People who practice witchcraft have been called many things over the years — add “principled” to the list.
A writer for The Daily Dot recently felt backlash from the online witching community after hiring a witch on the web to cast a spell in aid of their marriage. According to a story on the news website, the writer was taken to task by one commenter, claiming to be a witch herself.
“That was probably the dumbest thing you could have ever done,” the anonymous person wrote. “Speaking as a witch, I would never cast a spell for anyone for payment. That’s ethically wrong.”
The witch-for-hire business has had an online presence since at least 2012, when the service was banned by the popular auction website eBay. That year, the website prohibited users from selling items classified as “metaphysical,” including potions, curses and spells.
However, some practitioners of witchcraft still offer their services, sometimes for a pretty penny.
In 2013, a self-proclaimed psychic from Salem, Massachusetts allegedly charged a person more than $16,000 “to have a shield placed over him to protect him,” police told Salem News.
An Internet search of “witches for hire” will brings several results, including a U.K.-based woman who specializes in “love spell casting … for anyone who is 20 years of age or older,” according to her website.
Although eBay banned the sale of spells, similar listings can still be found on websites like Etsy and ArtFire. For instance, one shop on ArtFire offers customers a number of spells including hex reversals and weight loss spells — to the tune of $49 apiece.
Clint Davis is a writer for the E.W. Scripps National Desk. Follow him on Twitter @MrClintDavis.
