It’s All Written In The Stars (And Cards) (And Crystals)

Who says stars can’t reveal the will of the gods?

At least for the people who dabble and have the propensity for the mystic and the arcane, stars definitely extrapolate more than show the hand of the capricious gods. From a supplicating consultation for the future through reading cards to meditating with crystals while Mercury is in retrograde, the flair for mysticism has snowballed drastically since the start of the pandemic.

With the influx of burgeoning trends proliferated by the lethargy entailing the state-sanctioned restrictions (aka painfully stuck at home in lockdown) brought about by COVID-19, 2020 first saw the global steeplechase for the novelty and the quaint. Cottagecore aesthetics, TikTok, and even home fitness have ratcheted their traction. Amongst these trends that have considerably gained popularity are tarot cards and astrology. Ever saw someone in your feed saying Leo Sun, Libra Moon, Gemini Rising? Or someone flaunting their new aquamarine crystal or beryl? Or even a woman having her cards read? News flash, folks: mysticism is the new snatched bloc in town.

How it started

This trend isn’t as novel as it seems. The gradual trajectory this trend has taken on has the past decade roots to thank for, with the rise of digital media and personal computer burgeoning its acceleration to the fast-lane fame since the financial meltdown of 2008, compounded by Donald Trump’s election as astrologers tried their hands at reading the stars for propitious or portentous October political conflagrations.

New Yorker journalist Christine Smallwood posited a militant surge of astrology popularity among the Millennials due to the need for “something to believe in”. She underscored astrology’s expediency, a promised answer that’s quick and easier to grasp compared to the conventional psychotherapy where one doesn’t only have to put a penny in the slot but they also have to wait for a long time to understand a problem or a symptom. Ipso facto, the majority of the populace tread on uncertainty cautiously, as was shown by the 2016 European journal Nature Communications that highlighted human beings stressing over uncertainty more than if they know what’s going to happen, albeit it something bad.

A poll conducted in 2017 indicated that 30% of Americans believe in astrology, not counting those with a slight fascination to it which might be considerably higher. By 2018, a study from Pew Research Center found that 6 out of 10 Americans believe in either spiritual presence, astrology, or psychic abilities.

This, paired with the growing uncertainties, dread, and the search for the novel amidst the monotony brought about by the lockdown in the wake of the pandemic, stoked the fire and fomented the new trend for the mystique.

Since the onset of COVID-19, Astrolutely, an astrology website by British astrologer Penny Thornton, gained a significant 20% increase in traffic hits. A 33% upturn also took hold of Ask Penny, a service where clients can inquire anything about their astrological birth alignments and charts through email. Other astrologers also saw more than a 10% increase in traffic on their respective websites, showing just how much the world’s interest for astrology has snowballed.

Astrologer Maurice Fernandez chalked this up to the faculty of deep-seated security, and the assurance that comes along with making decisions “being supported by the universe.”

“It’s like having a friend who knows a lot more than you do,” she added. “That’s what it is. It’s a friend whose advice you actually do listen to.”

The skeptics and the snobs

The mystique still has its fair share of meddling highbrows. Some people, a large percentage of which is considerably men, scoff at astrology and zodiacs, usually curling their bellies around the go-to, “Oh god, don’t tell me you’re one of the zodiac girls.”

A significant number of articles online even posit the “pseudoscientific nonsense” of social media users turning to psychic readings and astrology instead of going to therapy. An India Times article wrote all about it in its “11 Reasons Why You Should Not Believe in Astrology.”

This, paired with the frivolity the majority regards it with, still hasn’t stopped the New Age of Astrology boom that’s sweeping social media. It went from just being a little horoscope section in a magazine to essentially gaining that “edginess, a relevance for this time and place, that it hasn’t had for a good 35 years” according to astrologer Chani Nicholas.

Burgeoning trend

This has gained a foothold in the online culture indefinitely, especially the young people. But while the stigma of it still hasn’t gone away, statistics have shown that people who are stressed turn into astrology and the American Psychological Association sure does put the cards on the table by highlighting that Millennials have been the most stressed generation since 2014, and whose stress levels are still increasing. The steady increase of said stress especially during the coronavirus crisis arguably augmented the astrology trend catching fire in the pandemic’s wake.

Despite a good number of people believing in astrology, the vast majority have admitted to only turning to the mystique “in interest” and not necessarily something they actually adhere to. An online user on Twitter tweeted, “It’s just alternative therapy.”

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So whether you’re still starting to hop on the astrology train, or already a passenger, or just plain jockeying for its abolishment, there’s no harm in consulting the stars and reading one’s cards. As long as you don’t rely every waking decision on astrology entirely, what does one stand to lose?

Besides, who said stars are too esoteric for mankind anyway?