6 Reasons Why We’re Turning Spiritually Woo-Woo in our Twenties
So, with 37% of adults under 30 believing in astrology, why is it so many of us are turning spiritually woo-woo in our twenties?
As the daughter of a hippy dippy, reiki trained psychic medium, you might assume I flew out into the delivery suite with a tarot deck in one hand, rose quartz in the other, ready to awaken the spiritual non-believers of Milton Keynes. Not quite.
As a tween, my one goal was to fit in, go relatively un-seen, and for the love of all holy, avoid being spotted with my (dearest) Mother in the local Tesco Express. Fat lot of I chance I had, when friends dropped me home to a house adorned with more hanging wind chimes than Aladdin’s cave and an incense-odoured mushroom cloud floating above.
Safe to say, I was not on the meditation or manifestation train. Rather, I would actively poo-poo my Mum’s beliefs, rejecting any notion she might actually be onto something.
Then comes my quarter life crisis.
And just like that, I entered my woo woo era….and I mean the whole shebang. A reiki-receiving, journaling promoting, horoscope-obsessed hot mess. Not to mention culling my entire social media following removing those who “no longer serve me” and instead replacing them with anything and everything self-love, astrology and mindfulness related.
Whilst my relationship with spirituality is now far less turbo (for the best), aspects continue to underpin many parts of my life. I’m more mindful, practice gratitude and as a naturally control-centric gal, resist less and let life flow. Weekends look different these days too. It’s (mostly) out with the bottomless brunches and in with the community beach swims and gratitude circles…16-year-old me recoils.
And I’m not the only one to be spiritually awoken in my twenties.
So, with 37% of American adults under 30 believing in astrology, why is it so many of us are turning spiritually woo woo in our twenties?
1. Your Twenties are CHAOS and we Need Some Direction
The decision fatigue between the ages of 18-35 is chronic.
Climb the corporate ladder or Eat, Pray Love my way through SouthEast Asia? Save for a house deposit I’ll likely never afford, or balls to the wall with another European escapade? Stay living with Mum until I’m wrinkly or enter the murky rental waters, with escape as likely as winning Molly Mae’s latest instagram giveaway? It’s pretty bleak. With the weight of these decisions heavier than ever, largely caused by the comparison trap of social media and nobody willing to look like they’ve fallen behind, it’s no wonder we’re stargazing for some cosmic clarity.
2. We’re all Healing from Something…. & Need Hope
More often than not, that “something” is a break-up. The gut-wrenching, life-altering, semi-psychosis-inducing type. Whether it’s the type that finally pushed you into therapy to explore your anxious attachment (hurrah!), or the type managed with late night doom scrolling down a major self-exploration rabbit hole. Either way, you were probably encouraged to try journaling, meditation or mindfulness for the first time.
Then before you know it, voila! You, my friend, were on a one-way ticket to Tarot Town.
Not to mention, when life throws you lemons, astrology serves up ice cold lemonade. We’ve all been there, eagerly refreshing our horoscope apps, hoping they serve up anything better than the current shit show otherwise known as life lately. There’s no denying horoscopes provide comfort during tumultuous times, so it’s no surprise that astrology app usage experienced a meteoric rise during The Pandemic. What’s our bets on those stats for twenty-somethings?
3. Your Frontal Lobe Fully Developed
This 2023 social media obsession had TikTok in a chokehold.
The development of the frontal lobe, which fully matures at age twenty-five. Also referred to as the prefrontal cortex, it’s the part of the brain that controls “executive functions” such as planning, working memory and impulse control. With every 24-year-old translating that as Twenty Five: the year we all automatically stop texting our ex, and twenty five year olds reporting notable shifts including increases in clarity and consciousness as soon as the clock struck midnight on their quarter-century shenanigans, the twenty fifth year stirs up the perfect storm for dabbling in the world of woo-woo.
4. Proof is in the Pudding
Take manifestation for example. The word has been hashtagged 10m times on Instagram and 4.7m on TikTok, both full with testimonials on how willing things into existence changed peoples lives. Whether it’s love, business or career success, the manifestation phenomenon has adopters hooked, all attesting to the power of turning thoughts into reality using energy.
Since the release of The Secret by Rhonda Byrne in 2006, you’ll be hard pressed to find a GenZ or Millennial group without at least one person preaching the power of the M-word. It’s not everyone’s cup of matcha latte, but those who get it, get it. And the results are pretty compelling.
5. We Start to Care About our Health
One minute we’re counting our steps. Next, we’re counting the days until Mercury’s in retrograde.
Millennials and GenZ are arguably the most health-conscious generation. Not only are Gen Z drinking 20% less alcohol than Millenials (who are drinking less than Baby Boomers and Gen X), combined, Gen Z and Millenials make up 80% of health club members. It seems entering the wellness phase is a right of passage for most twenty-somethings. But with physical health only one dimension of wellness, and today’s twenty-somethings recognising balanced wellness engages both body, mind and spirit, these health-conscious huns are tackling their spiritual wellbeing too.
6. Bye Bye Accountability
Astrology. Aka our universal scapegoat.
If, like me, you resonate deeply with the characteristics of your star sign, it can often provide a comforting explanation (excuse) for most of your misconduct, pardoning you of any personal liability.
Take myself, a Virgo through-and-through. Judgemental. Who, me? Us Virgo’s are critical by nature. Uptight? You’re misunderstood. Virgo’s simply have high standards. Nit-picky? It’s called being detail oriented and, in fact, allows Virgo’s to be excellent analysts.
Not to mention the free pass we get when Mercury’s in retrograde, Saturn is returning or Venus is… spinning out of orbit? If you’re a believer in the zodiac, the astrological calendar will almost always serve up an explanation for your poor personal decision making. And for that, we thank her.