This isn’t the first time astrology has had a moment like this, and it won’t be the last. For thousands of years, the practice has existed in various forms. More recently, the New Age movement of the 1960s and 1970s included a heavy dose of astrology. (Some refer to the New Age as the “Age of Aquarius,” referring to the 2,000-year period after the Earth’s passage through the Aquarius sign.)
While astrology didn’t go completely in the decades between the New Age boom and nowyou could still get horoscopes in the back pages of magazinesit “got back to being a little bit more in the background,” says Chani Nicholas, an astrologer in Los Angeles. “Then there’s something that’s happened in the last five years that’s given it an edge, a relevancy for this time and place that it hasn’t had in 35 years.” The millennial generation has taken it and run with it.”
Many of the people I spoke to for this article felt that, while the stigma surrounding astrology still exists, it has faded as the discipline has gained traction in online culture, particularly among young people.
“We’ve seen a reframing of New Age activities over the last two years, very much tailored toward a Millennial and young Gen X component,” says Lucie Greene, global director of J. Walter Thompson’s Intelligence Group, which studies and predicts cultural trends.
Broadly’s horoscopes have “grew really dramatically,” according to Callie Beusman, a senior editor. The Cut’s president and editor-in-chief, Stella Bugbee, claims that a typical horoscope article on the site received 150 percent more traffic in 2017 than the previous year.
Astrology is well-suited to the digital age in some aspects. If you feel like plunging into a Google-research rabbit hole, there’s a low barrier to admission and practically infinite depths to plumb. More jokes about Saturn returns, less “Hey baby, what’s your sign?” pickup linesthe availability of more in-depth knowledge online has given this contemporary wave of astrology a certain sophistication.
A quick refresher: Astrology is not a science, and there is no proof that one’s zodiac sign has anything to do with personality. However, the system has its own logic. The positioning of the sun, moon, and planets within 12 sectors of the skythe zodiac signsgives meaning to astrology. Even if you’re not an astrology fan, you’re probably aware of your sun sign, the most well-known zodiac sign. It’s determined by the position of the sun on your birthday. However, the position of the moon and each of the other planets at the time and place of your birth adds more shades to the portrait of you that your “birth chart” paints.
Horoscopes are designed to inform you about what the planets are doing now and in the future, as well as how this impacts each zodiac sign. Susan Miller, the popular astrologer who developed the Astrology Zone website, advises, “Think of the planets as a cocktail party.” “You could have three individuals chatting at the same time, two people arguing in the corner, and Venus and Mars kissing.” I need to figure out what’s going on in those monthly talks for you.”
“Astrologers are continually attempting to break down these massive concepts into manageable chunks of information,” Nicholas explains. “These days’ kids and their memes are the ideal setting for astrology.”
Astrology uses the planets and zodiac symbols to express complex ideas about personality, life cycles, and relationship patterns. That shorthand also works well online, where symbols and shorthand are frequently used.
Bertram Malle, a social cognitive scientist at Brown University, wrote me in an email, “Let me state first that I consider astrology a cultural or psychological phenomenon,” not a scientific one. However, “full-fledged astrology,” which goes beyond sun-sign horoscopes in newspapers, “provides a powerful lexicon to express not only personality and temperament, but also life’s obstacles and chances.” To the extent that one just learns this vocabulary, it may appeal as a rich means of portraying (rather than explaining or forecasting) human feelings and life events, as well as highlighting some potential coping routes.”
In times of stress, people frequently consult astrology. According to a short 1982 research by psychologist Graham Tyson, “those who contact astrologers” did so in response to pressures in their life, especially stress “related to the individual’s social duties and relationships.” “Under high stress, the individual is willing to employ astrology as a coping mechanism, even though he does not believe in it under low stress.”
Millennials have been the most stressed generation since 2014, according to American Psychological Association survey data, and they are also the group most likely to claim their stress has increased in the past year since 2010. Since 2012, Millennials and Gen Xers have been much more anxious than previous generations. Since the 2016 presidential election, Americans have been experiencing greater stress as a result of the political turmoil. According to the APA’s 2017 survey, 63 percent of Americans are “extremely concerned” about their country’s future. Reading the news stresses out 56% of individuals, with Millennials and Gen Xers being substantially more likely than older people to say so. Political infighting, climate change, global problems, and the prospect of nuclear war have all been prominent in recent news. If stress makes astrology look more appealing, it’s no surprise that more people are interested in it now.
In This Article...
Are zodiac signs genuine or fictitious?
Is astrology accurate? Reading horoscopes is a popular pastime, but is there any scientific evidence that they are accurate?
When you’re enticed by a familiar interruption and your willpower weakens, problems can occur.
Every day, up to 70 million Americans consult their horoscopes. At least, that’s what the American Federation of Astrologers claims. According to a Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life poll conducted twenty years ago, 25% of Americans believe that the positions of the stars and planets have an impact on our daily life. In 2012, the General Social Survey indicated that 34% of Americans think astrology is “extremely” or “kind of scientific,” and that the percentage of individuals who think astrology is “not at all scientific” has decreased from two-thirds to about half.
Astrology is the concept that astronomical phenomena, such as the stars over your head when you were born or the fact that Mercury is retrograde, have the potential to influence our daily lives and personality traits. Of course, this is distinct from astronomy, which is the scientific study of celestial objects, space, and the physics of the cosmos.
