Why everyone is a bit woo woo right now.

Tarot cards. Astrology. Human design. Psychic readings. Angel numbers.

Spiritual practices.

'Woo woo.'

Either you love this stuff or — to be frank — you think anyone who does is bats**t crazy.

Me? I'd consider myself spirituality adjacent. 'Woo lite', if you will. I love a psychic reading, I have a few sets of oracle cards (and, okay, a couple of tarot decks too, if I'm being honest — but I don't know how to read them without referencing the guide books). I don't plan every aspect of my life according to my natal chart, but I am definitely aware of my Sun, Moon and Rising (#astrologythings, for the un-woo amongst us).

Watch: Horoscopes and self-care. Post continues below.

But whichever side of the spirituality argument you fall on, the increase in people moving towards more intuitively led, 'new age' practices (as they used to be called, and are often found in so-labelled sections of bookstores) is undeniable.

We're seeing a marked increase in people turning away from both staunch atheism and rigid religion, and instead adopting spiritual practices and beliefs that feel like a good fit.

Welcome to the age of magical thinking.

What's driving the trend?

Hollie Azzopardi is a model, a mum, a medium, best-selling author and astrologer, who's been working in the spiritual space for several years — and she has definitely witnessed the rise in magical thinking first-hand.

"My first offering was a vision board workshop, which I offered close to 10 years ago — and it felt really out there," she told me when I sat down to chat all things spirituality with her.

"From there, I created Manifestation and Magic, which was my signature offering for six years. And I felt very uncomfortable using words like 'manifestation', speaking about what the moon was doing. Even only six or seven years ago, it was still taboo."

But now? Every second person is manifesting. 'Mercury retrograde' is a part of everyday conversation. It's not out-there to notice angel numbers, to set an intention at the start of the day, or take time out to get your feet on the grass and connect with nature.

Hollie believes there are a few drivers behind the movement's momentum.

"When COVID happened and the lockdowns happened, people were seeking hope and faith — and a lot of these spiritual practices are seeped in those energies," she said.

"When we were unable to leave our homes, it was a really hopeless time, and I noticed, for me especially, my psychic readings were booked out more than they ever had been before. My Manifestation and Magic program more than doubled in intake, and that was kind of the first upward curve I saw in more people being open minded in these practices."

It's a sentiment echoed by Mads Williams, human design practitioner and co-host of the cosmic-meets-corporate podcast, I'll Ask My Sister, along with her sister, Ellen Hooper.

"Having faith and optimism and trust is such a nice remedy to a feeling of hopelessness that kind of started creeping in in a mainstream way with the pandemic," Madeleine said.

It's uncomfortable to admit, but the truth is, that sense of hopelessness borne of the pandemic has persisted for many, with cost-of-living, environmental issues and grim headlines still casting an oppressive shadow over our day-to-day lives.

The people want a panacea — and as Madeleine said, "I would consider spiritual practices like a nice soothing remedy to the madness."

The celeb factor.

At the same time as people began to search for meaning — for some light in the dark — more and more celebrities were also beginning to highlight their own spiritual practices.

"It almost became mainstream with public figures talking about their manifestation rituals and practices, their connection with spirit, with astrology," said Hollie. "I think we're seeing a lot more public figure rhetoric around manifestation, visualising.

"They didn't come out and say, 'I'm a manifester, I work with astrological cycles.' But the language they were using — 'I visualised this, I called this in' — is all seeped in manifestation rhetoric."

Billie Eilish is one such celeb, speaking about visualisation during her 2021 doco, The World's a Little Blurry.

More recently, Katy Perry shared that she titled her new album, 143, after her 'angel number'. (They're patterns of numbers, often in sequences, that each have their own meaning, BTW.)

"It came to me, actually, at a time that was pretty tough, and i was looking for some guidance, and this number started appearing," said Perry. "Some people are attracted to 11:11. some people like 222. For me it was a sign, it was a symbol, and it came to me at a really tough time, when I was having a lot of anxiety, and it was comforting. I would see it in so many different places."

Meanwhile, 143 debuted at number six on the Billboard charts. Not a bad return, right?

Listen to the Mamamia Out Loud hosts talk all things angel numbers. Post continues below.

It's not just the weed and patchouli girlies...

According to Hollie's observations, it's largely been Gen Z leading the spiritual charge. — something Ellen, the other half of the I'll Ask My Sister podcast team, has noticed too.

"I don't have data on this, but I do think, anecdotally, the newer generations, are far more open to and interested in things like astrology and human design."

And yep, the stats back that up. Recent research shows 38 per cent of Gen Z Australians identify as spiritual, and 50 per cent believe in karma.

"I also think they're less self-conscious about being interested in those things," Ellen added, and she makes a good point. Because despite the obvious uptick in people moving into spiritual spaces, it still feels like there's a bit of shame attached to admitting you're into 'woo' publicly.

Or at least, I still have some lingering hang-ups about it — and I'm not the only one.

"In professional environments, I suspect, we like keep both things to ourselves," said Ellen, who also happens to be an award-winning business coach and organisational strategist, and began her career in the most corporate of ways — first as a lawyer and then an HR executive.

But in recent years, she's been integrating a cosmic approach to the business world, and seeing the shift happening more and more in professional spaces.

"I have a community on LinkedIn for the cosmically curious," said Ellen, "and in there we have a risk professional, people in HR. Then through the pod, we've connected with people who work in finance, healthcare professionals…"

It's clearly no longer just the 'hippie chick' working a little magic into her everyday.

Spirituality vs. religion.

As I mentioned, I'd definitely consider myself on the spiritual side, but I'm more a dabbler than a devotee — and therein lies another appealing aspect of the spiritual practices that are becoming more commonplace. It's not all or nothing; it's not 'if you're not with us you're against us'. With spirituality, you can take what feels good, and leave the rest, and isn't that a nice change from being told what to do all the time?

"I think the really big distinction between religion and spirituality is that in religion, there are power structures, and in spirituality — unless you're in a cult — there are not," explained Ellen.

"So you can engage in a belief in something bigger, a belief in the Divine, a belief in the universe, without also being boxed in by all the rules and power and hierarchy that can come with religion."

It's often a connection to self, each other and the universe at large that's centred, rather than paying homage to one specific 'higher being'.

Self-care, self-love, self-trust — AKA intuition — are at the core of spiritual practices, and they feel like a way to help us better know and understand not only the world around us, but our deeper selves.

A tempting proposition in such uncertain times.

"I think that these tools really allow you to dig deep into why you might be the way that you are," said Madeleine.

"And I also think we're a generation that we're told we can do anything, and that open canvas is really f**king scary. So coming back to something like a manual or a roadmap of 'what are my unique gifts?' when you're feeling lost is so refreshing.

"It's kind of like a light on in the dark."

Alix Nicholson is Mamamia's Senior Weekend Editor. Follow her on Instagram or TikTok for more.