I was talking to the leader of a Rosicrucian tradition about how occultism is in decline. There has been a drop in the number of people buying esoteric books, and many established orders have closed. It is not that the material is unavailable; the students are not working systems.
This perception, common amongst those who have connections with orders and Wicca, appears to disregard academic research, suggesting that the number of people joining groups or identifying magic or Wicca as their spiritual path has grown.
Trends in Participation in Occult Groups
In the United States, the number of self-identified Wiccans and Pagans rose dramatically from an estimated 8,000 in 1990 to about 340,000 in 2008 and further to roughly 1 to 1.5 million by the late 2010s By 2014; surveys indicated that about 0.3–0.4% of Americans (close to one million people) identified as Wiccan or Pagan.
This makes modern witchcraft one of the fastest-growing religious/spiritual categories in the US rather than a vanishing one. To put this in perspective, one report noted that “the number of self-identified witches in the United States has surpassed the number of Presbyterians,” highlighting how sizeable Wicca has become.
In the UK, census data showed a more modest growth in pagan affiliations – for example, those identifying explicitly as “Pagan” increased from about 57,000 in 2011 to 74,000 in 2021, and Wicca from 11,700 to 13,000 in the same period.
While these numbers might seem high, we must wonder where all these people are and how much work they do. After all, it is one thing to say you are a witch; it is another to do something about it. Also, the number of Wiccan covens in the UK seems to suffer from the same issues as magical groups with failing members.
Order numbers are more challenging to identify, mainly because, unlike Wicca or paganism, they don’t have a religious affiliation, which makes them easier to spot. The continued existence of festivals and online forums for occult traditions indicates they have not disappeared. While the number of occult bookshops has dropped down the toilet, it is difficult to determine if this is due to Amazon’s dominance in killing off the specialised book trade than the death of magical orders that supported them.
Lack of Orders creating a skills shortage
Many esoteric orders are disappearing as older practitioners die without passing on their full knowledge. Most of the reason is that the older practitioners were “off the grid” regarding the Internet (or didn’t trust it). Others were driven underground by cult-like gatekeepers and followers who wanted the world to believe they were in charge. These types are still there, but the senior occultists who could have provided valuable information and training to others never returned and created a skills shortage. This means that to be a modern occult teacher or writer, you need to have a thick skin or be stubborn to do it publicly.
What’s Dying?
Secretive, hierarchical occult orders (e.g., classic Golden Dawn-style lodges) are dying out along with serious traditional coven work. Along with them is the rarer long-term apprentice model, where a student trains under a master for years. Also taken with this is any sense of a unified, esoteric culture—it’s now more fragmented than ever as occultism declines.
Shift to Solitary Practice
While membership in formal covens or esoteric orders exists, many practitioners today prefer an individual, eclectic approach. Sociologists studying contemporary witchcraft note that solitary or self-directed practice is now standard. Dr. Helen Berger found that earlier surveys ranked Wicca as the top path, but now “eclectic” witchcraft (mixing various traditions) has become the most popular, with more people practising alone rather than in organised groups. Something similar has been noted with occult orders such as the Golden Dawn where some have favoured a “self initiation” model, despite the difficulties of working alone.
However, this suggests that while participation in orders may not always be as visible, interest in occult practice persists in more personalised forms. This might suggest that new generations of would-be magicians are trying to find new, individualised ways to engage with magic and esoteric practices rather than joining formal secret societies as in the past.
It has yet to be established whether those practices are as effective or the students are getting valuable results.
Books and Media
While occult themes are perennially popular in media and literature, but the Mind, Body, and Spirit book market shows occultism in decline. In the 1980s (the period widely seen as the occult Renaissance), an occult author could expect to sell about 10,000 books worldwide. There were several reasonably large publishers which distributed that material. However, the traditional publishers have now merged into a couple, and book sales through those big publishers have fallen to about 4,000.
Filling the gap have been print-on-demand publishers who never sell more than 1000 copies and art publishers who sell “dark fluff” books primarily for their bindings. None of these options provide enough income for any occult authors for anything much more than the occasional pizza.
