Number Of Witches In Illinois Is On The Rise

In Illinois, the number of witches are on the rise.

When I was little, witches freaked me out. To me, the ones in movies, on television, and in books were very scary. Also, when I was a kid in my hometown for Halloween there would be a huge bonfire. They would make a scarecrow witch to put in the fire. They would call the event, "The Burning of the Witch." It was kind of traumatic for a child who didn't really understand what was going and the story behind it.

Eventually, I figured out that it was just a fun Halloween event and witches weren't real. Well, at least how they were portrayed in entertainment. Though that "Blair Witch Project" movie was pretty convincing.

I found out in middle school that witches are an actual real thing. My friend was taking guitar lessons and his teacher considered himself a warlock, which is a male witch. Of course, it's not like we think of it.

Actually, there are many witches out there including in Illinois. In fact, their numbers have been on the rise for the past few years.

According to chicagoreader.com,

"The number of witches and Americans practicing Wicca rituals has increased significantly since the 1990s, according to an article published in Newsweek in 2018, with studies suggesting there may be as many as 1.5 million witches in the U.S. Estimated Chicago has a couple of hundred thousand witches.”

It's also believed that the numbers have gone up this year significantly because of the pandemic and people having to spend more time home alone. They turn to the spirit world for comfort.

Do you believe in witches?

Video: Comedian Steve Byrne Previews The Opening Act