Something in the stars has drawn CBS news to Danielle Polgar, an astrological counselor in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
“There’s a collective curiosity about astrology, and I think what it can really facilitate is helping people feel like they’re part of something bigger than themselves,” she said.
In a stressful world, astrology now feels bigger than ever. In the U.S., it’s an online industry worth an estimated $3 billion, and that’s expected to triple over the next five years, according to Allied Market Research.
Co-Star, one of the most popular astrology apps, reports 30 million registered users.
Asked how she responds to skeptics, Polgar told CBS News that astrology is “our first tool to understand our relationship with whatever this place is.”
“You’re still an Aquarius, even if you’re like ‘I don’t buy into that,'” she said.
But for many, the imponderable mystery in the stars is astrology itself.
Astrophysicist Montana Williams stargazes from the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in New Mexico, the premier facility of its type in the world. It features 27 radio antennae, each 10 stories tall, helping solve the mysteries and wonders of space. Williams tracks the origins of the universe. But all she knows about astrology is that she was born a Leo.
“I don’t really know what astrology is, to be honest,” Williams told CBS News. “I will say that I am a bit biased, that I don’t entirely believe in it.”
Astrology isn’t the science that astrophysics is — not even close — but there’s certainly a market for mystical services. Roughly 30% of American adults say at least once a year they consult horoscopes, tarot cards or fortune tellers, Pew Research Center found.
One of them, Erika McAuliffe, said Polgar’s chart readings give her life insight that feels heaven-sent. She said she uses astrology as “a tool for self-discovery.”
“I think it shows a side of yourself that maybe you’re not necessarily thinking about,” McAuliffe said.
Polgar noted: “Clarity, confidence, courage. I think those are the three things that people are seeking.”
