From apps that read tarot cards to AI offering spiritual guidance, technology is intersecting with mysticism

By News Center Maine///Jan 13, 2026

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From apps that read tarot cards to AI offering spiritual guidance, technology is intersecting with mysticism ===

How does this technology work? And what types of answers does it provide?

WCSH ===

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Author: Rob Caldwell

Published: 3:09 PM EST January 13, 2026

Updated: 3:09 PM EST January 13, 2026

PORTLAND, Maine — Technology and mysticism would seem to sit on opposite ends of the spectrum. Yet technology is moving into the spaces that were once the province mainly of mysticism.

207’s tech guy, Rich Brooks of Flyte New Media in Portland, has been looking into this unusual and sometimes controversial realm. Here are the talking points he provided for our conversation.

Rich, when people think of technology and mysticism, they probably don't see a whole lot of overlap. What are they missing?

People have always looked for answers, for meaning, and perhaps direction. Historically, mystics use clay tablets, tea leaves, or stars to find patterns and predict the future. Today's technology—from social media algorithms to artificial intelligence—also rely on pattern recognition as well to provide answers and forecast possibilities. So maybe there's more to connect these two camps then it would seem at first blush.

So what are some of the apps that people are using to explore mysticism?

There are more mysticism apps than stars in the sky...probably not, but that's a nice segue into astrology, which is a popular category. Co-Star is an app that uses NASA data to generate your natal chart—a map of where the planets were when you were born and give you daily horoscopes and compatibility readings with friends. I played around with it a bit and found that it comes with quite a bit of snark as well. There's a free version or a paid version that provides more features.

There's another app called Sanctuary that allows you to connect with human astrologers, tarot readers, and psychics through voice or chat. Your spiritual advisor on demand, if you will.

You mentioned AI. Are people turning to ChatGPT for spiritual guidance?

Absolutely. We’re seeing the rise of what some call "Mystic Tech". There are custom AI agents—like "AI Baba Vanga"—trained to mimic the style of the famous prognosticator to provide 2026 predictions. Beyond that, apps like Divine Whisper combine AI-powered astrology with tarot, allowing users to ask specific questions about their lives and receive personalized guidance based on their birth charts.

That sounds pretty harmless, but presumably there are concerns about people relying on AI for spiritual guidance?

There's actually been some news recently about something called "Spiralism"—a kind of cult-like belief system that's emerging from people who spend hours chatting with AI and start to believe the AI is revealing deeper cosmic truths to them.

These people are having long conversations with ChatGPT or Claude, asking increasingly mystical questions, and because the AI is really good at pattern-matching and generating coherent-sounding responses, it starts creating what feels like a spiritual system. But psychologists warn that this is just the AI reflecting back the user's own patterns and biases—it's not revealing any external truth.

How about those looking for answers, direction, or inner peace but without the "woo-woo" factor?

Sure. If you're looking for something a little more science based, there are plenty of resources and apps around meditation and mindfulness. I've had a subscription to Headspace—a meditation app—for years...I can't say that I use it often enough, but it is a great tool to have when the monkeys in my brain are a little too active.

There are plenty of other similar apps in the app stores, including The Mindfulness Coach app which was developed by the VA to help Veterans, service members, and others how to practice mindfulness.

So, are you a believer?

I lean towards skepticism, but I'm not ready to say it's all bunk. Like, I believe in aliens, but if you tell me that you were abducted yourself, I'm going to struggle with that part. But I'm open minded enough to realize there's a lot of things going on in this universe that our science can't yet explain.

As Fox Mulder says, I want to believe.

How does this technology work? And what types of answers does it provide?

WCSH ===

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Download the NCM app