With the great conjunction on Dec. 21, 2020, a new age of intellectualism and spirituality is becoming a prominent topic among the collective, with TikTok specifically spreading information on spirituality and witchcraft. But not everything is reliable.

There is so much more to being spiritually enlightened than buying crystals and manifesting your ex by writing their name 50 times on a piece of paper. Many TikTok creators take advantage of the trend of witchcraft, spirituality and divination for views. Fake tarot readers will tell you that the toxic person you’re with is really your Twin Flame and you should stay with them despite the abuse. People will tell you that their video is a sign that everything you’ve ever wanted is coming your way, but only if you like and comment. Videos will come upon peoples’ “For You” page telling them that all they need to do to manifest whatever you want is to script it and want it enough.

What they don’t tell you is spiritual enlightenment is gained through hard work. Moksha, the ultimate spiritual goal of Hinduism, is to reach a point where you detach yourself from the feelings and perceptions that tie you to the world, leading to the realization of the ultimate unity of things—the soul (atman) connected with the universal (Brahman). It is through these ancient practices that one can truly tap into their psychic abilities, properly manifest and follow their life path with ease.

Many creators are taking advantage of hurt and hopeful people for their own benefit. Yes, there are true intuitives on the app who truly want to spread their gifts and knowledge of the universe, to help enlighten other people and to tell you what you need to hear rather than what you want to hear, but they are never the ones to pop up on peoples pages.

The false intuitives make a bad name for the rest of us.

So, how can you tell the difference between what’s real and what’s just part of the trend? The most important thing you can do is research. Don’t believe everything you see online. Many people make a convincing case, and many people are just trying to spread their own knowledge to help others. But no one is perfect, and people make mistakes. A quick Google search can help clear out what’s true and what’s not. Reading published works by established practitioners and those with experience in spirituality, religion and the craft is also a good place to start.

In terms of tarot readings, there are a few things to look for to know if you’re getting scammed. If the reading shows up on your FYP, check for these things:

Do they ask you to like/follow/comment to claim? If so, this message isn’t divinely given and probably not for you.

Does the video have a lot of likes? If so, make sure the reading truly resonates with you. It is likely that the algorithm just pushed the video onto your feed because it’s popular.

Are there hashtags? hashtags aren’t necessarily a red flag, but it could indicate that this is the work of the algorithm and not the universe.

Angel Numbers: If you’re seeing the video at an angel time (11:11, 2:22, 8:08) or the likes, comments or shares are an angel number, this could be a sign from your spiritual team.