Many of us may believe the closest we've ever come to encountering witchcraft is watching characters casting spells on our screens like in Harry Potter. But this is likely not the case, according to one practising witch. The 'real Molly Weasley', as her followers have endearingly named her, Emma Griffin says magic is real and surrounds us.
She adds that many of us perform witchcraft - the practice of standing in your own power but never doing so to cause harm, which can be performed by all genders - even if we don't realise it.
"Most people are actually practising witchcraft. When you bring your Christmas tree in and you adorn it, that's witchcraft," Emma told The Mirror.
"When you blow out birthday cake candles, that's witchcraft. When you put teeth under your pillow, that's witchcraft. It's all come from some kind of Pagan history."
And as families across the country celebrate Halloween, many will again find themselves practising witchcraft once again.
" When you carve a pumpkin and put it outside that's inviting spirits to come to your home so that's witchcraft," she adds.
But what might sound frightening - communicating with spirits - can be a beautiful experience, according to the Cornwall-based witch. At 46, Emma has spent decades learning about witchcraft, and it has been a constant throughout her life.
Born to spiritual parents - her father was a medium and her mother a witch - she has long appreciated magic. But it was during her early 20s, when she first wanted to perform fertility rituals that she began focused study into witchcraft. And she has continued her practice to this day, passing on her learning to her own daughter in turn.
As an eclectic witch, meaning she shares areas of interest with other types of witches, like green witches, kitchen witches, and divination witches, she says her practice is much more "relaxed" than it used to be when she was a Wiccan witch, which involves working with deities.
But magic is a "gentle" part of her everyday life, from the way she stirs her coffee clockwise to set her intention, to the way she washes her door for abundance, and the way she communicates with her late parents' spirits.
Along with honouring nature and the cycles of the moon, plus using tools like plants and crystals, witchcraft involves "tapping into different vibrational frequencies and using it to our own good," says Emma. As such, it is possible to communicate with spirits through frequencies.
"You can call forward your loved ones with the highest good and love and light, to be protected," Emma claims. " They’re always around us, you’ve just got to use yourself like a radio station to tune in to be able to listen to that frequency."
You can also set rules and ask for signs, she adds.
" You can be thinking about someone who is in the spirit world and then your phone will just go off and it is really weird because they can play with electricity - that's a good frequency for them to use. T here’s loads. Signs can be playing with your phones, they can turn on Siri, a certain piece of music can come on the radio. You can have feathers, coins, butterflies, or a certain animal, all those kinds of things."
For Emma, this practice helps her to stay connected to her mum and dad, who died in 2020 and 2019, respectively.
" I do receive signs and little messages form them which is really nice," she reveals.
Thanks to her upbringing, she says she does not fear death, but instead chooses to celebrate life. The loss of her parents was irrefutably upsetting, and she grieves their loss, but she says her feelings were tempered by her family's shared belief. " I think my grief is not as hard because I know that they are okay."
Emma says she has also experienced a near-death experience, having "died for a minute" in 2018 after she developed pneumonia. During that time, Emma felt calm and happy, and she reports seeing orbs of light moving toward a larger ball of light.
Equally, throughout our conversation, she was never anything but collected, thoughtful and happy - it is easy to see why she's so often compared to caring mum, Molly Weasley.
While Emma says she has never received hatred directed at her, she believes the suggestion witches are frightful beings, looking to hex you, is one of the most common misconceptions about witchcraft.
And she cherishes passing on her knowledge to others when asked, as she says witchcraft benefits her mental health.
" Life is hard, to notice the magic that we have around us can bring calm and balance into our lives."
"The muggles are missing out," she quips.
While Emma kept her witchcraft private for a long time, following her mum's advice, she has opened up about her practice in recent years. In 2019, she launched Sacred Space, which she uses to aid her work as a mystical teacher and to share guidance.
After many years spent pursing a successful career in the art and fashion world, working for some of the UK's largest brands, she launched her new venture, hoping to help her mum who was going through chemotherapy at the time.
On occasion, she will perform witchcraft for others when asked, but she does not advertise this.
"I have done some spells but I don't do love spells or lottery wins or anything like that," she reveals. "It is normally for self-love or confidence."
Emma also shares guidance on her TikTok and Instagram channels, which collectively have over 100,000 followers.
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