Teenage Witches: Magical Youth and the Search for the Self

Exposure to movies and television shows like The Craft and Charmed, blended with our common “knowledge” of the moods and motivations of teenagers, leads to the natural supposition that teenagers who declare themselves Witches are mostly interested in shocking their peers and parents, and enjoying the power and thrill of casting spells. Helen Berger and Douglas Ezzy, professors at West Chester University and the University of Tasmania, respectively, undertook the task of testing this supposition by interviewing a total of 90 self-identified teenage Witches (or young adult Witches who were teenagers when they first became Witches): 30 in Australia, 30 in the United States, and 30 in England. They found their sample through word-of-mouth and networking with pagan organizations, as well as through advertisements on web sites, in student newspapers, and at occult bookstores. The upshot of their careful treatment of the younger adherents of Wicca is that these Witches are generally literate, thoughtful people who pursue Wicca for its spiritual and life-enhancing values, and who are, if anything, sometimes reluctant to engage in spell-casting for fear of overstepping proper ethical boundaries. As the authors themselves note, this does not directly contradict the natural supposition that teenage Witches are mainly attracted to a “dangerous outsider” status and the promise of magical powers. The authors stipulated that interviewees had to have practiced Witchcraft for at least a year, and presumably teenagers who self-identify as Witches are more serious about their practice than those who are ambivalent about the label (35).