May Sim: Astrologer In Singapore Explains Why Millennials Are So Obsessed With Astrology

Credit: Zula.sg

For most of my life, astrology was a fun read, consulted only when I needed to “Click Here To Find Out If Your Star Sign Is Compatible With Your Crush!”

But in the past year, I joined the increasing ranks of millennials who have taken to astrology faster than the PSI rose over the weekend. I found my attraction to reading horoscopes puzzling because I’m that person who needs receipts for everything.

Though there is no evidence that astrology influences your personality, the new age practice does have its own reasoning.

For the uninitiated, you have to factor where the sun, moon and planets are positioned at the moment of your birth to generate your unique chart. Astrologers then interpret the interactions between the celestial orbs to determine how they influence your life.

To get a better understanding of astrology and the growing millennial interest in it, I decided to pay astrologer May Sim a visit.

Selfstrology Academy office

Saturn Return and why your late twenties is a #struggle

One of the first things May says to me is, “You are not an adult yet.”

The International Academy of Astrology graduate explains it’s because I’ve not completed my Saturn Return.

Astrologers believe your first Saturn Return is your astrological coming of age. The planet takes 29.5 years to return to its original position at the time of your birth. With its return, Saturn allegedly brings a period of transition and (often painful) changes, which causes you to examine if your life, career and relationships are going as you wished they would.

For the 34-year-old, the period leading to her Saturn Return saw her quitting her high-paying height safety consultancy management job. In turn, May decided to pursue her interest in teaching and doing astrology consultations.

Unbeknown to her then, she set up Selfstrology Academy—her career transformation astrology firm—on the exact day of her Saturn Return.

What a birth chart looks like

Why astrology can be like therapy

Since she started reading charts at 18, May has seen more than 2,000 people. Now, her clients range from those in their early 20s to late 60s. There is an even male-female divide. Their jobs range from a special needs education teacher to CEOs in the finance sectors.

“If you want to know if it’s accurate, we never have complaints,” May says.

A consultation involves May analysing her clients’ chart to “see what’s causing, and be aware of, their problems.” Subsequently, she introduces new thought patterns to shift their perspectives.

In some sense, May likens the job of an astrology consultant to a therapist’s; she helps clients make peace with their decisions but does not advise them.

“One of my clients, a young lady, asked me if [she] should marry her boyfriend [who had been cheating on her]. From the chart, I could tell she has a thing of equating a relationship to monetary benefits.”

Upon further probing, the client revealed a willingness to turn a blind eye to her boyfriend’s philandering because his family was giving her a monthly clothing stipend of $1,500. The client was also promised an apartment in Shanghai if they were to marry.

The client’s chart suggested she had learnt these values from her parents. True enough, the client disclosed that her father had been caught cheating years ago. Her grandparents had moved her parents into a landed property and gave her mother a mahjong allowance to keep mum about the affair.

“I was able to show her that she was not happy with how her parents conducted the marriage. Now, she has a choice: [does she] want to sell [herself] into a marriage or demand for a committed relationship?”