I’ll be the first to admit that I’m pretty into astrology and I’m always on the lookout for new apps and sites that I can add to my daily reading collection. I’m not exactly sure how I curated my daily list, especially because there are so many amazing astrologers and so much information available! Over time I’ve developed a little routine of astrology apps and sites that I like to check each day.
This month at TBN we’re focusing on themes surrounding Spring like letting go, making room for the new, embracing fresh starts, and ridding ourselves of things that don’t encourage growth. Sometimes these things are obvious and other times it requires a healthy dose of self-reflection to determine what should stay and what should go. I was always curious about the horoscope section in my parent’s newspaper as a child, but back then I thought astrology was all about predicting the future. I realize now that there isn’t any fortune-telling going on, that astrology follows set rhythms and principles. In the book, Astrology: Understanding the Birth Chart, Kevin Burk writes “Astrology is the study of cycles. By observing the cyclical movements of the planets, we are able to gain a greater understanding of the cycles and patterns in our own lives. Astrology can be a powerful tool for healing and transformation, and it can be a key that can unlock a greater spiritual connection to the universe. Although astrology is not fortune-telling, when skillfully applied, astrology can be an extremely effective predictive tool. On a personal level, astrology…can give us insight into our personal issues, our patterns, our fears, and our dreams…Astrology is a tool that can help us understand and unlock our highest potentials, and that can teach us how to live in harmony with the universe.”
How Does Astrology Encourage Self-Reflection?
I realized early on that if I meet someone who thinks astrology is silly, they open up slightly more if I give them a compliment based on their sun sign! As humans, we’re all wired to think about ourselves all the time and we all like hearing good things about our personality. Where it can get a little trickier is hearing the difficult or not-so-flattering parts about ourselves. I’ve also noticed astrology can make this a little easier, if I tell someone that 1/12th of the population (the people that share their same sign) have similar habits, it feels less personal.
Once we dive deeper into our birth chart we start to see all the patterns and motivators that make us, us. Our Venus placement tells a story about how we love and what we want out of romantic relationships, Mercury can explain how we communicate, and our Moon sign is like peeling back a layer to our most authentic self. All of this information naturally causes some reflection because we analyze and decide whether it rings true for us or not. We may read something that doesn’t sound like us at all and questioning it is great because we’re turning inward. Astrology also offers us an unbiased look, something that can be hard to get. We can’t take something personally because the information has been written for everyone that shares similar placements!
The Apps/Sites I Check Daily
There are other astrology apps and sites that I enjoy reading when I have more time, but these are the ones I run through before starting my workday. So without further ado, and in no particular order:
Empowering Astrology
I don’t know how I stumbled across this astrology site but I really enjoy her Astro Daily section (she doesn’t post over the weekends so I always anxiously await her Monday reading)! They’re short, sweet and an overview of what’s happening in the sky vs. an astrology reading for each sign. She uses open-ended language, which is great because it allows you to tap into your own intuition.
Co-Star
If you’re even slightly into astrology you’ve probably heard of this app. Some love it, some hate it. I tend to just enjoy what it has to offer and appreciate that it’s formatted differently than a lot of other astrology resources. Astrology has a bit of “it is what it is” kind of nature, and I love it for that. Some users had a negative reaction when the CEO, Banu Guler, said the app sometimes trolls its users. In this interview with Scout Magazine she explains her reasoning a little further. “I’m definitely the source of, yeah, let’s push people. Like, I think it’s healthy to think about the worst thing that can happen and become comfortable with that sort of fundamental impermanence.” For the record, she’s a Scorpio – makes sense! She went on to say they let up a bit during 2020 because they understood people may have wanted a little more hope.
The Pattern
The pattern is another astrology-related app, but they actually never mention astrology. Instead they focus on all your different “patterns,” which they determine based on your time and place of birth. If you’re not sure about astrology or if hearing about all the different planets and transits doesn’t interest you, this is a great option. I like the way they detail your different habits and motivators, and you can also add friends to see if you share similar patterns (Co-Star has something similar but The Pattern takes more of a deep dive).
Sanctuary
The astrology lover in me adores this astrology app. It’s colorful, playful, and also includes a daily Tarot card. They give you enough information without being overwhelming. They’re affiliated with Horoscope Today, a short podcast on Spotify that updates every day to include an astrology reading for each sign (another thing on my daily list).
Daily OM
You might be familiar with this astrology site. They offer courses, daily inspiration, and a free “Daily OM” email. I discovered their horoscope section and really enjoy their perspective. They use positive and uplifting language and take a spiritual approach. Their site says “DailyOM features a universal approach to holistic living for the mind, body, and spirit and supports people who want to live a conscious lifestyle.”
Astrology Leaves Space for Free Will and Growth
Like anything else in life, astrology can become unhealthy if we’re relying on it to be an absolute source of truth. Astrology is not a religion and nothing bad will happen to you if you take what resonates and decide some things are not for you! Astrology also encourages growth and leaves plenty of room for us to make our own choices. Just because you were born with certain placements does not mean you’re going to stay that way your whole life. I wrote an article about embracing your North Node here and in it, I detail how it describes the sign we came into this life as, and what our karmic journey and evolution entails. I think looking at our natal chart placements and reading things about ourselves that we may not love can be a healthy form of self-reflection. Astrology reminds us that we are a small speck on a small planet, spinning through a much larger cosmos and sometimes, as my Co-Star reminded me once, “You are the problem.”
