I Used to Read Tarot Cards and Now I Read the Bible

A letter, a plea, on New Age practices

Dear Kim,

“You are the star of your own show.” That sentence still crosses my mind from time to time though it has been over a decade since I’ve heard you say it.

Thank you for seeing me, when in those vulnerable adolescent years, I was often unseen. Thank you for trying to mother me, for feeding me when you could tell I hadn’t eaten, for inviting me into your home for my birthdays, balloons and cake and all, when I wasn’t even your own kin, for buying me women’s undergarments when you could tell I needed new ones, for giving me clothes when you could tell I didn’t know how to dress myself. I still have a couple of your stretchy flared pants in my drawer and I wear them every winter. Your heart is something I will never forget. In this way, though you may be unaware, you did what Jesus told us to do, and your love impacted me for years to come.

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” Matthew 25:35-36

Thank you for trying to teach me how to navigate life. You shared all your crystals with me, “This one is for protection, this one for romance, this one for clarity…” you’d say, holding each colorful stone up, labeling them for me and boxing them so I could take them home. You taught me every face of every tarot card, what they meant when turned upside down and right side up, how to lay the cards out for this scenario or that one, when seeking knowledge about this or that. What the chakras mean, how to know when they’re closed and how to open them back up. I wrote it all down in my composition book, spent hours memorizing every page, shuffling the cards just like you taught me. You wanted me to make it a business, make some money, and help people. You wanted the best for me. I know that.

It was around that time that the sleep paralysis started, when the demons stood over my bed, pressing on my chest leaving me gasping for air. It was the name “Jesus” that I choked out that made them leave that night. Their tall, dark, lanky figures disappearing from my room. I was left with a terror unlike anything I have known before or since. It was a glimpse of hell.

I learned something profound, Kim, as that hallow depressed teenage girl you once knew blossomed into a woman, a daughter of the King. Something I think you might have resistance towards. I am not the star of my own show. None of us are. Jesus is the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end. Everything we do must be for Him and His glory. He loves us so much. He is worthy of it all. He’s so pure and holy, we must believe in Him and follow Him, otherwise we have chosen death of our souls. To be an outsider from Heaven’s gates is the default, but to choose Jesus is to choose eternal life. I know it might be difficult to understand.

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.” Revelation 22:13-15

Those crystals you gave me, though colorful and trendy to keep around, never gave me protection or romance or clarity. When I surrendered my life to Jesus, He gave me those things. That and so much more.

The tarot cards, though they worked, they revealed truths about me and my friends who I did them on, they did not help me navigate life. The truth they told was not the Truth that changed my life, the Truth that set me free from mental illnesses and suicidal thoughts and abusive relationships, the Truth that gave me more peace and joy unlike anything I had known, the Truth that secured my place on the right side of eternity, in eternal paradise, in Heaven. I know it might be difficult to understand.

“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” John 14:6

That lifestyle you taught me, where we wear crystals on necklaces and pay attention to zodiac signs, where the answers to our questions are just a shuffle of some cards away, where cleansing of ghosts from a home can be found in the burning of sage, where yoga is harmless, only contributed to keeping me in bondage, in the grips of mental illnesses, anxiety, depression, toxic relationships, you name it, darkness, just darkness. I know, I know it might be difficult to understand.

All the answers I needed, all the love I always longed for, all the peace I so craved, were found in the face of Jesus, in the ink of the most Holy book, the Word, the Bible. It changed everything, Kim. The scriptures have so much to say about what we were doing. Necromancy, divination, sorcery, my goodness how I betrayed my God. He forbids it because He is protecting us from harm. And He wants us to trust and lean on Him instead.

I know it might be difficult to understand. But all I can do is share what the Lord did in my life and hope that the Holy Spirit moves you to do the same.

Surrender everything to Jesus.

Repent, say sorry for choosing a path outside of Him.

All your questions can be answered. All your heartache soothed. There is only the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness. There is no gray area. We are at war. The demons were winning for most of my life. They thought they had me, but Jesus has the victory. Let Him be victorious with you. I promise, you will rejoice, and in the best way, never be the same.

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.“ Ephesians 6:12

His love is so great, Kim. He longs to keep you. To make you His bride. He died for you, for all the things you’ve ever done wrong, for all the wrongs other people have done to you. It’s not too late (yet).

I know, it might be difficult to understand. But if you’re willing, it can all make sense.

With love,

Katie Donohue Tona

---

If you’d like to financially support my work for $5.00 USD per month, from the depths of me, thank you.

Everything pertaining to the sharing of the Gospel on Writing with Jesus is free. There are a handful of benefits as a paid subscriber, but all I truly have to give you in return is my sincere gratitude and giddy excitement that you decided to support financially.

For Paid Subscribers, here’s how I love to say thank you:

• Occasional paid subscriber ONLY posts

• (For Substack users with a publication) A special shout out in our international community chat showcasing your publication simply because we love writers supporting writers.

• For Annual Subscribers (SAVE $10.00 USD) and Founding Members ($51.00+ USD): lifetime access to a catalog of downloadable poster prints to decorate your home and Bible study workbooks (COMING SOON). Check out some examples here!

Feel free to access your paid subscription from this link. Or if you’d like to give just one time, feel free to click the button below.

Praise Jesus and thank you for being here :) For a little more about the person behind the screen, head over here! About Page