The Future of Astrology
What does the future hold for astrology? Although I wasn't around in the 60s, my sense is astrology is not more popular now than in its heyday. Part of the reason is the change in social mood from an optimistic post 60s period, early new agey rising tide of curiosity about the esoteric realm to the more straight ahead drone of money-grub that pervades our world today. That claim could be challenged too with the popularity of second wave new age type movements such as Buddhism, yoga, etc but it's impotant to remember how much all of these are commodied and integrated into the cash nexus that so thoroughly dominates these days. When my Rosocrucian-inclined grandfather gave readings 50 years ago, he wouldn't have dreamed of taking a penny for looking at a chart. Nowadays, most want money in compensation for their time. With the acceleration of life these days and everyone feeling so rushed, we feel our time is that much more valuable. And so rightly or wrongly, we equate value with money.
Another perhaps larger reason for the relative ghettoization of astrology is the indifferent or poor quality of most astrologers. Astrology could perhaps get away with more dubiousness in the early days of the Age of Aquarius, but when time marches on and people come to expect real results, I don't know that most astrologers offer a product that most people want to buy (or use). Sure, there will always be a small minority of the population who are spiritual seekers (or lost souls or just plain superstitious people) who have a natural interest is non-mainstream ways of understanding the self and they have traditionally been the consumers of astrology. This group doesn't change much.
A second group might be situated next to them on the openness spectrum who may be open to the possibility of astrology but who are not really that interested in self discovery so much as being open to different modes of thought to help them lead happier more productive lives. I would include people who use yoga or alternative medicine to improve their health in this group, and say investors on Wall St who use the work of astrologers to make money in the stock market. In both cases, tangible and mundane benefits are the goal.
We could also conceive of a third group here (or perhaps a sub-group of the above) that aren't that interested in mundane benefits but rather see astrologers as alternative therapists to assist them with emotional confusion and torment, in the same way as a psychologist might. The benefit here is less tangible but more emotional -- which may be considered tangible by some people but either way, it's certainly less mundane that the preceeding group. This kind of humanistic/Jungian astrology has been up and running since the 1960s, along with the expansion of mainstream therapy for the spiritually-bereft who are trying to fill the hole that God and religion has left in the wake of the long process of secularization that occurred in the 20th century. It's possible that astrology has an opportunity to grow in this group, but I don't know the trends that well here. The growth of Buddhism recently would appear to address the needs of this group directly and in that sense, would represent a loss for astrology in the free market, zero sum game we can call the Unconventional Solutions to Conundrums of Existence in this Ever Changing World.
The quality of astrologers doesn't matter much for the first group of the already spiritually-inclined. They will be entranced regardless of how useful or accurate the astrologer is. The second group however has higher demands in terms of where they cast their lot (and their cash). It has to actually help them in some tangible way or else they will go elsewhere. The third group would also be responsive to varying quality of astrologers, therapists, gurus, doctrinal writings, celebrity endorsements (Richard Gere or Beastie Boys' Buddhist Bassist Adam Yauch) or whatever form of engagement they take to relieve them of their psychic stresses.
I'm not convinced that most astrologers have got any better in terms of predictive competence in the last 30 years to be useful to this second tangible/mundane group. Until astrologers get better, then astrology will be more or less stuck in the post-new age ghetto.
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