Why the youth of today are flocking to spirituality – and what harms this may have
BY NITHYA VENKAT WITH ART BY BAQIR NOOR
Recently, any scroll I take through my Instagram or TikTok feed has been littered with a very specific type of content. Daily horoscopes, manifestation frequencies, and videos that tell me “like to claim my blessings now!” fill every corner of my social media. On TikTok, for example, tags like “#Astrotok” amass over 300 million views. And this trend towards a generic version of spirituality that melds astrology, tarot, and practices from indigenous cultures, presents an interesting development amongst the American citizenry. A study from Pew Research Center in 2017 noted that the number of people who describe themselves as ‘spiritual, not religious’ had grown 8 percentage points to account for a quarter of US adults. Another recent study from Pew in 2022 also displayed a significant increase in religiously unaffiliated Americans. These two statistical trends mark an interesting and profound precedent, one that poses the question of why so many Americans are turning away from faith-based religions and to a more generic label of ‘spirituality’– and what impact this mass exodus can have.
So the big question is why? What makes “spirituality” a more comfortable label than religion? The first and most obvious answer is the openness spirituality provides. Many traditional religions have a conservative culture that pushes away those of differing identities and establishes a moral high ground. While there are definitely accepting groups of all religions, many young people find it hard to embrace such a rigid and orthodox lifestyle. Thus, they turn to spirituality where there is little judgment or emphasis placed on micro-level decisions, and rather the focus shifts to a ‘greater good’ image of morality. Most forms of spirituality preach a simple message: “Do good and good will be done unto you.” It is this exact simplicity that makes being ‘spiritual’ significantly easier than subscribing to a specific faith. For the young queer individual, for example, it’s easier to believe in something that cares little about who they are than being called a sinner for their identity.
Further, many forms of spirituality provide something of a relief from the depressing nature of reality. In an era plagued by disease, natural disaster, and political unrest, the question of ‘why us and why now?’ is exhausting to think about. A spiritual approach allows us to believe that it’s just the natural order and the cycles of the universe– rather than the work of some cruel or evil god who aims to teach us a lesson. Astrology and other spiritual tools don’t look to claim ownership over the people that practice them; rather they are used for tracking patterns over time. Keeping notes of things like angel numbers, Mercury in Retrograde, and what cards pop into our tarot spread when our lives feel hopeless is far more objective than believing that our life events are being orchestrated by beings that are blissfully unaware of their cruelty. Spirituality poses open-ended questions, rather than the answers of religion that always leave us seeking more.
But this popular shift to spirituality and its presence on social media is not without harm. Traditional forms of spirituality, its tools, and belief systems didn’t spontaneously start existing when white women began posting their journeys on TikTok. Incense, tarot, crystals, and astrology have always been integral parts of cultures worldwide. This shift from religion has been accompanied by the spread of co-opting of Indigenous, African, and Indian cultures. While this might not seem harmful on the face, it has led to cherry-picking traditions from cultures and leaving the people behind. While people enjoy yoga and meditation, some remain outwardly racist to the cultures they took their lifestyle from. People buy white sage to ‘cleanse’ their homes without acknowledging that they live on land stolen from Indigenous people. The communities of origin remain disposable, and the co-opting of tradition robs them of their history.
It’s not to say that we can’t learn from other cultures worldwide and integrate their practices into our own lives– but we can’t be spiritual if we don’t remain grounded in reality. The desire to embrace an open-ended lifestyle of no judgment is understandable– but like all things should be done mindfully and with an acknowledgment of who traditions come from.