Pulman's Weekly News

Pulman's Weekly News

West Country Matters

Witchcraft and the rise of alternative spirituality in Britain

What it says about faith, identity and the Church today

Jun 21, 2026
∙ Paid

Report by Duncan Williams for Pulman's Weekly News

Across Britain, interest in witchcraft and modern Pagan spirituality has become increasingly visible. Once relegated to folklore, Halloween imagery and historical myth, it now sits within a broader, more complex religious landscape in which traditional Christianity coexists with a growing range of alternative spiritual expressions.

While the trend is evident nationally, it is particularly noticeable in parts of Britain with a strong Celtic heritage, where landscape, folklore and a deep sense of place continue to shape cultural identity. In such areas, nature-based spirituality has become increasingly visible within wellbeing culture, online communities and public discussions about faith. What was once regarded as a fringe interest now enjoys a degree of cultural legitimacy that would have seemed unlikely a generation ago.

Modern witchcraft is not a single organised belief system. It ranges from structured Pagan religions such as Wicca t…

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