Samantha Chin is busier than usual.
The Toronto-based astrologer has seen a surge in the number of people turning to the planets and stars to find direction in their lives during the global COVID-19 pandemic.
B次元官网网址淚 normally teach one class a week,B次元官网网址� says Chin, who also goes by the name Lady Samantha.
B次元官网网址淚 had to increase that to three classes a week, because there was so much demand for new students. And my personal practice B次元官网网址� IB次元官网网址檝e been booking consistently a month in advance because IB次元官网网址檓 fully booked.B次元官网网址�
Chin, who also owns a crystals store, says some items have been consistently sold out. And thatB次元官网网址檚 never happened before.
Donna Young, an astrologer in Alberta, says the number of her clients in Canada and the United States has spiked by about 50 per cent during the pandemic, and some astrology courses she teachesonline have been sold out for the first time ever.
As the director and Canadian representative for the Organization for Professional Astrology, the 59-year-old says colleagues around the world are also seeing a significant increase in clients.
B次元官网网址淚 have a colleague in Turkey whose student body went from 100 to 900 during the pandemic.B次元官网网址�
Many people are out of work and struggling to figure out what to do next, Young says.
And B次元官网网址渙ur lack of emotional resources, our financial insecurity, other quirks B次元官网网址� become apparent if weB次元官网网址檙e alone in contemplation,B次元官网网址� she adds.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 not so much about manoeuvring the pandemic as it is about people wanting to really understand their place in the world.B次元官网网址�
Young and Chin both say careers and relationships are typically the biggest questions for people, and they still are during the pandemic.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 just that more people are concerned about it. More people are looking for answers,B次元官网网址漵aid Young.
Stephanie Ho, who works in finance in Toronto, decided to enrol in more astrology courses during the pandemic.
She broke up with her boyfriend a year ago and was feeling confused. With more time on her hands during the pandemic, the 35-year-old turned to astrology, which she says has taught her more about herself.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 much more complicated than what my sun sign tells me I am,B次元官网网址� says Ho. B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檝e learned a lot about my strengths, my weaknesses, my goals in life, my potential in my career, my personality traits.B次元官网网址�
Ho says she has also learned a lot about how moments in her childhood have shaped her. And for the first time, she says she has been having open conversations with her friends and family about it.
B次元官网网址淪amantha was able to unpack my childhood wounds in seven minutes in one class,B次元官网网址� she says.
Young says the growing interest in astrology has been prominent among young people looking for direction.
B次元官网网址淏ecause theyB次元官网网址檙e not as skeptical as the generations before them. Once upon a time, you would have been hard pressed to find somebody who even wanted to admit that they believed in astrology.B次元官网网址�
Young, who has been practising astrology for 20 years, says the transit system of planets and stars have shaped her life significantly.
In 2017, astrologers from around the world, including herself, saw that 2020 was going to be a difficult year, she says.
The prediction was one reason why she moved from Calgary to Sylvan Lake, a small community south of Edmonton, where she grows her own vegetables and raises chickens.
She says she didnB次元官网网址檛 want to be dependent on the countryB次元官网网址檚 food supply during the pandemic.
Asked to predict when the pandemic will end, Young says it wonB次元官网网址檛 be soon.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e not out of the woods. WeB次元官网网址檝e still got another year, or 18 months, maybe longer,B次元官网网址� Young says.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e not going to recover from this for some time B次元官网网址� you donB次元官网网址檛 need to be an astrologer to figure that out.B次元官网网址�
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This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press B次元官网网址 Fellowship.
Fakiha Baig, The Canadian Press
