Modern Feminism's Turn to Witchcraft Reveals Its Spiritual and Cultural Inadequacy
Source: Kristan Hawkins. "Florence + The Machine Displays Feminism's Witchy Connections." April 22, 2026. thefederalist.com
The Gist
The author argues that modern feminism is failing women spiritually and emotionally. She points to Florence + The Machine's new album, which mixes feminist themes with witchcraft, as proof that even successful women are turning to occult practices because feminism's focus on independence and self-power leaves them empty and searching for deeper meaning.
Conclusion
Modern feminism's emphasis on autonomy and self-definition is spiritually and emotionally inadequate, as evidenced by young women's turn to witchcraft and occult practices, leaving them unfulfilled despite cultural success
Premises
- Florence + The Machine's album 'Everybody Scream' explicitly connects feminist themes with witchcraft and occult spirituality
- Florence Welch turned to literal witchcraft practices (buying a cauldron, performing rituals) to cope with personal grief and loss
- The album reveals a central contradiction: despite promoting female power and autonomy, it expresses deep longing for love, protection, and connection
- Young women today are increasingly anxious, depressed, and politically radicalized despite having more opportunities and power than previous generations
- Modern feminism keeps women cycling between pleasure and achievement while preventing them from reaching deeper fulfillment through love, sacrifice, and transcendence
- The growing 'witchcore' trend among young women represents a search for meaning that secular feminist culture has failed to provide
Assumptions
- Spiritual fulfillment requires transcendence beyond the self rather than self-definition
- Traditional religious frameworks provide superior answers to suffering and meaning than occult practices
- Women's natural desires for love, protection, and connection conflict with feminist ideals of autonomy
- Cultural success and autonomy are insufficient for human happiness and fulfillment
- The turn to witchcraft is a symptom of deeper cultural and spiritual failure rather than genuine spiritual seeking