It makes sense that students are obsessed with astrology | Notice

For people our age, being in astrology started out as a meme – followed by a Twitter joke, a TikTok trend, or a meaningless Snapchat horoscope. But like all good memes do, it slowly became a more serious aspect of our lives. Many of us can admit the download Co – Star at one point or another, and spend a good hour exploring the world of astrology.

According to the local astrologer René Aceves, which offers readings at Gargoyle statuary on Ave, “astrology is based on the alignment of the planets and signs and their relation to the horizon, or to a place where a person is born in a certain place at a certain time.”

It tells us what attributes we wear, who we’re most compatible with, and what the future holds. And whether we admit it or not, most of us actually believe (at least a little) in the “science” of astrology. According to a study by ResearchGate, more than 75% of students consider astrology to be “in some way” or “very” scientific.

Why is it? And why is it that when you ask your parents what time you were born, they quickly tell you to “cut the astrology bulls —“?

Aceves’ clientele is ubiquitous in terms of age, but he has noticed an increase in the popularity of astrology among young people in recent years. He thinks the generational difference may have something to do with –– surprise –– stars.

“There was a great conjunction between Uranus and Neptune in the early 90s that lasted for a few years,” Aceves said. “Uranus and Neptune are very cosmic, idealistic planets, open to new philosophies.”

While most college students today weren’t born in the early ’90s, our older siblings and friends may have set a precedent for us.

Aceves also believes that there is a common reason, brought on by external circumstances, for people to seek astrology.

“For me, and probably for a lot of other people, it comes at a certain age in life where you really want to know who you are and where you are going,” Aceves said.

Aceves’ theory of the relationship between self-discovery and astrology resonates with me and is a sentiment shared by many students at great universities like UW.

I distinctly remember the depressing feeling of being dropped off at UW my freshman year. It wasn’t a feeling of being alone all at the same time, but it was something close. It was more existential; it was something like a gray cloud towering above me or a little hole in my heart that grew bigger every time I thought about the fact that I was supposed to spend “the time of my life” and make myself “friends for life”. Somehow, that expectation, juxtaposed with the reality of my situation – awkwardly trying to get people like me to have five-minute sorority conversations – was extremely depressing.

I can assure you that I have, in fact, lifelong friends now. And they do too. But the gray cloud, the little hole in my heart, stayed on for a lot longer than I expected. After doing some research (and by “research” I mean having introspective conversations with my friends while taking weed), I determined that the feeling I had was, absolutely, a fit. identity.

I think a lot of college students go through something similar, wondering who they are after childhood family and friends are no longer in their current lives. There are many ways we decide to deal with this – distracting ourselves with school, drugs, partying, exercising, calling our parents a little too often – that become habits we adopt for. avoid thinking about who we are and what we are doing.

Astrology can be another habit that we turn to to deal with it.

“At a certain age you start to realize that your friends have a certain idea of ​​what you should be doing and who you are,” Aceves said. “But you start to think: there is a part of me and my destiny, my path, that is not fully explained by what people tell me – or even what I think of myself.

These thoughts are even more exacerbated given the current world context. In the past year of great uncertainty during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is quite worthwhile to have turned to astrology to find a fragment of an answer or a sense of hope when the whole world and your future were interrupted.

Astrology is the perfect culmination of all the factors that affect us tremendously at this point in our life. We are impressionable, open-minded and seek out our identities. Who are we? Where are we in the world? Do other people like us or are we really weird?

Aceves believes there’s a reason we all come into the world with different attributes, and learning about it is the first step in self-discovery.

“From there, it can help you figure out how to be the best possible version of yourself,” Aceves said.

Although astrology is not based on modern science, it acts as a bridge between humans and the incomprehensible paths of the universe. It’s about having a relationship with the universe and feeling connected to a higher sense of ourselves. It gives us answers to the questions about life that we tend to ask ourselves in difficult situations, conflicts in our relationships and times when we are grappling with our identity – as students we are looking for these answers now. more than ever.

Contact writer Veronica George at [email protected]. Twitter: @veronicaggeorge

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