Millennial Mystical Wellness

‘People in New York City have therapists; in LA, they have shamans,’ said Colleen McCann, Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop resident shaman in an interview. And whether the same is going to be true for us here in Scandinavia only the crystal ball will tell. But let’s for a moment look at what mystical wellness trends are currently playing out in the US.

American millennials are part of a growing cohort of Americans who describe themselves as “spiritual but not religious.” The research institute Pew reports that 6 in 10 Americans believe in a New Age concept, like reincarnation, astrology, psychics, and “the presence of spiritual energy in physical objects like mountains or trees”. According to Google Trends, searches for “birth chart” and “astrology” both hit five-year peaks in 2020. And a 2019 a IBISWorld report estimated the size of the US “psychic services” industry at $2.2bn, with the prediction that it will grow. This as since the start of the pandemic, astrologers and tarot readers have all been seeing an increase in their businesses.

Colleen McCann that was quoted in the introduction of this piece worked as a fashion stylist in New York for over a decade before becoming a shaman, and today she combines the two through her Style Rituals consultancy, where she performs vibrational wardrobe decluttering and spiritual space clearing. Another interesting professional combining mysticism with more practical work is the hair shaman Andi Scarbrough. She thinks that hair can become an offering to the spirit to catalyse internal change. And offers her clients a three-hour crown chakra cleanse, reiki-infused haircut, crystal healing session, and then complete the work with a despacho ritual, burning their trimmed hair to let go of the past.

The mystical trend is visible also in the beauty market, the brand Aquarian Soul uses the tagline ‘Making your beauty routine a sacred ritual’ and sells products like Moon Balm, an all-purpose moisturising balm infused with moonstone crystals. Actually all kinds of crystals are really being revived, Blomberg reported last year that whilst the diamond market is going down, gemstones and crystals are still on the way up.

But where is all this interest coming from? The astrologer Chani Nicholas understands this movement as a response to uncertain times, he says “… throughout history, you can find that folks look to the planets when things feel overwhelming and inexplicable on Earth.” So maybe it could be understood as a strategy to feel in control when so much is out of control? Still there is indication that the interest in astrology is connected to the increased interest in wellness. According to Google trends, online interest in the UK in both ‘wellness’ and ‘horoscopes’ has doubled since 2010. They also point out that in the beginning of each year users have a tendency to consult their online horoscopes for the year ahead, at the same time as googling ‘wellness’ more than any other time.

Sources
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/09/06/more-americans-now-say-theyre-spiritual-but-not-religious/
https://www.elle.com/beauty/a35773436/how-the-pandemic-paved-the-way-for-millennial-mysticism/
https://www.cntraveller.com/gallery/urban-shamans-los-angeles
https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20210205-why-astrology-is-so-popular-now
https://www.panmacmillan.com/blogs/lifestyle-wellbeing/the-popularity-of-astrology