Magical Gatekeeping in the Pagan/Witchcraft Community

There are many ways to be a pagan or a witch. All the larger paths under the modern pagan umbrella can be practiced in a variety of ways and contain an abundance of more specific traditions. The amazing thing about paganism is that it has always been very clear that there is no one specific way to do anything. If you want to be a witch, you call yourself a witch and do witchy things. So what is gatekeeping? You may have heard this term before and wondered what it meant or felt the effects of it practiced on yourself personally. According to Google, gatekeeping is “the activity of controlling, and usually limiting, general access to something.” So how does this apply to our community? Well, there are some people in the community who feel that it is their place to tell other witches how to practice their craft. I have certainly seen this both in person and on social media. It is seen more and more these days, and there seems to be those that are using the term incorrectly, and those that are being attacked for no reason. It’s a plague to most communities that tends to exclude others, or even make them feel like they should lose interest in their hobby/passions because other more “experienced” people in the demographic shut them down so regularly. It is a power move that can cast a negative light on the pagan community. A few examples I have come across over the years are:

Example 1: A witch showing how she lights sage with a disposable lighter and her comment section blowing up with people telling her she was wrong to use a lighter and that it should only ever be done with a candle and the candle can only be lit with a match.

Example 2: Another witch was lectured that she could not practice magic properly because she was wearing acrylic nails and that the magic could not get through the plastic and would warp and ruin her spells. (It’s not that serious guys….)

Example 3: You have to be born into a family that practices witchcraft or you aren’t a real witch and you are just a poser or if you aren’t a part of a coven then you aren’t a real witch.

Example 4: If your views do not match that of the rest of the coven, you should be banished from the coven and made to feel you have a black soul. (More to come on this later in covens when I post it)

Example 5: Only Native Americans can burn sage in an abalone shell. For anyone else to do so is cultural appropriation and the use of white sage and palo santo is shameful as these plants are endangered. Neither of these plants are endangered. In 2019 the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) for the first time released a review of bursera graveolens’s (palo santo) conservation status and declared it “of least concern.” It’s important to remember that while the Palo Santo tree itself isn’t endangered, its natural habitat – tropical dry forests – are even more endangered than tropical rain forests as they are often easily cleared for cattle ranching. Many people say that white sage is protected by the Endangered Species Act of 1973, which is a common misconception. Collecting plants without permission from a landowner or land manager is illegal. White sage itself is a common enough plant but has been in decline in the wild due to illegal harvesting. Indigenous and Latin American people have developed a cultural heritage around many different types of herbal healing and spiritual ceremonies. However, that does not mean that pagan communities all across the Mediterranean, Europe, British Isles, and Eastern Europe have never burned an herb to cleanse their religious spaces/homes. The French burned rosemary to cleanse the air of sick rooms. This does not mean that you cannot burn rosemary if you aren’t French.

Many witches stick to more primitive methods and tools when practicing their craft, and that’s awesome! But some feel this is the only way that any witch should practice and that if anyone practices any different, then they are inexperienced witches or following the cultural appropriation bandwagon or just plain wrong. But this is not the case. This is a form of elitism that makes them feel superior. The history of family practice is a truly unrealistic expectation of the craft. Just because we practice/follow one of the oldest religions on earth, does not mean that we have to adhere to all of the old methods. Please remember that much of witchcraft has been practiced in secret all across the world for fear of reprisal and that many of the poorest members of society practiced some form of it. They didn’t have beautiful wands, goblets, cloaks, and conical hats as that would very obviously call them out in a society riddled with mistrust of witchcraft and the occult. We as humans have evolved as well as technology and I don’t see anything wrong with using what is available to us. We gain knowledge from the internet and mass produced books as well. Our ancestors didn’t have that but if they had access to the knowledge we do now, I am sure they would have used it to their advantage and in their practice. Does that mean you are wrong for changing things in your craft or doing things differently from the olds ways? Absolutely not. You cannot compare your magical journey to others.

Gatekeeping goes beyond telling people what they should and shouldn’t be using. It also includes people telling others what they should believe, how they should practice, books that they shouldn’t read, ideologies that they shouldn’t follow, that they can’t work with certain gods/goddesses, age-restricting, what they can call themselves, that their gender determines how they can practice, and much more! Basically it’s telling others how to practice because they think that their way is the only way.

