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The Bridge: Some things never change – in times of uncertainty, young people tend to turn to some form of wisdom for guidance and comfort. These days, with a never-ending barrage of social feeds and less importance placed on traditional religious and social ties, it’s not surprising to find Gen-Z seeking answers from a more esoteric place.
“We went to the moon in 1969, not 1968 but a year after”, and that was about as advanced as it got. Think about how you grew up. No social media to constantly refresh, and most of your friends were people you knew in real life. Well, reverse that idyllic adolescence and you’ll have something similar to the maze Gen-Zers navigate everyday.
As a parent (if you’re reading this) you’re cool enough to know that being a teen these days is decidedly not chill. Expectations are higher, and they’re being expected to integrate into, and understand society better than we ever had to.
In fact, your kid is probably part of a social movement if they’ve said one of these words/phrases to you:
- Woke: Term used to describe wokeism, a social movement that champions respect and awarenss to insensitivity across race/gender/sexual lines.
- Body Positive: Term used to uplift different physiques, a social movement that aims for acceptance and equal media representation of people with varying body types.
- Ableism: Term used to describe discrimination based on mental and physical capability, this movement mirrors the Body Positive movement in its aim to raise awareness and acceptance of different disabilities.
Gen-Zers will quickly let you know they don’t need to be told how to think. So where are they looking for guidance and support?
The answer is literally in the stars, Astrology, to be exact.
Stargazing isn’t just for old ladies in run-down psychic shops, it’s quickly becoming a tool many teens are using to navigate chaotic and uncertain times. Your kid’s generation prides itself on individuality above all else, and this outlet hyper-focuses on cosmic movements impacting us one-by-one.
You may be wondering, “How will I even know if my kid’s into astrology?”. Simple, if they’re asking about birth times and locations, they’re into astrology and trying to make a birth chart.
Gen-Z uses birth charts (the astrological map of the stars at the exact time and date of your birth) as the rosetta stone to decoding their feelings and worldview.
Outside looking in, astrology comes into play with Gen-Z’s understanding of their relationships with friends and family. It’s not uncommon, or rude, for your kid to ask a new friend for their birth chart. In fact, apps like “The Pattern” and “Co-Star”, are specifically designed to help users gauge compatibility based on birth charts.
It’s gotten so intense that some teens (and adults) base their entire friend groups on zodiac compatibility. We don’t think it’s ever that serious!
Beyond those apps, social media is (as always) the main point of reference for astrological insight. Celebrity astrologers like Chani Nicholas, a popular Canadian astro-influencer, prove this with their huge Gen-Z audiences. Chani, like numerous social media astrologers, boasts a following in the hundreds of thousands on instagram, with a combined following in the millions- across all of her social networks.
What now? It’s time to get your head out of the clouds, and blast off into space! Communicate with your stargazing Gen-Z-er by sharing your birth chart. Better yet, ask them to make one for you! Websites like Cafe Astrology make it easy to generate a birth chart, including the detailed breakdown of what each sign and category means.
You can also check out the #astrology on tiktok. As of right now, it has 39.1 BILLION views, and you may even learn more about yourself. Who knows, the answer is in the stars.
