“I’ll never date a Pisces again,” she half-jokingly declared.
Astrology is a useful introspective tool “for people who want to delve deeper into themselves,” said Larocque, 27, a Boston-based middle school teacher and yoga instructor. “The best thing we can do as people is to learn about ourselves and try to improve.”
Larocque is not alone in turning to astrology as a means of self-improvement, introspection and personal growth. The astrology field is booming — a trend that has been driven by younger generations, experts say, and is evidenced by the countless websites and platforms that cater to the astrologically inclined. These include Co–Star personalized astrology — which is ranked among the top 40 lifestyle apps in the country — along with zodiac-centric dating apps, dozens of astrology podcasts, best-selling books and myriad astrology meme accounts on social media. “Mercury in retrograde” has become a household phrase.
According to Allied Market Research, the global astrology industry was valued at $12.8 billion in 2021, up considerably from $2.2 billion in 2018. By 2031, it’s expected to rise to $22.8 billion.
Astrologers say the field has surged in popularity for several reasons, the most salient of which is better accessibility through technology. Next is the pandemic, and the perilous mental health crisis it propelled. Research has shown that people are more likely to be drawn to divinatory practices in times of tumult and uncertainty.
“Definitely over the past decade there’s been a rising interest, but even more so since the pandemic,” said Tracey L. Rogers, a Philadelphia-based astrologer and life coach. “There were a lot of people reaching out and wanting some guidance on how to navigate those times.”
Not everyone views astrology’s rising prominence as a positive development. Although market research firm YouGov found that a quarter of Americans claim to believe in it, there is no scientific evidence that supports astrology. Some experts say that while finding joy and fulfillment in reading astrology materials is one thing, basing major life decisions entirely on disproven science is risky.
For Larocque, incorporating astrology into her life isn’t necessarily about buying into every word she reads in her horoscope. She doesn’t view astrology as one-size-fits-all, but rather an adaptable ideology. “You pick and choose what resonates with you, and what doesn’t,” she said.
Larocque, a Capricorn, became astrologically curious seven years ago in the wake of a bad breakup with — unsurprisingly — a Pisces. Now, it would take a lot of convincing for her to get involved with a potential partner of that sun sign.
Rogers noted, as Larocque did, that many people tap into astrology to help them handle hardship or cope with change.
“Being armed with this information, you can empower yourself and make the most of things,” Rogers said.
The scientific community’s stance
Astrology has been practiced since the 3rd millennium B.C. and has undergone waves of popularity over centuries in different parts of the world. Since the early 1700s, astrology — which was once tied to astronomy, the study of celestial objects — has been widely rejected by the scientific community.
“There was a parting of the ways between astrology and astronomy,” said Sten Odenwald, an astronomer and the director of STEM resource development at NASA. “Astrology doesn’t statistically work. The premise is wrong; the physics are wrong.”
Astrology purports that everyone has a sun sign, a moon sign and a rising sign — commonly called the “Big 3” — each of which says something different about a person. The sun sign embodies the essence of an individual’s personality, the moon sign signifies their emotional demeanor, and the rising sign represents how an individual is perceived by others. Astrologers read a person’s unique birth chart and forecast how celestial shifts might impact their everyday life.
While there are some scientific studies that show a correlation between the season of birth and personality, astrological traditions are entirely unsubstantiated.
“It’s one thing to know the positions of the planets with respect to the stars, but the big problem is interpreting what that means in terms of human behavior,” Odenwald said. “There’s no statistical link between those two.”
Yet more Americans know their zodiac sign than their blood type, and likewise, as many as 70 million Americans check their horoscopes daily.
“Our brains are constantly looking for patterns and ways of anticipating the future,” Odenwald said. “Humans grab onto these things.”
Still, “it pains me as a scientist to see the rise in irrational thinking,” Odenwald added, explaining that practicing astrology comes with “all kinds of risks,” including that humans can become too dependent on it for important decision-making.
Lauren Kassell — a professor of history of science and medicine at the European University Institute and the University of Cambridge — agreed that developing an overdependence on astrology is dangerous, although “if people are using astrology as a tool to make sense of their lives, good for them,” she said, with the caveat that they aren’t being exploited in the process.
Kassell has studied astrology’s prevalence throughout history, noting that the field declined amid the Scientific Revolution during the 16th and 17th centuries, when an emphasis on rationalism took hold.
“Some of the explanations for why astrology is on the rise now are deeply tied to the skepticism about science and individualistic thinking,” Kassell pointed out.
The surging interest has also spawned many methods through which to practice astrology, and those who subscribe to it exist on a spectrum of sorts, Kassell said, drawing on many different forms of astrological belief.
“We need to take people who use astrology seriously, in order to understand how people live in the world, either in the past or in the present,” Kassell said.
Younger generations are more curious about themselves
Rogers, the Philadelphia astrologer, said that in her experience, millennials and Gen Z are “more curious about themselves and their lives” and are, therefore, more inclined to relate to astrology.
For Caroline Kingsley, 38, astrology is not the focal point of her daily life. Rather, it’s a source of comfort and something that helps her connect with others. An actress living in New York City, Kingsley reads her horoscope every day, either in the morning or before bed. The reason, she said, is simple.
“It makes me feel good,” she explained. “It feels more like a space, almost like a journal I don’t have to carry around or write in. Just an internal conversation with myself.”
In Kingsley’s eyes, the fact that astrology is not scientifically sound is neither here nor there.
“Whether I believe it or not doesn’t matter,” she said. “It’s more fluid than I think most of our culture is built.”
Kingsley was raised Christian and struggled to relate to the religion. Astrology, she said, resonates more.
“Astrology gets such a bad rap for being non-sciencey and being fake, but at the end of the day, it’s about looking at the stars in the sky, and in my opinion, that’s less weird than looking at a mysterious book of stories dropped off in the desert,” she said, adding that astrology is generally less prescriptive than religion.
“I think that’s the beauty of it,” Kingsley added. “You can use it any way you want to.”
Mica Daniels, 28, a photographer and producer from Toronto, has been avid about astrology since she was a teen. Like Kingsley, it doesn’t drive her decisions, but it does help her process reality.
“If something is pressing in my life or I’m noticing a pattern, then I’ll go back and reference my whole chart and see the connection between what’s going on in the sky and where those placements are for me personally,” Daniels said.
Above all, “it’s something that keeps me curious,” she said. “It keeps me in a forward-moving trajectory.”
Perhaps that’s the point. Even if it’s more fiction than fact, astrology still serves as a tool for personal growth — that is, for those who choose to believe in it.
“Astrology is the language of the stars and astronomy is the science,” Daniels said. “Whether you want to learn the language is up to you.”