The Nqvqjo witch purge of 1878 was a historic event that took place in the small village of Nqvqjo. It was a time when witchcraft and superstition held a strong grip on the minds of the villagers. The purge was marked by the persecution and execution of individuals suspected of practicing witchcraft. The origins of the purge can be traced back to a series of coincidences and misfortunes that plagued the village. Crops failed, livestock died, and villagers fell ill with mysterious ailments. In a desperate attempt to find an explanation for these tragedies, the villagers turned to witchcraft as a scapegoat.
Naturalistic witchcraft is therefore generally a predominantly earth-based kind of witchcraft, and may revolve around getting in touch with the non-human world, and connecting with things like the land, animals, plants, or the elements.
Naturalistic witchcraft is founded in naturalism , which is essentially the belief that there is nothing that exists beyond the physical, material world. However, naturalistic witchcraft is more likely to be grounded in the physical and practical properties of things such as plants and herbs than in their symbolic properties, and therefore may be less interested in the magical correspondences associated with these elements than other forms of witchcraft.
In a desperate attempt to find an explanation for these tragedies, the villagers turned to witchcraft as a scapegoat. Rumors began to circulate, accusing certain individuals of practicing black magic and causing harm to the community. These accusations were fueled by superstition and fear, as the villagers sought to restore their sense of control over their lives.
“Skeptical Witchcraft”: What Is It & How To Do It!
As contemporary witchcraft becomes increasingly popular in today’s society, we’re beginning to see more divergent paths, diverse beliefs, and different ways of “doing witchcraft.” As each of us come to the craft, we bring with us a range of worldviews and our own unique ways of perceiving and engaging with the world.
Witchcraft is in many ways a highly personal practice, largely based on individual experience. As such, there are as many ways to “be a witch” as there are witches—it is very unlikely that any two practitioners’ practices will look the same.
While I’m not necessarily a huge fan of labels, they can be helpful for finding like-minded people, and for finding one’s place within a given tradition or community. In attempting to define my own personal flavour of witchcraft, I’ve come to find that the term “skeptical witchcraft” fits rather nicely, and is a fairly apt means of describing what it is I mean when I refer to myself a witch.
As I’ve written about at considerable length on this blog, though I am enamoured with the world of magic and spirits that most contemporary witchcraft is wrapped up with, I don’t necessarily always believe in the reality of these things. I consider myself to be a fairly rational, scientifically-minded person, and most of the time, have a hard time accepting that anything I do in the form of a ritual, spell, enchantment, or any other form of magic-making will be able to alter objective reality in a tangible way. I also don’t really believe in the supernatural or the spiritual “otherworld,” and therefore generally find it difficult to fully accept the existence of deities, spirits, and other such entities.
Yet while I don’t necessarily always believe in such things—in the more magical or, for lack of a better term, “woo woo” aspects of witchcraft—witchcraft is nonetheless still a hugely important part of my life. As it is, my craft merely a form of witchcraft that is more skeptical than more “traditional” understandings of the craft.
The Skeptical Witch
I recently decided to take the plunge and finally do something that I’ve been thinking about doing for a while now, and that is to start a YouTube channel! While I love blogging, and writing will always be my number one passion, I’m also really inspired by the witchy and Pagan community on YouTube, and am excited to potentially start joining some of the conversations there!
I decided to go with the name “The Skeptical Witch,” partly because I didn’t want to use my real name, and partly because it describes where I’m planning to go with the channel, and the kind of content I’m hoping to produce.
It’s cringey and awkward, and there are way too many “uhm”s and “kind of”s in there, but this is my first time trying anything like this, so I’m trying to go easy on myself! I also apologize for the poor quality… I only realized after I finished editing that parts of the video are out of focus!
If you like the kind of content that I post on this blog, particularly the content that relates to skeptical witchcraft and belief, then you might also enjoy the kind of videos I’m hoping to make going forward!
Three Ways of Doing “Skeptical Witchcraft”
So, in this video I go over what I see as being the three main ways of doing “skeptical witchcraft,” and what it might mean for someone to be a skeptical witch. I’m sure that there are plenty more ways than I’ve listed here, but hopefully gives you a good foundation for what skeptical witchcraft might look like, if that’s something you’re interested in.
