👋 Hey there, Looking Forward fam! I’m writing this newsletter to you from the beyond (or, rather, from the past) — I am out this week celebrating my favorite holiday. Wherever you are, I hope you’re also having a lovely, cozy, spooky Halloween. And as a special treat, I’ve got a newsletter (and a question) for y’all this week about harnessing the powers of witchcraft for the greater good. 

We’ve also got that story on positive tipping points as promised, and some ways to help those affected by Hurricane Melissa.

This post originally appeared in Grist’s weekly solutions newsletter, Looking Forward. Not on our list yet? Subscribe here to get it in your inbox every Friday.

Have you ever tried to *manifest* change?

A photo of a glowing pumpkin carved with an image of a witch riding a broomstick

Fabrice Coffrini / AFP via Getty Images

A few weeks ago, riding the light rail in Seattle, I caught sight of a T-shirt that made me smile. It was a Seattle Mariners shirt, bearing the slogan: “powered by witchcraft.” 

The witchcraft powering our historically underperforming baseball team refers to a $16 spell purchased by a fan on Etsy in early September to get the Mariners out of their rut. The team’s subsequent winning streak inspired fans to wear witch hats to the stadium in hopes of keeping the magic alive — the team even thanked the Etsy witch on social media. Though they still have yet to make it to a World Series, the Mariners did quite well in the Etsy witch era, going as far as they’ve ever been in the playoffs. 

When I first learned of the Etsy witches, and all the good they seem to have done for the only sports team I care about, my immediate next thought was: Has anybody tried asking these purveyors of magic to do something about climate change? 

I’ve yet to find any examples of climate advocates harnessing spell craft, but the more I’ve learned about the rise of the Etsy witches, the more intrigued I’ve become. Although Etsy officially banned “metaphysical services” a decade ago, spells have blossomed on the platform in recent years. Most of the advertised offerings have to do with personal goals — a spell to pass an exam, land a dream job, or sever ties from an unhealthy relationship. (There’s even a “make me iconic” spell.) But some have also turned to the Etsy witches with more collective or cultural requests, like success for the Mariners. Earlier this month, a first-time marathon runner bought a good weather spell for her race. Although the forecast had been iffy, she later shared on Instagram that “perfect running weather” did indeed arrive. 

A writer for the feminist news and culture site Jezebel also paid Etsy witches to send harmless hexes to the far-right activist Charlie Kirk — which, unfortunately, took a dark turn when Kirk was assassinated just a few days later. (Jezebel has since removed the article to avoid controversy, though both the editor’s note and the original piece made it clear the intent was never to cause actual harm.)     

According to Lindsay Squire, a practicing witch who was interviewed in The Washington Post, what these types of spiritual offerings really give people is a sense of control — a way to reclaim some feeling of agency over events that feel out of their hands. “A spell is about manipulating energy to create change,” Squire said. “It gives people a kind of strength and belief that they actually can have a little bit of control over what’s happening. That’s very grounding in a time where there’s so much upheaval.”

Buying a spell on Etsy, or casting one yourself, bears some similarity to previous cultural trends that invited people to “manifest” the outcomes they hoped for — through vision boards, for instance, or “the power of positive thinking.” But witchcraft also tends to center a connection with nature and a respect for the seasons and the powers of Earth — drawing on various traditions from Indigenous peoples all over the world.

So, this Halloween, I’ve been thinking about where the idea of manifesting (or even witchcraft, if that’s what speaks to you) fits into our personal journeys with climate change, and the struggle to find a sense of agency within a problem that is so far beyond our individual control.

I’d love your thoughts and input as I toy with these questions. In your experience as a person who cares about the changing climate and the future of life on Earth, have you ever drawn on metaphysical forces to help influence our planetary fate? Have you bought a spell on Etsy, done a ritual, made a vision board, lit a candle, or otherwise called upon the forces that be to nudge humanity in a sustainable direction? And if you have — what did the practice do for you? 

Please reach out at lookingforward@grist.org to tell me about it. I hope to hear from you.

More from Grist

📈Positive tipping points

Last week, we talked about positive tipping points and shared that Matt Simon would be reporting on some of the ones currently in motion around the world. Here’s his roundup of positive tipping points, which includes the rise of solar power, electric vehicles, and geothermal energy. Read more

🚗”Motonormativity”

When cars first hit U.S. roads, they were greeted with hostility. Today, we know cars are deadly, costly, and polluting, but that hostility has largely disappeared. Kate Yoder explores why, and dives into a trio of books that may signal the tides are turning. Read more

💰Disaster database resurrected

Six months after the Trump administration killed a database that tracks billion-dollar disasters, an essential tool for assessing risk, the tracker has been resurrected by a nonprofit group. It’s just the latest example of efforts to preserve data being deleted by the government. Read more

🌎And one more thing

Remember to sign up for Grist’s upcoming event — The Water Remembers: A Conversation with Amy Bowers Cordalis, a powerful virtual event exploring Indigenous leadership, climate justice, and the historic Klamath River dam removal. Hosted by Grist’s Anita Hofschneider, this conversation offers insights into restoring lands, waters, and community. Register here! (This event is supported by Meyer Memorial Trust.)

An event graphic for Grist's virtual conversation with Amy Bowers Cordalis

In other news

And finally, looking forward to …

… a witchy (and sustainable) future. I just couldn’t help myself.   

🧹🌙🧹

When your sister first started practicing witchcraft, she was often in tears. “The seasons are all out of whack,” she would say — or the land was suffering, or some other woo-woo crap. Then again, she wasn’t wrong.

The last several years, though, she’s been feeling better. You both have been involved in local restoration efforts, and you’ve noticed it’s easier to forage the plants she uses in her ceremonies. The air is clearer. You can even see stars at night, thanks to the new lighting rules.  

“See?” she’s always telling you. “My magic is helping to bring back the balance.”

— a drabble by Claire Elise Thompson

🧹🌙🧹

A drabble is a 100-word piece of fiction — in this case, offering a tiny glimpse of what a clean, green, just future might look like. Want to try writing your own (and see it featured in a future newsletter)? We would love to hear from you! Please send us your visions for our climate future, in drabble form, at lookingforward@grist.org

👋 See you next week!