Imagine sitting in your living room watching television when a commercial appears for one of America's most recognizable restaurant chains. You expect to see burritos, tacos, or perhaps a new menu item. Instead, you see a Ouija board.

A tortilla chip becomes the pointer, and the commercial invites viewers into a supernatural-themed experience. What does communicating with spirits have to do with selling Mexican food?

Apparently, in today's advertising culture, there is more than we might expect. In September 2026, Chipotle announced its Summon the Spirits Tour, a promotional campaign celebrating the return of its margarita. The campaign played on the double meaning of the word spirits, incorporating imagery associated with communicating with the dead. Some viewers found it clever. Others considered it harmless Halloween humor.

When did symbols associated with witchcraft, divination, and spirit communication become acceptable tools for selling ordinary consumer products?

More importantly, what happens to a society when practices explicitly condemned in Scripture become familiar and acceptable sources of advertisement?


The Occult Is No Longer Confined to Horror Movies

For decades, supernatural imagery has appeared in horror films, entertainment aimed at audiences interested in the paranormal. That is nothing new. What deserves attention today is the appearance of these themes in advertising products that have absolutely nothing to do with the supernatural.

Consider several examples. In December 2021, Credit Karma released a commercial featuring a man using a Ouija board to seek financial guidance. When a friend suggests using Credit Karma instead, the man removes his hands from the board, and a ghost appears. Think about that for a moment. An activity associated with communicating with spirits becomes the punchline of an advertisement designed to sell financial services.

In October 2023, British supermarket chain Morrisons promoted its Nightmare on Market Street campaign, featuring a specially designed Ouija-themed cheeseboard. Cheese served as the pointer, while contacting dead beings. They were selling cheese!

Netflix has also incorporated fortune-telling imagery into promotional experiences. Its January 2026 Discover Your Future campaign featured a large animatronic fortune-teller at New York City's Grand Central Terminal. Visitors received personalized entertainment recommendations and custom tarot-inspired cards.

In September 2026, Tesco's F&F fashion brand launched its Whatever You're Dealt campaign, incorporating imagery based on a complete 78-card tarot deck.

Baileys used witches in a 2021 Halloween commercial. Lush, developed occult-inspired promotional imagery involving spells, potions, and witchcraft. Fashion, cosmetics, jewelry, and entertainment brands have also modeled astrology, tarot, and supernatural symbolism.

The common thread is unmistakable. Objects and practices which are Scripturally forbidden are being repackaged as humor, fashion, entertainment, and consumer experiences. Can a culture become so accustomed to images of spiritual darkness that it gradually stops taking the underlying practices seriously?


This Did Not Happen Overnight

The Ouija board has a long commercial history. Originally marketed in the late nineteenth century during a period of widespread interest in spiritualism, the board eventually became a familiar household product. Parker Brothers acquired the rights in 1966, and the Ouija board became a recognizable item in the board-game industry. It was marketed no differently than Monopoly or Clue. The concern is whether someone is deliberately attempting to obtain spiritual guidance through practices God has forbidden.


Americans Are Interested in the Supernatural

It would be easy to dismiss occult-themed advertising as nothing more than corporate attempts to capitalize on Halloween. But research suggests that interest in astrology, tarot, and other forms of divination extends beyond seasonal entertainment. According to Pew Research Center's May 2025 findings, approximately 30% of American adults consult astrology, tarot cards, or fortune-tellers at least once a year. This represents a genuine attempt to find guidance, meaning, reassurance, or knowledge from demonic sources. A separate industry report, Spate's 2026 Global Culture Shifts Report, identified growth in consumer interest in mystical subjects. Scripture repeatedly warns against seeking supernatural guidance apart from God.


Halloween Has Become Big Business; When Spiritual Practices Become Profitable

There is another reason advertisers embrace supernatural imagery. Money.

According to the National Retail Federation's 2026 Halloween survey figures cited in the research material, American consumers are expected to spend approximately $13.5 billion celebrating Halloween. That includes costumes, candy, decorations, and greeting cards. 74% of American consumers plan to celebrate Halloween, while millions of adults and children plan to dress as witches. Corporations are recognizing an enormous commercial opportunity. Advertisers use the occult to promote almost anything. A financial product. A streaming service. A fashion collection. Even a burrito.


What Does God Say About Divination?

The Bible is extremely direct when addressing attempts to obtain supernatural knowledge through forbidden spiritual practices. Deuteronomy 18:10–12, God warns Israel against divination, witchcraft, sorcery, consulting spirits, and seeking information from the dead. These instructions were given as Israel prepared to enter a land where pagan religious practices were widespread. God was establishing a distinction between the worship of the true God and the spiritual practices of the surrounding nations. The issue was spiritual allegiance.

