When Katie Begley, a 25-year-old New York content creator, bought a $60 spell on Etsy, the next day she landed a commercial with Philadelphia Eagles star Saquon Barkley.
Katie Begley’s Lucky Ritual
Begley, a fitness instructor, was waiting for work opportunities, including a potential Little Caesars commercial featuring Barkley. “I love witches. I love magic. I love all of that,” Begley recalled thinking at the end of August when she visited the online marketplace known for personalized party swag and vintage clothing. She bought four spells from a TikTok-approved witch: a soulmate attraction spell, a powerful obsession spell, glamor magic and a wealth and prosperity casting, totaling $60.76. The following day, she received a call that she had booked the commercial starring Barkley. “Of course, my head was like, ‘Oh – it was my witch,'” she said, laughing.
She shared the story in two TikTok videos that racked up millions of views, cementing the trend of Etsy witches in the cultural conversation. In the last year alone, these spiritual workers have been credited online for saving weddings, selling houses, securing jobs, influencing basketball games, drawing soulmates and even sparking outrage after Charlie Kirk’s death.
The Etsy Witch Trend
Etsy witches have existed online for years, but interest in buying quick spells surged in 2025 after several influencers praised their results. The blessings and rituals are often priced between $7 and $50, sometimes even cheaper with a discount code or flash sale, and are frequently listed as an “entertainment” service-a workaround after Etsy banned the sale of metaphysical services, including spellcasting, in 2015.
Influencer Highlights
- Jaz Smith (NYC content creator) posted a May video about hiring an Etsy witch to cast a spell for good weather for her influencer-studded wedding. The event had blue skies, spurring followers like Begley to rush to the witch’s storefront.
- Becca Bloom (4.9 million TikTok followers, RichTok queen) posted a video four months later saying “Etsy witches worked” after her wedding.
- Emily Hanan (UK-based witch and tarot reader, NaturalisticBlessingStore) opened her Etsy storefront early 2020 during the pandemic. Business was slow at first, but Instagram and TikTok reviews helped her gain international traction. After Smith’s video, her custom ritual for good weather became her most requested offering.
Hanan said, “2025 has been by far my most in-demand year. I don’t know if that makes 2025 the year of the Etsy Witch, but since going viral with Jaz in the summer, I’ve seen multiple TikToks and short-form content about Etsy witches, mainly about my store but about some others too.” She has since closed her Etsy shop, taking requests on Instagram and pausing for the rest of the year to manage a massive backlog.
Political Controversy
Two days before conservative activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated at a Utah college campus in September, Jezebel published a satirical story about an author hiring three Etsy witches to hex Kirk, including one to “make everyone hate him.” Jezebel removed the article and issued a statement condemning Kirk’s death and any political violence, sparking a larger debate.
Expert Perspective
Emily D. Crews, executive director of the Martin Marty Center for the Public Understanding of Religion at the University of Chicago Divinity School, noted that the rise of Etsy witches mirrors a broader shift in American religious life. Institutional religion is in steady decline, with the religiously unaffiliated now making up roughly 28% of the U.S. population. Many Americans-especially millennials and Gen Z-are pivoting toward belief systems that borrow from multiple traditions. “This is the context in which people are buying blessings and curses from witches on Etsy,” she said. “It makes sense, in this kind of religious landscape, that someone might just as easily seek help from a witch as from a priest or a rabbi or a sacred text.”
Crews added, “Selling religion is nothing new. People have been paying religious specialists to cast spells or do rituals or hold funerals for pretty much as long as humans have existed. And if you can find a boyfriend or an apartment or a nail salon online, why not a witch?”
A Business Angle
Rohit Thawani, 44, advertising agency employee in Los Angeles, learned about spellworkers from a co-worker before a meeting. He paid an Etsy witch $8.48 for a New York Knicks win ahead of Game 5 in the Eastern Conference finals in May, using discount code BLESSINGS2025. The Knicks won, and Thawani’s spell drew attention from basketball analyst Stephen A. Smith and Desus Nice. He bought a second spell for Game 6, but the Knicks lost.
Thawani said, “We have no control over anything around us, and so in many ways, witchcraft feels like a lottery ticket. There is a chance you might win, and if you don’t, you’re not missing out on anything.” He compared the experience to wearing a favorite jersey during the game, adding, “Even the phrase ‘Make a wish.’ That’s been in our lexicon forever. Is this any different?”
Journalist Experiment
After weeks of reporting on Etsy witches and scrolling through dozens of TikTok success stories, the reporter bought two spells from two different Etsy witches at a desk at 30 Rock for a total of $37.61. The first, a weather spell for $13.90, required the reporter’s name, birthday and a request for snow on Christmas Day in the tri-state area. The second, an abundance, wealth and success ritual candle for $23.71, requested the same information plus the reporter’s astrological sign.
Three days later, Etsy messages confirmed both rituals had been completed. Neither seller promised results, but both emphasized an open mindset. The weather witch described technical details: the candle caught quickly, flame held steady without sputtering, and smoke lifted clean-patterns she says indicate energy opening “nicely for clear, cooperative skies.” She instructed the reporter to crack a window, step outside, take three slow breaths while picturing the weather, and thank the sky.
The reporter completed the ritual in pajamas. The next day, New York City experienced its first snowfall. Snow picked up in New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire on Tuesday, and again on Christmas Eve. On Christmas Day, snow was only forecast for Friday and into the weekend. The abundance ritual’s results remain to be seen. The witch provided affirmations, photos of the spell, and told the reporter to remain positive, open and ready to receive blessings, trusting that what is meant for you is already on its way. She also suggested lighting a white candle while speaking the words.
The reporter reflected that the experience felt less like purchasing magic and more like setting an intention, a ritualized pause that offered a semblance of control amid uncertainty.
Key Takeaways
- Katie Begley’s $60 Etsy spell coincided with a major commercial opportunity, sparking a viral narrative.
- The 2025 Etsy witch trend reflects a broader shift toward eclectic spiritual practices among millennials and Gen Z.
- Influencers, athletes and even advertisers are engaging with Etsy witches, blending faith, fandom and marketing.
Closing
Months after her initial purchase, Begley said her career momentum continued, even though the soulmate and obsession spells did not deliver as hoped. She did not sound disappointed; to her, the experience is now as normal as any other viral TikTok-approved wellness practice. She added, “I actually got coffee with a friend this morning, who told me she was on the wait list for a SoulCycle class, so she paid $7 for an Etsy witch to get her in the class,” Begley said. “And she got in.”
