The Politics of Spirituality
divination, witchcraft, and making meaning online
Maybe it’s just my TikTok algorithm, but the tarot readings that often proliferate my FYP have started to take on a political edge. Turning to the cards, readers are seeking answers to questions like, “Is Benjamin Netanyahu dead?” and “Why did Nicki Minaj join MAGA?” TikTok is rife with divination and esotericism, and while this could just be a symptom of mass psychosis, I can’t help but feel that we’ve officially reached the intersection of spirituality and politics.
@laurakchung This is for entertainment purposes only #tarot ♬ original sound - Laura Chung
In troubling times, it’s to be expected that we’re all gonna get more spiritual. When Woah Vicky tweets things like, “I’m battling with my flesh,” we feel seen; united in our carnal strife. Even Euphoria’s current, much-anticipated season has a religious overtone. In the inaugural episode, Rue waxes poetic about the divine timing of meeting big-time pimp (and future boss) Alamo: “This is the hand of God at work.” Online, everyone’s mantraposting, manifesting, and openly casting spells. It seems we’ve shaken off the pragmatism, and a door has opened to a revival of the New Age. Thoughts become things, mind over matter, if you can dream it – you can do it. What I particularly want to hone in on though, is the politics of it all.
Of course, religion has long been weaponised in the political sphere, i.e. Christians v. Muslims, Jews v. Everyone – but I want to take it a bit further. What are the religious associations being made within politics? How is divination being used to decipher the political landscape? How is witchcraft and non-traditional spirituality used to signal political beliefs? And overarchingly, how does this give meaning to what doesn’t make sense? In ‘Ways of Approaching Religiosity in Psychological Research’, it’s argued that “religion offers a bewildering person a method of restoring a sense of power and control” over themselves, and fosters “social solidarity and social identity.” I want to explore how this aligns with the current state of politics – as especially circulated online.
MAGA Merch
Take President Trump, who was beefing with Pope Leo just a few weeks ago. Taking to Truth Social to denounce the head of the Catholic Church as ‘not America first’ for criticising the war on Iran, and subsequently likening himself to Christ in an AI generated post, an uproar ensued. Accusations of blasphemy from even the most devout of his supporters caused him to walk back the post, stating it was him depicted not as Jesus, but “as a doctor.” Right. But, it’s not the first time Trump has been compared to Christ, and it probably won’t be the last. In Evangelist circles he’s long been seen as a messianic figure, chosen by God to deliver the US from evil. MAGA merch such as caps inscribed with, “Jesus is my saviour, Trump is my president,” exemplify this association perfectly. He’s their second coming of Christ. Likening Trump to Jesus only fortifies their faith in him as a President, providing a convenient figure to project all their hopes of salvation onto.
The AI generated post that got Trump in hot water
While none of us could’ve anticipated Pope Leo and Trump’s spiritual standoff, it would appear that astrology can provide some answers. Trump’s a Gemini after all, and their beef knows no bounds (see also: Azealia Banks). @thepopastrologist on Instagram, an account dedicated to interpreting current affairs through an astrological lens, further details a whole host of aspects that can explain what happened. Pope Leo has a Virgo stellium, and therefore a strong sense of justice. The two also have opposing nodal synastry, and features in their composite chart that are “in the direct line of fire this upcoming Aries moon.” In other words, their beef is written in the stars.
@thepopastrologist on Instagram
The very definition of astrology is a “type of divination” that predicts and explains “the fates of individuals, groups, and nations,” according to Britannica. As we see with this beef, this belief system is used as a means to digest the indigestible. Just like the politically-charged tarot readings, it’s ultimately helpful to turn to different forms of divination to try and make sense of things. That said, there’s also a strong element of affirmation; astrological aspects that confirm pre-existing beliefs about said figures. The comments of this post are full of people chiming in with their own tidbits like, “Earth signs should be running everything,” and, “Trump’s Leo rising is enough to explain it all.”
In the realm of affirmation, let’s turn it up a notch to witchcraft. When Lana Del Rey hexed Trump in 2017, it was seen as quite fringe. Enigmatically tweeting four dates along with the text, “Ingredients can b found online,” many fans appreciated her disapproval of the President – but found the means a bit extreme. Yet, without an air of concern, she admitted in an interview with NME: “Yeah, I did it. Why not? Look, I do a lot of shit.” Several years on, politically-charged witchcraft is much more commonplace. For many, engaging in politics often feels futile. It makes sense that witchcraft is the new frontier, it’s an assertion of belief; a way to signal which side you’re on.
