A New Wave of Witchcraft: Emoji Spells

Mentioned in A History of Magic, Witchcraft, and the Occult, some people in the 21st century are embracing new ways to carry out witchcraft. One of the ways briefly mentioned is the use of emojis to cast spells. Baffled by this, I decided to do some further research. Notably, this Vice article goes into detail about how to cast spells using emojis. The tutorial is quite complex--much more so than I could have imagined. To signal your message as a spell, you must surround it with crystal ball emojis. The spell can be sent to friends, posted on social media such as Facebook or Snapchat, or even sent to yourself (when you want to practice without judgement). The article mentions other emoji spell best practices that relate to customs traditionally practiced in the past, such as a protective circle in which to cast spells. In this context, the circle can be forged using emojis.

While A History of Magic, Witchcraft, and the Occult presents emoji spells as non-serious 21st century witchcraft, it appears that there are individuals who believe in its power. The aforementioned Vice article goes into depth about how to successfully cast these spells, indicating a true adherence to defined spell-casting methodologies. Social media posts such as this also indicate that there is a base of individuals who trust the power of spells that are cast through the medium of electronic communication. The concept of emoji spells still seems to embrace traditional supernatural ideals, but coincides with modern day technology.

Real or not, how could I end this post any other way than casting an emoji spell of my own? Read the Vice article to find out what it means!