Karis O'Leary Smith
Strategist @ OMTM
Dear World,
Did the full moon make you feel weird on Thursday? We reckon it played a role in Paul's blue mood and Astrid's disturbing dream...maybe the time is nigh to take the sky and it's stars seriously.
Astrology is popping up everywhere, with physic wellness coaches, dating apps and social media, the mystical services industry is certainly thriving. Nowadays, it is worth close to $2.2 billion. But for me, the true telltale sign that something has captured the zeitgeist, is when it becomes a meme!
Why has astrology become mainstream?
Our current cultural climate could well be to blame; we are living in an age of political, economic and social instability with Brexit, Trump, rising sea levels etc. Forgive us, for turning to something more metaphysical for some relief from it all - and the stars feel like an exciting place to start...
Why now?
This is by no means a new approach to uncertainty; religion, for example, has similarly been used as a way to make sense of the challenging complexity of human existence. Although, in the instance of astrology, I think there are other things at play when it comes to the re-packaging of astrology so that it appeals to the everyday modern human.
Tech makes astrology instantly accessible
There are so many astrology apps! Take Co-Star, which offers a powerful combination of NASA data and insight from astrologers, with a side-note of sass. Gone is the esoteric language of astrology’s past. Instead, Co-Star offers astrological real-talk. Astrology is much more accessible both literally and linguistically.
Tech also provides instant gratification – something we now come to expect. Previously, it would have taken hours to create a personalised birth chart and now it's available in seconds. The internet has taken away the time investment allowing those less “devout” to take the astrological plunge.
Astrology is person-centred
The hunt for self-awareness is ever-growing. We’re constantly bombarded with instructions to <em>‘live your best life’</em>, and with this comes the expectation of introspection and self-knowing. Astrology can appeal to this inward focus: your birth chart, horoscope, tarots are specific to you. This personalisation is something which religion has less capacity for and whilst therapy is similarly self-focused, it takes much longer and tends to cost more. Perhaps, it is this gap in the market which astrology fills?
Astrology is not a new phenomenon, nor is societal unrest so it might be most revealing to consider HOW astrology is being used, in order to understand its sudden boom.
Bye for now,
Karis x
Comentarios