCIENTIFIC.

Science enthusiasts often jump to the conclusion that someone who lights a candle to help manifest, say, a new job, must necessarily be anti-science. But this is not the case! Magical people almost invariably love nature and the planet, and totally adore science. Much like the great scientist Tesla—who was tipped off to the existence of radio waves by a psychic dream about his mother—we believe that our brain waves and personal energy have power.

[Tesla himself described this moment. Late in his life, in his own memoir, he recalled the single experience in his life that struck him as truly supernatural: the night his mother died. Exhausted and lying in a building blocks from home, he’d recently discussed spiritualism with his friend Sir William Crookes, and felt that if she passed while he was away, she would find a way to reach him. Near dawn, in a state between sleep and waking, he saw a cloud carrying angelic figures — one of which slowly took on his mother’s face before fading away. He woke with an inexplicable certainty that she had died at that exact moment. He was correct.]

And research from The HeartMath Institute suggests this power can affect measurable change in the physical world.

Science people, you may not admit it, but we know you know “The Force” is real. Well, there you go: so do we.

2. WE ARE ANTI-CHRISTIAN.

Tell a Christian you’re a magical practitioner or pagan, and you might get an unfavorable response. But magical people are quite often totally cool with Christ! In fact, many believe he was something of a magical person himself. It’s true that magical people don’t always think of Christ as the one and only lord and savior, but that doesn’t mean we’re against people who do. On the contrary, we tend to be enthusiastic about diversity, especially when it’s paired with tolerance and mutual respect.

3. WE ARE UNREALISTIC OR DELUSIONAL.

You might define a magical person as someone who believes they can affect positive change through their thoughts, actions, and expectations. That’s because, like quantum physicists, we also believe everything is energy and everything is connected. Is that really more unrealistic than believing reality is cold, hard, and fundamentally disconnected from your own energetic being?

Elizabeth Gilbert put it well in Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear, when she wondered whether it’s delusional to place total trust in an unseen force—then pointed out that if we’re all living by some kind of delusion anyway, we might as well choose one that actually helps us. (I love that book.)

4. WE ARE ALWAYS PUTTING SPELLS ON PEOPLE.

I suspect a lot of folks secretly fear that magical people are casting spells on them constantly. This is a natural result of being a self-conscious species that assumes so much is about us when it really isn’t—like thinking people are listening to us chew or judging our outfit, when really they’re too busy worrying about themselves.

The truth is that most of the time, we magical folk are putting spells on ourselves. Positive vibrations draw positive conditions, romantic vibrations draw romantic conditions, and abundant vibrations draw abundant conditions—so we’re really just in the business of shifting our own energy to attract what we want.

Besides, wise magical folk know that what we send out energetically comes back to us in some equal (though not identical) form, so putting spells on other people is never a good idea. It’s like throwing a great big rock straight up—it’s destined to land right on your head.

5. WE ALL SUBSCRIBE TO THE SAME BELIEFS.

It can be a little confusing at first for people used to a faith dictated by a single book or set of ordained authorities, but no two magical practitioners share exactly the same beliefs and practices. That’s one of the most glorious things about the magical path: it’s one you forge on your own. Just because one of us hugs trees as meditation and another lights a candle to Hecate at every full moon doesn’t mean the rest of us do too.

Just like no two artists interpret the mysterious beauty of nature and the human condition the same way, no two magical people celebrate it the same way either.

Have you encountered any of these myths? Or any other ones? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

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