After receiving a deck of tarot cards for her birthday in February, junior Kira Sekhar said that she began to learn more about the meaning of each card and has given readings to her friends. Over the pandemic, Kira has dived deeper into spirituality, utilizing the extra time spent alone, and through this has discovered more about herself.

Some U-High students have turned to new age spirituality by using crystals, tarot cards and practicing manifestation to guide and aid the introspection that has been encouraged in a year where contact with others has been limited, leaving students with more time by themselves.

Kira became further involved with spirituality during distance learning, taking advantage of the extra time to be thoughtful. 

“I got really into it just through being a reflective person, and also I guess quarantine, being alone a lot, spending a lot of time with my thoughts, just kind of aided that type of practice,” Kira said.

Kira is a part of a larger trend of an increasing interest in crystals, tarot and manifestation since the start of the pandemic.

Since the start of the pandemic, news media have reported there’s been an uptick in business for psychics due to more people looking to new age practices to cope with the stress and uncertainty of the pandemic. One psychic suggested that during times when there is rapid change and more uncertainty in the world, people turn to psychics for guidance.

Since March 2020, Google searches for “crystals” have increased two-fold, according to Google Trends. 

Kira said she first practiced manifestation and meditation and then through the internet learned more about crystals.

“These are tools basically to kind of help people feel more connected to the universe or just more spiritual in general,” Kira said.

Manifestation is a practice that holds the belief that imagining and believing something will happen has the power to bring whatever the practitioner wants. There are various beliefs regarding how one should manifest, ranging in specificity and rigidness.

Tarot cards readings use a deck of 78 illustrated cards to gain insight into questions posed during the reading. The deck has two types of cards: 22 major arcana, which deal with larger life events and issues, and 56 minor arcana, which deal with smaller affairs and have four four suits with cards numbered from 1 to 10 and have a page, knight, queen and king.

Many believe that different types of crystals have different kinds of healing powers. Crystals function in two ways, by welcoming in positive energy and deterring negative energy.

Junior Ashley Hannah said that she had purchased crystals years before she began to learn about spirituality.

“Each crystal has its own kind of healing powers or does its own thing,” Ashley said. “They’re all very different, and they’re pretty.”

Like Kira, Ashley said she was interested in other aspects of spirituality, receiving tarot card readings and studying astrology

Through practicing some aspects of new age spirituality, Kira has learned more about herself.

“I personally feel I know myself a lot better and I am able to kind of articulate what I want and just who I am,” Kira said. 

For Kira, practicing new age spirituality has offered guidance and reason in life. She compared the reassurance she gets from her practice to the feelings some people get from a religious faith in that she feels her path has been planned for her.

Kira said, “Even if they’re struggling there’s a purpose to everything and that everything happens for a reason.”