ANALYSIS
The use of tarot cards among Gen Z and millennials is experiencing a mainstream moment as interest in the occult has risen along with spiritual hunger during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Religion News reports that some Christians and non-believers are turning to alternative or “New Age” beliefs for answers to their questions rather than relying on Bible-based beliefs.
This includes an agreement with the eastern religious ideas of reincarnation, astrology, psychics, and the presence of spiritual energy in physical objects like mountains.
According to Pew research, it’s actually been a trend for the past few years.
During the dark oppression of the pandemic, the rise in tarot card use shows that some who are spiritual seekers are dabbling in more darkness instead of seeking the Light of the World for guidance and direction.
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Candace Apple, owner of Atlanta-based “metaphysical store” Phoenix and Dragon said there’s been a greater focus on different kits and card decks, along with the “popular new aesthetics.”
“The surge in sales is definitely fueled by the 18- to 25-year-olds searching for their spiritual path and answers to the challenges they are facing in an uncertain world,” she said.
But Scripture calls on Christians to obtain insight through reading God’s Word and engaging in intimate prayer time with Him.
The Bible states that our primary source for gaining knowledge and wisdom comes from God’s sovereign Word to us. Handing our cares and concerns over to Him will lead to peace and hope that can only be found in God.
In fact, Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Across the spectrum of Christianity, magic and the occult are clearly described as deception of darkness. While addressing a crowd at the Vatican in 2019, Pope Francis explained that God does not reveal himself through witchcraft or sorcery and that those sources seek to separate us from Him.
“True faith means abandoning oneself to God who makes himself known not through occult practices but through revelation and with gratuitous love,” Pope Francis said.
“How is it possible, if you believe in Jesus Christ, you go to a sorcerer, a fortuneteller? Magic is not Christian! These things that are done to predict the future or predict many things or change situations in life are not Christian. The grace of Christ can bring you everything! Pray and trust in the Lord.”
Additionally, there are multiple Bible verses affirming that spiritism is forbidden in the eyes of God.
Deuteronomy 18:10-11 says, “There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his on or his daughter pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one who practices witchcraft, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who casts a spell or a medium or a spiritist or one who calls up the dead.”
Leviticus 19:26 warns, “You shall not eat anything with blood, nor practice divination or soothsaying.”
And Jeremiah 10:2 declares that we should not follow the world or attempt to read into our future from anything but God.
“Thus says the LORD, ‘Do not learn the way of the nations, and do not be terrified by the signs of heavens although the nations are terrified by them.”
Isaiah 8:19 further reminds us that we should trust in God and Him alone.
“When they say to you, ‘Consult the mediums and the spiritists who whisper and mutter,’ should not a people consult with God?”
In the end, consulting directly with God is the best place to find peace. As Philippians 4:6-7 encourages us:
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
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