Acting on "Stars": The Spiritual Dilemma and Relief Strategies of Online Astrology Among College Students
The development of internet communication technologies has broken the spatial and temporal constraints of information dissemination, allowing more individualized modes of identification to flourish among the younger generation, profoundly altering the cognitive patterns and information absorption channels of university students. Relying on internet platforms as communication carriers, the popularity of horoscopes and Tarot card divination has gradually heated up among youth groups. Taking Bilibili—a comprehensive video platform active with young users—as an example, views on the topic of "Tarot" have exceeded 16 million, with some interactive Tarot divination videos reaching as many as 3.921 million plays; views on the topic of "horoscopes" have exceeded 19 million, with total plays surpassing 200 million. Data analysis of demographic profiling via the Baidu Index reveals that among the netizen groups searching for the keyword "horoscope," those aged 19 and under account for 13.77%, while those aged 20 to 29 account for 41.64%. It is evident that youth, primarily represented by university students, are the main demographic interested in horoscope theories. Astrological culture, typified by horoscopes and Tarot, has become prevalent among university students through internet platforms. As a product of digital platforms—a hybrid of Western ideology and internet culture—it exhibits strong nihilistic colors and transcendental characteristics, serving as a significant manifestation of Western cultural infiltration. University students obtain a set of "rationalized rhetorics" regarding their current status or anxious concerns through horoscopes or Tarot divination, providing themselves with psychological solace and spiritual support. This behavior stereotypically attributes the causes of real life to numerology or divine will, guiding students to deconstruct and reconstruct the self in a fragmented manner, thereby leading to a blind worship of online astrology and the belittling and weakening of their own capabilities.
Driven by the dual forces of technological development and globalization, "China's development has entered a period in which strategic opportunities, risks, and challenges coexist, and uncertain and unpredictable factors are increasing. Various 'black swan' and 'gray rhino' [1] events may occur at any time." As an important new force in advancing Chinese-path modernization, the ideals and convictions of university students are vital to national security and national rejuvenation. It is imperative to enhance the vigilance and capacity to prevent and resolve risks related to the ideals and convictions of youth. The Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee emphasized once again "focusing on building a leading socialist culture, adhering to the fundamental system of the guiding position of Marxism in the ideological field, promoting cultural prosperity, and enriching the people's spiritual and cultural life." This is both an effective response to the current challenge where a surge in social information flows impacts the formation and maintenance of individual beliefs, and an important deployment for consolidating university students' Marxist faith and communist ideals and convictions, as well as cultivating "good youth of the New Era who have ideals, dare to take on responsibilities, are capable of enduring hardship, and are willing to struggle." Education on ideals and convictions for university students is a crucial link in implementing the fundamental task of "fostering virtue through education" (立德树人), within which firming up Marxist faith is the key.
I. Research Methods
This study employs a social survey approach primarily using questionnaire surveys and supplemented by interviews, aiming to objectively analyze the multiple manifestations of online astrology obscuring students' ideals and convictions. It proposes targeted suggestions from the perspectives of the students themselves, universities, and society. First, a questionnaire survey was conducted, selecting 2,100 university students (full-time undergraduate, vocational, and master's students) from several universities in Dalian as the survey subjects. The focus was on "The Status of Horoscope and Tarot Divination in the Online Space of University Students." The questionnaire consisted of 25 questions, the first four of which concerned personal information, while the remaining 21 examined the students' level of cognition, emotional attitudes, and behavioral motivations regarding online astrology across the three dimensions of knowing, feeling, and acting (see Table 1).
A total of 2,110 questionnaires were distributed, and 2,100 valid samples were recovered, representing a 95.2% validity rate. The gender structure of the sample was balanced, with males accounting for 48.87% and females 51.13%. Regarding political status, members of the Communist Youth League accounted for 37.86%, Party members for 38.26%, the general masses [2] for 20.58%, and members of democratic parties [3] for 3.28%. In terms of educational background, undergraduates accounted for 95.24% and master’s students for 3.86%, encompassing disciplines in the humanities, sciences, and engineering, which accurately reflects the divination practices and behavioral motivations of the university student group (see Table 2).
Second, an interview method was used to more accurately grasp the true thoughts and psychological needs of students engaging in horoscope and Tarot divination. Between October 2022 and September 2023, 20 university students with typical characteristics were selected for in-depth interviews, including 8 males and 12 females, aged 18 to 24. Respondents were coded using a "number-gender" format, such as "01-F," with "M" used as a suffix for males and "F" for females (see Table 3).
II. An Examination of the Crisis of Online Astrology’s Infiltration into University Students' Ideals and Convictions
Ideals and convictions concern the future direction of university students and serve as the ideological backbone for their growth and success. Their ideals and convictions harbor expectations and pursuits for future careers, social roles, and personal values, profoundly influencing individual value judgments and choices. As four important links in the formation and development of ideals and convictions, "knowing, feeling, willing, and acting" [4] are closely interconnected and profoundly affect the process of forming these beliefs. However, horoscope and Tarot divination, with their deceptiveness, transcendence, and hidden nature, imperceptibly seep into the daily ideological dynamics of students. This easily fosters worship and belief in supra-human forces among students whose worldviews are not yet fully formed, increasing their psychological dependence on "predicting the future" and gradually weakening the internal drive for rational thinking. Online astrology weakens students' spirit of self-reflection and exploration at the level of emotional attitude, and exacerbates their dependence on an illusory future, dismantling their practical actions toward pursuing a beautiful real future. Through rhetorical guidance, it suggests a false sense of "empathy" in students, leading to biases in their value judgments and choices, and putting their ideals and convictions at risk of "calcium deficiency" ("soft bone disease") [5].
