Stars align: How astrology became the millennial 'religion' for turbulent times
By Anna Freeman
The second part of our religion and spirituality series explores the cause and significance of astrology's appeal to young people.
As interest in religion among young people declines, an explosion of astrology signifies a yearning for meaning and purpose
‘What the resurgence of interest in astrology says to me is that this is a good time for self-reflection,’ says Banu Guler, Brooklyn-based co-founder of the newly- launched Co-Star app, ‘It’s a way of making sense of the world. I don’t think letting it dictate your life is how most people are coming at it. Broadly, it’s a way of giving you a sense of meaning and purpose.’ Guler and her two friends, Ben Weitzman and Anna Kopp, who all previously worked in the fashion industry in New York, decided to create an astrology app because of its popularity in the cosmopolitan city. During the first week Co-Star launched, the app crashed three times because demand was so high. ‘Everyone in New York is into astrology,’ she argues, ‘Often what we’ll talk about with friends and people in the media is our star signs.’
Hoping to get away from the genericness of magazine horoscopes, Guler and her fellow creatives poured over astrology textbooks and uploaded their findings onto an AI programme. Although, like with God, there is no definitive scientific proof of astrology’s accuracy, Guler says this is exactly why millennials are enticed by the practice. Well, that and these dystopian Trumpian times. ‘It’s very different from the way we usually work and live and date, where everything is hyper-mediated and rational,’ she says ‘There is a belief vacuum: we go from work to a bar to dinner and a date, with no semblance of meaning. Astrology is a way of putting yourself in the context of thousands of years of history and the universe. And ever since Donald Trump’s election the world has gone insane and people want solace.’
We’re living in a religious wasteland, apparently. Younger generations are moving away from traditional religion in their droves. The Catholic Church, for example, has expressed grave concern for their dwindling numbers and the future of their congregations. But it’s not ‘faith’, necessarily, that so-called millennials are turning their back on, because interest in spirituality and astrology is booming. An uptick in attraction to astrology is perhaps the most noteable swing towards the cosmic; over half of young people in America believe astrology is a science, compared with eight per cent in China, according to a study. Horoscope websites, apps and New Age publications see flocks of ‘planetphiles’ visiting their servers every day. What’s behind this resurgence? Searching for ‘meaning’, comfort, and perhaps, like Guler suggests, even Donald Trump.