If you're into astrology, you've probably checked out the Co-Star app at least once and been blown away many times by its incredibly accurate daily readings. Well, now there's a new way to drag your birth chart, and you don't even need a phone to try it. Iconic Magazines in New York City is home to an IRL Co-Star horoscope machine that has been going viral ever since Julia Fox used the celestially aligned device on TikTok. I personally tried the machine, and like the app, the results were brutally honest, but necessary.
Fox discovered the Co-Star machine during a trip to the magazine store on May 5, and as of May 19, the video has been viewed more than 460,000 times. According to Co-Star, the device was brought to the store, with the app's new artificial intelligence feature allowing users to ask personalized questions to the star. The machine, located in the back of the store, has a large circular screen with a moon on it and a small dial that shows where the planets were when you were born and where they are now. But the real magic happens on a smaller screen, which includes a series of pre-written questions that you can answer based on your birth chart.
To get a personalized answer, you'll need to enter your date, month and year of birth, as well as the time and city you were born in - so you may want to ask your parents for specific information before you go. At the end, your answers are printed on a piece of receipt paper, almost like a little keepsake.
When Fox tried it, she asked the machine if she should start a cult, and Astrologer replied, "No, starting a cult would not be a wise decision." Fair enough. She also asked what people were saying about her behind her back, then quipped, "I already know what you guys say about me." Fox News reported that people were saying "positive things" about her behind her back, to which she sarcastically responded: " Please."
View on TikTok
Since every trend Julia Fox touches goes viral, it wasn't long before TikTok users started flocking to stores to try out the machine for themselves. If you search the term "Co-Star machine" on the app, you'll see a lot of New Yorkers getting their own readings. Because I'm easily influenced, I also have to keep up.
When I arrived there were already two people in front of me waiting to use the device - such is the power of Julia Fox for you. When it was my turn, the screen asked me to choose between self, love, expression, social, or work reading. There are at least a dozen questions for each section; under "Self," you can ask things like "Who am I really?", "Am I the protagonist?" and "What are my red flags?" while " Love” offers questions like “Will I find love?” ? ", "Do they like me too? ”, and “Should I text my ex?” "?
Expressions feature questions like "How do I let them down gently?" and "What's the truth that I've been ignoring?" while the "social" section is used to examine questions including, "What kind of people do I fit in with?" ” and “ Where can I find community? ”. Finally, "Work" includes all the typical questions you'd expect, such as "Should I quit my job?", "Is this the right career for me?" and "Should I become a DJ?"
First, I asked the machine: “Who am I really?” — a simple question that certainly didn’t fill me with existential dread. I entered all the information needed to access my birth chart, the machine gave me the option to take a photo, and then the device ejected a receipt paper with the answers to my questions printed on it.
The device told me that I was a "complex individual with many layers, constantly evolving and growing." It analyzed my horoscope and told me that my strong Aquarius influence showed a "desire for innovation and individuality. ”, while the Cancer Sun and Venus in the 9th house highlight “the desire to cultivate and explore higher knowledge.” I'm not sure if any of this is actually accurate, but I've been told that I also have a "strong need for structure and practicality in communication," which is absolutely true. This machine also reminds me that “success is not always within my control” and that I shouldn’t be afraid to start over and try new things. To be honest, this is what I really needed to hear.
Next, I asked another innocuous question that I definitely hadn’t spent all day thinking about: “Am I the protagonist?” The machine responded, without any hesitation, “No, you’re not the protagonist.”
If that doesn't sting enough, the device goes further: "Your belief that you need to be the protagonist may stem from a desire for recognition or a fear of being ignored." Ouch. It continued to give me a deeper understanding of why I wasn't the protagonist and connected it to the 3rd and 4th houses in my birth chart, but the damage to my ego had been done.
By the way, if you don't know the exact time you were born, the machine will default to noon, and while your answer won't be as specific, the information will be more or less the same. I asked the machine if it should launch the substack twice, once with my birth time and once without. While they all told me not to do it, the less specific response told me that "it's important to take a step back and evaluate your desire for independence," while the more specific response shared that I might feel "frustrated and unable to make [me of] innovative visions become reality” and within the next two weeks, Mercury will be in my natal Uranus.
While some of the answers stung more than I wanted - being told to "focus on how [I] react to others rather than trying to control them" felt like a punch to the gut - this The machine is basically like a simulated version of what the app does and I love playing with it. It's unclear how long this device will last, so if you want to test your birth chart (and your feelings), you'll need to get to a store ASAP.
