I almost bought a copper bracelet: Why ‘energy protection’ is luring Christian women — and what it’s really replacing

Over the past few months, spirituality content has exploded across social media, particularly among younger audiences. Last December, Vogue USA published a feature exploring the growing fascination with manifestation and alternative spirituality online, noting that videos under hashtags such as #WitchTok have amassed millions of views on TikTok. In the UK, younger generations are also increasingly drawn to modern spiritual practices. A feature published last June by the South West Londoner paper, explored the rise of modern spiritualism among Gen Z, including practices centred around tarot reading, manifestation, and energy work.

Superstition is socially acceptable, but Christians don’t need to be superstitious

One of the latest trends emerging from this broader spirituality boom is “energy protection.” 

One of the latest trends emerging from this broader spirituality boom is “energy protection.” A February 2026 article from Times of India titled “What is energy protection, and why is everyone suddenly talking about it?” explored why conversations around shielding and protecting your energy have become increasingly mainstream, both online and offline.

Spend just a few minutes scrolling through social media and you’re almost guaranteed to come across videos promoting crystals, copper bracelets, and other objects said to shield people from “negative energy.” Alongside this is constant advice about avoiding “low-vibrational” spaces, environments believed to drain, block, or disrupt your energy.

Some people have even gone so far as to describe church environments as low-vibrational. According to this thinking, teachings about sin, surrender, repentance, and dependence on God supposedly encourage “low-frequency” emotions such as guilt, shame, or fear, rather than “higher-frequency” emotions like joy, peace, or enlightenment. As a result, some claim church itself can negatively affect a person’s energy.

Then there’s the rise of “beauty siphoning” content, the belief that certain people can drain your attractiveness, confidence, or feminine energy. According to these ideas, being around jealous or envious individuals can supposedly weaken your energy and gradually affect everything from your mood and self-esteem to your appearance and aura.

Just a few days ago, I came across a TikTok video by creator Sigfisher sharing an affirmation meant to prove that “the universe is always listening.” Christians in the comments were debating whether engaging with or repeating those affirmations was spiritually harmless. Watching the discussion unfold made me reflect on how easily I, too, had once been drawn toward similar ideas.

Should Christians ‘manifest’ things? Or is it a dangerous new age practice?

Earlier this year, I moved to a new town for work. The transition came with uncertainty, loneliness, and anxiety about navigating a completely new environment. During that season, I found myself increasingly drawn to copper bracelets being marketed online as tools for protection, items supposedly capable of shielding you from negativity, balancing your energy, and protecting your wellbeing.

At first, it seemed harmless. Many people associate copper bracelets with physical health claims, such as easing arthritis pain, but historically copper has also carried spiritual significance across different cultures. In ancient Mesopotamia, copper jewellery symbolised a connection to the earth. In Ayurvedic traditions, copper was linked to balancing the body’s energies and supporting emotional and physical healing. Similar ideas appear within certain Feng Shui practices, where copper is associated with the flow of life energy, or positive chi. Today, many of these beliefs have simply been repackaged through modern wellness and new age spirituality content online. Copper bracelets are now often marketed less as wellness accessories and more as forms of emotional or spiritual protection.

As I browsed different bracelets online, I realised what appealed to me wasn’t really the bracelet itself.

As I browsed different bracelets online, I realised what appealed to me wasn’t really the bracelet itself. It was the promise of control. I wanted reassurance that I would be okay in this unfamiliar season of life. I wanted protection from uncertainty, difficult people, and emotional exhaustion. But then I stopped and asked myself a difficult question: why was I, as a Christian, about to place my trust in a man-made object for protection? I never bought the bracelet.

I think part of what makes energy protection practices so appealing,  especially to young women, is that they often mirror things we already deeply value: peace, safety, emotional wellbeing, and protection from harm. On the surface, many of these practices appear comforting rather than dangerous. When life feels unstable, it becomes incredibly easy to cling to small rituals or objects that promise reassurance. A bracelet. An affirmation. A manifestation routine. A belief that the universe is somehow arranging things in your favour. But slowly, almost imperceptibly, trust begins to shift.

Everyone says “manifest it” but the Lord’s prayer taught me a better way to hope

Instead of turning to God for peace, we begin looking to objects, energies, rituals, or the illusion of spiritual control. Yet Scripture consistently reminds us that true protection comes from God alone. In Isaiah 41:10, God says: “So do not fear, for I am with you.” Psalm 121:7–8 similarly reminds believers: “The Lord will keep you from all harm, he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.”

Wanting protection from the dangers and uncertainties of life is not wrong, it’s deeply human. But that is also what can make these practices spiritually deceptive. They encourage us to believe that safety can ultimately be found in objects, rituals, energies, or affirmations rather than in God Himself. Part of Christian faith is accepting that we cannot control every unseen danger, emotional difficulty, or uncertain outcome, no matter how badly we want to.

Following Christ is not a promise that life will always feel emotionally balanced, spiritually easy, or free from hardship. Uncertainty, loneliness, and pain are inevitable parts of life in a broken world. But Christianity offers something deeper than the illusion of control: the assurance that even in uncertainty, God remains present. And perhaps that is what these trends are really replacing, not just spirituality, but dependence on God Himself.