Commodification of Witchcraft: Mass Market Spirituality

By NICOLE LAU

Introduction: Witchcraft for Sale

Walk into any Urban Outfitters and you'll find tarot decks next to the clothing. Browse Amazon and you'll see thousands of "witch starter kits," crystal sets, and spell candles. Subscription boxes deliver monthly witchcraft supplies to your door. Sephora sold a "Starter Witch Kit" (until backlash forced them to pull it).

Witchcraft has been commodified—turned into products to be bought and sold in the capitalist marketplace. What was once a practice of the marginalized, the poor, and the persecuted is now a multi-billion dollar industry.

This guide examines the commodification of witchcraft, how capitalism co-opts spirituality, the problems with mass market magic, who profits and who's exploited, and how to navigate spiritual consumerism with integrity.

The Witchcraft Market

The Numbers

• Psychic services industry: $2+ billion annually (US)
• Crystals and gemstones: Billion-dollar market
• Metaphysical stores: Thousands across US
• Books: Witchcraft/occult bestsellers
• Online sales: Massive Etsy, Amazon markets
• Subscription boxes: Monthly witch boxes

What's Being Sold

• Crystals and gemstones
• Tarot and oracle decks
• Spell kits and candles
• Herbs and incense
• Altar supplies
• Jewelry and clothing
• Books and courses
• Readings and services
• Subscription boxes
• Apps and digital products

Who's Buying

• Predominantly young women (Gen Z and Millennials)
• Middle class with disposable income
• Urban and suburban
• Seeking meaning, empowerment, community
• Often new to practice

How We Got Here

Historical Context

Pre-Commodification

• Witchcraft practiced by poor, marginalized people
• Tools were found, made, or repurposed
• Knowledge passed down or learned from community
• Little to no money involved
• Persecution and stigma

New Age Movement (1960s-70s)

• Spirituality becomes marketable
• Metaphysical bookstores and shops emerge
• Crystals, tarot, etc. become commercial
• Still relatively niche

1990s-2000s

• "The Craft" (1996) and pop culture witches
• Internet makes information and products accessible
• Growing market but still alternative

2010s-Present

• Social media explosion (Instagram, TikTok)
• Mainstream acceptance
• Major retailers selling witch products
• Influencer culture and marketing
• Full commodification

Why Now?

• Millennial/Gen Z spiritual seeking: "Spiritual but not religious"
• Feminist reclamation: Witch as symbol of female power
• Social media: Visual, shareable content
• Economic anxiety: Seeking control and meaning
• Capitalism: Always looking for new markets

The Problems

1. Turning Sacred into Product

The Issue

• Spiritual practices reduced to consumer goods
• Sacred becomes commodity
• Meaning stripped for marketability
• Practice becomes consumption

Examples

• Sephora's "Starter Witch Kit" (tone-deaf marketing)
• Mass-produced "sage bundles" (cultural appropriation + commodification)
• Crystals marketed like fashion accessories
• Tarot decks as trendy collectibles, not divination tools

2. Exploitation of Labor and Resources

Crystal Mining

• Often mined in poor countries
• Dangerous working conditions
• Child labor in some cases
• Environmental destruction
• Workers paid pennies, crystals sold for dollars

Herb Harvesting

• White sage over-harvested to near extinction
• Palo santo unsustainably harvested
• Indigenous communities' sacred plants commodified
• Environmental damage

Artisan Exploitation

• Tarot artists underpaid
• Etsy sellers competing with mass production
• Cultural practices stolen and mass-produced
• Profit goes to corporations, not creators

3. Creating False Needs

"You Need to Buy This"

• Marketing creates sense of inadequacy
• "You're not a real witch without..."
• Expensive tools presented as necessary
• Constant new products to buy
• Consumption replaces practice

The Reality

• You don't need to buy anything to practice witchcraft
• Found objects and kitchen ingredients work
• Intention matters more than expensive tools
• Witchcraft can be completely free

4. Gatekeeping by Wealth

Class Barriers

• Expensive crystals and tools
• Courses and workshops cost hundreds or thousands
• "Witch aesthetic" requires money
• Poor people excluded from commercialized witchcraft

The Irony

• Historically, witchcraft was practice of the poor
• Now commodified version excludes them
• Capitalism creates barriers to anti-capitalist practice

5. Cultural Appropriation for Profit

Stealing and Selling

• Indigenous practices commodified (smudging, dreamcatchers)
• African diaspora practices sold by white people
• Hindu and Buddhist symbols as trendy products
• Source communities don't profit

Examples

• White sage bundles mass-produced and sold
• "Chakra" products with no Hindu context
• Voodoo dolls (racist stereotype) sold as novelty
• Native American imagery on mass-market products

6. Dilution and Misinformation

Dumbing Down

• Complex practices reduced to simple products
• "Just buy this and you're a witch!"
• No education, just consumption
• Misinformation for marketing

Spiritual Bypassing

• "Buy this crystal to cure your depression"
• Products as substitute for real healing
• Consumption as spiritual practice
• Avoiding real work

Who Profits?

