Stellar – The New Astrology Magazine

By Vittorio Bozzer

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The Astrological Association [AA] based in the UK has launched a new, free online astrology magazine. It’s called Stellar. And it’s designed specifically for the social media and digital age.

Editor Victor Olliver announced its birth at the AA Annual Conference 2024. “Stellar’s approach to serious astrology is to repackage information in a way that can be quickly understood,” he told conference delegates. “This is not dumbing down but understanding how people read in the 21st century. Professionals, students and hobbyists will find the magazine easy to navigate and it will be commercially driven.”

Stellar has been soft launched in the September-October 2024 issue of the AA’s membership magazine The Astrological Journal – which Olliver has edited since late 2014 – as well as an online flipbook on the AA website. “Stellar will grow independently of Journal over time,” Olliver said. “Journal continues as a showcase for in-depth essays, interviews and articles, but it was felt that a new title was needed to find younger audiences globally.

“The Generations late X and YZ read a great deal on screens – on their smart phones, iPads and other devices. They have become used to a sharper and more condensed reader experience. Astrology is highly adaptable to media evolutions.

“So, for example, we are aiming for ‘fast’ approaches to astrological techniques. In our pilot issue, we have a boxed guide to the eclipses in September and October, defined by their Saros Series classifications which identify divinatory themes, such as political upheaval. The information is given straight without involved explanation or endnotes. If people want to know more about the Saros Series, they can Google it or read Journal or other heavyweight magazines. We also have fast synastry – extracting basic messages from complex analysis. Profiles of celebrities will have boxed digests such as elemental makeup or number of squares and oppositions in the birth chart.”

Olliver came up with the idea of Stellar as part of a number of AA initiatives to grow membership and draw more people to its website. He told Astrodienst: “The magazine actually debuted around the Full Moon on 19 August 2024 – the Moon was on the ‘astrologer’s degree’ of 27 degrees Aquarius. I take that to be a good omen. Stellar was developed at breakneck speed after AA Chair Wendy Stacey gave the project the green light with the agreement of the Board of Trustees and AA President Roy Gillett. Designer Cat Keane came up with a great look.”

Initial reaction has been highly positive, and Olliver confirms that the online flipbook magazine has been viewed by “thousands” of readers already with many advertising enquiries. “The demise of the print edition of The Mountain Astrologer is a painful reminder that magazines must continue to evolve in understanding audiences and adapting to how people process data,” he said. “Many astrology sites such as Astrodienst and The Astrology Hub attract large audiences, so we know there is a vast number of people out there who follow and practise astrology who are not being reached by us.”

He said Stellar would be heavily promoted on social media and in quid pro quo arrangements with astro-influencers.

The formal launch of Stellar takes place in late October 2024. To read Stellar online, go to: www.astrologicalassociation.com/stellar/