Why millennials are embracing spirituality over religion

(Instagram/rock_and_co)

New-age spirituality is nothing new for Rachel Crethar.

“As I grew up my mom always kept our minds open to the things we couldn’t explain, and the magic of nature and the universe,” the Australian owner of crystal retailer Rock and Co tells Yahoo Canada Style. “She taught us to listen to our own instinct, and to live in flow–not push things–what is meant to be will be.”

Those instincts stuck with Crethar in her teens and early 20s but as she got older she stopped doing things like tarot readings for friends. “I think as I ‘grew up’ and got a ‘real job’ it felt silly,” she says.

But now she’s come full circle and embraced crystals again, not just for herself but for her business. And she’s not alone. As millennials who grew up in a world where yoga was mainstream move away from organized religion, they’re becoming increasingly interested in things that would once have been considered hippie territory only, like transcendental meditation and crystal therapy.

“Over the past few years I have lent myself to the spiritual side and crystals were a natural progression from my love for yoga and meditation,” Ashley Bellino, owner of Stoned Crystals, tells Yahoo Canada News. She extended that interest into her business, which promotes crystals as a way to bring positive energy into your personal space in a modern way.

Away from religion and towards spirituality

Only about half of millennials are certain they believe in God and just 41 per cent consider religion very important in their lives, according to a Pew Research survey released last year. Older generations like baby boomers and seniors were much more likely to believe in God, consider religion important in their lives, and attend religious services regularly, Pew found.

But that move away from more traditional ideas about religion doesn’t mean that millennials necessarily identify as atheists or don’t have a general sense of spirituality. Half of them feel a sense of spiritual well-being and peace, 46 per cent have a sense of wonder about the universe, and 55 per cent regularly think about the meaning of life, Pew found.

Not necessarily connecting with or feeling beholden to traditional organized religion opens millennials up to exploring other avenues for expressing the sense of spirituality that they do hold.

The decision to turn her interest in crystals into a business came when a piece of citrine–a crystal some associate with wealth and abundance–brought three financial wins for her family, Crethar says. Rock and Co began as a side project and now she has nearly 6,000 Instagram followers and ships crystals worldwide.

Crethar believes that our high-stress, busy world is part of what is drawing the younger generation towards practices like crystals and meditation.

“People are feeling disconnected from each other, staring at their devices instead of having quality time with their friends and family or nature and truly connecting with the environment around them,” Crethar says. “Because of this, they are feeling more stressed, more anxious and looking for ways to reduce this.”

Bellino thinks that the growing interest in businesses like hers is an extension of the focus on natural skincare and cosmetics and organic food. “People are becoming more aware of alternative therapies and our connection to the earth and its effect on the mind, body, and soul,” she says. “We are craving the raw and organic not only in our diets but also in the things we wear and adorn our spaces with.”

(Instagram/rock_and_co)

Celebrities are also fuelling the trend. Khloe Kardashian was filmed shopping for crystals for Keeping Up With The Kardashians, and model Miranda Kerr blogged about using crystals during meditation and deep breathing. Singer Bethany Cosentino of Best Coast is interested in astrology, and ‘90s teen star Andrew Keegan now runs a new-age church in Los Angeles.

That trendiness helps to make crystals and other modern spiritual interests more accessible and break them from the old hippie stereotypes, Bellino says.

“I hope to be instrumental in making crystals on trend and giving people simple steps on how they can integrate them into their lives by sharing tips and concepts on how to style them, as well as keeping the integrity of their energy and tradition alive,” Bellino says.

And increasingly, spirituality is big business. New wearables from Fitbit and Apple have apps for guided breathing exercises. Jewellery lines like Tiny Devotions and Alix and Ani are best-sellers. Urban Outfitters sells books on crystal healing and creative mindfulness, and upscale spiritual retreats that cost hundreds of dollars to attend sell out.

One religion expert believes those ties with consumer culture may be a big part of what’s fuelling millennial interest in spirituality to begin with. “Spirituality is what consumer capitalism does to religion,” University of Virginia academic Matthew Hedstrom said in an interview done with a university publication last year. “The millennial approach to spirituality seems to be about choosing and consuming different ‘religious products’–meditation, or prayer, or yoga, or a belief in heaven–rather than belonging to an organized congregation.”

Regardless of what’s fuelling this interest in modern spirituality, does any of this have measurable real-world effects? Some of the practices popular with those interested in spirituality in a general sense have some scientific backing. For example, several studies indicate that regular meditation does have several physiological benefits.

However, scientifically speaking there’s not a lot of provable evidence behind crystal healing and some other hallmarks of modern spirituality. Research done at the University of London in the early 2000s found no real differences in those who meditated with or without crystals in their hands, for example.

But for devotees it’s not about studies and research, but what their interpretation spirituality–with crystals or anything else–means to them individually.

“I don’t believe in setting fake expectations that crystals are going to help ‘heal’ conditions and I think it’s a big part of why they have been cast aside,” Bellino says. “But by setting our crystals with positive intentions, we are manifesting a world we wish to be a part of.”

What do you think? Let us know by tweeting to @YahooStyleCA.