Written in the stars

A year. That is how long The Cave has avoided astrology. But fine, whatever. Something must be in retrograde.

It’s not just written in the stars - it’s a big trend and even bigger business. The Co-Star astrology app has over 30 million users and the industry is expected to be worth $US22.8 billion by 2031.

It helps people define their identities, with 63% of millennials saying their zodiac sign accurately represents their personality traits, and the same number believing it helps their careers.

It’s not just astrology. A belief in something intangible - whether spirituality and religion-  is experiencing a resurgence among young people. 

Declining numbers involved in organised religion have been arrested in the US. A similar trend has been witnessed in the UK. Young Koreans are vibing with Buddhism. Witchcraft is on the rise. Young Chinese are turning to fortune tellers.

Which begs the question, why?

Is it, like Boy Kibble and Clavicular above, simply easier to find? Quite possibly. There are an estimated 100 billion views of astrology-related content on TikTok, making it hard to miss. 

But equally, it could be a genuine search for meaning. 

According to market researchers, Ipsos, a profound pessimism is settling in around the globe (in contrast to the sunny disposition displayed in this newsletter, of course). 

We’ve lost faith in our fellow humans, and the institutions they inhabit, to build a better tomorrow. That faith has to go somewhere. And as we see, over and over again, there are plenty worse places for it to flow than giving meaning to the position of the stars at the exact date and time you were born.