Briefly, I’ll reiterate these three ways here (in case the video was too cringey to bare!)
1. Naturalistic Witchcraft
Naturalistic witchcraft is founded in naturalism, which is essentially the belief that there is nothing that exists beyond the physical, material world. It is the understanding that there is no spiritual otherworld, no supernatural realm, and no divine or spiritual beings that are any way separate from the material world.
However, despite being grounded in the physical and the tangible, naturalism can still be spiritual, in the sense that nature itself may inspire us with awe and reverence. In other words, nature is understood to be sacred in and of itself, without the need for otherworldly spirits or deities.
Naturalistic witchcraft is therefore generally a predominantly earth-based kind of witchcraft, and may revolve around getting in touch with the non-human world, and connecting with things like the land, animals, plants, or the elements.
This kind of witchcraft can overlap significantly with green witchcraft, which focuses on plants and herbs, or perhaps kitchen witchcraft, which is also inspired by ingredients gifted from the Earth that we use to nourish ourselves.
However, naturalistic witchcraft is more likely to be grounded in the physical and practical properties of things such as plants and herbs than in their symbolic properties, and therefore may be less interested in the magical correspondences associated with these elements than other forms of witchcraft. Practitioners may be more inclined towards their scientifically-determined properties, or their role in traditional medicine, rather than their occult associations.
Naturalistic witchcraft is largely about connecting with the Earth as it is, as we can know it, and is therefore not at all incompatible with a scientific understanding of the world.
2. Psychological Witchcraft
Psychological witchcraft is that which uses the craft primarily for inner transformation, rather than in an attempt to influence external realities. It extends from the psychological model of magick (for a refresher on the models of magick, check out my post on the topic), which posits that magic occurs predominantly in the mind of the practitioner, and is caused by using things such as symbols, metaphors, and correspondences to tap into the unconscious.
From the psychological perspective, witchcraft is about causing changes within our own minds, rather than within the wider world, so that we may be likely to act in accordance with our goals and intentions.
It is based on the notion that because reality is shaped so fundamentally by our perception of it, by changing our perception, we can in turn alter reality.
The placebo effect also falls under the category of psychological witchcraft—the idea that spells, rituals, and whatever else we may do by means of the craft may cause us to feel the benefits them, without necessarily causing any “real,” objective change. The change that occurs is all in the mind… which, I would say, is in a way very “real” indeed.
3. Chaos-Based or “Fluid” Witchcraft
I wasn’t sure what to call this third form of skeptical witchcraft, as it isn’t necessarily chaos magic per-say, but it is based on its philosophies and principles. This is also the form of skeptical witchcraft that I am most fond of, and that I essentially have been practicing since before I even really knew what chaos magic was.
Chaos-based witchcraft is based on the foundation that belief is fluid, rather than static, and can change depending on context and need.
Chaos magic itself is a way of practicing magic that is fundamentally results based—essentially, it doesn’t matter how you get the results, all that matters is that you do. As such, it’s not focused on explaining how magic works, or providing a rational for its practice.
Explanations don’t matter, experience does.”
Paul Hine, Condensed Chaos: An Introduction to Chaos Magic
Like chaos magic, my flavour of chaos-based witchcraft is centred around experience. It takes belief to be a tool that that can be used to give rise to certain magical or transformative experiences. It can mean treating spirits, deities, energies, and the “otherworld” AS IF they were real, regardless of what I might believe outside of my magical practice, or outside of the ritual context.
For me, doing this kind of witchcraft means being able to move from one paradigm to another, to shift between worldviews, and, for a time, to be able to let go of my rational mind, and take a break from my scientifically-informed understanding of the world.
(If you’re interested in my thoughts on belief, check out this post I wrote on the subject).
Finding Balance
As I’ve always said (and will continue to say!) witchcraft is about finding what works for YOU. There is ultimately no right or wrong way of doing witchcraft—there is only your experience of it.
