Fast and Good Company
WikiCommons
TWH — Witchcraft made the business pages this week in an unexpected place: Fast Company, the American business magazine best known for covering innovation, technology, leadership, entrepreneurship, and the future of work. The publication turned its attention to the growing metaphysical marketplace, examining the expansion of occult and witchcraft-focused retail across North America.
The reporting notes that a growing number of metaphysical and occult shops are opening across the United States and Canada, reflecting the increasing visibility of witchcraft, Paganism, and alternative spiritual practices in contemporary culture. The trend has been fueled by online communities such as #WitchTok, e-commerce marketplaces, and renewed public interest sparked by popular films, including the recent horror movie Obsession, which featured the real-life Burbank metaphysical shop The Green Man.
Researchers interviewed for the story argue that these businesses are more than retail stores. They function as community hubs where visitors attend classes, workshops, readings, and rituals while connecting with local practitioners (the hell you say?). Store owners emphasize that in-person interaction remains valuable despite the growth of online commerce, allowing customers to ask questions, examine ritual tools, and build relationships grounded in trust and shared practice.
The article also highlights shop owners who combine physical storefronts with online sales, wholesale distribution, and social media outreach. Many collaborate rather than compete, creating networks of artisans, teachers, and practitioners. Scholars note that the decentralized nature of contemporary witchcraft and related spiritual traditions encourages this blend of commerce, education, and religious practice. Ultimately, the article concludes that metaphysical shops have evolved into enduring cultural institutions that support both spiritual exploration and small-business entrepreneurship.
Come on, Vogue
Witches Sabbath – Francisco de Goya y Lucientes [public domain
Meanwhile, Vogue is turning its attention to modern Witchcraft. In a feature exploring Los Angeles’ thriving witchcraft community, the magazine examines how covens, metaphysical businesses, and ritual spaces have become increasingly visible in the city’s cultural landscape. The article centers on venues such as the Witch’s Cottage in North Hollywood, describing them as places where spirituality, creativity, and community intersect through rituals, classes, performances, and social gatherings.
The story argues that contemporary witchcraft in Los Angeles has evolved beyond popular stereotypes, serving as a source of empowerment, healing, and identity for many practitioners, particularly women and LGBTQ+ individuals. Rather than focusing on sensationalism, Vogue presents witchcraft as a living spiritual practice that blends ritual, wellness, artistic expression, and community building. The feature also highlights the role of social media in introducing new audiences to the Craft while emphasizing that in-person covens, gatherings, and metaphysical spaces remain central to many practitioners’ experiences.
The article ultimately portrays Los Angeles’ witchcraft scene as part of a broader cultural shift toward alternative spirituality and self-directed religious practice, with the city’s growing network of witches, covens, and occult businesses becoming an increasingly visible part of contemporary American culture.
All y’all, strike a pose.
Hexed Reactions
Official Poster [fair use]
TWH— Get ready for the pearl clutching. In a report by Inside the Magic, we learn that California’s expanded Film & Television Tax Credit Program has selected Disney Animation’s upcoming feature Hexed as one of its first animated projects to receive state incentives. The entertainment site highlighted the decision with the attention-grabbing headline, “State of California Pays Disney To Produce New ‘Witchcraft’ Movie.” As Inside the Magic notes, however, the tax credit is part of California’s broader effort to encourage film and television production in the state—not to subsidize witchcraft-themed content specifically. Disney executives praised the incentive program as a way to keep animation production and jobs in California, where the company has been based for more than a century.
As we previously reported in Pagan Community Notes, Hexed, scheduled for release on November 25, follows Billie, a teenage girl who discovers she possesses magical abilities and enters a hidden realm of witches while uncovering family secrets alongside her mother.
The article notes that the film’s witchcraft themes may prove controversial among some audiences (say it isn’t so), while also discussing online debate over the film’s visual style, evolving creative direction, and box office prospects.
The announcement has already prompted criticism from some conservative Christian commentators and social media users, many of whom argue that films portraying witches, spellcasting, and occult themes contribute to the normalization of witchcraft in family entertainment. Some contend that repeated exposure to such themes can have a spiritual influence on children, while others assert that Disney productions have long incorporated occult or esoteric imagery they believe conflicts with Christian values.
Not all Christian responses, however, have called for outright rejection of the film. Some commentators have encouraged parents to approach the subject thoughtfully rather than reactively, arguing that children will inevitably encounter depictions of magic and alternative spiritual beliefs in popular culture. Others—including some pastors and former Pagans who now identify as Christians—have strongly disagreed, warning that occult themes in popular media should be taken seriously and viewed through the lens of Christian discernment.
Reminder – CUUPS is celebrating it’s 40th anniversay!
Join them for a vibrant weekend filled with workshops, rituals, storytelling, music, and community as they celebrate four decades of CUUPS – 40 years of spiritual exploration, earth‑centered wisdom, and shared sacred space.
More information on the CUUPS Convocation site!
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Tarot of the Week by Star Bustamonte
Deck: Curious Travels Tarot Deck by Amelia Rozear, published by U.S. Games Systems, Inc.
Card: Six (6) of Wands
This week may offer up the opportunity to accept some kudos—if for nothing else than having survived the chaos and coming through victorious despite it all. Accept the accolades offered with grace, as they are well-earned, but resting on one’s laurels beyond the moment is not advised. Instead, use your new-found acclaim to build towards the future.
In contrast, not every accomplishment is for public consumption. Some successes are private or must be held close to the vest until the time to reveal them is appropriate. However, if an accomplishment has not received the commendation it is felt it should have, some exploration of why may be called for. The checking of one’s ego is also likely to be a good idea. Sometimes, the universe hands out lessons in humility to keep us on the straight and narrow.
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