Astrology: On the Rise or On the Brink?

Astrology is making a comeback and is arguably more popular now, than ever before, but what does the future hold for this mysterious art? How will astrology evolve in the years to come, will it still be relevant, or will it fade away? Given our advancements in computing and AI, will sceptics finally be able to disprove its validity? Well, the current times are just another chapter in astrology’s long history, and its reach and acceptance only seem to be getting stronger. Examining this history will allow us a fair assessment of what might lie ahead in the future of this enigmatic form of knowledge.

Ancient Astrology

Astrology was prevalent in many advance ancient civilisations such as those listed below, and each developed its own form:

• Babylon: Chaldean astrology.
• Egypt: Decanic astrology.
• Greece: Hellenistic astrology.
• India: Vedic astrology.
• China: Tianwen (Patterns of Heaven) and later Ming Li Xue (Study of Fate and Principle).

Each of the above civilisations were the most culturally and technically advanced, during their respective periods. Hence an increase in appreciation of astrological principle seems to correlate to an increase in social and cultural sophistication.

The Renaissance Revival of Astrology

During the Renaissance (14^th–17^th centuries), astrology enjoyed a major resurgence in Europe. It became intertwined with other more formal academic disciplines such as astronomy, philosophy and medicine, both in theory and in practice. In the case of medicine for instance, parallels were drawn between the doctrine of the four humours namely, blood, phlegm, yellow bile and black bile and the four astrological elements of, fire, air, water and earth, in addition to the zodiac signs and planets, in the following manner:

• Mars → Fire → Yellow bile
• Venus → Air → Blood
• Moon → Water → Phlegm
• Saturn → Earth → Black bile

There was thus a belief that health was reliant on maintaining a balance in planetary influences.

The disassociation of astrological belief from formal academic disciplines began during the Scientific Revolution of the 17^th century. However, the Renaissance was a period of change in established intellectual practices that allowed space for astrology to flourish.

Hot Off the Press

The Printing Press revolution led to an expansion of literacy and a greater dissemination of knowledge. Publications such as almanacs became widely available, and led to a rapid spread of knowledge of astrology among the general population.

The New Age Movement (1960s–1970s)

The correlation between cultural cycles and astrology’s popularity is not limited to ancient times. Astrology surged in popularity during the counterculture era of the 1960s. This could be indicative of a collective search for meaning during times of social transition.

The Mid-Term Future

Ironically, if we look for astrological answers about astrology’s future, we will not find a definitive one. This is not astrology’s failing, but simply a reflection of its precise nature. Astrology needs an exact time and chart on which predictions can be made. However, in the case of this question, there is an absence of such an event. Nevertheless, there are planetary trends that can describe the nature of the times to come, and these would be:

1. Pluto enters Aquarius: We can expect astrology to deepen its relationship with technology, community networks and data driven tools.
2. Neptune changes signs: This may reshape how and why people believe in astrology.
3. Saturn’s cycles: This may result in astrology being applied more commonly and purposefully in everyday decision making.

In general, the net result of these transits would be that more people subscribe to astrological concepts and apply these to their daily lives. This is likely to be a more long term precedent, and will mostly be a consequence of technology expanding this knowledge to the less familiar. There is already data to this effect:

• A recent study showing that a third of Americans believe in astrology with an even higher acceptance amongst younger generations.
• The worldover market for astrology related business activity is slated to reach US$25.61 billion by 2034, from a 2021 valuation of US$12.8B.

Both the astrological trends and real world numbers seem to suggest that astrology is all set to increase in use, and popularity, as the younger generations of today mature into tomorrow's decision makers. From our own perspective at PowerFortunes.com, as a website that has been involved in providing all manner of astrology related information, product and service since 2003, we have found that not only has interest in this area increased over the years, but so has people’s knowledge and appreciation of the subject.

Predicting Astrology’s Future

Astrology enjoys no scientific validation in today’s world. However, as touched upon in the article ‘Astrology vs Astronomy’, despite all our technological advancements, our knowledge of the Universe and its wonders, still remains relatively limited. The fact is, there is more about the laws that govern the cosmos that we don’t know, than we do. On the other hand, some of what we do know, like quantum entanglement and the ubiquitous string theory, seem like they belong to the realm of science fiction. But, what if that were to change? What if, in the future, some similar such exotic scientific principle were to unravel astrology’s mystique and provide some explanation on how and why it works? Well then, astrology would surely find greater acceptability. This may be a matter of conjecture, but from an astrologer’s perspective, it is not as far-fetched as it might seem.

In the Ultimate Analysis

People tend to turn to astrology for personal insight and emotional guidance, especially in times of uncertainty. Over the ages, astrology has been subject to cycles of suppression by religious authorities, and criticism during scientific revolutions, only to be rediscovered in new cultural contexts. Astrology is the comeback king, and its seemingly stubborn persistence allows it to enjoy a revival with each phase of technological advancement. In fact, the cyclical nature of astrology’s past seems to reflect the very planets it endeavours to decipher. Astrology is not about to let up yet, as society experiences a modern day renaissance, of a digital kind.