My tarot reader says so…: Why more young Indians are turning to astrology for answers about life

Last week this writer got into a spat with her mother She went and showed our birth chart to a family astrologer We were extremely opposed to this ldquoHow could you violate my privacy like thisrdquo we thundered at her As mothers do she didnrsquot care much about this writerrsquos privacy and kept going on about the different predictions the astrologer had madeDefeated at last we spoke to a friend ldquoAm I right to be angry with herrdquo we asked She retorted ldquoHow different is it from you checking your horoscope If you can do that why not a birth chartrdquoIt got us thinking Instagram is filled with astrologers who claim to know the divine truth Our friend swears by Madame Clairevoyant the astrologer for New York Magazinersquos The Cut and doesnrsquot start her day without her horoscope readings What we once dismissed as pseudoscience and boring old rituals that only aunties did are suddenly in the vogue againAstrology has helped Gurpreet Rajput find acceptance in lifeIn May Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay appointed his longtime astrologer Rickey Radhan Pandit Vettrivel as Officer on Special Duty Political Following severe backlash from Opposition parties allies and rationalist groups over promoting superstition the government officially revoked the appointment a day later But still astrology is on the top of everyonersquos minds it seemsMahima Roy was an absolute nonbeliever ldquoMy earliest introduction to astrology was through my mother a school principal by profession and who had a liking for Linda Goodman Around sixth grade I was struggling academically and healthwise so my mom showed my chart to the headmaster at her school mdash a practicing astrologer mdash someone she trustedrdquo says the 26yearold ldquoHe guided us to follow certain remedies that changed my daily routine and the very next year I did much better academically But I never believed it was because of that mdash I had put in the workrdquoldquoWhen yoursquore young you donrsquot really want to listen to your parents I thought it was nonsense You know how when you ask someone wearing a gemstone they say lsquoMy mom asked me torsquo It felt like thatrdquoMahima Roy feels itrsquos easier to take big risks after consulting with an astrologer PicSatej ShindeldquoThe astrologer had told my parents that I would be suited for administrative work even suggesting I prepare for UPSC Like most teenagers I pushed back mdash I just wanted to write back thenrdquo she says ldquoBut looking back I do see how my work and my personality involves organisational and planning aspects I think astrology can sometimes point to psychological traits but it doesnrsquot necessarily translate directly into fixed roles mdash especially now when work looks so different from what it used to when there are so many new titles and opportunitiesrdquoLater she did do deep research into the subject knowthyenemy style ldquoMy research has which helped me see it more as a reflective tool than a decisionmaking one Even when people suggest remedies I think it mostly just affects how you think about things changing us on a mental levelrdquo she says The consultations range anywhere from 500 to 1000 to answer a single question ldquoBut famous astrologers are of course more expensiverdquoShe remembers a phase during university when she felt disconnected from writing something she cared about deeply ldquoI kept wondering if I should even continue with itrdquo she says ldquoAround that time I was advised to try travelling as a reflective remedy I ended up taking my first solo trip at 21 That experience really stayed with me I met people who became mentors and helped shape how I think and create It felt like one of those phases where things come together when you take decisions you otherwise might notrdquoEkta Thaker has been an astrologer for 20 yearsWhen asked why astrology is so popular among young folks today she says ldquoSocial media means that wersquore just always exposed to everyone Everyone wants to show off their life but no one wants nazar so I think people are turning to astrology to ward off bad energyrdquo she saysShe has her own reservations ldquoA lot of traditional rules of astrology donrsquot fully apply to modernday scenarios The world has changed so muchrdquo she says ldquoSometimes complex things get reduced to a few fixed indicators mdash for example matchmaking reduced to pointbased kundali matching mdash when in reality therersquos a lot more nuancerdquoDO you wear black glasses by any chancerdquo asks 21yearold psychic and astrologer Marshaa Balani ldquoYes howrsquod you knowrdquo we ask bewildered Wersquod never spoken before Balani had never even seen a picture of us before so we were a bit shocked by this to say the least ldquoI just dordquo she repliedAlthough she sees clients ranging from 18 to 60 