Corporations

• Major retailers (Urban Outfitters, Sephora, etc.)
• Amazon and large online platforms
• Mass manufacturers
• Subscription box companies
• They profit most, contribute least

Influencers and "Spiritual Entrepreneurs"

• Selling courses, coaching, products
• Affiliate marketing
• Sponsored content
• Some genuine, many exploitative

Small Businesses

• Local metaphysical shops
• Independent artisans and creators
• Etsy sellers
• Often struggling against corporate competition

Who Doesn't Profit

• Miners and harvesters (exploited labor)
• Source cultures (appropriated practices)
• Traditional practitioners (knowledge stolen)
• The environment (damaged by extraction)

The Positive Side (It Exists)

Accessibility

• Tools and information more available
• People in rural areas can access supplies
• Disabled people can order online
• Reduces some barriers to entry

Supporting Small Businesses

• Independent artisans can reach customers
• Local shops serve communities
• Ethical businesses exist
• Can support rather than exploit

Normalization

• Witchcraft less stigmatized
• Easier to practice openly
• Community building
• Reduced persecution

Navigating Spiritual Consumerism

Mindful Consumption

Before Buying, Ask:

• Do I actually need this? Or just want it?
• Can I make or find it? DIY or forage?
• Who profits? Corporation or small business?
• Where did it come from? Ethical sourcing?
• Is it appropriated? Stolen from closed culture?
• Am I buying practice or performing it? Consumption vs. action

Alternatives to Buying

• Make your own: Candles, spell jars, tools
• Forage: Herbs, stones, natural items
• Repurpose: Kitchen items, found objects
• Free resources: Library books, free online info
• Community: Share, trade, gift

Ethical Purchasing

When You Do Buy

• Support small businesses: Local shops, independent artisans
• Ethical sourcing: Fair trade, sustainable
• Buy from source cultures: Support Indigenous, POC businesses
• Quality over quantity: Few good tools, not many cheap ones
• Research sellers: Values, practices, sourcing

Red Flags

• Mass-produced "sacred" items
• Appropriated practices sold by outsiders
• Unsustainable or unethical sourcing
• Exploitative pricing
• False claims ("cure cancer with this crystal")

Anti-Capitalist Witchcraft

Principles

• Practice over consumption
• Free or low-cost methods
• DIY and forage
• Share knowledge freely
• Community over commerce
• Resist commodification

Practices

• Kitchen witchery with food scraps
• Found object magic
• Free divination methods
• Nature-based practice
• Skill-sharing and teaching
• Mutual aid and community support

For Sellers and Creators

Ethical Business Practices

• Fair pricing: Pay yourself fairly but don't exploit
• Ethical sourcing: Know where materials come from
• Transparency: Honest about products and practices
• Education: Teach, don't just sell
• Accessibility: Sliding scale, free resources
• Cultural respect: Don't sell appropriated practices
• Environmental responsibility: Sustainable practices

What Not to Do

• Sell closed cultural practices
• Make false medical claims
• Exploit labor or environment
• Create false needs through marketing
• Prioritize profit over integrity
• Steal from other creators

The Future of Witchcraft and Commerce

Trends to Watch

• Increasing corporatization vs. grassroots resistance
• Sustainability and ethical sourcing movements
• Digital products and NFTs (new commodification)
• Regulation of spiritual services and products
• Backlash against commercialization

Possible Futures

• Full corporate takeover: Witchcraft as just another consumer identity
• Grassroots reclamation: Return to anti-capitalist roots
• Hybrid: Ethical businesses coexisting with corporate exploitation
• Regulation: Laws around spiritual products and services

Conclusion: Practice Over Products

Witchcraft has been commodified, turned into products to be bought and sold. This creates both opportunities (accessibility, small business support) and serious problems (exploitation, appropriation, false needs, environmental damage).

Key insights:

• You don't need to buy anything to practice witchcraft
• Consumption ≠ practice
• Commodification exploits labor, environment, and cultures
• Capitalism co-opts everything, including resistance to capitalism
• Ethical consumption is possible but limited
• Support small, ethical businesses when you do buy
• DIY and forage when possible
• Practice over products always

The most radical act in a commodified spiritual marketplace is to practice witchcraft without buying anything. To make your own tools, forage your own herbs, learn from free sources, and share knowledge freely.

Witchcraft survived centuries without capitalism. It doesn't need products to be powerful. It needs practice, intention, and connection—none of which can be bought.

Resist the commodification. Practice the craft, not the consumption.

NICOLE LAU is a researcher and writer specializing in Western esotericism, Jungian psychology, and comparative mysticism. She is the author of the Western Esoteric Classics series and New Age Spirituality series.