Gatekeeping can be damaging to the community in that it turns people away instead of encouraging them to deepen their faith and continue on their path. It also leads to confusion and disparaging feelings about the craft or that person in general. Unfortunately, it also makes us look like other widely known religions who like to tell people how to live their lives. It also makes you look like a stuck up ass.

Witchcraft is unique to the practitioner, we all do things a little differently. Of course, you can join a coven or group that will practice similarly, and that’s absolutely fine, but practicing differently from the next witch doesn’t make you wrong. If you see someone doing something that could be harmful or counterintuitive to their goal, there are ways to kindly teach and guide without gatekeeping. You could say something like: “I do it this way because X”, or “I have never seen it done that way. Can you tell me your reasons for doing it like that?” and use that as a segue into helpfully guiding them. Or of course, you can also let people do their own thing. We need to be lifting each other up, not tearing each other down. We all make mistakes and we all have so much to learn, no matter how long we’ve been practicing. There will always be “puritans” and people who believe that there is only one way to practice, and they are free to believe that way, but don’t let them discourage you from following YOUR true path.

Sharing information, and your differences in practice, is not gatekeeping. Witchcraft itself is a skill, it is spirituality, and it is personal to each and every witch regardless of experience, background or chosen path. Like physical communication, a lot of the offence over social media, comes about because of how the messages are displayed. You can learn from the way others practice. That doesn’t mean you are right or they are wrong. If someone uses an herb for a specific reason and you tell them they are wrong for it; THAT is gatekeeping. To say that colors/herbs/crystals only have ONE use is nowhere close to accurate. Just because that is as far as your knowledge goes, does not mean it is 100% fact. Color/herb/crystal meanings change with the region/culture/time period.

I have been practicing for almost 8 years now and I still learn new things every day. I love herbs and crystals. I wish I understood more about runes and astral projection. With time I am sure I will. But for now, I could easily be schooled in those subjects. However, if someone calls you out on a subject, before you immediately pinpoint that person as a gatekeeper, look at what you have shared or said. If you are promoting something that could be dangerous to someone’s or your own health and hadn’t done the proper research, it would do well to listen to them. Not everyone is out to get you. The witchcraft community is a (generally) open and free community, but we also look out for one another. I welcome corrections or new points of view on subjects so long as they are respectful.

While this isn’t makeup and I am confused as to why Sephora is selling it, that doesn’t mean that their sage is any better/worse than purchasing it from another practitioner of the religion. My logic stems from the fact that I can go to Michaels and buy cool witchy things every October but they are a craft store. Does that mean I can’t have their cool signs and cauldrons and witch statues out in my house or I am not truly into witchcraft? I think not. To me, witchcraft has been one of the most welcoming and positive changes in my life and I hate to see this kind of judgment and elitism. Not everyone can afford the $200 kits on Etsy or have obvious actively practicing pagans in their community. Not everyone has the same item availability and I think it is awesome that more businesses are catering to the pagan community. Sephora may be the door to open and welcome a twenty something young person into the craft and that is just as ok as a seventh generation witch practicing their entire life. While I, personally, would not buy any of my craft items from Sephora, that does not mean that you are wrong in doing so yourself.

When is gatekeeping necessary? Lately, it seems as though the word gatekeeping is being used interchangeably with the energy of “I don’t like being told I am wrong and so I will make you the villain for pointing that out.” The question to pose back to some of those throwing around the word “gatekeeping” is: are they gatekeeping or are they holding you accountable for your words?

We don’t have to hold the door open for what we do with every single person and there are some people who simply should not be under the pagan umbrella. Defending the gates should be done with thoughtfulness and care, but there are some legitimate reasons for doing so. No one has an absolute right to join an organization, coven, or group, and there are times when people use the words we identify with incorrectly. At these times, we have an obligation to set the record straight. False claims or falsely claiming initiation into a specific tradition is one of those. If someone sets themselves up as a Gardnerian High Priestess and they aren’t a Gardnerian High Priestess, you have a duty and obligation to say something. If an elder is being a little too handsey with the young women during a ritual, you should toss them out immediately. One troublesome person is not worth risking the reputation and existence of an entire circle or organization. A prime example for me could be this very website. I am only human and if I were to accidently say that some herb or other is great to put in food when it is, in fact, poisonous, I would hope that someone would catch that mistake and let me know in a respectful manner. The doors to paganism and witchcraft are generally welcoming and tend to be far more open than closed but there are some gates that people should not be allowed through and that too, is ok.

I would love to hear your thoughts on gatekeeping or any experiences you have had with it!