While the word “cult” technically refers to any small group with a common set of beliefs or praxis (Star Trek and Doctor Who each have a “cult following,” for example) in popular parlance it takes on a much more sinister connotation, offering hints of coercion, control, harassment, abuse, and sometimes even murder.
A cult, in the negative sense, doesn’t always start out that way. Some began as positive religious groups, but somewhere along the way become corrupted; perhaps slowly exerting more pressure on its members until they eventually find themselves brainwashed. This slow progression can be a major contributing factor in the subjugation of its members. If the negative behaviors are gradual, members are less likely to rebel or even notice until the group has crossed-over from legitimate congregation and into actual cult. And even then, they might not.
While many are familiar with the tragic story of Jonestown (where in November 1978, 918 people lost their lives in a mass homicide-suicide at the command of the group’s leader) more might be surprised to know that before he led a suicide-cult, Jim Jones, preached racial-equality and other progressive philosophies to his congregation. If there is such a thing as an expected scenario that gives birth to a dangerous cult, this isn’t it.
A commonality in cults is the level of control that leadership has over its members. This is easily seen in organized religions, in which a central body of authority dictates to the masses what is to be believed or practiced. But this same corrosive mentality can infect non or lesser-organized religions as well.
A powerful feature of the Witch’s coven is the concept of the group-mind. This is the collective spirit that forms when a group regularly does magic together. This spirit assists the group, offering guidance, inspiration, protection, and power. It is nourished by the consciousness of the group’s members and can be seen as a sort of tribal totem or deity.
But what happens when one or more of the group’s members have duplicitous or nefarious intentions, dangerous addictions, or even severe mental illness? The answer is that this group-mind is adversely affected, perhaps even taking on those addictions or illnesses. Members may become increasingly paranoid that others are out to destroy them. Small personal slights are magnified into religious-level crusades. Differences in theology or opinion are used to justify personal attacks or vindictive behavior. In effect, the coven becomes “cursed” – a victim of its own broken Witches.
Members of these damaged covens are often instructed not to socialize with others outside the group, or lineage, or are otherwise told certain individuals to avoid. Information is often restricted; leadership oftentimes telling congregants that certain books or materials are forbidden, especially those that challenge the teachings or politics of group leadership.
Sadly, these groups persist. They will tell themselves (and anyone else who will listen) that they are the only “true” version of the Craft or their tradition, as they quietly (or not-so-quietly) labor to undermine the work of others. And they have been given a near-perfect weapon in order to do so: the internet.
I have some personal experience with this. Being a public teacher of the Craft has had its ups and downs. Since the Faery tradition has no central authority, this has resulted in individual covens and lineages having their own values and even practices. While this is, for the most part, a healthy thing, this has also resulted in creating environments in which egos are given room to expand, largely unchecked. If one isolates themselves into an “echo chamber” of only matching opinions and views, then they quickly lose touch and begin to believe the otherwise unbelievable. This is one of the most dangerous aspects of the cult-mentality; for the most part, members will not even consider that they are “in a cult”, because that was likely not their intention or experience when joining. It is only when the glamor is exposed that things suddenly start to become devastatingly clear.
That glamor dispelled for me in 2003. Having spoken publicly about my personal experiences with a sexual predator in our tradition, an elder priest of Faery, I was shocked to find not only the many others whom were similarly maltreated, but the resistance that many had to hearing the truth. Almost immediately the charges of “Oathbreaker” began to surface, for I had dared to speak out against a beloved elder. Now I was fair game for attack, verbally and magically. This was the beginning of what would later morph into targeted harassment.
In the midst of this, my husband mentioned the situation to a mundane co-worker who replied, “Dude, you’re in a cult!”
DUDE! Ashton Kutcher and Seann William Scott in “Dude, where’s my Car?” (2000) [20th Century Studios]
As he tells it, suddenly everything clicked into place. When my husband relayed the story to me I likewise had the same epiphany; I hadn’t originally joined a cult, but over time, through casual and sustained interaction with the more conservative members outside of my own group, I had unconsciously “bought in” to a cult-mentality. But now I saw it clearly.
While most of the relationships I have with other initiates of our tradition are positive and meaningful, because of my status as a public teacher, some of the more “conservative” (and from where I’m standing, fundamentalist) in our tradition are uncomfortable with me at best, and downright hostile at worst. I have been the target of online harassment from a small group for years. They actively recruit others, put up attack websites, fabricate scandalous stories, contact my students to privately “warn” them, negatively comment whenever my name appears in a blog, etc. At first this was painful and confusing. But now I just find it sad that they have nothing else in their lives of value than to obsess on what I am doing. I got out of “the cult” a long time ago. They, sadly, are still very much in it.