ldquomost of them are in the 18ndash21 bracketrdquo says Balani ldquoThe two most askedabout questions of course have to do with love and career But what I find interesting is that rather than asking lsquoIs my partner right for mersquo people come to me postbreakup asking lsquoWhat went wrongrsquordquoPiciStockldquoI think young people want to use astrology to understand themselves rather than to know the futurerdquo she says ldquoSo many young people are becoming entrepreneurs today They want some assurance before taking such a big leap After the pandemic the healthrelated questions have also skyrocketed in young peoplerdquoThe pandemic fundamentally changed young peoplersquos perception of the world Nothing is ever certain The world could end tomorrow You could die of a virus Loneliness is at a peak People are struggling more and more to find human connection ldquoI think astrology offers a tangible answer that young people really need right nowrdquo says BalaniHer sessions range between 350 to 400 for a single question and 1000 to 1500 for a tenminute callEkta Thaker who has been an astrologer for 20 years has watched this shift happen firsthand She says younger clients are increasingly turning to astrology not just for predictions but for guidance ldquoThe biggest questions are about health financial stability and whether there are major threats in their livesrdquo she saysThaker also believes astrology has evolved beyond its traditional association with marriage and matchmaking ldquoPeople now use it as a tool for selfawarenessrdquo she says Young clients are increasingly asking whether theyrsquoll earn enough to lead a comfortable life whether their health could become an obstacle or if theyrsquore making the right career choices ldquoNot everyone wants a luxurious life Many simply want enough financial security to live peacefullyrdquo she saysShe also attributes astrologyrsquos growing appeal to social media which has made esoteric practices more accessible ldquoPeople are curious now They may not believe immediately but they come seeking guidance first If it resonates their faith grows over timerdquo she saysIrsquod always read the horoscope section of a newspaper because it is funrdquo says 25yearold Gurpreet Rajput ldquoSo the curiosity was always thererdquoOne day during twelfth grade Rajput and her friends discovered that an astrologer sat in front of their tuition classes So they decided to check it Rajput hasnrsquot looked back sinceldquoTwo years ago I was living in the UK The job market there was really bad I had tried everything mdash job applications cold emails networking mdash but I just couldnrsquot find a jobrdquo says the Andheri resident ldquoSo I consulted my astrologer I asked him lsquoIs it time to pack my bags and head to Indiarsquo He told me to wait till May 25 On May 26 I received an offer letterrdquoAstrology has helped Rajput find acceptance in life ldquoSome things are just not written in your stars With astrology I learnt what isnrsquot meant for me and how to accept itrdquo she says ldquoAnd for other things it gave me assurance Like bigger things are coming Itrsquos something to look forward tordquoBut she draws a line when people start using astrology as therapy ldquoWith all due respect to everyone therapy is therapy and astrology is astrology One cannot be confused for the otherrdquo she says ldquoAt the end of the day astrology is playing on your fear People would rather have a false answer than live in the anxiety of not knowing Therapy is for dealing with that anxiety of not knowingrdquoShe finds that especially in the modern world astrology is taking an ugly turn ldquoI work in the app space and from all the research and study I have done I know astrology apps are some of the profitable ones around These apps have gamified the astrology experience Theyrsquoll lure you in with lsquoFirst question freersquo promotional messages and then before you know it you have spent thousandsrdquo she saysldquoMore than astrologers I see people around me use the Costar app and read Madame Clairvoyant These sites have figured out beautiful UIUX systems that make users want to use these apps more and more Plus there is a certain cool quotient attached to itrdquo she arguesDua prefers a tarot reading over a therapy sessionDua LipaPop star Dua Lipa revealed that she does not have a traditional therapist and instead relies entirely on her personal astrologer for life guidance She explained that while she used to only get a yearly birth chart reading on her birthday she is now ldquohookedrdquo and regularly texts her astrologer Rosie whenever she faces a dilemma or wants to know what the month ahead holds She described her approach by saying ldquoI donrsquot have a therapist but I have an astrologistrdquo and noted that she relies on her cosmic chart mdash which features a Leo Sun Libra Rising and Cancer Moon mdash to navigate her emotions and decisionmaking