XYX May 2022 | Page 16

How astrology became the new religion for Gen Z

Questions and Answers with Spiritual Guide Ella Scobie

The first question that comes up in conversation when you first meet someone is either “ What do you do ?” or “ Where do you live ?” but for Gen Z “ What ’ s your star sign ?” has become the new ice breaker . A rising number of individuals , particularly young women , are turning to astrology to help them judge relationship compatibility , understand friendship dynamics and make life decisions .

Astrology has been used across the world , cultures , and throughout history . For as long as there have been stars in the sky and human curiosity , people have been utalising astrology as a means of prediction . Although horoscopes and birth charts are just the top of the tip , there ’ s no disputing that many people are fascinated by the stars and planets .
By Samantha Paz
Image : Unsplash / Farzad Mohsenvand
1 . Is there a specific reason or thing that happened in your life that made you get into astrology ? I ’ ve always had an interest , however when I was about 15 / 16 various mental health issues began to arise and I found comfort in looking into astrology and was a good distraction to everyday stresses .
2 . Why do you think more people nowadays are believing in astrology ? Part of me wants to say that it ’ s because it ’ s become ‘ trendy ’ and popular , especially since TikTok and young people follow the crowd . This could be a trend that we see becoming really popular and then trail off a few years down the line . It will be a matter of time till we see who strongly believes and who was just following the crowd .
Studies have shown that astrology improves your understanding of yourself and those around you , whilst also making you more accepting of others . It has also has been displayed that it helps people cope with stress and uncertainty during tough times , as according to a research paper in 2017 , stress is caused by our uncertainty about future outcomes .
A 20-year old spiritual guide I spoke to explains why younger generations are following the growing popularity of astrology and how it has an influence on their mental health . The following interview with Ella Scoble will also give you a better understanding of this ‘ trendy ’ belief ...
3 . In your opinion , how much can we trust horoscopes ? For me there is science behind it in terms of the placement of planets and what your zodiac is , however , there is more to it than just one zodiac sign . We each have a whole chart which shows where the planets were positioned at your exact time of birth . As a result , you are not one true star sign . For example , I am a Gemini sun , Aries moon and Virgo rising . You can have a heavily influenced chart with say a lot of the planets being in Scorpio for example , but your sun sign could be Libra . As a result , you will be more likely to relate and understand more Scorpio traits than the Libra horoscope . It ’ s difficult to explain as there are so many detail to it , however in terms of trusting horoscopes