Chani Nicholas

Chani Nicholas (pronounced /tʃæni/; born 1975)[1] is a Canadian astrologer. She weaves progressive politics, activism, and queer identity into her work. Her first book, You Were Born For This: Astrology for Radical Acceptance, was released by HarperCollins on January 7, 2020.[2][3]

Chani Nicholas
Born
British Columbia, Canada
NationalityCanadian
Occupationastrologer
Years active2011-present
Notable work
You Were Born For This: Astrology for Radical Acceptance (2020)
Spouse(s)Sonya Passi

Early life and education

Nicholas was born and raised in British Columbia, Canada.[1] She became interested in astrology when she was 12 after her first astrology reading.

At age 20, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting.[2] After deciding to leave the industry, she enrolled at the California Institute of Integral Studies where she completed her bachelor's degree. During this time, she began to study feminists such as bell hooks and grew her interest in social justice.[2]

Career

Nicholas began her career by writing a weekly astrology newsletter to friends and family in 2011.[4] As her audience grew, she created a blog where she continued to write horoscopes and charged for astrology related-classes. She has continued to build a following through social media by posting humorous memes to her Instagram account.[5] She has supported herself financially through her work since 2014.[4] It was not until meeting her wife, Sonya Passi, that Nicholas turned her astrology work and readings into a full-time business. Nicholas stated in an interview on The Advocate's LGBTQ&A podcast, "When I got married and my wife said, 'What are you doing? You could actually turn this into a business.'"[6] As of 2017, at least 12,000 customers had paid for one of her classes.[4] Her blog attracts approximately one million regular visitors.[1]

Her work and writing includes progressive values and speaks to marginalized communities such as queer and trans people.[7][8] Nicholas also weaves current events into her astrological readings and encourages her social media followers to take political action, such as contacting the FCC about Net Neutrality.[2]

Other work

Nicholas appeared on the fourteenth episode of the Netflix series Explained, "Astrology".[9] Her interpretation of Drake's album Scorpion was published in The Atlantic,[10] and she is the "resident astrologer" on Oprah Magazine's website.[11]

Her first book, You Were Born For This: Astrology for Radical Acceptance was released by HarperCollins on January 7, 2020. In an interview with KCRW, Nicholas stated that she hoped to "write a book that would help people access the wisdom of their chart so that they could more quickly align with living out their purpose. And so that we could all be, again, more quickly of service to the world."[12] The book debuted at #8 on the New York Times Best Seller list.[13]

In December 2020, Nicholas launched an iPhone app called CHANI.[14] Users can get a full birth chart reading, attend monthly workshops, listen to meditations, and receive personalized, daily astrology information.[15]

Personal life

Nicholas is married to Sonya Passi, the founder of Freefrom, a national organization working to financially empower survivors of domestic violence.[16] They reside in Los Angeles.[1]

Works
  • You Were Born For This: Astrology for Radical Acceptance (2020), HarperCollins; ISBN 9780062840653

References
  1. "Astrologer Chani Nicholas doesn't care if you approve of her". Los Angeles Times. 2017-01-01. Retrieved 2020-01-04.
  2. Igneri, Ariana (2018-06-01). "Meet the Woman Bringing Social Justice to Astrology". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2020-01-04.
  3. Zraick, Karen (2019-03-14). "Mercury Is in Retrograde. Don't Be Alarmed". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-01-04.
  4. "In 2017, We Have Questions. Does Astrology Have The Answers?". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved 2020-01-04.
  5. Hanra, Hanna (2018-07-26). "feeling a total eclipse of the heart? this astrologer will help". i-D. Retrieved 2020-01-04.
  6. "Chani Nicholas Explains Why Queer People Love Astrology". www.advocate.com. 2020-01-07. Retrieved 2020-09-29.
  7. Sicardi, Arabelle. "How Chani Nicholas Became the Queer Community's Favorite Astrologer". them. Retrieved 2020-01-04.
  8. "'LGBTQ&A' Podcast With Chani Nicholas, Your Favorite Astrologer". www.advocate.com. 2018-09-21. Retrieved 2020-01-04.
  9. Schapitl, Lexie (2018-08-09). "Astrology has almost no science to back it up. But people love it anyway". Vox. Retrieved 2020-01-04.
  10. Giorgis, Hannah (2018-07-03). "Drake's 'Scorpion,' as Explained by an Astrologer and an Entomologist". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2020-01-04.
  11. "Finding Meaning In The Stars: Astrologer Chani Nicholas On Why More People Are Turning To Their Horoscopes". www.wbur.org. Retrieved 2020-01-04.
  12. "Putting you in charge of your astrology chart | KCRW Features". KCRW. 2020-01-03. Retrieved 2020-01-04.
  13. "Advice, How-To & Miscellaneous Books - Best Sellers - Jan. 26, 2020 - The New York Times". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  14. Gulino, Elizabeth. "The Great Conjunction Is Almost Here, & It Will Change Everything". www.refinery29.com. Retrieved 2020-12-28.
  15. "The CHANI App". chaninicholas.com. Retrieved 2020-12-28.
  16. "Sonya Passi: A New Approach To Empowering Domestic Violence Survivors". www.advocate.com. 2018-09-14. Retrieved 2020-09-29.
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