(1) Cognitive Dimension: Constructing the Self through Labeled Symbols
Cognition is an important prerequisite for the cultivation of ideals and convictions, concerning the future direction of "belief" and "practice." By means of horoscopes and Tarot divination—which carry metaphysical overtones—university students inspect themselves and look to the future with a strong sense of individualism. In this process, students use the labeled symbols provided by these practices to understand the character, behavior, and fate of themselves and others, using them to perceive and position themselves. First, within the discourse system of horoscopes and Tarot, students use abstract and one-sided language to define themselves, which both erodes their uniqueness and fosters a fragmented way of thinking. When asked, "Do you intentionally do something because of suggestions from horoscopes or Tarot divination?" 7.75% of respondents said "yes," and 50.78% said "sometimes." Furthermore, 53.24% of respondents agreed that "after understanding one's fortune and various characteristics, one can capitalize on strengths and avoid weaknesses"; 40.78% stated that "since coming into contact with horoscope and Tarot tests and learning the results, I have become more convinced that they can test one's fortune." Horoscopes and Tarot utilize abstract and generic descriptions to serve as personality templates, leading the audience, under the inducement of vague definitions, to voluntarily place themselves into different "types." Students believe the sophisticated rhetoric of astrology without doubt, internalizing abstract descriptions of their own character and shaping themselves into the conceptualized self depicted by horoscope definitions, hoping in this way to find a relatively clear self-positioning and personality construction.
Second, Tarot cards are often viewed by practitioners as a magic key to exploring the inner world. Relying on Tarot, students may gain a deeper "understanding" of their emotions, desires, and latent motivations, which in turn affects their cognition of the world. When asked whether horoscope or Tarot divination affects decision-making, 50.78% of respondents believed it "sometimes" does, and 7.75% believed it "does." Once a student finds a point of convergence between the horoscope concept or Tarot divination and themselves, they assume they have indeed caught a glimpse of their future fortune, thereby misleading their judgments and decisions. Third, students who worship horoscopes and Tarot also use them to showcase their personality, seek out like-minded individuals, and label themselves. For example, a person who considers themselves a "Leo" might accept traits like confidence and leadership as self-labels. Horoscopes and Tarot use positive, psychologically suggestive rhetoric to dissolve the students' psychological defenses, creating an illusion of group belonging and spiritual resonance. Labeled linguistic symbols are both a mode of expression that captures typical characteristics—simplifying the complexity and uncertainty of cognition by focusing on commonalities—and a communication method for a group or "circle" (圈层), reflecting collective thinking and quickly closing the distance between interlocutors. Horoscope and Tarot divination aptly utilize these labeled linguistic symbols as a medium of communication, guiding student believers toward self-construction in a fragmented and stereotypical form.
(2) Emotional Dimension: Weakening the Scientific Spirit through Enchanted Worship
Horoscopes and Tarot have a complex and multi-dimensional impact on the ideals and convictions of university students at the emotional level. By providing covert emotional support, they imperceptibly weaken the scientific spirit and become a breeding ground for blind worship of supra-human forces. The scientific spirit and scientific methods are important qualities university students should possess and are the spiritual driving forces for creating a better life. However, indulgence in horoscopes and Tarot is a "superstition" regarding the illusory and the transcendental; it is a departure from the essence of students as a progressive group, shackling them once again in the chains of "enchantment" (巫魅). First, the university stage is the "jointing and earing stage" [6] of life. Students harbor feelings of confusion regarding career planning, academic development, and interpersonal relationships. Astrology takes this opportunity, in the name of predicting the future, to provide a method for alleviating the sense of the unknown and countering anxiety about risks. It becomes their primary tool for exploring and shaping the future, thereby narrowing the possibilities and diversity for students to meet challenges and expand their horizons.
Second, students face heavy pressure from coursework, academics, and employment. Driven by this multiple pressure, they seek psychological solace through astrology, finding interpretations of meaning and experiential value in a fast-paced life. The personality traits and behavioral tendencies described by horoscopes help students feel understood, leading to emotional identification. This sense of identity prompts students to attribute their life reality—from long-term development down to daily fortune—to ordinary yet mysterious divinatory forces. This causes them, during a key period meant for tempering the will and character, to ignore internal self-analysis and fail to sum up experiences and lessons from practice. Finally, university students are at a stage and space where they have left the protection of their original families to study and live alone. When encountering daily problems or life confusion, it is difficult for them to communicate effectively and timely with parents to find ways to resolve issues. This lag or lack of communication also leads to negative emotions that cannot be addressed in time. Consequently, some students may excessively rely on horoscopes and Tarot to guide their emotions and decisions—a situation that can easily affect the development of their independent thinking and self-cognition regarding ideals and convictions. When asked, "What factors do you think lead more people to believe in and follow horoscope and Tarot tests?" the factor "existence of dependence, fluke-seeking, curiosity, and trend-following mentalities" received an average score of 3.51. The operating principle of astrology is to make believers convinced of vague, general summaries, thereby obtaining psychological comfort and achieving a degree of pressure relief. Under this interplay, horoscopes and Tarot may become a form of emotional sustenance, helping students escape real-world problems. However, over-reliance may lead them to ignore practical actions and real challenges, affecting the realization of their ideals and convictions. Faced with the blurred results of divination, students not only find it difficult to identify the truth of information with a critical eye but also spontaneously shroud the results in a veil of mysticism, blindly following the conclusions and lacking vigorous reflection on the relationship between divination and real life.
