I agree with Benji Lee that witchcraft isn’t a commodity that can be packaged and sold, and “the only starter kit you need is just yourself and the world around you.” Certainly the abuse and appropriation of white sage is wrong, although many of the Twitter comments about this ignore both the sourcing of sage in this particular kit and how sage itself became part of non-Native American magick. Many witches, including me, aren’t fans of capitalism, mass-production, and mass-marketing, either. I’m upset by the fact that Pinrose is using the “starter witch kit” to sell perfume.
Pinrose has recently announced it will pull the kit after massive social media backlash by angry witches. This is probably the right thing to do.
However, I don’t think witchcraft going mainstream and gaining more public acceptance is a bad thing, especially for those who are still in the broom closet and might like to come out, or those who would like to investigate the Craft but are afraid of backlash at home, work, or school. Sephora saying, “Hey, witchcraft is cool!” could be positive. It would be even more positive if they sold kits made by actual witches for actual ritual or spell purposes rather than cynically marketing whatever #mysticore thing is trending on Instagram this week.
Also, while I agree with Lee that spirituality doesn’t come in a box, there are plenty of folks who don’t have friends or family to mentor them and show them how to practice magick with what’s on hand. Some of us have to rely on Google searches because that’s all we have access to, and once there we will probably find #witchesofinstagram, Wicca 101 books and websites, and a big emphasis on having the right “stuff”: oils, herbs, candles, gemstones, sage, etc. That was the case for me and many others I know. Collecting the right stuff from all the places can be expensive, confusing, time-consuming, and sometimes not possible. Kits can help, especially for those just starting out. Eventually we learn to make magic with anything, nothing, or just our intent and the world around us, but it takes time and work.
The Craft in 2018 looks different than it did in the 1950s, ’70s, or ’90s, and that’s good. One of the things I love about my path is that nobody has the right to define it for me or claim authority to tell me what is or isn’t witchcraft. It’s all right that feminist empowerment, beautiful altars, and social media can intersect, and that a new generation of witches can inform, influence, and shape the Craft moving forward. I don’t think Sephora is trying to mock or appropriate what we do, and I’m not howling mad over it. While I’m not thrilled with the starter witch kit’s commercialism, I’m happy that the stigma around witchcraft is starting to melt, and hopeful that those who feel it calling might take those first steps, even if they involve a rose quartz and some perfume.
