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Why has astrology come back into fashion?
Thanks for asking. Have you noticed more of your friends talking about their star signs of late?
Maybe they try to guess the sign of people they meet, or come out with unexpected references to Mercury in retrograde or Saturn return over dinner.
Maybe you're into it yourself, and you have an app which sends you horoscope notifications all day long.
It wasn't so long ago that most people would just read horoscopes in the paper for a laugh, but these days astrology seems to be all the rage.
Dedicated web pages are getting more and more traffic, and there are even astrology-based dating apps like Elyon and Stars Align.
Are we saying astrology has never been this popular before?
Not exactly. Analysing human behaviour according to star and planet positions has existed for millennia across different civilisations, like the Mayas for example.
Western astrology comes from a system that's over 2000 years old, starting out in Mesopotamia, carrying on through ancient Greece and Rome and the Arab world before reaching the West.
In some countries, astrology is part of the dominant culture.
In India, a large proportion of the population look to astrologers for help making important decisions.
The practice isn't recognized by the scientific community, but has also had its glory days in the West too.
In the 1960s and 70s, the new age current was popular with hippies.
It promoted eclectic and individual spirituality.
What's caused the resurgence then? A number of factors really, high profile pop culture figures like Lady Gaga and Beyonce have helped bring it back.
There's also the effect of things going viral on social media.
But the origins of this new golden age for astrology got much deeper.
Our world seems more and more unstable and uncertain due to the global climate crisis, COVID-19, armed conflicts and uncertain political and economic situations in many places around the world.
Psychologists say that believing in astrology is one way of adapting.
It lets people give meaning to the chaotic and uncontrollable events going on.
That's also why young people are particularly attracted.
Prior research has shown a correlation between stressful events and stronger levels of belief in magic, religion or superstition.
For example, more astrology articles were published in the US during the Great Depression and in Germany during the period between the two world wars.
Astrology can give the impression of having control on reality and may help us accept external events.
As well as accepting and understanding ourselves, It can give us words to express our feelings or define our personality.
It can also help us to feel part of a community.
Psychologists say that astrology can be beneficial to some people but have a negative impact on others.
It should just be one mechanism of reading the world and managing emotions among many, like physical exercise or getting therapy from a psychologist.
There you have it. Now you know why astrology has come back into fashion.
In under three minutes, we answer your questions and help you understand the true meaning behind the trends, concepts and acronyms that are making headlines.
Listen along and you will really know for sure.