(3) Behavioral Dimension: Deconstructing Practice through Transcendental Belief
The operational logic of belief in numerology and fate is to construct a theoretical system "according to one's own primary line of belief" that exerts influence over the composition and operation of the universe, world changes and development, and individual destiny. This naturally becomes an important attributional framework for university students regarding their personal fortunes and everything around them. As a form of transcendental belief, the mysterious power of horoscopes and Tarot card divination cannot be proven by empirical facts; at the practice level, it exists in a vacuum. By presetting the outcomes of the subject’s practice during the divination process and drawing conclusions through assertions that cannot be corroborated by scientific laws, it negates the practical agency of the subject. This results in the deconstruction of dialectical materialist methodology and produces complex, hidden harms.
On one hand, horoscopes and Tarot divination exert a strong psychological suggestion, which easily causes a crisis of belief among university students and is detrimental to firming up their ideals and convictions. "When facing some difficult decisions, I choose to refer to the information given by horoscopes and Tarot divination. (05-M)" "To some extent, horoscopes and Tarot divination can give everyone some 'spiritual support' and provide us with some guidance for action. (20-F)" In interviews, most respondents stated that when encountering difficulties, although they believe in their own power, they also refer to the advice given by divination. Ancient astrology has donned the cloak of pragmatism to become a discourse system rich in mystery, focusing on vague narratives of unique individual problems, thereby ignoring the interpretation and summarization of the power of organizations and collectives. Precisely because they are influenced by this discourse system of feudal dross [7], some university students are prone to identifying with distorted discourses, attributing subjective creativity and effort to "mysterious of the mysterious" [8] rhetoric. This further severs the close connection between the collective and the individual, giving rise to some individual students characterized by "exquisite egoism" [9].
On the other hand, horoscopes and Tarot cards may influence the behavioral patterns of university students; for example, certain zodiac signs are considered more inclined toward teamwork, which may affect their performance in team projects. "Paying attention to horoscopes indeed affects my daily life. For example, if the horoscope says my lucky color today is orange and I have a particularly important matter that day, I will deliberately pick out an orange item to wear—and it’s quite effective. Another example is that I am a Cancer, so I really like water signs; if I meet someone who is a water sign, I will give them extra points in my mind at the start (13-F)." Horoscope and Tarot divination are often delicate in language and self-consistent, possessing a "placebo effect." The sense of identification produced when results are accurate is infinitely magnified, while the sense of loss when results are inaccurate is ignored. Based on this, some university students develop a sense of recognition and close connection with horoscopes and Tarot divination on a spiritual level, similar to kinship. 80% of interviewed students stated that after checking the analysis of a divination prediction, they would unconsciously accept the psychological suggestion it transmits. This suggestion has a very strong sense of immersion, likely leading the subject's behavior to develop according to the predicted results, showing a strong coupling between the two; thus, the behavioral outcome will more closely match the predicted result. When university students frequently participate in horoscopes and Tarot divination and repeatedly receive positive feedback, they become more convinced that this behavior can correctly guide their own practice. Over time, this dependency tendency easily distorts the students' original correct worldview, outlook on life, and values. It not only leads to the neglect of individual personality development and a lack of ideals and convictions but is also a manifestation of the alienation [10] of the individual and self-development.
III. A Perspective on the Reasons for Online Astrology's Intervention in University Students' Ideals and Convictions
As the process of the socialist market economy integrating into globalization deepens daily, it is accompanied by the influx of various cultural trends and the infiltration of diverse information. In the era of network information technology, driven by big data and new media, the coexistence of interwoven ideologies may weaken the ideals and convictions of university students; their value judgments and choices face a new situation. Individual students who have not yet formed the capacity for rational judgment are prone to confusion in mainstream value judgments when faced with rich, varied information of mixed quality. Increasingly fierce social competition both causes a sharp increase in psychological pressure and triggers an imbalance in the tension between an individual’s natural rhythm and social time. Seeking solace in horoscopes and Tarot divination is a typical manifestation of university students falling into a dilemma of value judgment. Regarding why divination is popular, academia has already provided theoretical bases from a psychological perspective, such as the Barnum effect and survivorship bias. However, compared to how it is popular, more attention should be paid to the reasons why students favor divination, understanding their psychological state and behavioral motivations from the perspective of the subject.
