@Article{M-10365,
AUTHOR = {HekmatAfshar, Mohammad},
TITLE = {Charting the Cosmos Online: Astrology as Lived Contemporary Esotericism in Digital Communities},
JOURNAL = {Scientific Research Journal of Arts, Humanities and Social Science},
VOLUME = {3},
YEAR = {2025},
NUMBER = {2},
ARTICLE-NUMBER = {M-10365},
URL = {https://isrdo.org/journal/SRJAHS/currentissue/charting-the-cosmos-online-astrology-as-lived-contemporary-esotericism-in-digital-communities},
ISSN = {2584-0622},
ABSTRACT = {Symbolic RitualThis essay examines how esoteric information is being disseminated and reproduced in virtual spaces through examining the media practice of modern astrologers. It centers on a tutorial video by Kapiel Raaj, a popular Vedic astrologer on YouTube, and challenging it to practice by Chani Nicholas, who combines astrology with feminist and therapeutic terminology on Instagram and her smartphone app; the work explains how new cosmologies are made readable. Both of them depict astrology as a practice of lived esotericism, expressed through metaphorical systems, interactive formats, and personal empowerment. Building on Kennet Granholm's book, re-enchantment thesis of late modernity and adopting user engagement witnessed on Reddit forums like r/AskAstrologers, this article positions astrology as a digitally mediated experience based practice. This study adds to the study on esotericism through a comparative, media sensitive examination of how online astrologers make spiritual meaning and authority within emerging digital subcultures.},
DOI = {}
}