From right to left: Jubilee Sun and Morning Lotus lying on the floor

BOSTON — Meet Emily “Morning Lotus” Banner, a twenty-three-year-old psychic from Amherst, Massachusetts. Banner says she’s felt connected to the planet’s ley lines and received messages from other realms since she was six. She's a senior at Boston University, and studies biology with hopes to attend Harvard Medical School.

“Yeah, like, on my sixth birthday Gaia sent me a message in the form of a lotus flower, which inspired my psychic name [Morning Lotus]. It was about ten in the morning when my mom brought home a beautiful assortment of flowers and a single white lotus flower petal fell into my cereal. It was in the milk’s reflection that I met Calhanna, the spirit of a Siamese enchantress who lived thousands of years ago and performed divinations for her king.”

Morning Lotus is one of a group of psychics, witches, and neo-Pagans at Boston University. Every Tuesday at sunset, the group assembles to perform spiritual rituals, bond over their powers, and decry anti-scientific views that are growing in our times.

“Climate change denial is a real issue,” explains Sun Jubilee, a Hellenistic witch who prefers that her legal name not appear in this article. “I mean since Trump anti-science has taken ahold of this country. The world is literally dying and crying out to us through hurricanes and other crazy storms and weather.” Sun Jubilee is the club’s seer, and she claims that she can channel spirits through various mediums such as replica bones (she doesn’t use animal bones because she’s vegan), a scrying orb, and tarot cards.

Jubilee Sun's witchcraft focuses on white magics for health and seeing people’s fortunes. “All of us in the club pay careful attention to the stars, but Emily’s the best astrologist in the club so she usually handles the birth charts. My role's to see the future and help people medically with stuff like indigestion, PMS, acne, and joint pain” Jubilee told The Dingo.

Ms. Banner and the other club members host events to educate the university’s students and faculty on the importance of making science more accessible to the public. The group believes that a lack of scientific understanding and gatekeeping from academic institutions creates distrust in scientific institutions by alienating much of the public. The group also argues that Christianity is founded on unscientific roots, and while the religion has many positive messages of hope, trust, and faith, Christians often put too much faith in unsubstantiated claims.

“The fact is that many Christians believe in ideas that don’t align with science. I think religion is necessary and that faith is healthy so long as your actions aren’t solely coming from an ancient book,” argues Banner.

When asked how astrology, witchcraft, and other esoteric practices differ from Christianity, Ms. Banner took a moment to respond.

“Well, the difference is that Gaia speaks to us all the time through plants and animals. The earth is obviously real and there’s energy, like, you know, magnetism and such coursing through the planet. Sensitive people can read that energy and that’s where fortunes and spiritual communications come from. It’s not based on a book or anything, it’s something you can really feel.”

When asked if those claims are backed by science, Morning Lotus responded with a sort of a koan.

“You know, science is often behind the curve. Take meditation for example. How long did it take Western science to grasp that concentration practices can have major benefits for your health and mind? Sometimes science isn’t there yet. But I’m sure the evidence will eventually catch up to reality. Like, you don’t know what you don’t know until you really know—until you really feel it in your veins, you know?”

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