Contents
We tell you why in the XNUMXst century, with the help of tarot, astrology and numerology, they try to explain everything in the world: the reasons for an unsuccessful romance, and the lack of career growth, and even massacres
Accept the irrational and deal with stress
In May 2021, a terrorist attack occurred in a Kazan gymnasium, which was staged by a 19-year-old boy, a former student of this school. Many media, talking about the attack, noted that the date of birth of the perpetrator is September 11, 2001, the day of the attack on the twin towers in New York. Having learned about the coincidence, the astrologer Pavel Andreev decided to draw up a natal chart of the shooter and began to discuss on his page in Yandex.Zen how the terrorist attack in America is connected with the crime in our country. In his opinion, on September 11, 2001, several planets were in opposition, and the destructive energy of this moment was imprinted not only in the history books, but also in the psyche of everyone who was born on that day. Andreev was not the only esotericist who tried to explain the attack with the help of stars: other astrologers on their pages on social networks also analyzed the constellation map, described the motives of the shooter and speculated when he would repent.
For many people, esotericism is a way of explaining and understanding the universe, because, unlike scientific knowledge, magic gives answers here and now, helps to cope with the situation of uncertainty and choose a solution when there is no right one. “Esoterica speaks the human language through a medium – a tarologist or an astrologer, and not the language of complex economic models, this saves energy – you don’t have to make a lot of efforts to understand the universe and the people around,” comments Anna Mikheeva, a tarologist and editor of the Syg.ma portal .
The philosopher Theodor Adorno also read astrological columns, but not for pleasure, but for research. In 1952-1953, during a four-month visit to the United States, he analyzed astrological forecasts that were published in one of the conservative newspapers. Based on the results of the analysis, the philosopher wrote the article “Destroying the illusions about the stars.” Astrology for Adorno is a means by which one can come to terms and adapt to the world, begin to perceive the irrational as predetermined and being part of a larger system. Horoscopes help to get used to the difficult conditions of life, which, after reading the forecast, even seem more tolerable.
Not surprisingly, astrology has become very popular in the US and Europe during the days of Donald Trump and Brexit. “If people in the Obama years loved astrology, then under Trump they simply need it,” says astrologer Aliza Kelly.
A new round of esoteric popularity was provoked by the coronavirus pandemic. “Tarot reader clients have increased because the world has become too incomprehensible and unpredictable, it is absolutely impossible to plan anything,” says tarot reader Victoria Stellhorn. The requests that clients come with have also changed: “Now people often say that they have worked in the profession for 20 years, achieved something, and now they are not at all sure that they want to stay there. Because a person got to work remotely for six months and thought: “what is happening, what is the point of work?” Or I realized that staying at home is great, that you can work from anywhere in the world. There is a rethinking.”
By the way, according to a study by psychologist Graham Tyson, which he conducted in 1982, it turned out that people are more likely to turn to astrology during times of stress, while before traumatic events they may not have believed in esotericism at all. Another psychologist noted that often a trip to an astrologer is a reaction to anxiety associated with changes in social roles and relationships between people.
They do not shaman, but rely on psychology
As esotericists say, clients come to them for consultations not from a good life. Some are worried about conflicts at work, others do not understand why they are unable to build normal relationships with a partner, others simply do not know what to do with their lives. It seems that with such requests, people should go to psychologists and psychotherapists, and not seek help from esotericists.
Historian of religion Olaf Hammer, describing modern astrology, notes that in the XNUMXth century there was a transition from traditional forecasting astrology to personality astrology. Previously, classical astrology was mainly concerned with predictions of big events: it was believed that symbols correlated with certain places, physical phenomena, good luck and bad luck. And esotericism in the XNUMXth century began to focus on drawing up natal charts, analyzing the actions and characters of people. The horoscope became psychologized, and the astrologer became like a spiritual mentor who builds a map of a person’s path based on the date and place of his birth.