Isaiah 8:19 challenges God's people to seek God rather than mediums or those claiming to communicate with spirits. When people use tarot cards to predict the future, consult mediums for messages from deceased loved ones, or turn to astrology for direction, they are seeking guidance through sources that Scripture does not allow. The Bible provides a sobering historical example of what happens when someone chooses that path.


King Saul: When the Desire for Answers Overrides Obedience

In 1 Samuel 28, King Saul found himself facing a desperate situation. The Philistine army threatened Israel, and Saul was terrified. When he sought guidance from the Lord, he received no answer. Rather than humbling himself before God, Saul sought out a medium at Endor. Ironically, Saul had previously removed mediums and spiritists from the land. Now, in his desperation, he turned to the very practices he had once prohibited. 1 Chronicles 10:13–14 identifies Saul's consultation with a medium as part of his unfaithfulness. The lesson is unmistakable. Desperation for answers never justifies disobedience to God.

This is especially relevant in an age when people are surrounded by uncertainty.

Wars, economic instability, political division, technological disruption, and fears about the future have created an environment where many people are searching for reassurance. It’s best to turn to prayer and Scripture. The question is not whether people want answers. The question is where they are looking for them.


Are We Becoming Spiritually Desensitized?

One of the most effective ways to change a culture is through familiarity.

Advertising professionals understand this. Repetition helps establish recognition.

Humor reduces resistance. Positive emotional associations make products and messages more memorable. Consider what happens when children repeatedly encounter witches, Ouija boards, séances, tarot cards, and spirit communication portrayed as harmless amusement. What understanding of these practices are they developing? Are they learning to be discerning?

The apostle Paul wrote: “do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (Romans 12:2) Paul recognized that believers must resist being shaped by the values of the surrounding culture.

Christians cannot control every advertisement, movie, or social media message they encounter. But they can control how they respond. We can evaluate cultural messages through Scripture.


What Does This Have to Do with Bible Prophecy?

The Bible repeatedly warns that spiritual deception will play a significant role in the events surrounding the return of Jesus Christ. In Matthew 24:4, Jesus warned: “Take heed that no man deceive you.” Deception was among the first concerns Jesus addressed when His disciples asked about the signs of His coming.

Later, in Matthew 24:24, He warned that false christs and false prophets would arise, displaying signs and wonders with the intention of deceiving.

The apostle Paul expanded upon this warning in 2 Thessalonians 2:9–10, describing the coming of the lawless one as accompanied by satanic activity, deceptive signs, and unrighteous deception. Revelation 13:13–14 describes a future religious deceiver performing signs that persuade people to follow a false system of worship. Notice the common thread. The prophetic danger is that people will become vulnerable to spiritual deception presented as truth.


The Coming Deception Will Be More Than Entertainment

One of the most sobering aspects of biblical prophecy is that the final deception described in Scripture will not merely entertain people. It will influence their allegiance. Revelation 13 describes a future system in which religious worship, political authority, and economic participation become closely connected. The false prophet will direct worship toward the beast. Deceptive signs will reinforce the system's authority. And economic restrictions will be imposed upon those who refuse to participate. 

A society that abandons biblical authority will become vulnerable to persuasive claims of spiritual power. A culture that treats every spiritual experience as equally valid may struggle to distinguish truth from deception. And a church that neglects biblical teaching may fail to prepare believers for the challenges ahead.

The solution is not to become fearful; the solution is to become firmly grounded in the Word of God.


The Church Must Teach Discernment Again

In Acts 19:18–20, we find a powerful example of how the early church responded to occult practices. As the Gospel spread in Ephesus, many who had practiced magical arts publicly confessed their former activities. Many gathered their occult themed books and burned them. Luke records that the value of the materials was fifty thousand pieces of silver. This was a change in allegiance. These new believers recognized that following Jesus Christ required abandoning practices associated with their former spiritual lives. That same principle remains relevant.

1 John 4:1 instructs believers to test the spirits. 1Thessalonians 5:21 commands believers to examine everything carefully and hold fast to what is good.

Ephesians 5:11 warns against participating in the unfruitful works of darkness.

These instructions are not outdated. They are essential for a generation surrounded by spiritual ads, artificial intelligence, agenda driven media, and an expanding marketplace of darkness.


Who Is Influencing Whom?

The greatest protection against deception is not knowledge of every occult symbol or supernatural trend. It is knowledge of the truth. Jesus declared in John 14:6:

“I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

The world may choose to turn to tarot cards to seek its future. It may consult astrologers for guidance. It may use Ouija boards as entertainment and transform witchcraft into a marketing strategy. But Christians have been given something infinitely greater. We have the revealed Word of God. We have the promises of Scripture. And we have the assurance that the future belongs to Jesus Christ.

The challenge for the church is not merely to recognize the darkness. It is to remain faithful to the Light.



​Maranatha, Lord Jesus