But amongst the traditional hallmarks synonymous with the spooky holiday, there’s perhaps one in particular that reigns supreme: the witch.

A fixture in the popular imagination for centuries, from Snow White, and the Wizard of Oz, to Harry Potter, the black caped, cackling crone has been a subject of both fascination and fear.

But if you think that these magical beings belong only on the pages of a storybook or on a big screen, then think again. Believe it or not, there are thousands of real life, spell-casting witches all over Australia.

“A part of me cringes,” says Alissandra Moon, a practising witch with 20 years experience, when she reflects on the many witch outfits she sees every Halloween.

“We have been fighting for so long to break free from the old pointy hat-wearing, broomstick-flying stereotype and what it represents, but I know that most people don’t know any better.”

Indeed, according to her, modern-day witches aren’t anything like the hags in literature. They come in all shapes and sizes, and owning a black cat isn’t a prerequisite.

In the 2016 Census, more than 15,000 Australians identified as pagans (a umbrella term for most nature-based religions, including witchcraft), while in the US, witches are thought to number one million.

A spokesperson for the Australian Pagan Network says that these stats are likely to be just the “tip of the iceberg” with many respondents unwilling to declare their beliefs: “the largest issue with getting information is that 98 per cent of our community are solitary, or work in small groups,” says the spokesperson. Suffice to say, in 2018 witchcraft is no longer on the fringe.

“Witchcraft has always been a part of me,” explains 34-year-old, Alissandra. “Even before I had a name for it. I’ve had psychic and spiritual experiences since I was very young. As I grew older, I was able to learn more about it and started to dabble in the practical side when I was about 11 but didn’t get serious until I was 15. At that point I made the decision to stop caring about what society wanted me to be.”

The Wollongong-based mum found a tribe of kindred spirits in the form a Newtown-based ‘coven’ (a gathering of witches). It’s with these likeminded folk that she will be celebrating with on Wednesday (October 31). Though their version of Halloween will involve dancing and chanting “sky clad” (naked) to herald the start of summer.

“Samhain - which is what we witches call ‘Halloween’ - is actually our version of New Years Eve,” she explains. “However, here in the southern Hemisphere, it’s actually on April 30. October 31 is Beltane for us, another important seasonal festival that represents the end of spring. We’ll be out in the woods all night conjuring the summer in.”

Joining her in the secret rituals to mark the occasion will be Indigo WolfThistle, 45, Midnight Rose, 24, and Katherine (surname withheld), 50, all NSW based witches and fellow members of the coven.

“Alone or with others, rituals are very special,” says Indigo. “They focus energy on very specific intentions. It helps us to think clearly about our goals and it feels like we’re doing something positive to achieve them.”

Katherine agrees: “Working with spirit I feel empowered and energised. Together we focus on manifesting things for the higher good, both for us and for others.”

Magical potency aside, when the coven gets together one of the biggest positives for many of them is the sense of belonging and support that can only be found with others who share the same beliefs.

“Coming together as one to share these special moments in rituals is amazing,” says Midnight. “The bond we share is like that of a family, if not stronger. It’s unconditional love and support.”

Though more than a decade younger than Alissandra, 21-year-old, Michelle Keane, from Melbourne is also very serious about her “craft.” But unlike older followers of the spiritual practice who found their way by books or word of mouth, Michelle gained most of her insights online through YouTube videos and social media.

“Before the internet and social media it was so much harder to learn about it and to find other witches,” she says. “Now you simply log on and find a beautiful, large community of kind, understanding, and knowledgeable people with plenty to share. I like to think of it as a big online coven.”

Michelle’s Instagram feed shares common similarities with other millennials, with plenty of selfies and cat pics, but more unusually, it’s also peppered with herbs, crystals, magic wands, spell books and altars, all garnering ‘likes’ from her 5,600 followers.

“It’s a way to express myself,” she says. “And to inspire and gain inspiration from others simultaneously. It’s also a good way to spread information and knowledge.”

She’s just part of a huge new crop of young, tech-savvy women who are sharing with - and taking inspiration from - a virtual network of other witches via the likes of YouTube, and the viral #witchesofinstagram hashtag, where snaps of spells, potions, and other witchery has reached a staggering almost two million posts.

The visual appeal on socials can’t be denied, but what else is fuelling the witchcraft boom? Looking to pop culture may provide an answer.

For the last decade or so there has been a surge in both movies and TV shows that showcase witches, from The Vampire Diaries to American Horror Story. And there’s more coming with both Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Charmed reboots set to air this year.

