The stars have aligned on the first day of the astrological new year as Sanctuary Ventures, the digital media company focused on mystical services for millennials, rolls out its new $20/month astrology app.
The Sanctuary app offers daily horoscopes, live and on-demand readings with professional astrologers, and plans to expand into the e-commerce marketplace. We’re talking tarot cards, crystals, sage bundles, incense, alllll the good woo-woo.
The age of Aquarius
Astrology has existed for 1k years but, according to Wired, it didn’t reach the mainstream until the ’30s when R.H. Naylor, a British astrologer, offered a horoscope for newly born Princess Margaret in the Sunday Express.
The forecast predicted an “eventful life” for the royal baby and included other general horoscopes for readers by birthdate — a reader could find their chronologically ordered “sign” and have their own professional reading.
This shorthand, later called the “sun-sign horoscope,” brought astrology — designed, but not proven, to assess a person’s situation — to the masses.
What’s your (pseudo) sign?
Sun-sign horoscopes quickly became a staple for print media orgs and party guests — even the naysayers. But these days, millennials and members of Generation Z are taking the pseudoscience to the next level.
According to 2018 market research, the budding mystical and psychic services market is valued at more than $2B.
In the last few years, it wormed its way into technology, flooding onto social media like Instagram and Twitter with accounts such as @jakesastrology (which has more than 160k followers) and @poetastrologers (over 445k) — and those are just to name a few.
Now, Sanctuary wants to become the Headspace of astrology
The self-care and wellness industry is a booming $4.2T market, with mindfulness and meditation apps from brands like Headspace and Calm experiencing major growth.
Sanctuary CEO Ross Clark sees the app as “part of the broader wellness story that has been happening for the last few years.”