Just as millennials are credited for the surge in the popularity of astrology, Gen Z seems to be bringing spirituality into style. Some instances of this spiritual embrace have been extreme. An app called Randonautica, designed to lead users to a unique location based on what they “manifest” (adventure, love, excitement), gained popularity in early July. It then quickly made headlines when the coordinates it provided led a group of Seattle teens to discover a dead body in a suitcase. 

Other examples are more subtle. TikTok creators organize mass meditations for their viewers and recently the term “manifestation” has entered our everyday language. Even non-spiritual people talk about “manifesting” things like a negative Corona test result or fun Friday-night plans. Short form Tarot readings, a practice dating back to the 14th century, have also become popular across social media. Traditionally, Tarot decks are used to read fortunes or predict an individual’s future. 

Videos covered in numbers like 333 and 222 often find their way onto the “For You Page.” These numbers, called angel numbers, are believed to have divine significance. The idea of wishing when you look at the clock at 11:11 is the most well known practice which developed from angel numbers. The meaning of these numbers is unique to each. Often, 111 is tied to manifestation; its appearance is believed to be a sign that you are closer to what you desire. 

At its core, manifestation is the idea that your energy or thoughts can influence your reality. This concept was reflected in early writing across cultures, most notably in Buddhism. Buddha said, “All that we are is a result of what we have thought.” 

Today, there are many ways people manifest. Practices vary from writing down desires, creating vision boards, or simply speaking it into existence. Claire Rodenbush, a junior creative writing major and vice president of Emerson Mystic, has been practicing Norse paganism for the past four years. She primarily manifests through runes, small hand-painted rocks that represent a desire, or the energy she wants to create. Rodenbush defines manifesting as “putting a good amount of mental energy into an idea or a goal that you want to get out of life but also working to make it happen.”

Rodenbush believes spirituality becoming mainstream is primarily a positive. Due to the lack of a central religion, Tarot readings and manifestations have greatly evolved over time and today are largely unique to the individuals who engage in them. Because of this, it can be more difficult to learn about these practices. Social media offers a unique space for these “unorganized religions” to gain popularity and exposure to an audience that may be unfamiliar with them. 

However, Rodenbush does believe some practices are just too personal to be legitimate on social media. 

“One of the biggest criticisms people have of Tarot readings is that it’s a very generic thing that can apply to a lot of people. If you do it in the right setting, it actually is very personalized,” she says. “But when you see it on the internet and it’s being made by a stranger, for complete strangers, I think that’s just the algorithm.”

Rodenbush advises being cautious in the way you may use spiritual imagery. She finds that there is often a split between those who engage in these belief systems out of genuine faith, and those who want to exploit them for an aesthetic. She mentions that metal bands often appropriate pagan imagery for “the anti-establishment, anti-mainstream vibe that it gives off.” 

“There’s a respectful way to like the aesthetic. Most of the people who are into aesthetics are also part of the faith, and they’re putting their faith into their aesthetic, that’s fine. But if you’re just coming in, and taking an aesthetic of a religion, because that’s essentially what it is, that’s an issue,” she says. 

Whether you believe in the Tarot reading that pops up on the FYP, telling you that you’ll soon meet the love of your life, or that always seeing 3:33 on the clock is a sign, ultimately, is up to you. But if you’re intrigued by these practices and want to learn more, Rodenbush advises always doing your research. 

“Taking in surface-level information and running with assumptions is not the best. If you truly want to get involved in spirituality, you have to know what you’re getting into. You don’t want to mess it up, because it’s a pretty big thing to mess up.”