A particular branch of astrologyforecasting a person’s future or providing advice on everyday activities through horoscopesis gaining in popularity. The Cut, for example, recorded a 150 percent rise in horoscope page views in 2017 compared to 2016.
Clearly, a lot of people are trying to figure out how to read the stars for guidance. Understanding the positions of the stars is the foundation of astrology, which appears to be a scientific discipline in and of itself. Is there any scientific evidence that astrology has an impact on our personalities and lives?
But, since I still have five minutes of this six-minute podcast to fill, let’s take a look at how astrology has been put to the test.
What is the name of the zodiac sign?
The zodiac is a belt-shaped section of the sky that stretches approximately 8 degrees north or south of the ecliptic, the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year (as measured in celestial latitude). The Moon’s and visible planets’ courses are all within the zodiac belt.
The zodiac is divided into twelve signs in Western astrology, and formerly astronomy: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces. Each sign occupies 30 degrees of celestial longitude and roughly corresponds to the star constellations: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn
These astrological signs make up a celestial coordinate system, or more specifically, an ecliptic coordinate system, in which the ecliptic serves as the origin of latitude and the vernal equinox serves as the origin of longitude.
What is the best way to look up my zodiac sign by name?
The zodiac sign is defined by the location of the moon planet in the horoscope, according to astrology. Let us tell you which zodiac sign you belong to based on the first letter of your name.
Aries – Aries is the first zodiac sign, according to astrology. Aries is the zodiac sign of people whose names begin with the letters Chu, Che, Cho, La, Lee, Lu, Le, Lo, Aa. Mars is the ruler of Aries.
Taurus – Taurus is the second zodiac sign. Taurus is the zodiac sign of people whose names begin with E, Oo, A, O, Va, Vee, Wu, Ve, Vo. The bull is the zodiac’s symbol. Venus is the ruler of the Taurus zodiac sign.
Gemini – The zodiac sign of Gemini is the third in the zodiac. Gemini is the zodiac sign of people with names that begin with the letters ‘A,’ ‘Ch,’ or ‘D.’ Twins are represented in astrology by the sign Gemini, whose lord is Mercury, the planet of speech, business, communication, singing, mathematics, and so on.
Cancer is the fourth zodiac sign, according to the horoscope. Cancer is the zodiac sign of people whose names begin with Hi, Hu, Hey, Ho, Da, Dee, Do, Day, Do, Ve. The lord of this zodiac is regarded to be the Moon.
Leo is the fifth and final zodiac sign in the astrological cycle. Leo is the zodiac sign of people whose names begin with Ma, Mi, Moo, Me, Mo, Ta, Tee, Tu, Tay. This zodiac’s ruler is the Sun.
Virgo – This is the sixth zodiac, according to the zodiac. Virgo is the zodiac sign of people whose names begin with Dho, Pa, Pi, Poo, Sha, N, Th, Pe, and Po. Mercury is the ruler of this sign.
Libra – According to the zodiac, Libra is the seventh sign. Libra is the zodiac sign of people whose names begin with Ra, Ri, Ru, Re, Ro, Ta, Ti, Tu, or Te. Venus is Libra’s ruler.
Scorpio is the eighth sign of the zodiac according to astrology. Scorpio is the zodiac sign of people whose names begin with the letters To, Ni, Nu, Ne, No, Ya, Yi, Yu. Mars is the ruler of this sign.
Sagittarius – Sagittarius is the ninth zodiac, according to the astrological cycle. Sagittarius is the sign of people whose names begin with the letters Ye, Yo, Bha, Bhi, Bhu, Dha, Fa, Dha, Bhe, Fa, Fa, Fa, Fa, Fa, Fa, Fa, Fa, Fa, Fa, Fa, Fa, Fa, Fa, Fa, Fa, Fa, Fa, Fa, Fa, Fa, Fa, Fa, Fa Jupiter is the ruler of this zodiac sign.
Capricorn – According to the zodiac, Capricorn occupies the tenth position. Capricorns have names that begin with Bho, Jaa, Ji, Khi, Khu, Khe, Kho, Ga, Gi, Hai. Shani Dev is the lord of this zodiac.
Aquarius – The eleventh sign of the zodiac has been described as Aquarius. Aquarians have names that begin with Gu, Gay, Go, Sa, Si, Su, Se, So, Da.
Pisces – Pisces is the zodiac’s last sign. Pisces is the zodiac sign of people whose names begin with the letters Di, Du, Th, Jha, J, De, Do, Cha, Chi.
Who is a rising Scorpio?
The Scorpio rising person has powerful, seething emotions that are typically hidden. Others find you intriguing and secretive if this describes you; you appear to purposefully turn on the charm for them. On the birth chart, someone born under this zodiac sign is at the ascendant.
What are the signs of the moon?
Your moon sign is the zodiac sign in which the moon was at the time of your birth. It’s the soul of your identity, the hidden part of yourself that you may keep hidden from others (unlike your outwardly appearing sun sign), and it accounts for a significant portion of your emotional side.
What is the color of Gemini?
Color Scheme for Gemini Geminis are born between May 21 and June 21 and are known for their curiosity, affection, and kindness. While green is the sign’s primary hue, red, pink, black, and white are also connected with it.