(The Lion) — A well-known tarot card reader with nearly 1 million social media followers has disavowed the practice after becoming a Christian – and has replaced tarot readings with messages about Jesus and the Christian faith.
Alexandra Ashcroft built a massive social media following under the name “Alex Reads Tarot” on Instagram and TikTok and even got a reference in a song by Hayley Williams, the lead singer of Paramore. But in a 10-minute video posted to her accounts, she says she deleted all of her tarot-related content and would no longer create videos centered on tarot readings, saying she could not reconcile the practice with her newfound faith in Christ.
“I don’t know exactly what comes next for me, but what I do know is that Jesus Christ has saved my life, and I can no longer ignore that reality,” she said.
She acknowledged many of her followers would be disappointed but said she could no longer ignore what God had done in her life.
“I know that some people may find this decision surprising – and some people may wonder how I can be saying this after spending years of doing the work that I’ve done – but all I can do is be honest,” she said.
Alex said she struggled with the decision “for a while” before concluding that she could no longer practice tarot.
“The more that I’ve prayed, the more that I’ve reflected and sought God – the more that I realized that I couldn’t ignore where this journey was leading me,” she said. “… It’s been something that I’ve wrestled with for a while now, and I’ve only just arrived here after a great deal of reflection and searching, and I hope people can see that this does come from a sincere place, from a desire to be honest about where I am today.”
Alex’s online fame even earned her a mention in Hayley Williams’ song Love Me Different, which describes a night of doomscrolling with the lyric: “up ‘til 3, Alex Reads Tarot, reads the s*** out of me.”
The former tarot card reader has since launched new faith-centric channels on Instagram (AlexBelongstoChrist) and TikTok (AlexCourageInChrist). In one video this week, she described Jesus as “the way, the truth, the life” – a reference to John 14:6.
“There is no amount of social media, there is no amount of preaching, there is no amount of content creation … that replaces the good old-fashioned love letter that God gave us, which is His Word, His Bible, which is time in prayer spent with Him,” she said.
She urged her fans to seek Jesus.
“God designed you. He knows already the questions that you’re struggling with. He already knows the things that other people are saying about you. He sees everything. You’re not alone. And remember, if the world hates you – it hated Jesus first.”