“I don’t know a single person in my generation that didn’t want to be a witch or wizard from the “Harry Potter” universe,” laughs Michelle. “I do think there’s a correlation between the popularity of these shows and the increase in popularity of witchcraft.”

A big part of the obvious appeal in the mystical world of the witch is the ability to perform spells. After all, with the potential for gaining love, money, power, or success, by uttering a quick ‘Abracadabra’, or by carrying the right combination of crystals, it’s easy to see why many jump on the witch bandwagon. But Alissandra says that those looking for quick fix life solutions through magic will be disappointed.

“Despite what people think, witchcraft is not all about casting spells - that’s only a very small part,” she says. “There’s always a magical way to assist with, but we also need to do the work to make positive changes on a mundane level. Magic is not an instant problem solver!

“People do ask me a lot for love spells, but I will not manipulate another person against their will. I may help by doing a spell to attract someone non-specific who is right for them, but I will never violate someones free will.”

Michelle also keeps the magic component of witchcraft pretty low-key. “It’s something I don’t think about too much,” she says. “But that’s because I integrate it into my daily life. On occasion I’ll make a big fuss out of a spell and time it perfectly with the moon phases, but that’s pretty rare.

“As a student, the spells I mainly do are to help me with my studies, whether it be for concentration and memory, or even to help get a decent amount of sleep. Spells can be really simple, even just choosing a certain fragrance for your perfume or candles, or choosing herbs for a tea can be a form of spell work.”

Certainly women choosing to embrace their mystical side is timely with the current MeToo movement, especially given the focus on goddess worship and female energy within witchcraft. For anyone with feminist leanings, it’s the perfect fit.

“There’s been a lot of discussion recently about female rage and what to do with it in the MeToo era,” says Dr Zora Simic, who covers witchcraft within her first year gender studies course at UNSW. “Witches can offer powerful alternatives, including a sense of community and solidarity, for those that want to resist patriarchal forces, though this isn’t the first-time feminists have identified with or as witches.”

Witchcraft has also gone political. Last year singer Lana Del Rey made headlines worldwide after organising a mass cursing of Donald Trump, even detailing instructions for the spell to her fans, and days ago a group of witches in New York placed a hex on US Supreme Court Justice, Brett Kavanaugh. Woody Allen and Harvey Weinstein have also been on the receiving end of magical revenge.

The ‘activism’ within the witchcraft community neatly corresponds to the ballooning interest in both environmental matters and spiritual development, including yoga meditation, all of which have a synchronicity with any nature-based form of worship, such as witchcraft, that places a heavy importance on the natural world.

“Witches have a respect, love and compassion for all life,” enthuses Alissandra. “We live in tune with nature and working her, rather than against her. Most of us are, to at least some degree, animal, human and women’s rights activists and environmentalists.”

Another big appeal is that the simple fact that witchcraft has no strict dogma or Ten Commandments equivalent, meaning practitioners can essentially create their personalised belief system.

“People are fed up with the church, the brainwashing and male domination that we’re all too familiar with,” says Alissandra. “One of the great things about this path is that you don’t have to do or believe anything that does not feel 100 per cent right to you.”

This certainly fits in with the current trend in Australia away from organised religion. The last Census saw record numbers of Aussies ticking ‘no religion’, rising from 22.6 per cent to 29.6 per cent, and overtaking the number of Aussies identifying as Catholic for the first time in history.

“All the institutions that have persecuted witches - the state, the Church - are reviled,” says Zora. “Lots of people have lost faith in them or even worse feel targeted by them.”

Though some witches are very open, the bulk of the community are still very much underground and often, according to Michelle, very inconspicuous.

You could be sharing a desk with a witch, or living next door to one. Part of this is down to the remaining stigma surrounding witches. Out and proud witches have undoubtedly made it a lot easier for others to ‘come out of the broom closet’, but there’s still a long way to go.

“There’s still so much judgement, persecution, and discrimination,” says Alissandra. “Many of us have lost jobs, been evicted, been victims of violence, falsely accused of crimes. Tragically many witches have been, and still are, murdered around the world.”

Things are far from perfect, but both Alissandra and Michelle wouldn’t change their witchy ways for the world.

“I can say that my life has improved thousandfold,” continues Alissandra. “Because of witchcraft I have grown to be a better, happier, more compassionate person. I have overcome severe depression and have been able to help countless others.”

It’s a statement echoed by Michelle: “Witchcraft has really allowed me to live positively. It has helped me grow my confidence and self-worth, and has allowed me to ensure I’m always putting my best foot forward with whatever I do.”