For centuries, in non-western countries such as India and China, astrology has played an important role in informing how people think about their place in the world. However, it’s recently gained increased traction in the west, as people increasingly turn to guidance from the stars via accounts on social media. From daily horoscope apps and memes to influencer astrologists and articles about how to dress or practise self-care according to your star sign, astrology has entered the mainstream, permeating almost every facet of popular culture. 

Astrology in the age of Instagram 

Astrology can be understood as the study of celestial objects and their movements. It is used as a way of divining information about human affairs and world events. “It helps us piece together historical patterns to explain world events around us now,” says popular astrologer, DJ and tarot card reader Marissa Malik, who represents a new wave of influencer astrologists capturing the minds of generation Z. “It can also give hyper-individualised insights into our personal lives that help affirm the paths we’re on.”

Social media is making astrology more accessible, opening it up to younger audiences. Popular meme accounts @NotAllGeminis, @Trashbag_Astrology and @TheZodiacsTea offer insight into human behaviour, through witty, bite-sized pieces of content — playing up sign stereotypes and touching on relatable themes such as dating, work-life balance and mood swings. 

There is now a wealth of astrology apps on the market — from AI-powered Co-Star and Sanctuary to fashion’s favourite astrologer Susan Miller and her website Astrology Zone — bringing personalised horoscopes and live birth chart readings into the palm of your hand. Launched in 2019, Sanctuary was created for those searching for greater self-insight. “Astrology is a complex, math-based system, but most importantly, it’s a story about you,” Sanctuary founder and CEO Ross Clark tells Vogue. “We wanted to build an immediate, modern way for folks who are looking for answers to connect with our content and readers.”

Clark explains that Sanctuary gets a lot of questions about love, relationships and work. But in 2020, the demand for live readings exploded with many looking for clarity as the pandemic spread across the world. “In a year when there’s been so much uncertainty, we’ve seen people turn to mysticism for serious guidance, a bit of levity and everything in between,” he adds. 

In search of a higher power

Astrology has come a long way since 1930 when the very first horoscope column appeared in Britain’s Sunday Express. But our driving interest in it today is much the same. The column was commissioned in the wake of the stock-market crash when people were lost, afraid and looking for guidance. Fast-forward to 2021 and, as a result of the pandemic, people are striving for answers just as much. 

“The increased interest in astrology occurs at a time of more intense social instability,” explains religion anthropologist Dr Susannah Crockford of Ghent University, Belgium. In such times, it is human nature to turn to a higher power for help. But with growing religious apathy creating a void in the west, young people are increasingly seeking out alternative belief systems.

“We’ve been tracking new age spirituality for the past five years — it emerged as an antidote to anxiety — an early byproduct of the self-care and wellness boom,” says Sarah Owen, senior insight strategist at consumer behaviour forecaster WGSN. Owen explains that over the years, increased interest in astrology and tarot or numerology often coincides with challenging periods. 

This was true in 2016, when interest in astrology grew during the ‘post-truth’ era as our ability to discern fact from fiction drove many to seek out spiritual guidance. By 2018, astrology had reached critical mass with 37 per cent of women and 20 per cent of men in the US believing predictions.

It perhaps makes sense then that today, after the unprecedented events of the past 12 months, astrology offers many young people an explanation of these strange days. “[Astrological forecasts] can be very appealing to a captive audience that is anxiously spending too much time online, alone, thinking about themselves and what is going on in the world,” says Dr Crockford. 

Pseudoscience versus following the science

And yet, the current appeal of astrology’s abstract messaging feels somewhat paradoxical. At a time where we’re increasingly being told to ‘follow the science’ and ignore fake news, why are we so eager to embrace something that, at the end of the day, is almost entirely arbitrary? 

Dr Karen Correia da Silva, social scientist at cultural strategy agency Flamingo, suggests that the pandemic has caused a period of “causal uncertainty”, a psychological state where people are trying to make sense of why big, global events such as pandemics, natural disasters and political upheavals are happening. 

During periods such as this, people seek information to make sense of these events, often finding relief in abstract messaging and big, albeit unquantifiable, ideas about faith, love and the future, instead of cold scientific facts. 

Dr Correia da Silva argues that “with enough structure to be considered a system of knowledge, but enough malleable abstraction to allow people to imagine and apply its ideas in their own reality,” astrology’s appeal may not be as irrational as it appears. 

This is something German philosopher Theodor W Adorno observed in his 1953 book, The Stars Down To Earth. By presenting astrological insight “in empirical rather than supernatural terms” — with star charts, tables and precise determinations of planetary movement — Adorno argued that astrology had gained new life as “apparent fact.”

Like any belief system, astrology only becomes problematic when it is taken to an extreme or becomes a form of dogmatism. But, in its current meme format and smartphone iteration, astrology can be a fun exercise in introspection and analysis — an interesting talking point for these lockdown days, but, also as Dr Crockford notes, “one of the most important epistemological [way of learning] works required of individuals.” 

After all, in an increasingly individualistic society promoting self-care, self-help and self-awareness, knowing oneself is arguably the most important social currency we have today.

Beyond self-insight, astrology can also help us to remember how vast and expansive life is, and how connected we are to each other, giving us a critical perspective on our lives during these challenging times. As Malik says, “It teaches us that we are all made up of the same elements, and can relate to each other through this, while at the same time being incomprehensibly unique.”