Esotericism was also strongly influenced by the ideas of the German psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung. For example, Jung has a concept of psychological personality types – archetypes that are innate and determine human behavior (according to Jung, there are archetypes of mother, spirit, trickster, and so on). And this theory is widely used to explain strong experiences, dreams, describe the signs of the Zodiac, and even to decipher the Tarot arcana.
So it is not surprising that esotericism is often used today as a replacement or addition to traditional psychotherapy. “If you have problems, you can solve them in several ways: you can go to a psychologist, or you can go to a tarot reader, a numerologist, an astrologer, these paths are pretty equivalent. You are looking for something that will tell you about yourself, something that will make you happier,” says Alena Ushakova, a sacred geometry teacher who teaches how to draw mandalas and work with geometric symbols.
Some psychologists include esoteric practices in their therapy, or at least do not discourage patients from using them. “After the divorce, left alone with the child, I realized that I didn’t take it out,” recalls teacher of sacred geometry Alena Ushakova. – I found a psychotherapist, began to sort out problems, and at some point I realized that she was using some other methods, not quite psychotherapy. And it turned out that my therapist, a neuropsychologist, is fond of sacred geometry, she even has her own school. I became interested, went there to study, and now I teach myself.”
By the way, today many esotericists specifically go to study psychology, there are even online courses designed for astrologers and tarot readers. And in social networks, some indicate that they use methods of psychology in their practices: they call themselves “tarologists without magic” or write that “they are not shamans, but rely on psychology.” “Psychotarologists and taropsychologists are trying to give their occupation some kind of system, logic and meaning,” explains tarot reader Victoria Stellhorn. “Just psychology helps them systematize their experience and tell people about themselves. Clients also often need something understandable, rational, and psychology is great.”
Witch as an emblem of feminism
“Today, when issues of attitude towards women began to rise in the collective field, the #MeToo movements, #I’m Not Afraid to Say, there was a massive interest in witches and esotericism. Women’s circles began to multiply, where women rocked each other, shared female energy and made layouts, ”says Alena Ushakova, teacher of sacred geometry.
“The Witch is the ultimate feminist icon,” says Pam Grossman, author and host of the Witch Wave podcast. Many feminists turn to this image because it means female power, gaining control over their lives: “A witch relies on her own strength, and does not wait for other people to share,” Grossman reflects.
This symbol was used both by first-wave feminists – suffragettes who fought for civil and political rights in the late XNUMXth and early XNUMXth centuries, and second-wave feminists who defended social equality of the sexes.
For example, in 1968, during Halloween, women dressed as witches came out on Wall Street. These were radical feminists from the WITCH (Women’s International Terrorist Conspiracy from Hell) movement, and many of them were practicing witches. One of the participants, instead of a cap, had a huge hat with a papier-mâché pig’s head wrapped in hundred-dollar bills – women protested against capitalism. They walked the streets shouting slogans and casting spells on the stock exchanges and the corporation. By the way, the next day the Dow Jones index fell by 13 points.
A year later, WITCH in black raincoats and caps gathered in New York for the “Wedding Fair” (a festival of wedding fashion). They held signs in their hands with the inscription “Always a bride, not a man”, chanted: “Slaves go here to their graves,” and then released white mice into the crowd, which meant the meaninglessness of marriage.
For the members of this movement, witches symbolized women who were ready to go against the laws of society, “dared to be groovy, courageous, aggressive, intelligent, non-conformist, exploratory, curious, independent, sexually liberated, revolutionary,” their manifesto says. The term “witch” was chosen by feminists for a reason. As Mary Daly, theologian philosopher and radical feminist, has written, the word has potential: it is both reminiscent of the genocide of women in the Middle Ages (during the Witch Hunt) and at the same time associated with rebellion and rebellion.
