More and more people are turning to metaphysics for answers in the face of life’s challenges. In a live stream on a metaphysical platform at 11 PM, Zhang Yifan was busy reviewing a girl’s five-element chart, addressing her queries ranging from career advancement to romantic prospects. After a half hour of discussion, he ended their call and bid farewell to the dozens of viewers still tuned in.
However, there were seven more people waiting in the queue. Messages flooded the screen, with viewers pleading, “I’ve been waiting for days, teacher,” and “I just need five minutes, please.” They were reluctant to let Zhang Yifan leave, hoping for their turn to connect with him. Last time, what started as a brief five-minute chat turned into thirty minutes.
This scene was reflective of a growing trend. The live-streamed platform operates nearly around the clock, with users posing a variety of questions: “What does my career look like?” “Will my husband get a promotion?” “How can I escape my in-laws’ nagging?” “Is there a chance for me and my ex-boyfriend?” “Will my next job be better?”
To find answers, people are willing to pay per minute—a few dollars to even tens of dollars—to have streamers analyze their birth charts, zodiac signs, and destiny. When careers stall, they look to the future for a glimmer of hope; when marriages face cracks and experience emotional abuse, they turn to metaphysics to divine their partner’s thoughts; when business struggles arise, the first call is often to a fortune teller for advice on modifying luck.
In these late-night sessions, various forms of confusion and pain are met with comforting, albeit pricey, insights. Some users become so absorbed in the practice that they end up spending thousands, while others see a business opportunity, flooding into the metaphysical industry after only minimal training.
Han Jiajia, a frequent user of a metaphysical platform, remarked that many turn to mystical practices when science fails to provide clarity. After graduating, she found solace in fortune-telling, starting with free resources to merely understand herself. As her own life complications arose—stemming from a lackluster job in the arts—she began to seek paid consultations to learn about better opportunities.
Her experiences with fortune-tellers have shown a consistent pattern: they often provide optimistic interpretations, offering “blind encouragement” that makes it easier for people to believe in possibilities beyond their current reality. Zhang Yifan, a fortune-teller himself, believes this mentality stems from a desire to seek external validation instead of addressing internal truths.
However, even fortune-tellers encounter issues of their own, leading them to seek guidance elsewhere. He Li, also a fortune-teller, shared her own experiences of spending extravagantly on consultations, at times consulting multiple streamers in one night, seeking immediate comfort rather than facing reality.
The reliance on metaphysics often leads individuals into looped dependency. Han Jiajia noted that after a year of intense engagement, she was regularly seeking advice, only to find herself deeper in uncertainty about her original concerns, often focusing on the same queries regarding relationships.
In her personal journey, she discovered that the streamers acted as emotional outlets, allowing users to express their feelings without fear of judgment—creating a dynamic where paid conversations substitute for genuine dialogue with friends.
On one occasion, after a popular family member inquired about her savings, she realized she had spent over $3,000 on metaphysical consultations—money she typically would have used for more tangible goods.
Yet this fascination with metaphysic interpretations often springs from a lack of understanding, as Yan Ge discovered during her college years. Following a trend, she began seeking compatibility assessments before entering relationships, often spending considerable amounts for reassurance, which led to a spiral of anxiety when negative predictions emerged.
The phenomenon isn’t merely about seeking clarity but reflects deeper psychological issues. Fortune-teller He Li explained that many problems they encounter often conclude back to psychological struggles, with the fortune teller serving more as a mediator rather than a provider of absolute clarity.
The high costs associated with psychological therapy often lead individuals to metaphysical consultations perceived as more affordable. Han Jiajia pointed out that while both arenas contain individuals of varying skill levels, the price of metaphysical consultations tends to be lower, making it an appealing alternative.
Despite the prevalence of low-quality practitioners in the metaphysical field, the industry continues to grow, drawing both seasoned individuals and newcomers eager to capitalize on the trend. With barriers to entry diminishing—thanks to exam systems that have evolved into a blend of merit and memorization—the market has seen a rise in those merely seeking profit over genuine expertise.
As more platforms emerge, the landscape becomes cluttered with those who falsely proclaim mastery without ever truly understanding the craft. The fast-paced nature of streaming, where income is tied to the number of interactions, encourages some fortune-tellers to provide vague answers or prolong conversations unnecessarily to maximize their earnings.
The conversation about destiny and fortune thus becomes a double-edged sword. While there may be some therapeutic value, the transient comfort it provides can lead to long-term dependency. Han Jiajia acknowledged that people often surrender their autonomy over their lives to these guidance-seeking interactions.
Through their unique prism, fortune-tellers both reflect and magnify human vulnerabilities, yet their role straddles the line between a societal need for understanding and the potential for exploitation as users grapple with their realities.
In the end, the pursuit of answers within the realm of mythology reveals not just individual paths but the wider societal fabric, often intertwining fate with finance, and challenge with commerce.