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OUTRÉ

The Youthful and Creative Appeal of Astrology

Why the generations with the fastest access to facts still choose to believe in the uncertain.



When Frank Clifford, 46, started working as an astrologer over 20 years ago, he was told that astrology was really for older women who were divorced, bored, or both. He insists that it was as popular back then as it is now. He explains: “The difference nowadays is that the technology has made the millennials zoom ahead in terms of their learning.”


Just two years ago, The New York Times reported on astrology making a return to mainstream success “as a compelling content business as much as a traditional spiritual practice”. A content business essentially survives in digital platforms — this one specifically thrives in apps and social media, and has become a significant player in modern internet language. The industry that includes spiritual practices like astrology is called a “mystical service” industry and is now worth $2.2 billion.


Co-Star sends you daily updates with catchy phrases. Photo by Bella Cavalcanti. Illustrated by Giulia Gravia.
Co-Star sends you daily updates with catchy phrases. Photo by Bella Cavalcanti. Illustrated by Giulia Gravia.

Most notably, apps like Co-Star and The Pattern take the center stage in the content businesses of astrology. Co-Star has reportedly over 5 million registered users; The Pattern, which counts on the support of users like Channing Tatum and Dolly Alderton, briefly crashed last July with the attention it received from new users. Both apps ask users to enter the date, time, and place of their birth, then show, in a matter of seconds, what the position of each planet was during the specific point when they entered the earth, and what all of it means.


Co-Star sends you daily updates on what you should keep in mind during the day, often in sharp sentences, such as: “Sexuality, as you know it, does not exist”, prompting you to open the app and read through “your day at a glance”. Alternatively, The Pattern sends you Your Pattern, which looks something like: “Know that change is good — it’s a process you need in order to evolve. If you cling to the status quo, you’ll likely continue to meet resistance or feel unfulfilled.”


Social media — the other significant player in the rise of astrology as a content business — is the place where creative individuals (and humour) find their audience.


Instagram makes a great tool for communities, and is especially potent for zodiac enthusiasts, building connections between those who believe in astrology. Some of the most famous Instagram accounts dedicated to astrology include @notallgeminis, with half a million followers; @astrowonders with 228 thousand; and @drunkstrology with 486 thousand.



Alice Bell, 27, is British Vogue’s resident astrologer. Bell also does personal consultations and birth chart readings, with all of her clients coming from Instagram. Most of her clients are between the ages of 20 to 35 — “teenagers can’t really afford readings,” she says.

Unsure of why astrology is popular, Bell guesses it has something to do with a lack of stigma in different forms of therapy, believing that “astrology is very much about your emotional problems and the challenges you face”. She later added that understanding astrology helps you understand your emotions and challenges better. In fact, it was her therapist who introduced her to her birth chart.


Bell attests to astrology’s rise in demand. When she worked for American Vogue, she would often pitch articles on the subject. She explains: “I feel like every website wants to have astrology on it because it gets a lot of clicks. Every time there’s an astrology article it gets so much more traffic than the other articles.”

Indeed, the Pew Research Center reported in a study conducted in 2018 that 29% of Americans believe in astrology.


In the same year, the National Science Foundation survey found that 44% of people between the ages of 18 and 24 think that astrology is scientific. Nicholas Campion, author of Astrology and Popular Religion in the Modern West, argues that there is a much higher number of people “who know their sun sign, consult their horoscope or read about the sign of their romantic partner” than is reported.


But why is astrology so popular? And why now?


Amanda Hess wrote in The New York Times that astrology “provides an easy framework for endlessly personalised material, targets women, and accesses ‘90s nostalgia”. David Brooks argues that human beings are naturally drawn to powers that are beyond scientific: “Even in the most secular parts of society, there is great and unfulfilled spiritual yearning.” There is a case to be made that both are true — astrology is culturally relevant because it works within a capitalist society, appealing to our superficial desire to want things that feel individualistic and thus significant (wearing an “aquarius’’ necklace can feel personal, even though there are millions of aquariuses out there), but also, it can be instinctive to want to understand who you are on a level that is beyond physical.


Dr. Sandra Obradovic, 28, sees astrology as a categorical way in which humans identify themselves. She is an LSE fellow in the Department of Psychological and Behavioural Science, and explains the link between a decline in religious belief to an increase in an astrological one: “I think any belief system that we have, whether it’s religious or scientific — or other forms of supernatural, like karma or astrology — we use them to make sense of things.”


Dr. Obradovic believes that astrology and horoscopes serve another function. Besides being a way for people to build their identity, it is also a way for people to connect to each other. She explains that there are two opposing forces we all face: wanting to be unique but also wanting to feel a sense of belonging.


Although there are different things one can identify with, the importance of these things depends on the context. In most contexts navigated in everyday life, one’s sun sign is not necessarily the most relevant. Dr. Obradovic thinks astrology is “still something that people will try to use when you want to find a basis for commonality. A shared horoscope might be what allows you to see that connection.”


A want of connection to other people is a common message in the work of artists. When astrology is in the ingredients of inspiration, any work of quality is sure to bridge such connections. Illustrator and musician Emilee Petersmark, 32, felt it through overflowing positive feedback online, after her illustrations of zodiac-inspired goddesses found its audience.


The Goddess of Taurus, inspired by activist Emma Gonzalez, illustrated by Emilee Petersmark.
The Goddess of Taurus, inspired by activist Emma Gonzalez, illustrated by Emilee Petersmark.

Petersmark was commissioned by the band The Accidentals to do 12 posters to sell during their tour, with an idea of a monthly release based on the zodiac. Relying on research due to her unfamiliarity with astrology, Petersmark developed a goddess for each sign, taking inspiration from what she learned about each element as well as what she observed around her.


For the Taurus goddess (which reigns from 21st April to 20th May), she was inspired by activist Emma Gonzalez. She says: “It was right after the Parkland shooting had happened, and I thought the strength and the refusal to bend in the face of adversity was awesome.” The characteristics of the Taurus sign, in her interpretation, were intrinsic to Gonzalez’s spirit.


Petersmark believes that artists tend to count on spiritual elements for inspiration: “When you think about how we’re very insignificant and small, and the fact that the universe is huge, and there are forces that we can’t really explain. I think that is the root of imagination.”


Through astrology, we are allowed to coincide our need for spiritual reliance and scientific reassurance. We are able to see ourselves and see each other. We are able to find visual guidance in how to express ourselves artistically. We are able to look at our phones, see the Co-Star notification telling us to “trust your instincts” today, and we are able to say, “ok then”.



Bella is our sub-editor and writer.

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