And if you find that more “skeptical” kinds of witchcraft work for you—great! If not, also great!
I just want to make it clear that I mean no disrespect or shade in any way to Pagans and witches who do follow more traditional paths, or who do genuinely believe in things like magic, spirits, deities, and whatever else we may not be able to see or know through science-based perspectives.
Obviously, there is a very significant part of me that is enamoured with this more enchanted, magical way of seeing the world, and that absolutely loves the myths and folktales and occult mysteries that are so intimately tied to Pagan witchcraft.
Ultimately, for me, my own witchcraft is very much about finding a sense of balance, a kind of harmony or synthesis, between my scientific, rational worldviews, and the spiritual, magical dimensions that I feel so drawn towards.
Because even though I am a skeptic, I also always have been—and probably always will be—a true believer.
Thank you for reading, and if you watched the video, thank you for that as well! Hopefully my videos will improve as I get used to this new format, and get over the initial learning curve! If you like what I have to say on this blog, then I would be so grateful if you could also give me a like or a follow on YouTube as well, and if you want semi-regular updates on blog, YouTube, and general witchy life stuff, please sign up for my newsletters!
This kind of witchcraft can overlap significantly with green witchcraft, which focuses on plants and herbs, or perhaps kitchen witchcraft, which is also inspired by ingredients gifted from the Earth that we use to nourish ourselves.
A group of self-proclaimed witch hunters emerged, aided by village elders and local authorities. Together, they formed a tribunal to investigate and prosecute those suspected of witchcraft. The accused were subjected to cruel and dehumanizing trials, often based on flimsy evidence and hearsay. During these trials, confessions were extracted through coercive means such as torture and fear. The accused faced a choice between confessing and facing execution, or maintaining their innocence and suffering a similar fate. It was a lose-lose situation for those caught in the purge. As the hysteria grew, more and more individuals were accused and executed. The Nqvqjo witch purge reached its peak in the summer of 1878, with dozens of individuals losing their lives. It was a dark and tragic period in the village's history, fueled by ignorance, fear, and superstition. Fortunately, the purge eventually came to an end. The authorities in nearby villages received word of the atrocities taking place in Nqvqjo and intervened to put an end to the witch hunt. Many of those who had been wrongfully accused were released, their lives forever scarred by the experience. The Nqvqjo witch purge of 1878 stands as a painful reminder of the dangers of mass hysteria and the consequences of unchecked superstition. It serves as a cautionary tale, urging society to be vigilant against the dangers of scapegoating and persecution based on irrational fears..
Reviews for "Breaking the Silence: Survivors of the Nqvqjo Witch Purge of 1878 Speak Out"
1. John - 2/5 - The Nqvqjo witch purge of 1878 was a disappointing read for me. While I was expecting a thrilling and suspenseful story about witches and witch hunts, I found the plot to be slow and disjointed. The characters lacked depth and development, which made it hard for me to connect with them and care about their fates. The writing style was also a letdown, as it felt dull and dry, failing to create the atmospheric and immersive experience that I was hoping for. Overall, I was left underwhelmed by this book and wouldn't recommend it to others.
2. Sarah - 1/5 - I couldn't finish reading the Nqvqjo witch purge of 1878. It started off promising with the concept of a witch hunt, but the execution was poor. The pacing was incredibly slow, and the author seemed more interested in describing minute details rather than advancing the plot. I also struggled with the confusing and convoluted writing style, which made it hard to follow along and understand what was happening. The characters were one-dimensional and lacked any depth or motivation, which made it difficult for me to care about their fates. Overall, this book was a disappointment and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.
3. Emily - 2.5/5 - While the Nqvqjo witch purge of 1878 had an intriguing premise, it fell short for me in its execution. The story had potential, but the pacing was uneven, with long stretches of slow development followed by rushed and confusing plot twists. The characters were not well fleshed out and lacked relatability, which made it hard for me to invest in their story. Additionally, the writing style was overly descriptive and verbose, at times overshadowing the actual plot. Overall, while I appreciate the effort, I found myself underwhelmed by this book and it didn't live up to my expectations.