Why I No Longer Do Tarot, Manifestation, Or Any Other New Age Practices.

In a world full of various forms of manifestation practices, it’s easy to fall prey to the New Age theology of being the creator of your own life. After my divorce, I took a deep dive into the New Age culture, searching for answers and solutions for what I now called my life. The following article will discuss my journey and why I no longer entertain any divination or manifestation practices in order to achieve what I want.

From Jesus To New Ageism

I grew up in a Christian church and had my first prophetic experience when I was twelve. I spent the night praying to God and woke up knowing the first name of the man I would eventually marry. When I was nineteen, I met him and would marry him only thirteen months later. My belief was that God sent me a gift that would last the rest of my life. You can imagine my surprise when my husband left me for another woman. I was incredibly confused. I had always thought God was for marriage, so why would he allow me to know who I would marry if it was going to end in heartache? At first, I attended church and underwent baptism in a well-known river. I had hoped that somebody could help me make sense of the confusion that I was experiencing. Unfortunately, I was unable to find anyone who could help me understand it. God did attempt to help me find clarity. In some of my past articles, I mentioned one occurrence where I was lying on the floor, screaming out to God. I kept asking, “Why can’t you talk to me now?” At that point, my five-year-old came into the room and said, word for word, “This is your opportunity to stand up for yourself. God is Lord, and he is mighty, and he can fight for you.” I believe God spoke through her. For a time, this guidance sufficed. However, I would eventually lose my faith. I went to see my first tarot card reader about a year and a half after my divorce. I did not tell her anything that was going on in my life. I went into her room and quietly allowed her to tell me whatever she received. One of the first things she said was, “We all get angry at God sometimes. This is very natural, but what I am hearing is that you need to go back to God now.” My jaw dropped. I was angry at God. I didn’t understand why God would allow me to feel so much pain. The next thing said was, “Everything will come full circle in June; no matter what he tells you, he has not changed. If you refuse, blessings will come.” To my surprise, in June, my ex-husband did ask for me back. I did reject him, but not because the tarot reader told me I should. He had not changed. He asked me to move away with him. So I asked, “If I don’t go, will you take the woman you left me for?” He admittedly replied, “Yes.” This would be the true beginning of allowing myself to let go of my marriage. After that, I would delve deeply into the realm of New Ageism and divination practices. Unfortunately, this would only lead me in circles.

Tarot

For quite sometime, there was a comfort that I felt in the theology that I had the ability to create my own life. Tarot had become extremely prevalent in my life and I began collecting various oracle cards with beautiful imagery to help me to make sense of my future. Due to my past with experiencing prophetic messages, I honestly thought of the cards as a blessing. The cards were incredibly enticing because most of the time the answers and predictions were true. I believed that the answers were messages from God because I would say a prayer of protection and ask for only his guidance. There was a particular time that I had held my Bible and asked God if what I was doing, was wrong. When I opened my Bible I was on the first page of the Book of Daniel. The second chapter tells how Daniel interpreted a dream for Nebuchadnezzar ll, king of Babylon. This story would specifically mention how the king commanded the magicians, astrologers, and sorcerers to not only interpret his dream, but to tell him what it was. Only Daniel was able to do this, but only after he spends the evening praying to God asking for this wisdom. Daniel gives full credit to God. Initially, I interpreted this story as a green light to continue Tarot. I thought, of myself like Daniel. In my mind God was giving me my answers through the cards. Unfortunately, I was incredibly wrong. Later God would show me that scripture again and only then would I understand its meaning. I wouldn’t have needed those cards to hear God. I now know any prophetic experience I am given is for his glory and not mine. 

Demons Are Real

It amazes me how many people do not acknowledge the existence of demons. They are incredibly real, and their goal is to keep you from knowing God. While immersing myself in various New Age practices, I chose to delve into the mysteries of the Akashic Records. I had become aware of the Akashic Records after a spiritual healer told me that I had some sort of access to them. People believed that the Akashic Records held a record of their past lives. It was believed that understanding this information could provide insight into a person’s past life’s gifts and talents. I had bought a book on the subject, and it instructed me to recite a specific prayer to gain access to the records. I would then proceed to meditate. One specific time, when I decided to do this, I saw a demon that literally looked like it was straight out of a Hollywood horror film. I was lying on my couch in meditation, and I had the experience of waking up, yet I wasn’t truly awake. In this state, I felt myself waking up while lying in the same spot on my couch where I had initially gone into the meditation. I saw my living room just as it was before, yet there was a young girl that appeared to be sitting on my living room floor. Her hair was long, dark, and straight. I couldn’t see her face at first because her head was facing downward. As I was trying to comprehend what I was seeing, she looked up at me. Her eyes were wide, and her mouth gaped open. She let out a monstrous sound that terrified every fiber in my body. I began to recite the Lord’s Prayer because, through various experiences, I learned very quickly that demons truly do shudder at Jesus’s name. The Lord’s Prayer was always my way to quickly exit a demonic attack. As I began to recite the prayer, I saw my kids run from the living room into the garage in order to hide. I immediately woke up. I was in the same spot on the couch, and there was a thickness in the air that is difficult for me to describe. I couldn’t see the demonic spirit anymore, but I knew I was not alone. I immediately called a friend who was well versed in scripture, and she came to my house that night to help with the removal of this spirit. She prayed to Jesus and read scriptures until I finally felt peace in my home again. This is just one story where I encountered demonic spirits while experimenting with New Age practices. I truly believe there was a shadow over my life during that time because I invited darkness in. Not only did I suffer, but so did my children.

Surrendering To God

Years went by as I tried with all my might to create the things I had wanted. I used various manifesting practices, such as scripting, candle spells, and creative visualization. I would use my cards as guidance to help me know what my next action steps should be. The cards appeared accurate, yet somehow the results would always lead me nowhere. One of my greatest desires has always been to be in union. I have struggled since my divorce to meet someone that I can connect with. A few times, there were men that I did feel a connection to, and the cards I had delved into displayed promising futures with all of them. This would lead me into a realm of fantasy. The bright futures that the card readings revealed never panned out the way I had hoped. I would see my very last tarot reader in the early spring of 2023. In this particular reading, she promised me a new love that would be the long-term relationship that I was hoping for. On one hand, she was right; a new love interest did enter my life. Regrettably, as with all my previous tarot readings, it concluded with me feeling both disappointed and confused. I believe the purpose of all of these divination practices is to keep us stuck. In the end, we are manipulating according to our will rather than relying on God’s will. After this last journey to nowhere, I finally threw up my hands and surrendered. I gave everything to God, telling him to take my life and make it whole again. I threw away all my New Age items and began relying on God to direct my life. I’ll admit, at first I missed the guidance I received from doing card readings. However, as I moved forward in faith, I learned to pray for everything and wait for God to show me what to do. I noticed that I began hearing his guidance more clearly. I also began to feel more peace. The anxiety I often felt had lifted from trying to manipulate and predict the future. Blessings began to appear for myself and my children. My home even began to feel more peaceful. Finally, I feel hopeful and worry-free, as I have surrendered all my concerns to him. This is the epitome of the peace I was always searching for.