The rise of Etsy weather witches: can you really buy sunshine for your next holiday?

You've booked flights for a warm-weather escape, spent months perfecting the itinerary, found a great place to stay (ideally with its own spectacular pool), and then, as your holiday nears, you check the weather app and… things don't look good. Do you give a witch's clear weather spell a whirl?

I'm paraphrasing the thousands of weather witches' shop fronts that can be found on Etsy these days. Their ‘clear weather spell’ comes in a PDF format, often within hours of paying for a spell, manifesting good weather for the buyer.

Weather witches aren't a new phenomenon in the UK. In Cornwall and Devon, there's folklore of sea witches selling sailors knotted rope (try saying that three times…). Those magical ropes would supposedly contain favourable winds. Untying one knot could release a gentle breeze, further knots could unleash much more powerful gusts.

“Weather has always been deeply connected to spirituality, nature and the elements,” explains Jayne Wallace of Psychic Sisters, whose clients range from Aimee Lou Wood to Kate Hudson. She's the resident clairvoyant at StolenTime in St Lucia during their spiritual retreats. “For centuries, people have turned to rituals, intention, setting and the energy of the natural world to invite favourable conditions into their lives.”

Sure, technology may have given us access to minute-by-minute forecasts, but how travellers read the sky has long been shaped by a heady mix of meteorology and mysticism. For centuries, people from coastal villages and agricultural towns have turned to witchy practitioners in an attempt to summon sunshine, prevent storms or bring much-needed rain. Back then, their focus may have been rooted in whether a harvest succeeded or a fishing boat returned safely.

These days, the contemporary weather witch can easily be summoned from places like Etsy or TikTok for as little as £3.50. One of their more popular enquiries? A ‘same day good weather spell’ for weddings, honeymoons and special trips.

Once considered a niche pursuit, nearly a quarter of Britons believe astrology might be real, according to a recent YouGov poll. So it isn't too surprising that we're seeing Etsy witches becoming a regular addition to the wedding day and honeymoon roster. In the US, they're part of a booming $2.3 billion industry in the psychic-services universe – a field that also includes palm reading, tarot cards and astrology.

I was intrigued about how the process actually works. “I sit with your destination, your travel dates and what this journey means to you, and I read the energy around your whole trip, from the morning you leave to the evening you come home,” writes IvyVeilReadings, who's had over 3,450 sales on Etsy in the three months she's been on the site. “Not just the worry about the sky, but everything your trip is holding: where the calm already lives, what you want to unfold, and how to carry lightness with you every day that you are away. Afterwards, you receive a detailed written report with a personal blessing for your journey that is yours to keep. No scripts, no copy and paste.”

You'll also find a disclaimer on each witch's page, reminding customers that their spells don't alter, control, or guarantee weather conditions but are for “entertainment and personal reflection purposes only.”

So, does it work? According to thousands of five-star reviews on Etsy, and several happy customers I've spoken to, mostly yes. But it's not always about that.

“As soon as the two-week forecast came out for my wedding, I was immediately on my weather app looking at what it was going to be,” personal trainer Neve explains to me. "Initially it was saying thunderstorms all day, rain and thunder all day. Worst possible outcome.

“We were having an outdoor ceremony, so it was really stressing me out. I was talking to one of my clients about it, and she was saying, 'Well, why don't you pay an Etsy witch?' I hadn't heard of an Etsy witch before. I'm not spiritual or anything like that, but it kind of gave me a sense that I had some control over it.” She went onto Etsy, typed in "clear weather spell" and there were pages and pages of witches. “I couldn't believe how many witches there were. It blew my mind.”

With these spells being an affordable add-on during high-stakes days like weddings or honeymoons, some people even double-up or go for premium spell options. “I paid two witches, thinking I'd rather be safe than sorry,” Neve tells me. "They had three different levels, from a basic spell, which was the cheapest, to a premium spell, and I found myself having to go with the premium spell. I thought that if I went for the basic spell and then it rains, I'll be fuming with myself. So I paid for the premium spell. And the weather was glorious. It was 22 degrees, with a slight breeze and it was gorgeous!"

Many of the brides and travellers who are opting for an Etsy witch before their big events wouldn't describe themselves as ‘spiritual’ people.

“Sometimes just having a witch, a psychic there with you, supporting you along the journey, giving you intel on what's coming, what to keep an eye out for, it can really just allow you to have inner confidence,” explains spiritual consultant Erika Owls, who's just launched a new app for tarot and manifestation.

“I believe the growing fascination with weather witches reflects our desire to feel more connected to the universe," Jayne Wallace agrees. “Ultimately, people are looking for reassurance, hope and a sense that the universe is on their side.”