If anyone can read a book and start a coven it means that students need to be discerning and take charge of their own education. Once a seeker has read a few books on modern Witchcraft they should be prepared to recognize some of the warning signs. But since so many of these signs are easy to miss in the moment, here is a quick list of both red and green flags to consider when determining if your group has gone from “coven” to “cult.”
Red flags blowing in the wind [Pixabay]
Red Flags
Restricting information
If participation in the group comes with the insistence of avoiding certain books, ideas, people, and so on, then this is a big red flag. A legitimate teacher will not fear knowledge but will use even bad information as a means to further illustrate their teaching. I know of multiple instances in which a teacher has forbidden a student from reading certain books or visiting certain websites, invariably because the information there is in conflict with the cult’s point of view. A healthy teacher or religion will not tell you who your friends should be.
Persecution complex
Oftentimes a cult thrives on identifying an “enemy” upon which they will project any number of nasty intentions. If one of the first things you hear from a group of people is who they hate, maybe that should be an indicator of the type of people they are and the biases they are harboring.
Isolation
Cults will often form into insular units that have little or no contact with the outside world, or when they do, usually only to act as a mouthpiece for the cult. Members are encouraged (and in some cases, ordered) to disassociate from “outsiders”, especially those who have expressed criticism of the cult’s beliefs or practices. This is often achieved through giving and withholding attention and favor within the group, and may not be a formal command, but instead a sort of ‘custom’. (“The leader doesn’t like X, and so to get on their good side, I don’t like X, either.”) Once members are immersed in an environment in which they mentally live inside the cult more than they do outside it, they become prone to seeing exclusively through the cult’s mental lens, making their further subjugation more likely.
Sexual currency
The modern history of Paganism is littered with stories of those who have been sexually abused or otherwise coerced in connection with learning the Craft. Because Witchcraft is deeply rooted in sexuality and primal power, sex is often a tool used by unscrupulous groups to ensure loyalty and maintain control. Some may require a student to submit sexually to their teacher, sometimes under the pretense of practicing a supposed “older model.” This model, in which teacher and apprentice are somehow equals (giving said teacher the freedom to indiscriminately bed their students without repercussion) is largely based on fantasy and conveniently disregards all evidence that these types of relationships are often harmful. There’s good reason why professional institutions generally forbid them. Argue that said teacher and apprentice are really equals, and what is revealed is a flimsy excuse for maintaining ethical blinders.
If a group or leader requires members to have sex with someone, it is a form of cultic rape. Even if sex is not required but used as a means to advance those that engage in them beyond those that don’t, then this is an egregious abuse of spiritual authority. When one party holds power over another, consent cannot be fully given, even if those in the “lesser” position feel they are capable. Legitimate teachers should take care in ensuring that they do not practice or condone such corrosive behavior.
While there is and should continue to be a place within the Craft to work sexually with each other, these workings should be done between equals and not while one possesses authority over another. One consideration is when pre-existing lovers wish to share the Craft’s Mysteries. One still might be instructing the other, but their connection is not formed from a model of imbalanced power.
Green flags blowing in the wind [Bernard Spragg, Flickr]
Green Flags
Transparency
A healthy coven will operate in the open, meaning that members will not be shielded from the leadership’s process of decision-making and operations. If there are class fees or other obligations for membership, then those stipulations and any additional policies will be clearly-stated up front. And the human flaws of the group’s leadership will not be covered up. There may be secrets that are kept from even most members, depending on one’s rank within the group (as with many degree systems or initiatory lineages of the Craft) but those secrets will be along the lines of specific ritual actions or liturgical symbolism, and certainly not the activities or behavior of the leadership.
Inclusivity
A healthy group will encourage members to maintain their families and friendships, as well as interests outside of the religion. Healthy group leadership is not threatened by outside voices, even those that may be critical of their philosophies or beliefs. This also extends to former members, some who may even be disgruntled. A healthy leader or group will not spend time vilifying former members or forbidding current members from associating with them. Additionally, sources of information are not forbidden or shunned; a free exchange of ideas is encouraged.
***
If you have answered “yes” to any one of the Red Flag items above, then your group might be in the early stages of becoming a cult. If you answered “yes” to two, your group appears to be on its way to cult-hood and you may need to leave or confront the leadership, if it is safe to do so. Three or more yes responses make a strong case for cult-hood.
May your eyes be open, and may your path always be one you walk in freedom.
Resources
Editor’s note: A version of this piece originally appeared in Llewellyn’s 2020 Witches’ Companion.
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