(1) The Form of Divination: Identity Construction Consistent with Self-Consciousness
Generation Z, also known as the "Internet Generation," refers to the young group born between 1995 and 2009. In terms of material conditions, this group has experienced the rapid development of China's economy since the 1990s and enjoys an affluent material life. In terms of emotional longing, Gen Z has a high proportion of only children who rely on the internet to seek self-conscious identification. In terms of technical conditions, Gen Z was fully "internet-ized" during their adolescence and has been extensively influenced by internet culture. Because the material conditions of Gen Z university students during their growth phase were more affluent than those of previous generations, they place greater importance on high-level spiritual needs. They have a strong demand for self-sculpted identity, pursuing interest circles, emotional appeals, and self-actualization; online astrology happens to coincide with their pursuit of conscious identity construction. From the perspective of communication form, short videos about divination on platforms like Bilibili and Douyin (the Chinese version of TikTok) are generally 3-5 minutes long. Based on different card group interpretations, one can jump directly to the corresponding playback segment, perfectly matching the short-video browsing style of university students. From the perspective of aesthetic form, horoscopes and Tarot cards have different plate patterns; when combined with other art forms, they can derive different card styles, highlighting the unique aesthetic taste of this group. From the perspective of social form, using horoscopes and Tarot divination as a focal point for conversation can extend both online and offline, becoming a focus for student exchange. Originally rooted in medieval religious discourse, horoscopes and Tarot divination have skillfully "transformed" through vague and flexible expressions to become an extension and expression of individual personality, group relationships, and emotional states in modern society. University students will adjust their behavior around personality templates and choice tendencies defined by horoscopes and Tarot. Consequently, in the process of shaping their personalities and daily interactions, they are unconsciously restricted by the expectations and frameworks constructed by the divination system, thereby experiencing an artificial fragmentation in self-perception and social interaction. On one hand, the content of online Tarot divination often triggers fierce discussions in the comment sections of videos. Dividing diviners into three or four groups to "follow the tracks to find the horse" [11] can trigger group resonance, giving them a sense of social presence and identity. On the other hand, in offline social settings, horoscopes and Tarot divination have also become one of the preferred "ice-breaker" topics for university students, quickly narrowing the psychological distance between individuals. The development of internet technology has quietly changed traditional social modes, and the "media landscape" [12]—where it is difficult to distinguish the virtual from the real—is imperceptibly organizing and influencing students' patterns of social interaction. In social topics revolving around horoscopes and Tarot divination, individual self-consciousness is fully manifested. As an emerging representative of internet subculture, horoscope and Tarot divination contain unique social significance among the university student group.
The American scholar Katz proposed "Uses and Gratifications" theory, emphasizing that people use media to satisfy certain needs. The reason horoscopes and Tarot divination can become widely popular among university students lies in their alignment with the social needs of self-identity construction, creating a unique "self-landscape" within the digital social field. On one hand, the self-landscape originates from interpersonal interaction in social engagement. "The production of ideas, of conceptions, of consciousness, is at first directly interwoven with the material activity and the material intercourse of men, the language of real life." [13] The self-knowledge and self-presentation of university students are generated and developed through the interaction between subject and object in social intercourse; they are a direct reflection of the social reality and cultural environment in which they are situated, condensing the interweaving and penetration of self and other. As an emerging form of youth subculture, horoscopes and Tarot divination are flourishing on the internet. University students refine their identity labels of "chasing fashion" and "fitting the trend" through communication within peer groups. On the other hand, the self-landscape is a product of man's social attributes. As a "looking-glass self," the individual imagines their self-image in the eyes of others and imagines others' judgment of this image, thereby forming a certain self-feeling. University students, still in their youth, thirst for recognition and praise from others in social interactions. Horoscope and Tarot divination can both help students alleviate the anxiety of being watched by others and their elusive emotional attitudes, and allow them to build a "vanguard" and "pioneer" social persona based on this. In social interactions involving social media, horoscopes and Tarot divination have become popular emerging topics. Students obtain satisfaction from using the media itself and the context in which the media is used, promoting positive expectations for divination behavior.
(2) The Content of Divination: Social Symbols Highlighting Aesthetic Taste
In the digital media era, the social field of university students has already broken through realistic boundaries and extended to the network. The social functions where the virtual network and the real world are embedded in each other are daily reshaping the social paradigms and interaction modes of the New Era's young university students. Horoscope and Tarot divination are no longer limited to traditional offline modes but are combined with short videos and big data. Using network carriers such as WeChat Public Accounts, Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book), and Douyin, they have transformed into online astrology and derived a series of new social topics. As one of the social topics for contemporary young people, online astrology is a "continuation of social methods and has now become a new type of social channel." In the survey, when asked "What is your reason for using horoscope and Tarot divination?", 24.47% of respondents explicitly stated "to expand social scope and find social topics." Horoscope and Tarot divination expand the topics and methods of socializing. The behaviors of young university students as audiences—liking, forwarding, and commenting on content related to divination on the internet—while seemingly independent actions based on individual will, are essentially social modes of intercourse with social attributes, extending the students' social field from reality into cyberspace. Taking horoscope divination as an example, various horoscope bloggers on the internet have different personality interpretations and fortune analyses for different signs, which can even be detailed down to the year, month, week, and day. Different signs have different personalities: water signs are delicate, fire signs are passionate, and air signs are changeable. In the process of receiving this information, students build their social images, shape their aesthetic tastes, and establish virtual social relationships that fit their personalities and interests. The behavior of horoscope and Tarot divination is essentially a way for university students to help dispel anxiety, release pressure, and express themselves. Students use these subcultural behaviors to shape themselves and highlight their individuality; by finding common ground in topics, they achieve the goal of integrating into the collective and escaping the sense of insecurity of being alienated from the group.
