Abby McMonagle's Blog

  The Business Side of Witchcraft               As a business major, when I hear of people practicing witchcraft for a living, I automatically think of how this is financially sufficient. Previously, witchcraft was looked down upon for many reasons, leading the consequences of ‘witchcraft’ to be greater than the positives. With the introduction of WitchTok, there is now a financial incentive to practicing witchcraft. WitchTok has changed the way people view witchcraft, if a creator gets enough views, posting about witchcraft can become sustainable living. Similarly, witchcraft is now monetized. Companies sell things like witch kits (or Ouija boards) and are able to profit off of other people pursuing witchcraft.               In class, we have discussed the fortune teller on Berry St. This is a great example of how people are monetizing witchcraft. H...

       Previously, I have done research on the Barnum Effect and astrology. When we first started discussing witchcraft in class and talking about the climate surrounding most witch accusations (meaning, there was always something inexplicable going on), I started to think about how the accusations were mainly people convincing themselves of something. The concept mentioned a few times in class of ‘believing something to the point of it being true’ is something that has also caught my attention because the first thing that comes to mind is the Barnum Effect. I’ve decided to research a bit more about witches (broadly, paranormal beliefs) and the Barnum Effect.               To start, the Barnum Effect is basically believing something is personal to you when it applies to everyone. The definition of the Barnum Effect is “the tendency to accept certain information as true, such as character assessments o...

      In last week's readings, I was interested by the symbols of magic. We had previously discussed the use of amulets and other items like dream catchers, but this was the first I had read about specific symbols and etchings. On page 66 of the reading, the book said that "symbols had the same magic as spoken spells." The symbolism of certain objects or sensations, like thunder being the sound of Thor's hammer, shows how vastly intertwined magic was in the culture and daily life. The runes were another example the book mentioned about symbols used to portray magic. I found the runes particularly interesting because they are able to give a glimpse into dialogues happening at that time. The early use of symbols to depict magic bleeds into the depiction of gods worshipped by different societies at that time.      The use of magic and spells within the church is interesting. As we discuss in class often, Christianity now is against the use of spells or worship...