Screenshot from Lana Del Rey’s Twitter (2017)
Lest we forget last year, a mere two days before Charlie Kirk’s assassination, Jezebel released an article wherein a journalist commissioned two Etsy witches to put a curse on him. While an addendum was hastily added that the journalist doesn’t condone political violence, and never intended for Kirk to be seriously harmed, it’s hard not to marvel at the timing. Coincidence or not, accusations of spiritual warfare ensued, with Christian right-wingers left genuinely rattled by the ‘demonic forces’ at play. On the flip side, and before ultimately being banned by Etsy itself, the witches in question became inundated with orders. Many rejoiced at this ‘spiritual victory’ — turning these practitioners into symbols of triumphant, feminine power. Whether magic is real, and whether the curse really worked, is neither here nor there. Rather, how and why are people weaving this into their narratives?
It’d be easy to cast a wide net, and say that these non-traditional forms of spirituality fall only on the left side of the spectrum, but it isn’t the case. In Sanjiv Bhattacharya’s 2016 profile on two members of the white nationalist American Freedom Party, he’s surprised at the spiritual tendencies of one of the subjects in particular, Eric. Finding his way to racism via hypnotherapy, in many ways he’s your run-of-the-mill hippie. Selling solar panels for a living, practising meditation and yoga, and offering tarot readings, one would think he’s all ‘one love.’ Yet Bhattacharya ultimately notes, “he’s a locally sourced, wild-caught bigot high in omega-3s and antisemitism.” In fact, this article was the catalyst for Stewart Home’s 2025 book Fascist Yoga, an analysis into how these esoteric practices lend themselves to the cultivation of far-right conspiracy.
Eric from Bhattacharya’s Guardian article (2016)
In the book, Home draws similarities between the ways that fascists and hippies think and behave: “It’s as if there’s a natural essence to everything that trumps science-based evidence.” He maintains that both sets believe in a “worldview grounded in essentialism and anti-empiricism,” i.e. ‘further than the eye can see.’ Reading this, internet personality Sigh Swoon immediately comes to mind. If you’re a fellow ‘esoteric e-girl’ like myself, you might already be familiar. She’s right up there with sotce in the internet-verse, making a living off of her spirituality by adopting a guru-like role, leading her doting followers towards self-actualisation. As of late, she’s undeniably been flirting with the alt-right. While adamant that she’s nonpartisan, her upcoming book credits the likes of Trump, Elon Musk, and Megyn Kelly. So, when she tweets things like, “shadows and symbols have no place governing reality,” about Kanye’s Nazi ‘performance art,’ and postures herself as superior to those who “haven’t ascended past” finding such symbolism offensive – Home's point rings true.
Sigh Swoon’s ‘nonpartisan’ opinions on the ICE shootings
Listen, I’m not here to moralise. I do technically agree that in the right context these symbols can be used as artistic motifs, and it doesn’t inherently glorify, or endorse supremacist beliefs. Take Santiago Sierra’s 2016 exhibition The Trough, which weaved the history and associations of the swastika all the way from its paleolithic origins. Culminating in a live installation wherein hundreds of mice drank from, pissed in, and shat in a swatsika-shaped trough full of milk – repulsion is obviously the intended result. Even though the press release refrains from saying much at all, the piece speaks for itself.
Santiago Sierra’s ‘The Trough’ (2016)
Sigh Swoon, on the other hand, seems to revel in the ambiguity. When asked about her friend Daniel Lisi, who works with Passage Press (publisher of far-right writers like Curtis Yarvin and Steve Sailer), she once again uses anti-empiricism as a crutch. “He reveals secrets. He takes risks. He finds the source,” she defends. “Anyone who takes a mere glance simply does not know the half of it,” she postures. Embrace the ambiguity guys! Normalise far-right thought!
This tangent is to say, a rise in spirituality and the West’s downward spiral towards fascism aren’t so diametrically opposed. While these non-traditional forms of spirituality can provide a sense of grounding, direction, and understanding, their emphasis on individualism presents its own set of problems. I’m sure you’ve seen the abundance of memes of girls head-to-toe in designer, toting Birkins, or City bags, adopting yoga poses, and calling themselves ‘materialistic spiritual baddies’ (guilty). Isabella Greenwood writes that in such memes, “spiritual transcendence and aspirational consumption cease to oppose one another,” and that being spiritually aligned “no longer precludes material excess; it reclaims it.” On an ironic, individual level, it’s seemingly harmless.
@ritasmota on Instagram
But when you take into account that the New Age guru Deepak Chopra is implicated in the Epstein files, maybe we’re all susceptible to moral dubiousness. We’re all at risk of using spirituality to rationalise just about anything. Left-wing, right-wing, no-wing, if we’re not careful we could all end up beyond the pale. As Chopra once wrote to Epstein, “God is a construct. Cute girls are real.” But as Woah Vicky tweeted, ultimately, “Your flesh will embarrass you.”