World famous astrologer eloquently explains the special relationship between queer people and astrology
Astrologer Chani Nicholas is photographed at her home in Los Angeles. (Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times via Getty)
World-famous internet astrologer Chani Nicholas has explained the phenomenon that is LGBT+ people and astrology.
Nicholas is Canadian but is based in LA with her wife, domestic violence activist Sonya Passi, and her unique style of astrology that weaves in themes of feminism and queer identity has gained her a huge following.
In an interview with the podcast LGBTQ&A she explained what she thinks draws so many LGBT+ people to the celestial study.
She said: “It’s a very queer phenomenon. I think queers have really always taken to it. We need alternative ways of seeing ourselves or being witnessed.
“When a lot of the religious institutions or traditions that we come from have shunned us, on a deep soul level, we want to be seen. And when we grew up in a culture that doesn’t see us, that doesn’t witness our gender, that invisibilizes us, that makes us into something that we’re not, we need ways of being reflected that feel true.”
She added: “I want to save space for the queers that loathe astrology because I love you too.”
Nicholas also made the point that the study of astrology has not always been inclusive and accepting of LGBT+ people.
“Astrology is taught by human beings and human beings are really flawed and grow up in systems that are not great,” she said.
“So there’s definitely been a lot of astrological knowledge passed down that was very heterosexist, very white supremacist, very cis-gendered. That definitely has existed in the past.”
Chani Nicholas attends the Spotify Cosmic Playlists Event on September 10, 2019 in Sydney, Australia. (Don Arnold/WireImage)
The astrologer said that early on in her career she had felt lonely in her unconventional view of astrology.
She continued: “I think I was hanging out with the wrong crowd. Astrology hadn’t really hit the queer community like it has since then — we’re talking pre-social media… I was really siloed off and I just didn’t know that people that were academics and activists and people doing really serious work would want anything to do with astrology.
“I felt like it was something that was fairly disrespected or disregarded or misunderstood or not useful honestly. I didn’t think folks in those roles would find it useful.”
Now she has definitely found her place, and as well as running workshops, writing books and being possibly the most well-know astrological influencer, she is also Oprah Magazine‘s “resident astrologer”.
She said of when she started writing: “I was like, ‘Wow, that’s weird. People like it.’ It was immediately affirming and it immediately opened me up to all of these different communities.”
