The events of 2020 left many with a sense of loss, whether it be control, connection, or hope. For many of today’s teenagers, however, it meant a time for self discovery when it seems like the self may have been lost. This need for control over the uncontrollable propelled the rise of crystals and spirituality, and the idea of crystals could spread faster than ever through the use of social media apps such as TikTok. Crystals offered a personalized approach to spirituality, causing people to find religion almost inside of themselves.

“I would say COVID definitely gave a lot of people time to explore their spirituality and finding different ways to deal with their inner demons and emotional struggles,” community member Callen Thorn said.

Thorn is the lead sales associate and tarot reader at the Enchanted Boutique, a metaphysical supply store in White Bear.

“A lot of the readings that I’ve been getting lately are all about spiritual awakenings, people coming in and wanting to learn more about it,” he added.

Many said they turned to their crystals some time during the first COVID lockdown due to a need for grounding or escape. With the uncertainty of the pandemic, as well as the events that followed the 2020 election, it is understandable that people wanted to find a way to gain control over their own life.

“It’s a way to kind of feel a sense of control, understanding when everything is just kind of falling apart,” junior Kat Elstad said. “It helps me wrap my brain around the way the world works, which is kind of what people do with religion.”

As with any trend, the question must also be asked as to how the trend came to be. Though COVID played a large part in the idea of taking control of one’s spirituality, that alone was not the diffuser of the fixation. The rise of time and thinking came with the rise of various social media apps such as TikTok and Instagram. 

“I absolutely hate TikTok, but we pay attention to it because a lot of things that will become trends will appear on there,” Thorn said on how his business adapted to changes in focus with the movement. 

Junior Ruby Albiston even claimed her Instagram algorithm “started to get really specific, it started bringing up all these crystal things.” She even thought, “they kind of freaked me out for a bit.”

Control is not distinct to crystals alone. Looking at Google Trends, one can see a large spike for the term “manifestation” in June of 2020, and a steady rise of “affirmations” since March 2020. Affirmations are a phrase that states something the speaker would like to be true to them. Manifestation is similar, with the individual focusing their thoughts on the desired outcome.

Crystals and manifestation have also been popular in small business circles, as they can add a metaphysical level to a physical practice.

“That’s pretty much universal for any belief, like you’re giving yourself an object to focus on, an object to rely on,”  Albiston said.

Though the trend has increased greatly over the last year, the amount of time and energy one devoted to crystals varied from person to person. Some saw it as something similar to a religion, whereas others saw it as a small hobby or simply a pretty thing to look at. Because of the varying levels of devotion as well as the independence of the practice, it has also been used as an escape from some modern religions. Taking control of one’s own spirituality was another way for people to find personal identity in something other than a world religion. Though crystals and religion can be closely connected, the distinction can be incredibly important to some people.

“Childhood traumas definitely played a role … and it was definitely used as an escape, a way to explain things to myself- explain why things happened, because organized religion didn’t really get me an answer,” Thorn said.

Having seen it first-hand, Thorn believes many have turned to crystals and spirituality because of traumas and negative views on organized religion. The distinction between religion and spirituality is also important to Elstad, who claims, “I don’t know if I believe in God, but it’s [crystals] like a sort of higher power in my opinion.”

Though COVID lockdown acted as the catalyst for this trend, social media provided the means for the rapid diffusion required to sustain it in the fast-paced modern age. Many teens often feel lost or alone regardless of global climate, and COVID finally gave them the time to sit and reflect on what that meant. Despite being a nationwide phenomenon, crystals and spirituality are an inherently isolated and intimate practice. Regardless if the practice is seen as legitimate or merely pseudoscience, there is no denying it provided hope to many when hope felt so elusive. 

This story was originally published on The Pony Express on October 19, 2021.