I Tried The Julia Fox-Approved Co-Star Astrology Machine & Was Pleasantly Surprised

If you’re into astrology, you’ve likely checked out the Co-Star app at least once — and have been shook by the painfully accurate daily readings one too many times. Well, now there’s a new way to be dragged for your birth chart, and you don’t even need a phone to try it. Iconic Magazines in New York City is home to an IRL Co-Star astrology machine, and the celestially-aligned device has been going viral ever since Julia Fox played around with it in a now-viral TikTok. I tried the machine for myself, and just like the app, the results were brutally honest but necessary.

Fox discovered the Co-Star machine during a trip to the magazine shop on May 5, and the video has over 460K views as of May 19. According to Co-Star, the installation was brought to the storefront to coincide with the launch of the app’s new AI-powered feature that allows users to ask personalized questions to the stars. The machine is located toward the back of the store and features a large circular screen with a moon on it, and little dials that indicate where the planets were at the time of your birth and where they are now. But the real magic takes place on a smaller screen that includes a list of pre-written questions for you to have answered based on your birth chart.

To receive your personalized answers, you’ll need to input your birth date, month, and year, as well as the time and city in which you were born — so you might want to ask your parents for the specifics before you go. In the end, your answer is printed on a piece of receipt paper, almost like a little souvenir.

When Fox tried it, she asked the machine if she should start a cult, and the astrological appliance responded, “No, starting a cult is not a wise decision.” Fair enough. She also asked what people say behind her back, before quipping, “I already know what you guys say about me.” The reading told Fox that people are saying “positive things” behind her back, to which she sarcastically replied, “Please.”

Because every trend Julia Fox touches goes viral, it wasn’t long before TikTokers began flocking to the store to try the machine for themselves. If you search the term “Co-Star machine” on the app, you’ll see plenty of New Yorkers getting their own readings. And because I’m easily influenced, I had to jump on the trend, too.

When I arrived, there were already two people ahead of me waiting to use the device — that’s Julia Fox’s power for ya. When it was my turn, the screen asked me to choose between a Self, Love, Expression, Social, or Work reading. There are at least a dozen questions under each section; under Self, you can ask it things like, “Who am I really?”, “Am I the main character?”, and “What are my red flags?”, while Love offers options such as, “Will I ever find love?”, “Do they like me back?”, and “Should I text my ex?”?

Expression features inquiries like, “How do I let them down gently?” and “What is a truth I’ve been ignoring?”, and Social is the section to check out for questions including, “What kinds of people am I compatible with?” and “Where can I find community?”. Lastly, Work has all of the typical questions you’d expect, like, “Should I quit my job?”, “Am I in the right career?”, and “Should I become a DJ?”

First, I asked the machine, “Who am I really?” — an easy question that certainly wouldn’t fill me with existential dread. I entered all the information needed to access my birth chart, the machine gave me the option to take a picture, and the installation spewed out a piece of receipt paper with the response to my question printed on it.

The installation told me I’m a “complex individual with many layers, constantly evolving and growing.” It analyzed my chart, informing me that my strong influence from Aquarius indicates a “desire for innovation and individuality,” while having a Cancer sun and Venus in the ninth house highlight a “desire for nurturing and exploration of higher knowledge.” I’m not sure if those are really accurate, but I was told I also have a “strong need for structure and practicality in communication,” which is totally true. The machine also reminded me that “success is not always within [my] control,” and that I shouldn’t be afraid to start over and try new things. TBH, it was something I really needed to hear.

Next, I asked another harmless question that I definitely didn’t spend the rest of the day thinking about: “Am I the main character?” Without being gentle, the machine straight-up replied, “No, you are not the main character.”

If that didn’t sting enough, the device leaned in even further by saying, “Your belief that you need to be the main character may be rooted in a desire for validation or a fear of being overlooked.” Ouch. It went on to give me a more in-depth understanding of why I’m not the main character, relating it back to the third and fourth houses in my birth chart, but the damage to my ego had already been done.

BTW, if you don’t know the exact time you were born, the machine will default to noon, and though your answers won’t be as specific, the message will be more or less the same. I asked the machine if I should start a Substack twice, once with my time of birth and once without. While they both told me not to, the less-specific response told me it’s “important to take a step back and assess your urge for independence,” and the more specific response shared I may feel “frustrated and unable to make [my] innovative vision a reality” while Mercury is in my natal Uranus for the next two weeks.

Though some of the answers stung more than I’d like — being told to “focus on how [I] react to others, rather than trying to control them” felt like a punch to the gut — the machine is basically like an analog version of the app, and I loved playing with it. It’s unclear how long the installation will stick around, so if you want to put your birth chart (and your feelings) to the test, you’ll need to make a trip to the store ASAP.