"What's New In Business? Witchcraft 101"

"Interest in spirituality has been booming in recent years while interest in religion plummets," says Kari Paul of MarketWatch.

MarketWatch? Isn't that about finances?

Yup--apparently the occult sells. And sells BIG.

Known as the 'psychic services industry', the metaphysical "Arts" include: astrology, aura reading, mediumship, tarot card reading, and palmistry (among other things).

The once backroom business has recently gone mainstream, bringing big bucks with it.

How big? $2 billion annually, according to industry analysis firm IBIS World.

So who is buying this stuff?

Millennials. That's right folks, the 18-30 demographic is reaching for the stars.

Catland, a 'metaphysical boutique' based in Brooklyn, offers workshops like "Witchcraft 101", "Astrology 101" and "Spirit Seance". According to owner Melissa Jayne, interest has been soaring for the past five years.

"Whether it be spell-casting, tarot, astrology, meditation and trance, or herbalism, these traditions offer tangible ways for people to enact change in their lives," she said.

Really? Astrology has been debunked by numerous academic studies and yet according to a survey by the National Science Foundation, a majority of young adults believe astrology is a science.

Banu Guler, co-founder of a new astrology app Co-Star, agrees.

According to Guler, "There is a belief vacuum: we go from work to a bar to dinner and a date, with no semblance of meaning. Astrology is a way out of it, a way of putting yourself in the context of thousands of years of history and the universe."

Co-Star's servers were so overwhelmed by demand after it launched on October 12 that the app crashed three times in its first week.

And then there's the spiritual subscription service Mystic Lipstick, whose customer base is growing exponentially according to founder Danielle Ayoka. Her specialty? A "mystic box" containing crystals, 'reiki'-infused bath salts and incense customized to the unique energy of the current moon cycle.

And on and on it goes.

Unfortunately, all this mysticism comes with a price and we don't mean dollars.

Known as the doctrine of demons, the Bible forbids the practice of astrology, horoscope and all things occult as an abomination to the Lord.

"And do not let your people practice fortune-telling or sorcery, or allow them to interpret omens, or engage in witchcraft, or cast spells, or function as mediums or psychics, or call forth the spirits of the dead. Anyone who does these things is an object of horror and disgust to the LORD" (Deuteronomy 18:10-12).

"Their judgment is based on this fact: The light from heaven (Jesus) came into the world, but they loved the darkness more than the light..." (John 3:19).

A wise man once said: "Interest in religion may be "out" but faith in Jesus is not a religion--it's a relationship with the Living God." -- Greg Laurie

How to go to heaven

News:

• Yahoo!News: Plague alert over Madagascar's Dance with the Dead; sacred ritual sees families exhume the remains of dead relatives, re-wrap them in fresh cloth and dance with the corpses. Outbreak of plague sweeping the island.
• DEBKAfile: Third U.S. carrier strike group deployed to Pacific as tensions mount over N. Korea nuke program.
• Reuter's: "Earth is fragile", Pope tells astronauts who see planet from "eyes of God" and "Earth will pass in a moment."