How did you used to find other witches and magicians before relying on social media (or even the internet)? Tell me stories, and maybe let’s revisit some lost opportunities (and remember that it can be done). #witchsky
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Yes! That was an important lesson! You might not meet a witch (or your “kind” of witch) but you’d still end up with a like mind and a sympathetic ear! I think it made for less divisive barriers.
Ok hear me out. " pagan Bat signal!" ...ok fine im kidding. But Renaissance fairs are a greate place to meet like minded people. We have one once a year in N.J. I work there as a historical blacksmith demonstrator. Its kinda awsome how many other witches and pagans will clock each other.
Does anyone remember the lawless times of Usenet newsgroups? alt.religion.wicca and soc.religion.pagan and the like. Made some great friends there, but sadly lost touch.
Flyers in mystical shops back in the 90's. Writing off to various mailing lists and magazines listed in books from the library (my county library was almost on my doorstep and it feels like I lived there). Dumb luck.
Definitely lurking in "alternative" shops, picking up flyers, and browsing for notices on (physical) bulletin boards. Reading niche magazines. Complimenting people on their outfit or book also helps.
I didn't get my own cellphone or laptop until college, so I was already sorta late to the social media game. So it was mostly hanging out at the local libraries, bookstores, or shops in a mall that I had to observe and reach out of my comfort zone to talk to.
But I also found some while at thrift stores, antique shops, or local markets in town by observing jewelry and symbols worn by them. So it was nice to connect with individuals even in the moment.
The one in our town had circles twice a month when I was young, and often had kid friendly events and potlucks. I’d say about half the church was pagan and the other half was humanist agnostics who dabbled in Buddhism.
I put an advertisement in the newspaper classified ad section. Something like this: "CRAFTY? If you're a follower of the old Craft, I would like to meet with you for some discussion about it." I got a lot of arts & crafts people responding, but I did get three Wiccans to reply and we did meet.
I found real life witches at a very large New Age fair. They gave me some ‘zines and I wrote away for more info. I also had a few books, and newspaper articles. 3yrs later I got access to the internet - WitchVox hadn’t started yet!
I went to a local feminist bookstore when I lived in Florida many years ago and learned about a weekly group that met there. They were long time witches and very kind! 💚
I don't think I actually did. MySpace was created when I was in 7th grade, and social media just got bigger from there. I did use WitchVox to see if there were groups near me but it never panned out because I'm a chicken 🐔🤣
Witchvox was amazing and going into shops that held public rituals. I used to have a small and very close coven and I’ve been missing that connection we started as a ‘study’ group almost 30 years ago. We separated close to 12 yrs ago, there’s still an empty spot in my heart. Time for something new.
We do seem to find each other. My parents forced me to attend a Christian choir camp. I told a tale by the fire to woo a young woman. She taught me to raise a wind and then conjured orbs.
At the local Renn Faire mostly. When I was a *new* witch (80s) there wasn't internet & basically no witch shops in my area. I was in my 20s by the time I found witches local to me and a few scattered shops. But the local Ren Faire was like a candy store of like minded, creative, kind witch folks.
Bulletin boards in local bookstores and food co-ops. The lesbian bookstore in Northampton,MA had a book that listed pagan shops and publications. Found Circle Network News that way and subscribed. By the early 1980s, I'd connected with a women's spirituality group, and the Earthspirit Community.
Before i was meeting witches on the internet, i mostly met them in coffee shops. We clocked eachother by our clothes, jewelry, and conspicuoulsy displayed books and tarot cards.
There was a Pagan Student Union at the U of Washington in the mid 90s and I joined. Also bookshops and their events. Pen pal listings in Pagan magazines and newsletters. That's how I connected to other witches before the www. #WitchSky
Hi! Here in Brazil we used to go to temples of afro-brazilian Religions or local known witches called benzedeiras, and in the 90's some people established Wiccan groups in São Paulo. So, mostly you could find it at the yellow pages or someone in your circle, family/friends/work would know someone...
Witches's voice and forums. My favorite forum was a Mystickal grove. Also websites back in the day had guestbooks and link circles so you could find new sites that way. Oh geocities and angelfire those were the days!
Oh, another trick! Putting notes and contact info into occult library books and at the book store. A note between the pages was like a gift from the fairies.
My ritual collective used to put postcard sized advertisements for upcoming public rituals and classes in the books in the metaphysical section at Powell‘s Books in Portland back in the 1990s. It worked just great!
Okay. That's quite possibly the cutest thing I've *ever* heard.
But also! Wait, no, go back, I *love* the idea of putting like a business card/bookmark with contact details in a library book/around a bookstore section or two. Functional *and* a good way to meet people.
He was a nice boyfriend! We broke up eventually, but not because he wronged me. The note was for his book club about environmental philosophy. He stuck them in Daniel Quinn novels. I stole the idea from him and advertised a pagan meetup in the local bookstore!
When I started college, my tiny liberal arts school released a printed booklet of incoming freshman, with headshots and a blurb about interests. I scoured it for pentagrams, goths, quirky outfits, and any mention of “nature” or “spirituality.” We used to signal to each other visually more, I think.
All of those stereotypes about silver jewelry and velvet came from a place. 🥹 Maybe we should revisit that place. And don’t forget buttons and bumper stickers!
I think we also just had to be really brave. If you saw someone wearing a piece of magical jewelry, you said hi. It was embarrassing and potentially scary, but you *did* it. That’s how I got my friend Kira. 💙
I remember wearing a pentacle necklace to my college job, some lady said she liked my necklace, and I said “thanks!” but was too shy to say anything else, lol. I still wonder if that was a coded “hi, I see you/me too.”
