Why is witchcraft so popular?
Your average consumer is obsessed with magic, and it shows in their entertainment interests such as Harry Potter, The Witcher, and Lord of the Rings. To be fair, Tolkien handled magic well in LOTR. There was a clear distinction between the good and evil use of magic. Gandalf sparingly used magic in the entire trilogy. Only using magic when absolutely necessary because even a god-like wizard knows not to f*** around with magic.
Tolkien as a Catholic believed that God is the ultimate authority. He imagined a monotheistic-like God into his LOTR universe which implies the existence of an absolute moral standard. Hence, Gandalf's thoughtful use of magic.
Is magic real?
Magic as an independent force isn't real. But there are forces in this world that could be interpreted as such. Such as manifesting, demonic rituals, and witchcraft. Magic is seen as a tool to achieve selfish ends. Magic is an attempt to be the author of reality. This is why magic is often practiced in elite circles or people who are 'spiritual but not religious'. Practicing magic isn’t about acquiring fire spells. It's about playing god in your own little world.
The Witcher's magic cabal.
In this book series and now Netflix show, magic is used without discretion. In it, there exists a secret Lodge of Sorceresses who aim for political supremacy. They scheme and plot to take down sovereign kingdoms for the betterment of all races. Their foundation is built upon the belief that they're superior to their male counterparts. These sorceresses are so deluded and self-absorbed, that they truly believe that the most vile evils justify the end. I'm talking about mass genocide kind of evil.
The Witcher often portrays regular humans as racists and xenophobes. But who wouldn't be xenophobic if a sorcerer could level your entire continent with a spell? Who wouldn't question a particular tribe in human history who owns the banks and nuclear codes? Yet we're supposed to sympathize with them. Maturity makes one sympathize with the racist peasant because he simply wants to be left alone.
Magic TV shows inevitably run these themes:
Secret cabal.
Superiority complex.
Psychopathy.
Social justice.
Arbitrary morality.
Because The Witcher doesn't have a fleshed-out 'theology' like LOTR it only makes sense that individuals such as witches aren't held back by a moral standard. This sends a bad message to impressionable viewers because it popularizes the Nietzschean Überwitch. Power is all that matters.
The Witch Archetype.
This archetype is becoming extremely popular. Look at Western women. Their main occupations are hedonism and education. Abortion is normal for them i.e. child sacrifice. Most of them behave like witches without explicitly identifying as such. It’s not a coincidence primarily Western women are attracted to witchcraft. They have been tempted since the first wave of feminism. And now amplified by the Sexual Revolution. The rest of the world is merely catching up to this trend under the guise of democracy and individual freedom. Celebrating these basic human rights is a pipeline to reveling in abortion and transsexuality. The last two I mentioned are rebellious acts to shun children. That’s basically what witchcraft boils down to. It justifies immoral behavior because in their mind objective morality isn't real. From there on, anything goes.
Entertainment or psyop?
Not every magical show is a psyop. Some are rooted in European folklore. But big studios are heavily invested in twisting original works of fiction. Hollywood's writers admit they usually hate the source material. Female side characters are being put on pedestals for the sake of representing strong independent women. Especially the ones practicing witchcraft. They don’t push witchcraft because they truly believe in it. It’s just super effective for social engineering as proven by the popularity of TV shows running this theme.