Online astrology serves as a social signifier through which university students showcase their aesthetic tastes; it functions more as an "online pass" for the virtual social spaces of youth, unconsciously revealing a tendency toward group differentiation. Only by mastering these prevailing social symbols can students better integrate into the collective, alleviate identity anxiety, and prove their existence to others. On one hand, students achieve discourse production and emotional exchange through the vocabulary of online astrology. Emotional experience is a vital aspect of faith; any form of belief necessarily involves an affective experience toward the object of faith. On the other hand, students use these popular social symbols to display their identity characteristics, striving to highlight their personalized and unique existence. The German-based scholar Byung-Chul Han argues: "The main function of 'friends' in social networks is to enhance the individual's narcissistic self-feeling. They constitute an applauding audience that provides attention to the self, while the self displays itself like a commodity." In the context of "cyber-faith," the purpose of a student's self-existence is no longer to produce a connection with the Other; instead, the purpose of interaction between individuals is merely self-display and the confirmation of self-worth. The popularity of online astrology has become a symbolic decoding [14] exclusive to the youth student group, used to verify one another's social identities, thereby achieving a commonality of meaning and emotional connection. Online astrology enters the daily lives of university students disguised in a cloak that closely fits youth culture. While it appears to be a network subculture for entertainment and leisure, it is actually a concentrated expression of the interweaving of diverse social trends such as neoliberalism, nihilism, and modern cynicism. When these social trends—which disguise themselves as trendy public opinion and deliberately cater to the psychology of the youth—integrate with entertainment cultures such as horoscopes and tarot divination, the act of online astrology ceases to be a pastime for seeking solace. Instead, it becomes a value expression containing political viewpoints and ideological concepts, rewriting the content of students' lives and their modes of existence.
(3) The Purpose of Divination: A Buffer Channel for Relieving Psychological Pressure In a rapidly changing socio-cultural environment, time anxiety has swept through individual lives, becoming a representative social mentality in contemporary China. Meritocracy defines efficiency and diligence as the secrets to success, leading to a marked tendency toward social involution [15]. Byung-Chul Han posits that "contemporary society has transitioned from a disciplinary society to an achievement society... the excess of work and performance intensifies until it develops into a kind of self-exploitation," where social subjects, based on a belief in self-perfection, willingly exploit themselves. University students raised in this cultural atmosphere are unconsciously driven by this motivation into the whirlpool of involution. The current state of student divination presents as "being obsessed without believing" (迷而不信). Seeking out horoscopes and tarot divination mixes multiple psychological states—anxiety, aspiration, confusion, and hesitation—and refers to the realistic dilemmas and existential conditions of contemporary youth during an era of transformation. University students, who are currently in the "jointing and earing stage" [16] of their development, have not had their Marxist ideals and convictions subjected to rigorous practical testing. Consequently, they are more easily attracted by the illusory rhetoric of divination, choosing to place their feelings in ethereal numinous beliefs to seek spiritual sustenance and psychological comfort. The negative pressure responses accompanying fierce social competition are important reasons why students turn to numinous beliefs for psychological solace, using illusory faith to dissolve the spiritual pangs suffered in reality. University students ought to uphold the scientific spirit and maintain a negative attitude toward horoscopes and tarot divination; however, surveys manifest that most students harbor varying degrees of enthusiasm for them. "Tarot and horoscopes have played a major role in regulating my own mentality; many of their divinatory interpretations allow me to face many difficulties in life positively (12-F)." Time anxiety has become a group emotion among students. To regulate their individual natural rhythmic time and bring it back into balance with social time, students choose horoscopes and tarot divination as a medium to release internal pressure and harmonize the uncertainties of the future through a form of foreknowledge.
Time has gradually imprinted a brand of rule and order upon people's lives, work, and studies, which in turn triggers individual time anxiety. Under the influence of technological forces, time is no longer merely a measure for individuals to record the passage of days or arrange their actions; rather, it has closely integrated with mechanical apparatuses to evolve into instrumental rationality, becoming a performance tool for capital to measure efficiency. Students long to use time efficiently to realize their life ideals, which intensifies their internal time anxiety and makes the wasting of time unbearable. Online astrology simplifies traditional horoscope and tarot divination—which are time-consuming and involve tedious procedures—into online versions. This not only simplifies the process and saves time and effort but also transcends the limits of time and space, allowing believers to obtain results more quickly. Online astrology both targets the time anxiety of students and effectively expresses their involutionary pressure. This pressure stems not only from the high intensity of competition but also from their perception that high-intensity individual effort does not necessarily correlate with higher life achievements, leading them to turn toward a passive resistance characterized by emotional venting. Under the pressure of an involutionary society, students need normal channels for decompression and healing to obtain spiritual solace. Online astrology, represented by horoscopes and tarot, has emerged as a "substitute" in the absence of a buffer mechanism for stress reduction. The vast majority of interviewed students also clearly stated that they know seeking help from metaphysics is not the best choice, nor will it necessarily provide certain answers; they simply hope to receive a warm consolation amidst pressure and struggle, gaining the motivation to continue striving.
