After months of devastating fires, rain finally began to fall significantly in parts of Australia over the past week.
But because the gods are cruel, this has resulted in hail and flash flooding. This extreme hasn’t gone unnoticed by magic users on Reddit. Some are now arguing over the appropriate way to send rain to our drought-stricken country… and who deserves the credit for it.
The original post on r/witchcraft discussed how some witches could inadvertently be causing floods by not casting spells with enough intent.
Some users jumped in agreeing and offered up alternate ideas for focus, such as “providing means of safety for those affected, protecting homes; protecting the lives of wildlife; creating a peaceful and calm energy for those affected despite the external chaos.”
But because it’s the internet, arguments began further down the thread in regards to giving witches too much credit for bringing the rain, as opposed to respecting the craft and sacrifice of shamans and Indigenous rainmakers. I’m not familiar enough with the craft and have certainly never put much thought into the different factions and derogatory terms that exist within magic use, but it seems like “candle burner” might be one of them.
And people were not happy about it.
The thread goes on to reveal different points of views regarding how much influence people can actually have on the whether – some saying this belief goes too far into the realm of Harry Potter, and others rejecting that notion. “Do not mistake your limitations for others,” said one user.
I’m not here to throw shade on anyone’s beliefs or be disrespectful. But it is fascinating that the discourse around bushfires and floodshas reached places most people never thought about – such as a community of witches on Reddit. And sure, it might be funny to see name calling and seemingly petty bickering over concepts that are so foreign to many of us. Concepts that many people would dismiss as bullshit. And maybe watching this particular brand of internet drama unfold is all the more delicious because it involves witches.
But really, you could replace the word ‘witchcraft’ with any religion, group or political party and the in-fighting would look relatively similar. This one just isn’t talked about as much.