When you sneezed, a “gods bless you” used to be a sign. Or “oh my Goddess” instead of “oh my God”. Also slipping a “blessed be” into a conversation to see if there was a response.
My mother found a lot of the closeted/curious in town like that and would invite them to tea then an open circle.
I was truly unsure how as a young teen so I developed a reputation for tarot reading in high school & let the occult interested come to me, mostly. That time in the mid 00's was still very awkward& there was a lot of fear of exposure & adult response so there wasn't much beside curious friends tbh!
Shops, bulletin boards, and 'zines or (honest-to-gods) paper publications used to be the venues, along with more than a few self-addressed stamped envelopes.
The short version, just for Bluesky... 😉
Moved away from a small town (Texas, here) & met a guy who knew a Dianic Witch. Then, moved to an even bigger town & hung out in New Age sections of bookstores, LARPer meets, & wore the jewelry...even hit up the yellow pages(!). Found shops & a CUUPs group. 🙏
I really miss witchvox. But otherwise it was in person through university (just creeping clubs) and through Tumblr. I didn't have many options other than the internet so I just didn't find them before I had that access 😭
I didn't (re)discover witchcraft until we had internet access. WitchVox was the best resource, but I also used chatrooms (mIRC included), various forum boards, and MSN communities. Once social media reached brain-numbing status, the last hold outs went quiet and search engines changed algorithms. 😢
I clocked my first witches in high school by their pentacles but I was far too shy to make the first move. Finally met witches & pagans in college, where the local student group was advertising their first meeting of the semester through chalk writing on sidewalks with lures of "Pagans & Pizza!"
Back home, I met my High Priestess at the local metaphysical shop, where she had an office and was doing readings. She clocked me right away with, "Oh are you a Pagan? Blessed be! You should join us for the summer solstice. Here's our yahoogroups email list!"
Recognizable jewelry, bumper stickers, local metaphysical/occult shops, pagan festivals if you can find them, Medieval/Ren Faires for sure, & then some online sources that emphasized in-person gatherings like Meetup, that's where I met so many queer witches & pagans in the greater Seattle area.
Pre-internet I used to spend a lot of time on the front lawn of the old Public Library in Halifax, circa 1989-1993. That was like a gathering ground for interesting people. I had my cards with me and let people see. I also did readings at a spiritual store later in the 90s.
The first other Pagan/Witch I had a real friendship with was one I met in the pages of Green Egg magazine. We wrote letters to each other. He and I then met people at a local psychic fair. We then met more people at a college pagan group at Michigan State.
A fellow student was wearing a pentacle ring at uni (college in U.S.?) I decided to strike up a conversation and she mentioned some local events, which I then went along to with her! So glad she was wearing obviously witchy jewellery 🌟
I have only been a practitioner for about 9 years now so the internet was always around as a way of meeting people since I’ve been practicing.
I have met some wonderful people online through magic, including my partner. We don’t know a lot of people irl who practice though sadly.
The Rutgers University Pagan Students Association, circa 2006-2010. It was a networking hub for local Pagan groups in north Jersey. Every meeting was either a skill share between students or a lecture/ visit from someone in the community. A good variety of folks too.
At the end of the spring semester each year we had the Pagan Panel- 5 leaders from 5 different traditions answering students’s questions. The questions usually had a theme and our local leaders discussed how their traditions handled each topic.
Festivals that seemed to be a little left of center… goddess festivals, harvest festivals, psychic festivals, Renaissance Faires… and lots of books. It was slim pickins in those early days.
I got my first crystal at a psychic faire, had my aura read, and also got a didgeridoo chakra healing. First time I ever saw tarot readers in my life! 😸
Pantheacon was my first true Pagan festival and the first ritual class I ever took was yours! “Ritual Without Tools”!
In college I made it a point to be super visible. I knew there were hidden witches in the Gay/Straight Alliance and my theater department. Openly wearing pentacles at book stores and coffee shops also helped.
Also, living somewhere that didn’t have a witch shop meant being creative shopping for supplies. I’d wear symbols openly shopping there because I figured I wasn’t the only witch shopping at Michaels or the health food store for witch supplies.
Same! I used to go to the health food store and buy all my bulk herbs. And I used to go to a lot of the thrift and charity shops to get supplies. I still have a number of those pieces that I still use in my practice. Also, paint your own clay places are great.
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Jesus, social media has really fucked a lot of stuff.
When I moved to a bigger city a couple of years later, there was a witchcraft store and they had a bulletin board.
And then I started working at said witchcraft store so then it was easy.
Having books like the Spiral Dance, Gay Witchcraft, etc. on my bookshelves that people can clock when they come over.
Networking. Once you've met one witch, there are very few degrees of separation from others!
In places other than KCMO, psychic fairs and crystal shows will be good, too, but the local scene here is run by a monopoly of antivaxers.
Which I still miss a lot of the time.
But also! Wait, no, go back, I *love* the idea of putting like a business card/bookmark with contact details in a library book/around a bookstore section or two. Functional *and* a good way to meet people.
My mother found a lot of the closeted/curious in town like that and would invite them to tea then an open circle.
Admittedly, living in Minneapolis makes that way easier to do!
Moved away from a small town (Texas, here) & met a guy who knew a Dianic Witch. Then, moved to an even bigger town & hung out in New Age sections of bookstores, LARPer meets, & wore the jewelry...even hit up the yellow pages(!). Found shops & a CUUPs group. 🙏
I have met some wonderful people online through magic, including my partner. We don’t know a lot of people irl who practice though sadly.
Also realize I was spoiled living so close to Salem MA but it was still hard to meet people you vibed with there.
Pantheacon was my first true Pagan festival and the first ritual class I ever took was yours! “Ritual Without Tools”!