Attempts to recover some of the money using ebooks failed because they just made the material easier to pirate. One publisher who experimented with an ebook version of his title went from selling 500 paperbacks sold 10 paperbacks and 15 ebooks. However, the pirated ebook was widely distributed on the net.
To circumvent this problem, some occult writers have turned to “package sales,” where they take a book that they would have written and sell online courses on that topic. These courses are delivered electronically or via video blogs. One writer who uses this approach told me you needed a thick skin to pull it off.
“You know that the students are skimming the material or listening to it in the car and will never actually do anything practical with it, but this approach pays my mortgage, whereas caring about students’ spiritual lives was not.”
The danger is that a good teacher must compete with slicker commercialised, surface-level occultism. This is harder than it sounds. While people might not know the difference between good and bad information, they might fall for the slick glossy presentation or the high-resolution video graphics.
Internet Searches
In the internet era, interest can be gauged by search and content trends. Google Trends data and reports from media indicate rising searches for specific occult topics; however, these are not the hard subjects. For example, according to a Wired report, there was a “marked increase” in Google searches for terms like “crystal healing” in the late 2010s, reflecting renewed curiosity about magical healing practices Likewise, online interest in astrology has seen a renaissance: horoscope and astrology websites, apps, and social media accounts attracted massive followings in the 2010s. (For example, the Co-Star astrology app and others have millions of users, and horoscope columns remain some of the most-read content on lifestyle websites.)
Meanwhile, serious magic sites and blogs remain thin on the ground and searches for them are low.
Platforms like Meta and TikTok have made it easier for the curious to find information and for practitioners to share content, from spell tutorials to tarot readings. The quality of these offerings is questionable. The phrase TikTok witch, which means that someone with no training attempting to be an “influencer”, has become a meme of its own.
The online community does bring occult practices into public conversation, often out of curiosity. In addition, viral fads (like the Ouija board challenges on YouTube or teenagers on TikTok trying manifestation rituals) occur every few years, which shows that younger people are actively experimenting with occult concepts as part of internet trends.
However, they are not doing regular daily work, reading, or signing up for traditional systems. This suggests that while such material is accessible, it is not encouraging a deeper approach.
Science, Scepticism, and Technological Impacts
One might expect that the advances in science, education, and technology would cause occult beliefs to decline. Indeed, strong scientific scepticism and nationalist movements have emerged, aiming to debunk paranormal claims. However, the impact of scientific progress on occultism is mixed.
Kids of today
The biggest reason for the decline in occult groups and orders is generational differences.
Youthful Interest
Contrary to the assumption that modern youth are too scientifically minded for magic, several indicators show younger generations are, if anything, more drawn to certain occult practices. A Gallup poll in the early 2000s noted that younger Americans were far more likely to believe in the paranormal than older respondents.
However, Millennials and Generation Z (those born roughly after 1980 and 1996, respectively) have shown a marked rise in interest in astrology, witchcraft, magic and New Age practices. However, they have different expectations and demands from occultism mainly based on their upbringing.
Sociologists attribute this trend to younger people who are less affiliated with traditional religion and thus explore alternative spiritual outlets. Astrology, for instance, has been called “the millennials’ religion,” guiding those disillusioned with conventional faith.
A Harris Poll found millennials are twice as likely as older adults to say they depend on astrology as something meaningful. Over half of millennials felt that more of their peers believed in astrology than formal religion. While this may have a knock-on effect on magic and occult groups, it does suggest that they are not interested in conventional religion. Unfortunately, that is precisely what many Wicca and Occult orders serve up – admittedly in a heretical or unorthodox way.
For older generations, magical and spiritual paths were often about structure—apprenticeships, initiation rites, and mentorship within a formal tradition. Many followed established lineages, working their way up through hierarchical orders with clearly defined rules and expectations.
Younger generations lean towards self-exploration and personalised spirituality. Rather than adhering to rigid traditions, Gen Z witches often blend different practices, incorporating astrology, tarot, manifestation, and folk magic into their eclectic systems. This DIY approach means that someone might call themselves a “witch” or magician without necessarily following Wiccan rituals or belonging to a coven or order.