IV. Strategies for De-masking the Myth of University Students' Ideals and Convictions in the New Era Research has found that online astrology, with its simple and fast format, content that fits the daily lives of students, and its utility in alleviating anxiety, satisfies students' social and emotional needs to a certain extent. Students use horoscopes and tarot divination to perceive themselves and find the answer to "who am I"; they use it to communicate with peers, establish intimate relationships, and express their aspirations and pursuits for a better life. It is worth noting that students, whose worldviews, outlooks on life, and values are not yet mature, find it difficult to properly grasp the direction and scale of horoscope and tarot divination. They are prone to losing themselves in mysterious forces, risks such as disregarding practical agency or even shaking their Marxist faith. In view of this, the subcultural phenomenon of horoscope and tarot divination popular among students requires high levels of importance and continuous attention. It is necessary to constantly monitor the developmental trends of this phenomenon and strengthen directional guidance; more importantly, it is necessary to deeply reflect on the reasons for its emergence. We must apply force at the source by strengthening atheistic propaganda and education as well as education on ideals and convictions, achieving the "disenchantment" and "de-masking" [17] of their engagement with horoscopes and tarot.
(1) Improving the "Full-Chain" System of Atheistic Propaganda and Education As the theoretical cornerstone and important foothold of Marxism, atheistic propaganda and education is a vital way to strengthen the Marxist faith, ideals, and convictions of university students. The reason students are trapped in the spiritual predicament of online astrology is that a myth has emerged in their ideals and convictions, specifically manifested as a weak atheistic worldview. Therefore, the erroneous perceptions of subcultures like horoscopes and tarot should be corrected. On the basis of implementing the fundamental task of "fostering virtue through education" (立德树人), we must strengthen education on Marxist materialism and atheism [18], organically integrating atheistic propaganda and education into the content of Ideological and Political Theory Courses (思政课). This will achieve continuous effort and constant improvement across the entire chain and every link of atheistic education. As the main channel for "cultivating the roots and soul, enlightening wisdom and nourishing the heart," university Ideological and Political courses cover all grades. Integrating atheistic education into these courses in a step-by-step manner with different emphases is a necessary move following the laws of education. In the "Ideological and Moral Cultivation and the Rule of Law" course, the spiritual core of Marxist atheism can be integrated; for example, in connection with the first chapter, "Understanding the True Meaning of Life and Grasping the Direction of Life," topics can be set to refute the passive escapism inherent in theism, focusing on guiding students at the start of university to "button the first button of life" [19] correctly and paint a brilliant life through hard work. In the "Outline of Modern and Contemporary Chinese History" course, the basic process of the Sinicization of Marxist atheism can be integrated, introducing the important principles and strategies of the CPC regarding atheistic education, as well as the significant achievements in leading the people to break through feudal superstitions during the revolutionary process. While emphasizing dialectical materialism and historical materialism in the "Basic Principles of Marxism" course, the positions, viewpoints, and methods of Marxist atheism should be integrated. Specifically, based on knowledge such as "Idealism and Materialism" and "Social Consciousness," discussions can be expanded to the essence, function, and social origins of religion, helping students analyze the illusory nature of modern theism like online astrology and piercing the spiritual mist of theism with firm Marxist faith. In the "Introduction to Mao Zedong Thought and the Theoretical System of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics" course, the theoretical policies of the Chinese socialist theoretical system regarding religion and atheism can be further elaborated, helping students clarify the paradoxes between online astrology and the policy of freedom of religious belief. The "Introduction to Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era" course can focus on "Development of Socialist Culture," making it clear to students that strengthening the research and propaganda of scientific atheism is an important part of strengthening socialist ideology. In the "Situation and Policy" course, the reality of students' interest in horoscopes and tarot can be combined with a thorough interpretation of the atheistic knowledge and ideological risks involved, increasing the group's vigilance against theism such as online astrology. Furthermore, atheistic education should be deepened in graduate-level Ideological and Political courses to promote the consistency and integration of teaching goals and educational effects, making students increasingly firm in Marxist materialism and atheism. As the philosophical foundation of the core socialist value system, Marxist atheism emphasizes spiritual health, optimism, and interpersonal harmony. It is not only a form of materialism that opposes idealism and criticizes theism, but it also reflects a positive life attitude of pursuing a beautiful life. Promoting its entry into the Ideological and Political classroom in a way that is accessible, profound, and substantive is an effective and targeted strategy to alleviate the current situation where students seek self-discovery, identity manifestation, and pressure relief through online astrology.
