A quick glance at the news reveals a never-ending stream of tragedies and
misfortunes. Keeping up with current events can feel overwhelming, filling us with
anxiety and uncertainty about the future. It often seems like the world is one bad
report after another. This made me wonder; what do people turn to in times of crisis?
Recently, my social media feeds have been flooded with footage of the devastating
LA fires. Amidst the destruction, what stood out most was the resilience of the
affected communities. People who had lost everything, their homes, possessions,
and even loved ones, found strength in one another. Many held onto faith, believing
that those they lost were in a better place.
But what does this mean?
For centuries, humanity has sought answers about the divine nature of the universe.
Why do so many of us yearn for explanations about life and death? Is it a way to
assign blame in times of uncertainty, or is it a source of comfort, reassuring us that
everything will be okay in the end?
Various religions have their own interpretations of life after death. Hindus believe in
Samsara, the cycle of rebirth, where a soul is continuously reincarnated. In Judaism,
souls are thought to spend eternity in Gan Eden, a paradise with God. Sikhism
teaches reincarnation, emphasizing that our actions determine the form our soul
takes in the next life. Islam speaks of Akhirah, an everlasting life after death, while
some people believe that once we die, that is simply the end.
Growing up in a Catholic primary school, high school and sixth form I had always
been taught that there was a life after death which would reward those who had lived
a moral life. We had been taught that if we recited parts of scripture and attended
mass and confession that our souls would be saved, and that we would be promised
an afterlife in heaven. Often in times of trouble I had been taught to say a prayer or
light a prayer candle. Whilst these simple acts of remembrance have brought me
comfort in times of woe, it failed in really substantiating and irradicating my worries
about what would really happen after I died and how people could find such
reassurance especially after there worlds had seemingly fallen apart.
The death of my grandfather in 2020 intensified my search for answers. He and I
were very close, and losing him at such a pivotal moment in my life felt devastating.
In the months that followed, I grappled with grief, searching for some sort of answer
to just give some sort of reassurance that everything would be okay. This curiosity
led me to explore spirituality, particularly the rise of witchcraft trends on TikTok. What
started as an interest in a passing trend soon deepened into a fascination with pagan
rituals, spirit communication, and the broader concept of an afterlife.
Last year I went to a psychic medium for the first time and the experience was
interesting to say the least. After years of pondering the pros and cons of going
seemingly the perfect opportunity had arisen. At that time, I felt as though I was at a
crossroads; I was due to be headed onto a university exchange to Australia for six
months yet the prospect of packing up and leaving everyone and seemingly
everything behind left me feeling overwhelmed with doubt. Whilst I was most
definitely excited about the opportunity, I was battling the small nagging feeling in my
stomach that I was making a mistake. And just like that one day I decided to go to a
psychic medium. The tarot reading wasn’t advertised as a direct connection to the
dead, but I found myself drawn to the experience.
Although sceptical at the beginning, the Medium read my tarot to comment on my
past experiences, how this effects my present as well as what is to come for my
future. This was namely things of hardship which I had overcome as well as
upcoming challenges that I was going to face. Following this he had suggested that
he was able to speak to my grandad and that he wished to tell me that I was on the
right path. For some reason this man was able to tell me things, deeply personal
secrets and obscure facts, that he couldn’t possibly have known. Despite my best
attempts of keeping a straight face to deflect giving away any clues, he was able to
accurately provide a description of my past, my present, and then what would
become my future.
This is by no means an insinuation that this is the correct way to go about spirituality
or faith or whether this is even a credible source but rather something that made me
feel better. For me this was a deeply personal event which gave me a lot of
reassurance for what would turn out to be one of the best experiences I have ever
had – going to Australia. I still don’t know if this was evidence of an eternal life. But in
that moment, it brought me comfort. And maybe that’s the point.
Furthermore, I still have no idea whether what that man had said to me was proof of
an eternal life only that it gave me a glimmer of hope in my own life. It is clear to me
now, how people can gain faith in times of trouble despite there being so much
confusion over what having faith or religion actually means. For some, faith is a
steadfast force, guiding them through prayer and worship. For others, like me, it
serves as an occasional reminder that things will be okay. We may never find
concrete proof of an afterlife or a higher power, but that doesn’t mean we can’t find
solace in believing. Whether faith is a structured religion, a personal spirituality, or
simply taking comfort in the mundane, the important thing is finding what brings
peace to our own lives. In the end, the only certainty we have is the comfort we seek
for ourselves.