Older occultists relied on in-person study groups, physical books, and secret gatherings to learn and practice their craft. Online communities were seen as secondary or even unreliable.
For many younger practitioners, social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Discord have become primary sources for learning and sharing knowledge. “WitchTok” has amassed millions of followers, making spellwork, astrology, and spiritual practices more accessible than ever. While this digital shift has made occult wisdom widely available, it has also led to concerns about misinformation and the commodification of magic.
Even as late as the 1980s, traditional occult and Wiccan groups were often structured in ways that didn’t prioritise inclusivity. Many were predominantly white, gender-binary, and based on Western esoteric traditions. While some groups embraced diversity, many maintained rigid structures that excluded people based on gender, sexuality, disability, or cultural background. It was hypocritical and arbitrary – in one case, a homosexual order leader told me how it was okay to discriminate against disabled people and non-western Europeans “who were not attuned to the British Race Mind.”
Gen Z emphasises intersectionality, diversity, and social justice within spiritual spaces. Many younger practitioners challenge outdated norms, advocating for gender-inclusive language in rituals, “decolonising magical practices,” and embracing traditions from various cultures—though this has also sparked conversations about cultural appropriation (ironically by white male would-be gatekeepers of African traditions).
Older generations were expected to have respect for authority and tradition. Whether in Wiccan covens, ceremonial magic lodges, or Thelemic orders, newcomers often had to work through strict hierarchies, taking on structured roles and responsibilities.
Younger witches and occultists tend to reject rigid hierarchies in favour of decentralised, collaborative learning. They are more likely to share knowledge freely and question gatekeeping within magical communities. The idea of needing a teacher or initiation to practice magic is losing appeal, with many preferring self-study and peer-driven learning.
Occult knowledge was traditionally seen as exclusive. It was often hidden behind esoteric symbols, initiatory secrets, and limited-access books. Many teachings were deliberately cryptic, only revealed to those who had “earned” them.
Thanks to the internet, almost any spiritual or magical practice can be learned with a quick Google search. PDFs of ancient grimoires, in-depth astrology courses, and advanced spellwork techniques are freely available to anyone who seeks them. While this has led to greater accessibility, it also means that younger generations approach magic with less of a sense of mystery or secrecy.
To be fair, practising witchcraft or engaging with the occult often meant dealing with the social stigma. Many older practitioners had to remain in the “broom closet,” hiding their spiritual practices from family, employers, or religious communities. I can remember when “I came out” to my workmates, and that was in the late 1990s.
While problems still exist (such as the Satanic Panic and the rise of the Christian Right in the US), the overall social climate is far more accepting of alternative spirituality. Being a “witch” or magician is no longer as controversial as once. Younger generations are more likely to express their beliefs openly and integrate them into everyday lives without fear of judgment.
Older generations often had the financial stability to attend retreats, buy expensive books, or join formal organisations with membership fees. They often supported occult teachers and schools to enable them to produce material for their esoteric communities.
Many Gen Z and Millennial practitioners face economic struggles that make in-person workshops, pricey courses, and exclusive retreats less accessible. Instead, they gravitate towards free or low-cost online communities, digital books, and DIY spell work that requires minimal investment.
For modern occult and Wiccan organisations to stay relevant, they must adapt to these generational shifts. Younger seekers want inclusivity, digital accessibility, flexible participation, and the freedom to craft their unique spiritual paths. Groups that fail to embrace these changes risk fading into obscurity.
While some traditionalists may lament the decline of hierarchical orders and secretive traditions, others see this as a natural evolution. Magic has always adapted to the times, and the new wave of digital, individualistic, and socially conscious practitioners is simply shaping it for the 21st century.
Babies and bathwater
While it is possible to be optimistic about these trends, there are also some issues. The internet and other groups are not providing the depth and variety of training necessary for modern, younger students. While no one will shed a tear at the loss of autocratic teachers of the 19th or 20th centuries, there are risks to skipping structured esoteric training.
Without a structured approach, practitioners may miss crucial fundamentals. Many traditional systems build knowledge step by step—learning energy work before casting spells or understanding symbolic correspondences before advanced ritual work. Jumping straight to complex practices without the basics can lead to confusion, frustration, or ineffective results.