Today, for many esotericists, the term “witch” means not only a challenge to the patriarchal way of life. Pam Grossman states that witches are outsiders with supernatural powers, they can represent anyone who does not play a dominant, oppressive role in society. So the image of a witch can be attractive to those who feel disenfranchised, who are tired of trying to change the system – women, African Americans, members of the LGBT community, and so on. “The more frustrated people get, the more they turn to witchcraft because the regular channels just don’t work,” says Grossman. And astrology, tarot, numerology and other esoteric practices make it possible to feel like a witch, feel self-confidence and believe in your own strength.
Esoteric becomes part of the culture
Today it is not honorable to engage in esotericism, but it is no longer so shameful. The Atlantic in 2018 noted that now people who are passionate about esotericism are less likely to be stigmatized in society, because occult practices are firmly entrenched in online culture and are becoming very popular.
- Magic is available
Previously, to become an astrologer, knowledge in astronomy, geometry was required, it was necessary to find a teacher in your city and read more than one book. Now you can get acquainted with esotericism without leaving your home by signing up for an online course, and to make a natal chart – a personal horoscope – you only need a few minutes and access to the Internet. In addition, to start a practice and earn money, you do not need certificates and diplomas of education – the threshold for entering this area is very low.
It has become convenient for customers. Now you don’t have to go to a tarot reader or an astrologer for several hours – you can find esotericists on TikTok, agree with them in personal messages about the alignment or drawing up a natal chart and find out your future during the day.
- Esotericists have become like ordinary people
Over the past 20 years, the image of the esoteric has changed: astrologers and tarologists are no longer surrounded by a veil of mystery, do not wrap themselves in long shawls and do not hold crystal balls in their hands. These are “adult men or women, outwardly not much different from other people, with a laptop in their hands or a computer at home,” this is how modern astrologers are described on the Mageia.ru website (an encyclopedia of magic, conspiracies and divination).
- Esotericists speak the language of memes
The language in which esotericists communicate with their audience has also changed. Many on social media post pictures of typical Cancers and Scorpios, Mercury retrograde, lunar calendars, and even what kind of flower or french fries you are based on your zodiac sign. “Astrology is a meme,” the authors of the article wrote directly in The Atlantic, adding that funny pictures from the Internet restarted the sphere of esotericism and began to popularize it.
Skepticism in relation to esotericism has been replaced by irony, which is widely used in social networks, and users began to like pictures about zodiac signs. And “easily accessible astrological memes have encouraged people to learn more about the topic,” says a Brooklyn-based astrologer certified by the International Society for Astrological Research.
By the way, often esotericists themselves do not take their profession too seriously. Olga Osipova, former editor of the publication “My friend, you are a transformer” and author of the Mercury Retrograde project, says that she promotes an ironic attitude towards astrology, “because no one knows exactly how it works. Astrology is an unrecognized science. I am slightly skeptical about the predictions of astrologers and even my instructions, but at the same time I will never prescribe an operation during the period of retrograde Mercury.
Tatyana Kryhtova, anthropologist:
Anthropologist Victor Turner wrote that rites of passage from one status to another (for example, entering a different age group, a wedding or even a funeral) have three phases:
Turner believed that not only people, but entire societies can go through such transformations. The state when a society is undergoing change, when a stable structure breaks down, Turner called communitas.
At the same time, changes for society can be quite planned. So, moving from one year to another, people arrange carnivals, where they change clothes and behave differently than usual. For example, our Russian Maslenitsa is the same carnival that marks the beginning of a new agricultural season. And in case of sudden changes, communitas can be completely unpredictable.
The situation in our country, connected with political events and the coronavirus, shows that some old life has ended, and a new one has not yet begun. Definitely, in a couple of years it will be more stable, and most likely our everyday life will be completely different, but it is not yet clear what it will be like. We are now in the liminal period: making decisions and doing things that are not characteristic of us, in ordinary life we would not do this. Remember the large number of new religious movements that appeared in our country in the 1990s, and then quickly ended their existence. Now instead of them – divination and astrology.