(2) Strengthening the Subjectivity of University Students' Ideals and Convictions
Establishing a scientific and correct faith is an essential requirement for the growth and success of contemporary university students. Only by grounding themselves in a firm Marxist faith, and by proceeding with a dual commitment to dialectical rational thinking and the promotion of a practical scientific spirit, can university students truly mature into the builders and successors of the cause of a strong, modern socialist country. The essence of strengthening the subjecthood of university students in the process of ideal and belief education is to stimulate their subjective initiative, enhancing the firmness of their ideals and beliefs by cultivating rational thinking. Current ideal and belief education for university students urgently needs to reverse situations of inadequacy and inefficiency through the strengthening of subjecthood. It must respect the specific characteristics of ideal and belief education and unify them with the internal requirements of students' spiritual development to be feasible and effective. Realizing the enhancement of the subjecthood of university students' ideals and beliefs requires not only promoting disenchantment at the cognitive level and the "unconcealment" of value judgments, but more importantly, ensuring that Marxism truly "enters the brain and enters the heart." Ideal and belief education must consolidate its theoretical foundation and arm the youth with the Party's scientific theories.
As the subjects of faith, university students must strengthen a Marxist atheist worldview, clearly recognize the narcotic and pseudo-scientific nature of horoscopes and Tarot divination, and achieve a disenchantment [20] toward them. General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out that knowing the truth, mastering the truth, believing in the truth, and defending the truth are the spiritual prerequisites for strengthening ideals and beliefs. The reason university students are deluded by horoscopes and Tarot divination lies in their inability to view such chaotic phenomena scientifically and rationally. In response, we must take Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as the helm and the Party's scientific theories as the directional guide to help students arm their minds with truth and guide their practice. From a scientific perspective, students must persist in Marxist atheism, correctly understand the cultural origins of horoscopes and Tarot, and clarify that these cultural phenomena are merely numerological beliefs arising from the ignorance [21] inherent in the process of human historical development, rather than absolute truths capable of predicting the future or defining personality.
When youth possess lofty ideals and firm beliefs, they become an invincible forward force for a country and a nation. University students must persist in the scientific spirit, consciously take dialectical materialism as their guide, and clarify the spiritual guidance and intrinsic power of Marxist faith. Their understanding of Marxist faith should be manifested both at the theoretical level through an intellectual exposition of its principles, and at the practical level by taking sublime faith as their value orientation. As a significant component of subculture, horoscopes and Tarot divination are deceptive and serve as cultural tools for Western ideological infiltration. The fatalistic views they transmit deny the Marxist view of practice and negate the initiative of the practical subject; fundamentally, they are variant manifestations of historical nihilism and idealism. Strengthening the subjecthood of university students' ideals and beliefs is a project that requires persisting over the long term. Students must maintain a heart of "watchfulness when alone" [22], constantly "wiping the dust" [23] from their spiritual emotions, will, and behavior to ensure their ideals and beliefs remain unsullied.
(3) Strengthening the construction of ideal and belief education in universities
As the primary task of ideological and political work in universities, ideal and belief education involves multi-dimensional and multi-level content, including public opinion management, the learning atmosphere, and campus culture. As General Secretary Xi Jinping has stated, the establishment of ideals and beliefs is a rational choice rather than a momentary impulse; simple, raw emotions are far from enough—there must be the support of deep theoretical faith, otherwise one will waver at the slightest disturbance. In the process of improving the construction of ideal and belief education, universities should persist in taking Marxism as the guiding ideology. They should balance theoretical indoctrination with practical guidance, and focus on combining cultural immersion with scientific promotion. This aims to achieve the dual development of ideological leadership and behavioral guidance, enabling students to consciously "sublate" [24] the decadent ideas inherent in horoscopes and Tarot divination and avoid the erosion and poisoning of harmful social trends.
Universities must implement the concepts of individualization and "lifeworld-integration" in atheist publicity and education. By strengthening spiritual and cultural leadership, they can help students establish a proactive attitude toward life and avoid significant psychological gaps caused by the discrepancy between reality and ideals. General Secretary Xi Jinping encouraged youth to "be diligent in learning, sensitive in seeking knowledge, focus on internalizing what they have learned, and form their own insights; they should both specialize and read widely, while also caring for the country, the people, and the world, learning to shoulder social responsibilities." Facing the pressures of academics and employment, university students with little life experience lack psychological preparation and inevitably feel daunted; this is an important reason for the prevalence of "horoscope and Tarot fever" on campuses. Based on this, universities should not blindly criticize or blame students for being trapped in a spiritual predicament of nihilism and superstition. Instead, they should always care for and cherish the growth of students, providing technical guidance and preventive training to help them release psychological pressure.
Universities must build a "community of ideal and belief education" and give full play to synergistic forces in education. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "We must make good use of the 'Great Ideological and Political Course' [25]; such courses should be taught not only in the classroom but also in social life." Universities must utilize synergistic forces to construct this education community, working to strengthen the role of traditional classroom teaching as an educational carrier while reasonably developing the practical educational functions of the "second classroom" [26]. They should autonomously select appropriate knowledge points of Marxist atheism for "integrated" education, fully integrating the small ideological and political classroom into the large social classroom. This will enhance the comprehensive influence and individual resonance of ideal and belief education, helping students reach a high level of value identification through the intermingling of perceptual and rational knowledge. By experiencing practice firsthand, university students can comprehend the spiritual qualities of the Great Ideal of Communism and the Common Ideal of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics. This allows them to temper their "ambition, backbone, and confidence" [27], soberly perceive the "beautiful" illusions created by horoscopes and Tarot, and correct the malformed perceptions caused by Western social trends and ideological infiltration, thereby ensuring they cherish ideals, unify knowledge with action, and apply what they have learned.
