When investing in cryptocurrencies meets mysticism: the desperate search for certainty in chaos

In the cryptocurrency market, something extraordinary is happening. An app called “Life K-line” took Twitter by storm on December 13: by entering birth data, artificial intelligence generates a K-line chart representing 100 years of life, with red and green candles depicting personal fortune trends. In three days, the site surpassed 300,000 API requests, with 3.3 million views on the launch tweet. But here’s the most fascinating detail: within 24 hours, an imitation token appeared. This collective reaction is not random—it reveals a uncomfortable truth about the behavior of cryptocurrency investors.

How Esotericism Became a Trading Strategy

Occultism in trading is not new. W.D. Gann, one of the most famous analysts of the 20th century, combined astrology and technical analysis, while George Soros admitted to assessing market risks based on the intensity of his back pain. On Wall Street, however, these practices remained hidden, considered unprofessional if made public.

In the crypto sector, the taboo has been broken. Those practicing cryptocurrency investing today openly discuss how the birth chart of Bitcoin (January 3, 2009) influences market cycles, how Mercury retrograde causes crashes, or how today’s horoscope guides decisions to open positions. A crypto astrologer with 51,000 followers claims to have predicted the December 2017 peak, the 2022 bear market, and Bitcoin’s 2024 high using planetary cycles. Numerous influencers have emerged on Twitter, building their reputation entirely on esoteric analyses. This is not a marginal phenomenon—it has become mainstream.

Why False Certainty Is Preferable to True Uncertainty

Crypto investors face a brutal environment: markets open 24/7, extreme volatility, unknown risks. A single tweet can wipe out billions in capitalization; project founders can disappear overnight. Economist Frank Knight in 1921 defined the crucial distinction: risk is quantifiable (like a die), uncertainty is unknown and unquantifiable. Humans fear uncertainty more than risk itself.

Esotericism offers an elegant solution: it creates a “false certainty.” When fundamental analysis collapses and value investing becomes a joke, an astrological forecast at least provides an answer—a direction, even if invented. A 2006 study from the University of Michigan found that stock returns during a full moon are 6.6% lower than during a new moon, not because the moon truly influences markets, but because collective superstition influences human behavior. If enough traders believe that “a full moon will bring crashes,” they will sell prematurely, and the crash will actually happen.

In the context of crypto investing, this collective anxiety is even more intense during bear markets. Esotericism offers psychological relief—a simple explanation when all others seem fragmented and uncertain.

Cognitive Bias Turns Coincidences into Confirmations

Esotericism continues to seem to “work” not because it is precise, but because the human brain is extraordinarily capable of self-deception. Confirmation bias is the main mechanism: if you believe that “a full moon will cause a crash,” you will remember every crash after a full moon and ignore the days when the market rose or remained stable.

Those practicing crypto investing and following astrological predictions attribute every small rally to “the birth chart coming true” and explain crashes as “temporary corrections in the broader trend.” On Twitter, traders who have profited from tarot readings post triumphantly—“I followed the tarot and went long on Ethereum, +20% in three days!”—while those who lost remain silent. In the community’s information flow, successes of esotericism are amplified while failures disappear.

The vagueness of esotericism makes it, paradoxically, invincible. If you don’t trade during Mercury retrograde and still lose, it’s your fault for not listening. If you gain, your birth chart was “special and suited for reversals.” Any result can be reinterpreted as confirmation. This mechanism makes esotericism impossible to disprove rationally.

The Community Space Where Esotericism Thrives

There is an additional level: esotericism has become a social currency. Discussing technical analysis generates disagreements and conflicts; talking about esotericism creates empathy. “Is your life K-line accurate?” has no “right” or “wrong” answer—it is universally accessible, without technical or professional barriers.

A Pew survey in 2025 found that 28% of American adults consult astrologers, tarot readers, or fortune-tellers at least once a year. Esotericism is not a marginal culture—it is a widespread psychological need. In the crypto world, this need has simply shifted from private practice to public display. When you say in the Telegram group, “Today Mercury is retrograde, I won’t open positions,” no one accuses you of irrationality; instead, others reply, “Me too, let’s avoid this wave together.” This interaction confirms that everyone’s anxiety is legitimate and shared.

The Comfort Behind the Destiny Chart

The real reason for the boom of the “Life K-line” is that it expresses what every trader thinks but is afraid to admit: the control we believe we have over the market is as fragile as the control over destiny. When your K-line indicates a bear market, you won’t actually liquidate all your positions. But when you lose, you will feel less guilty; when you miss an opportunity, you find comfort: “It’s not my fault, my birth chart was in a negative cycle.”

In the context of crypto investing, where markets never sleep and uncertainty is constant, what traders desperately seek is not to predict the future. They seek psychological support that allows them to stay at the table another day, with the awareness that something—even if invisible—might be on their side.