Chani Nicholas
{{short description|Canadian astrologer (born 1975)}}
{{Like resume|date=September 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Chani Nicholas
| image =
| alt =
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| birth_name =
| birth_date =
| birth_place = British Columbia, Canada
| death_date =
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| nationality = Canadian
| other_names =
| occupation = Astrologer
| years_active = 2011–present
| known_for =
| notable_works = You Were Born For This: Astrology for Radical Acceptance (2020)
| spouse = Sonya Passi
}}
Chani Nicholas ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|ʧ|æ|n|i}} {{respell|CHAN|ee}}; born 1975){{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-himi-astrologer-chani-nicholas-20170101-story.html|title=Astrologer Chani Nicholas doesn't care if you approve of her|date=2017-01-01|website=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US|access-date=2020-01-04}} is a Canadian astrologer and activist.{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/meet-the-woman-bringing-social-justice-to-astrology-629153/|title=Meet the Woman Bringing Social Justice to Astrology|last=Igneri|first=Ariana|date=2018-06-01|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US|access-date=2020-01-04}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/14/style/mercury-retrograde-facts.html|title=Mercury Is in Retrograde. Don't Be Alarmed.|last=Zraick|first=Karen|date=2019-03-14|work=The New York Times|access-date=2020-01-04|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}
Early life and education
Nicholas was born and raised in rural British Columbia, Canada. At age 13, she received training in Reiki.
By age 29,{{Cite web|last=Willis|first=Raquel|title=Where Astrology and Social Justice Meet: A Q&A With Chani Nicholas|url=https://rewirenewsgroup.com/2018/11/08/where-astrology-and-social-justice-meet-a-qa-with-chani-nicholas|date=8 November 2018|access-date=2025-03-03|website=rewirenewsgroup.com|language=en-CA}} she moved to Los Angeles in 2004 to pursue acting. 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.
Career
Nicholas began her career by writing a weekly astrology newsletter to friends and family in 2011.{{Cite web|url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/zanromanoff/how-astrology-took-over-the-internet|title=In 2017, We Have Questions. Does Astrology Have The Answers?|website=BuzzFeed News|date=6 September 2017 |language=en|access-date=2020-01-04}} Her work focuses on progressive values and marginalized communities, such as queer and trans people.{{Cite web|url=https://www.them.us/story/queeroes-chani-nicholas|title=How Chani Nicholas Became the Queer Community's Favorite Astrologer|last=Sicardi|first=Arabelle|website=them.|date=20 June 2018 |language=en|access-date=2020-01-04}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.advocate.com/people/2018/9/21/lgbtqa-podcast-chani-nicholas-your-favorite-astrologer|title='LGBTQ&A' Podcast With Chani Nicholas, Your Favorite Astrologer|date=2018-09-21|website=www.advocate.com|language=en|access-date=2020-01-04}} Nicholas appeared on the fourteenth episode of the Netflix series Explained, "Astrology" in 2018,{{Cite web|url=https://www.vox.com/2018/8/9/17661556/astrology-explained-netflix-horoscopes-sun-signs|title=Astrology has almost no science to back it up. But people love it anyway.|last=Schapitl|first=Lexie|date=2018-08-09|website=Vox|language=en|access-date=2020-01-04}} and she was the "resident astrologer" on Oprah Magazine's website.{{Cite web|url=https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2019/12/31/astrologer-chani-nicholas-self-acceptance|title=Finding Meaning In The Stars: Astrologer Chani Nicholas On Why More People Are Turning To Their Horoscopes|website=www.wbur.org|date=31 December 2019 |language=en|access-date=2020-01-04}}
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."{{Cite web|url=https://www.kcrw.com/news/shows/kcrw-features/putting-you-in-charge-of-your-astrology-chart|title=Putting you in charge of your astrology chart {{!}} KCRW Features|date=2020-01-03|website=KCRW|language=en|access-date=2020-01-04}} The book debuted at #8 on the New York Times Best Seller list.{{Cite news|title=Advice, How-To & Miscellaneous Books - Best Sellers - Jan. 26, 2020 - The New York Times|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/books/best-sellers/2020/01/26/advice-how-to-and-miscellaneous/|access-date=2020-09-07|issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite web|title=Chani Nicholas|url=https://www.amazon.com/Chani-Nicholas/e/B07ZL6TBGW/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_book_1|access-date=2021-12-29|website=www.amazon.com|language=en-us}}
In December 2020, Nicholas launched an app called CHANI where users can receive astrology information.{{Cite web|last=Gulino|first=Elizabeth|title=The Great Conjunction Is Almost Here, & It Will Change Everything|url=https://www.refinery29.com/en-ca/2020/12/10235333/december-21-great-conjunction-winter-solstice-2021-meaning|access-date=2020-12-28|website=www.refinery29.com|language=en-CA}}
Awards and recognition
In 2018, Nicholas was honored by the Astraea Foundation in Los Angeles for the impact her work has had on inspiring and nourishing queer and intersectional feminist spaces. She was also honored by the San Francisco Yerba Buena Center for the Arts YBCA 100 Summit in 2018. {{Cite web|last=Willis|first=Raquel|title=Where Astrology and Social Justice Meet: A Q&A With Chani Nicholas|url=https://rewirenewsgroup.com/2018/11/08/where-astrology-and-social-justice-meet-a-qa-with-chani-nicholas|date=8 November 2018|access-date=2025-03-03|website=rewirenewsgroup.com|language=en-CA}}
Personal life
Nicholas is married to Sonya Passi, the founder of Freefrom, a national organization working to financially empower survivors of domestic violence.{{Cite web|date=2018-09-14|title=Sonya Passi: A New Approach To Empowering Domestic Violence Survivors|url=https://www.advocate.com/people/2018/9/14/lgbtqa-podcast-sonya-passi-empowering-abuse-survivors|access-date=2020-09-29|website=www.advocate.com|language=en}} They reside in Los Angeles.
Works
- You Were Born For This: Astrology for Radical Acceptance (2020), HarperCollins; {{ISBN|9780062840653}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.chaninicholas.com Official website]
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Category:21st-century astrologers
Category:21st-century Canadian women writers
Category:Canadian LGBTQ writers