Without a knowledgeable mentor or structured learning path, it’s easy to misinterpret texts, rituals, or techniques. Esoteric traditions often use coded language, metaphors, and symbolic systems that require context to understand fully. In an era of social media, misinformation spreads quickly, leading many self-taught practitioners to work with faulty or incomplete knowledge.
Esoteric work, especially intense practices like shadow work, energy manipulation, or invocation, can trigger unexpected emotional or psychological reactions. Traditional training systems often include safeguards, support structures, and grounding techniques to help practitioners manage these effects. Without these, a person may struggle with spiritual burnout, dissociation, or even delusions.
Structured systems typically teach ethical considerations—when and how to use magic, respecting boundaries, and understanding the consequences of certain practices. Without this, practitioners may unknowingly engage in harmful practices through cultural appropriation, unethical spellwork, or invoking forces they don’t fully understand.
Traditional training often involves mentorship, community, and lineage—a support network for guidance and troubleshooting. Solo practitioners risk isolation, making it harder to validate experiences, seek advice, or handle challenges that arise. This can lead to feelings of doubt, disillusionment, or stagnation in one’s practice.
Practices like chakra work, Kundalini awakening, or ceremonial magic involve manipulating personal energy. If done improperly, it can cause energetic imbalances—leading to physical exhaustion, emotional instability, or even serious health issues. Structured training ensures gradual development and teaches how to regulate energy safely.
Without structured feedback, some self-taught practitioners develop an inflated sense of expertise too quickly, leading to ego inflation. They may believe they are more advanced than they are, resist learning from others, or engage in reckless magical practices. This can create blind spots and hinder real growth.
Some esoteric traditions have built-in protections against harmful or manipulative teachings. Without a structured system, seekers may fall prey to misleading teachers, exploitative groups, or dangerous rituals found online. Discernment is crucial, but structure helps provide a vetted, safer approach.
Many people who start without structure get stuck in surface-level practices—casting simple spells or divination without more profound spiritual development. Traditional systems guide practitioners through different levels of understanding, ensuring long-term evolution rather than staying in a perpetual beginner phase.
Esoteric training systems often have defined milestones, such as initiations, grades, or tests, ensuring steady progress. Without structure, some practitioners may jump from one practice to another without depth, never fully mastering anything.
Balance Structure with Individualism
This means that if structured occultism is going to survive, it will have to change to embrace the younger generation’s decentralised mindset. While traditional training has clear benefits, modern practitioners don’t necessarily need a rigid hierarchy.
A badly disciplined student who picks up things and drops them again will always be a nuisance. Such a person will never be helpful in the occult field. If such a person was studying martial arts or in university, they would be kicked out of their school, so occultism is the same. If you are called to mentor such a person, you give them six weeks; if they are not doing anything, you are entirely right to train someone else who might be working. But generally, there are ways to blend structure with personal exploration:
- Follow a Self-Study Curriculum: Research traditional systems and build a structured study plan.
- Obtain Mentorship: Even informal guidance from experienced practitioners can provide structure.
- Keep a Journal: Track progress, insights, and experiences for self-evaluation.
- Engage with Trusted Online Communities: Participate in groups, forums, or online classes for feedback.
- Set Goals and Milestones: Ensure growth by systematically deepening your understanding.
Where does this leave orders?
In 20 years, traditional orders will probably be a thing of the past and probably replaced by groups based around “personalities” who dole out coursework and other training. They might occasionally meet or even develop an initiation system. They will probably reserve that for their inner circle of students who have proved they are worth the effort. They will charge a small amount for training, so it adds up to be worthwhile.
It will have its dark side. There will be those who turn their groups into cults, those who see their groups as businesses, or those who see other groups as rivals. There will be those who lack the training to establish such a group and will use it to masturbate their own egos. In the short term, there is a huge skills gap and a lack of qualified teachers who can take up this role or are prepared to learn new internet skills.
On the plus side, if the students and teachers adapt to the new approach, it could work well.
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