Why Judaism Forbids Fortune Telling and Mysticism: The Truth About Tarot, Astrology, and Psychic Readings

In the past decade, there has been a boom in mystical services, including fortune tellers, coffee readers, palm readers, foot readers, Tarot experts, astrologers, and more. Do any of these practices hold real truth, or are they merely illusions? And why, according to Judaism, is it forbidden to seek out mystics?

Rabbi Aharon Levy explains: “Judaism has a fundamental principle that says: ‘This opposite that God created.’ Meaning, nearly every kind of spiritual knowledge that can be accessed through holiness can also be accessed through impurity.”

Why not seek information through the “impure” way? 

“First of all,” says Rabbi Levy, “when information comes through holiness, it has no side effects and can only help, whereas through impurity, the side effects can harm the person using those forces. For this reason, the Torah forbids the use of these negative powers. The second difference, according to our sages, is the accuracy. Information obtained through impurity is not precise — and often completely false, because the negative spiritual forces intentionally deceive the one who asks.”

“The Sages warned us strongly against séances and similar practices because they rely on unholy forces. These forces not only harm the person asking but also cause terrible pain to the summoned soul. Out of this anguish, the soul often gives false or misleading information. In general, the Torah forbids a person from trying to reveal the future — except when God Himself chooses to reveal it through His prophets.”

What about coffee reading, Tarot cards, and the like? 

“So far, we’ve assumed that such people really can access unholy spiritual powers. The truth is, most so-called mystics are frauds and charlatans who have no connection to holiness or impurity. So there’s absolutely no reason to seek them out.”

Rabbi Yitzhak Gabay adds another reason: “The Torah forbids future-telling for deep Kabbalistic reasons. The structure of creation is designed so that obeying God’s commands brings only good. However, anyone who engages in ‘channeling’ is in fact communicating with destructive spiritual entities such as demons, or angels of harm. They might pretend to deliver messages from souls, but these messages are false and dangerous.”

Why does simple faith conflict with fortune-telling?

“The Torah says, ‘Be wholehearted with the Lord your God.’ That means not to seek to know the future, because trying to predict it undermines faith. A key part of belief is trusting in Divine Providence at every moment. When I try to know the future, I am in effect rejecting that trust.

There is also a direct Torah prohibition: ‘Do not practice divination’ — meaning, don’t attach meaning to random signs, like saying, ‘I saw a black cat, so my day will go badly.’ There’s also ‘Do not observe times,’ which refers to astrology, and the prohibition against sorcery.

Seeking to know the future only leads to confusion and weakens pure faith. Instead, we must trust God, who always does what is best for us.”