Akashic Records vs Tarot vs Astrology vs Past Life Regression: What’s the Difference?

Tarot uses cards as symbols to reflect what is happening in a situation. Astrology reads the positions of the planets at your birth, a map and timing for your life. The Akashic Records go to your soul’s own record and explain why something keeps happening, so you can heal it.

People ask me this almost every week, so let me make it simple.

All of these tools look at your life. But each one asks a different question. Tarot asks “what is the energy right now?” Astrology asks “what is the map and the timing?” Past life regression asks “what do I remember?” A psychic asks “what do I sense?” Reiki asks “where does energy need to flow?” And the Akashic Records ask “why, at the level of the soul?”

The word comes from Sanskrit: ākāśa (आकाश), which means space or ether. The idea is that every soul’s journey is held in this space, like a living library. If you are new to this, start with my simple guide on what the Akashic Records are.

Akashic Records vs tarot, astrology and the rest: a simple table

Method	What it uses	Main question it answers	Are you awake?	Best for
Akashic Records	A sacred prayer that opens your soul’s record	Why is this happening? What is my soul learning?	Yes, fully awake	Deep patterns, relationships, soul purpose, healing
Tarot	A deck of 78 cards as symbols	What is the energy of this situation right now?	Yes	Quick view of a situation or choice
Astrology	Planet positions at your birth date, time and place	What is my map? When is a good or hard time?	Yes	Timing, nature, life phases
Past life regression	Hypnosis or deep guided relaxation	What did I live before?	Deeply relaxed, in a trance-like state	Feeling a past-life memory from the inside
Psychic reading	The reader’s own intuition and sense of energy	What is going on, and what may come?	Yes	Impressions about people or the future
Reiki	Healing energy through the hands	Where does energy need to flow?	Yes, often very relaxed	Calm, release, body-level healing

Remember, none of these are scientifically proven. They are spiritual tools. They work best as a mirror for your own growth, not as a final judgement on your life.

Akashic reading vs tarot reading: which is more accurate?

Neither is “more accurate”. They simply look at different layers. Tarot shows the energy of a situation. The Akashic Records show the soul-level reason behind it.

Think of it like a house. Tarot looks through the window and tells you what is happening in the room today. The Akashic Records go to the foundation and tell you why the walls keep cracking in the same place.

A tarot reader may say, “This card shows confusion and a choice between two paths.” An Akashic reader may say, “Your soul keeps choosing safety over truth, and this choice is giving you a chance to change that.”

I love cards. I have created several decks, including the Divine Masculine Akashic Tarot, which has 78 cards like a classic tarot deck. In my work, cards are a reflection tool, not a fortune-telling tool. You can see all of them on my books and decks page.

Akashic Records vs astrology

Astrology reads the sky at the moment you were born. It gives you a map and timing. The Akashic Records read your soul’s history and lessons. They give you the “why”.

In India, most of us grow up with a kundli made at birth. It can tell you that a certain phase may be hard for marriage or money. But it may not tell you why your soul chose this lesson, or what to heal so the phase feels different.

In Indian thought, prārabdha karma (प्रारब्ध कर्म) is the karma already set in motion for this life. You could say astrology shows when this karma ripens, and the Akashic Records show what it is about. The two can sit together very well. Many people know their chart well and still find the Akashic Records answer questions the chart could not.

Book a 1:1 Akashic Reading with Neha

Akashic Records vs past life regression

Past life regression takes you into a memory through hypnosis or deep relaxation. The Akashic Records give past-life information through prayer and guidance, while you stay fully awake.

In regression, you may see and feel a past life from the inside. It can be very strong, even emotional. Some people love this. Others feel nervous about going into a trance.

In an Akashic reading, you sit and talk normally. The reader opens your record with a sacred prayer and shares what comes. You can ask questions, write notes and stop any time. The focus is not only “who was I?” but “what from that life is still affecting me, and how do I let it go?”

The Bhagavad Gita (2.22) says vāsāṃsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya (वासांसि जीर्णानि यथा विहाय): as a person throws off worn-out clothes and puts on new ones, the soul leaves old bodies and takes new ones. Both methods rest on this old idea. They just take different roads. If this is your main question, read my guide on how to know your past life.

Akashic Records vs psychic reading: do psychics have access to the Akashic Records?

A psychic reads energy or tries to sense the future using their own intuition. An Akashic reader opens your soul’s record with a prayer and focuses on lessons and healing.

Some psychics do say they touch the Akashic Records, and some Akashic readers are also very intuitive. But the method is different. In Akashic work, you open the record with a specific prayer, you ask permission, and you close it properly at the end. It is a practice with steps, not a gift only a few people are born with. That is why it can be learned.

The focus is also different. A psychic reading often answers “will he come back?” An Akashic reading is more likely to answer “why do I keep waiting for people who leave, and how do I stop?”

Akashic Records and Reiki: can you use both?

Yes. Reiki moves healing energy through the body. The Akashic Records show what pattern needs healing. Many healers use both together.

I see this often in healing work. Reiki can calm the body and release stuck energy. The Akashic Records can show where that stuck energy came from, maybe a childhood hurt, an ancestral pattern or a past-life vow. When you know the root, the healing has something clear to work on.

One works like a gentle hand on the wound. The other tells you how the wound got there.

Which one should I choose?

Choose by your question, not by what is popular.

• “What is happening in this situation right now?” Try tarot or oracle cards.
• “When is a good time? What is my nature?” Try astrology.
• “I want to feel a past life myself.” Try past life regression with a trained, careful therapist.
• “I just want to relax and release stress from my body.” Try Reiki.
• “Why does this keep happening to me, and how do I heal it?” Try an Akashic Records reading.

If you feel stuck in the same kind of hurt for years, in love, in family or at work, the Akashic Records are usually the most direct path. You can read what happens in an Akashic reading before you decide. And if you want to read your own records, my Akashic Records training teaches you how, step by step.

A gentle note: none of these tools replace a doctor, a therapist or a lawyer. Use them with your own good sense.

See Neha’s Akashic Oracle Decks

Quick answers

Is the Akashic Records better than tarot?

Not better, just deeper. Tarot shows the situation. The Akashic Records show the soul-level reason behind it.

Can astrology and the Akashic Records be used together?

Yes. Astrology gives the map and timing. The Akashic Records explain the lesson. Together they give a fuller picture.

Is an Akashic reading the same as past life regression?

No. Regression uses hypnosis to take you into a memory. An Akashic reading uses prayer, and you stay fully awake and talking.

Do I need to be psychic to read the Akashic Records?

No. Opening the Akashic Records is a practice with clear steps. Anyone sincere can learn it with training.

Does an Akashic reading predict the future?

Its main focus is not prediction. It shows patterns, lessons and choices, because your free will shapes what comes next.

Can a Reiki healer also read the Akashic Records?

Yes. Many healers learn both. The Akashic Records show what to heal, and Reiki helps the energy move.

Every tool is a different window into the same house. Some days you need the window, some days you need the foundation. What matters is that you keep looking, honestly, at your own life.

Neha Singla is the founder and visionary of Magical Healings, on a mission to elevate spiritual education. She is an Akashic Records teacher based in Bengaluru, India, and teaches in English and Hindi. Book a 1:1 Akashic reading.