Astrology Is NOT for Everyone
Debunking myths and uncovering wisdom with astrologer Gwen Yi.
Welcome to the midweek letter, a rotating assortment of personal writing, interviews, recommendations, AMAs, giveaways, and other fun things.
I have a confession: I’ve never quite taken to astrology.
To be clear, I have nothing against it. Astrology books grace my shelves (Linda Goodman forever) and in my younger days, I was known to check my horoscope every morning, in the hope it would foretell some stunning future. (It never did.) But when it comes to the practice of astrology — beyond zodiac signs, to the world of angles and stelliums and transits — I’m as clueless as they come.
So, I was thrilled to chat with Gwen Yi, the Malaysia-based astrologer who writes the newsletter The Asian Astrologer, to debunk common myths and uncover what this practice is truly about. Her style is warm and inviting, and her love for her work bursts through the screen. I hope you’ll enjoy her insights as much as I did.
I was initially drawn to your story — from the startup world to professional astrologer (with an all-too-familiar stop at burnout in between). How did you find your way to your current career?
It wasn’t a running leap into astrology. I grew up in a very traditional Chinese Malaysian household, and I didn’t have crystals or hippie parents or anything that would typically predate an interest in astrology. My parents divorced and went bankrupt, and money was always a big deal in our household. This brought up a lot of emotions, including shame and secrecy in a society that values appearances. So, I decided to focus on work, thinking maybe then I could prove myself and get my parents’ approval.
By the time I was 19, I was jet-setting around the world on a gap year, doing conferences, speaking, mentoring, 100% laser-focused on my career. I spent years trying to make it in Silicon Valley — winning competitions, building startups. But I burned out. My mental health was crumbling. I was getting sick a lot, I developed cystic acne, I was bloated, I wasn’t sleeping well — the physical symptoms were a reflection of the parts of myself that needed healing. During the pandemic, my love of astrology started showing up.
Was there a moment when you knew you’d found your calling? How did you decide to take the leap?
There wasn’t one particular moment that stands out to me — all along, there were breadcrumbs. In Malaysia, the Sunday paper always had a horoscope section in the back. As a teenager, I was head over heels for this boy, and I would read the horoscope for my sign and his.
When I was 19, I applied to the Thiel Fellowship, where Peter Thiel gives young people a grant and support to build their companies. I got into the semifinals, but ultimately wasn’t chosen. One of the people who did get in was a woman named
. I continued to follow her work for years and she remained in my online circle.During the pandemic, I came across the Applied Astrology school, which offers prospective students a discovery call, to see if you’re a good fit for the program. When I had my call, the person on the other end of the line was Ocean! I felt the synchronicity, I got full-body chills. Talking to her was the first time I realized that I could be a professional astrologer. That call really cemented my conviction, and I dove in head-first.
