The billiondollar world of astrology

Astrology is back. Celebrities won't make a move without consulting their charts and everyone knows someone who's retraining as an astrologer. The Weekly investigates the current fascination with the stars.

- ALLEY PASCOE

This story was written in the stars. Not literally, of course, but astrological. Last year on November 19, Pluto - the planet of transformation and renewal - moved into Aquarius for the first time in 200 years. "This is a major transition. Pluto is the planet of generational change and Aquarius is associated with astrology, New Age thinking and the cosmos," says author and astrologer Jane Gleeson-White, inferring that the change will see a shift in the popularity of astrology.

Do you know what else happened on November 19? I was commissioned to write this article about the popularity of astrology.

"The timing couldn't be better," beams Jane, a former economist who began studying astrology in 1992, but only started calling herself an astrologer a few years ago. "Astrologers have been expecting a rise in astrology to happen at this time, and this is a clear sign that it is."

You don't need to be an astrologer to see that the zodiac is having a moment. Horoscopes are so hot right now that the Co-Star astrology app has grown to over 30 million users, there are an estimated 100 billion views of astrology-related content on TikTok, and the astrology market is expected to reach $US22.8 billion by 2031.

The numbers back up what we're seeing in everyday life: Moon phase necklaces sold at the markets, the commonplace understanding of "Mercury in retrograde", and the never-ending stream of zodiac listicles. "Find your perfect summer read according to your star sign," screams one headline. "Here's what condiment you are based on your zodiac sign," offers another.

Ancient star gazers