(4) Creating a favorable atmosphere for ideal and belief education
The ideals and beliefs of university students are closely related to the educational environment. A favorable environment for ideal and belief education helps guide them through immersion to consolidate the foundation of their beliefs, allowing them to forge ahead amidst complex risks and challenges. As "the ideals and beliefs of youth concern the future of the nation," the whole of society should work together to create a favorable atmosphere. This involves vigorously promoting the two pillars of spiritual civilization—Marxist faith education and Core Socialist Values—and combining ideal and belief education with the comprehensive development of students. This synergy should guide them to form elegant aesthetic tastes, pursue a healthy spiritual life, and grow into "good youth of the New Era" who have ideals, dare to shoulder responsibilities, can endure hardship, and are willing to struggle. By persisting in taking Core Socialist Values as the guide for social trends in the New Era and consolidating Marxist faith, students will not lose their direction or their foundation.
Core Socialist Values are both the condensation of the values of socialism with Chinese characteristics and the concentrated expression of the contemporary Chinese spirit, embodying the common value pursuits of all the people. Their twenty-four-character essence [28] outlines the moral requirements and practical standards for Chinese youth. The Report to the 20th National Congress of the CPC pointed out: "We will take Core Socialist Values as our guide and develop advanced socialist culture." Horoscopes and Tarot divination discuss meaning and interpret fortunes in the name of subculture; however, the Western ideology and harmful social trends they imply are embedded within the process and results-orientation of the divination act. On one hand, in real life, society should vigorously promote the guiding role of Core Socialist Values to help students resist the invasion of backward social trends, ensuring they remain firm in Marxist faith and atheist concepts. This allows them to keep their eyes sharp, stand the test, and resist temptation when facing such harmful ideological and cultural infiltration.
On the other hand, in cyberspace, as "digital natives," the daily lives and ideological dynamics of university students are closely linked to internet information. Creating a "clean and upright" [29] cyberspace helps to subtly guide students in strengthening their ideals and beliefs. When trapped within the "information cocoons" created by algorithmic recommendations, students who click on a link related to horoscopes or Tarot may be overwhelmed by similar pushes, sinking deeper into the mire. Furthermore, "many people, especially young people, basically do not watch mainstream media and obtain most of their information from the internet. We must face this fact." To address this, we should actively master and apply the laws of network communication to dissolve the exclusionary effects of information cocoons, striving to present more positive mainstream voices and healthy, advanced culture within students' online vision. We must extend the publicity and education of atheism into network services and culture, occupying the "online high ground" with Core Socialist Values and purifying the network environment with communist ideals to help students resist the invasion of decadent ideologies.
V. Conclusion
Due to length constraints, this article cannot fully and accurately reflect the entire situation, but it nonetheless allows one to "glimpse the whole panther through a single spot" [30] regarding the emotional attitudes and behavioral choices of New Era university students regarding horoscopes and Tarot divination. The investigation found that many university students are "obsessed but do not believe" (迷而不信) in these practices, viewing them as daily entertainment. They clearly realize that horoscopes or Tarot cannot accurately predict the future, yet they yearn to use the guidance of numerology to focus on their inner feelings. Their purpose in divination is to dissipate uncertainty and insecurity about the future.
Living in an "involutionary" [31] society, university students face fierce competition between the self and others, leading to immense psychological pressure. They both harbor doubts about whether they can properly predict and respond to changes in the external world and worry they will fail to adapt to the accelerated pace of society, resulting in a state of "lagging development." Students fear losing themselves in the wave of competition and becoming "one-dimensional men" driven by capital. When their normal desires for development remain unsatisfied for a long time, they feel a strong sense of frustration and psychological burden, thus using the power of "metaphysics" to alleviate their "growing pains."
Although university students can consciously analyze the emotional colors and value orientations inherent in online astrology, we must not relax our vigilance or regard this simply as a harmless subculture. Using horoscopes and Tarot as a spiritual anchor to seek psychological balance in a competitive field is an attempt to resolve the contradiction between personal development and social reality. However, "all social life is essentially practical" [32]; the interpretations given by Tarot or horoscopes are mere "flowers in a mirror or the moon in water" [33]—illusions. Each generation has its own "Long March"; such escapist coping mechanisms are not only unhelpful for students in exercising their subjective initiative to overcome complex problems on the path to success but are also easily exploited by those with ulterior motives. Such practices can be guided by harmful Western social trends to shake students' ideals, beliefs, and Marxist faith. Given this, students, universities, and society must work together to guide students in discerning social trends, strengthening their Marxist faith and the Common Ideal of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics, and persisting in rational thinking and practical action to illuminate the road ahead with the light of truth.