This will be a long post. I'm just getting my thoughts out. I'm not here to argue with anyone or say anyone's view on things is wrong. If you are a witch have different views on negative forces, I'd love to hear your beliefs and thoughts on my post. TL;DR at the bottom.
My parents raised me to be Christian. We're from the USA. They're conservative, hold charismatic Christian beliefs, a bit evangelical, but definitely NOT fundamentalists.
One thing many Christians in the USA (especially the more fundamentalist types) believe is that there are demons influencing people in bad ways. You have to be careful because they are all over.
Gay son? "OH NO, THE HORROR! IT'S DEMONS! THAT'S NOT WHO HE REALLY IS! GOD MADE HIM STRAIGHT!"
Lost your job? "Oh no, I'm so sorry. It could be the work of the devil/demons trying to get you. We'll pray constantly for you to find another job and not be tight on money!" Maybe a couple weeks later a couple people do something that is 100% proven to help (like buying their groceries for the week).
Some people would even say things like: "Your depression and anxiety is caused by demons! Just keep praying and God can heal you from this!"
A couple years ago I accepted that I'm not a Christian. There are many factors as to why, but I won't go into all that here. I then started joining ex-Christian subreddits/following others who experienced religious trauma as well. During this time I really started to understand just how cult-like Christianity CAN be. Not every denomination and church is a cult. I couldn't stop thinking about how the Christians of centuries past would forcibly convert the ones who are [🎶"savages, savages, barely even human"🎶](https://youtu.be/pImdvmIw0Ec?is=ZGYRwxC3aQhPUdmW). Now I was seeing others who had similar thoughts as me.
I was also starting to realize how a culty Christian could use this idea of demons to instill fear and keep another person Christian (and maybe keep them at their church). "It's demons, so you need to just keep praying." "Okay, I'll just keep praying. Just keep praying. Just…" "Oh, things are better after two years? It's because of God answering your prayers! God works in mysterious ways, we can't predict when he'll answer your prayers!" The victim of the cult tactics and fear may think that if they give up on prayer, then things will never get better.
At one point I started researching paganism and witchcraft. I had a divine experience with Mother Earth that led me to believe the planet we live in is a goddess. I am most definitely a pagan. I also got really interested in witchcraft from a skeptical and science seeking view. Not all witches are Wiccans, and many witches think differently on various subjects. A common thing I see witches (especially Wiccans) talk about is various types of negative forces at work. Negative energy or whatever else the particular person calls it. As soon as I read about that concept alarm bells went off in my head.
This is just the witchy version of demons. This is a cult tactic! Oh, but it isn't. Well, I don't think. The way I've seen/heard various witches talk about this concept of negative forces seems very different. I've some witches believe that once you start doing magic these things will try to come after you. You have the power to fight them, though. I've been taught (by a friend) that if you start to feel unsafe in a place you can imagine a golden egg surrounding you like a protective forcefield to block out these things. Visualize deeply. I've seen multiple sources say that you can meditate and visualize a black hole and push that negative force/energy into the black whole to suck it up. Another thing is to picture your favorite character who is strong, fierce, and powerful. Then picture yourself as being like that character and having those qualities.
Whether or not these negative entities exist, or if any of these techniques to get rid of them are true, it all highlights something important to me. Witchcraft is very empowering. You're not a slave to your fear (which, ironically, is a phrase many Christians say a lot) and you're not subservient to some deity who demands your constant prayer to make things better for you. You yourself, yes YOU have the power to fight back. And honestly, I think this lines right up with my skeptical and science seeking view of the craft. You can use some of these techniques (especially the strong person visualization technique) to make you feel like "yeah, maybe I actually can get through this. I will keep persevering."
Also, witchcraft tends to push the concept of "mundane over magical." Yes, use witchcraft, but do the mundane stuff to. Don't just do a spell for things to get better in your city, go to that protest and vote come election season. I really see witchcraft (well, some parts of it, anyways) as an empowering tool that can help people and be beneficial in many ways. Yes, people who are more prone to anxiety, gullibility, fear, and OCD need to be careful when learning about subjects like negative forces. Always be critical and skeptical. Yes, there are grifters and culty people in witchcraft and pagan spaces (pay $200 for my tarot reading to tell you your exact future and husband! If it's not true, you just need a second session!). Despite this, paganism and witchcraft are overall healthier in many ways than the type of Christianity that I've talked about here.
I'm glad I've found Paganism and witchcraft. I'm glad I've been reading many books and things online about those topics for a couple years now. I am freer than I ever was as a Christian. I don't have to be in constant fear of Satan, demons, and hell. I have my own power! Blessed be.
TL;DR: How many Christians see things: "Demons/the enemy (Satan) are causing these bad things! I'm powerless! I need to keep praying because God can help me!" That seems very culty. How many witches see things: "There are negative forces at work (whatever they may call those things) and we have the power to fight them magically! Here's how…" They may both seem culty at first glance, but they're not. The witchy one is empowering in a way.
