‘Meant to provide inspiration’: AstroTash breaks her silence on 7News horoscope controversy

Channel 7 copped harsh backlash after adding zodiac star readings to its nightly news – but the featured astrologist has backed the move, saying the news needs “light and levity”.

Astrologer Natasha Weber ‘AstroTash’ is Australia's highest profile astrologer, whose horoscopes now feature on 7 news. Picture: Wayne Taylor

Australia’s most popular astrologist AstroTash has broken her silence after finding herself in the eye of a storm of controversy over her horoscopes being featured in Channel 7’s nightly news.

Melbourne-based Natasha Weber, the alter ego of AstroTash, has been studying celestial bodies and the zodiac for more than 20 years, with her horoscopes currently appearing on The Morning Show, Marie Claire Australia and Mamamia.

Her public profile skyrocketed when, as part of a refresh of the evening bulletin, 7 added a horoscope segment.

Astrologer Natasha Weber with Seven’s Morning Show hosts, Larry Emdur and Kylie Gillies.

Weber is not seen in the nightly 20 second segment, just her sun sign horoscope readings, but their addition to the news service sparked outrage and controversy.

“People were expecting I was going to be elbowing Peter Mitchell off the newsdesk to suddenly report on astrology in place of the hardcore serious journalism, but that was clearly not the case,” Weber said.

“We are in a climate that is quite heavy with a lot of negative news, so why not introduce some light and levity.

“The segment is right at the end of the bulletin, it is 20 seconds, it is a very quick infographic, (and) I think it suits that placement in that capacity. They are sun sign horoscopes and are meant to provide inspiration.”

Weber said horoscopes provided a “gateway to the ancient wisdom of astrology.”

“Astrology has been around for millennia,” she said.

“Some of the greatest minds and philosophers of our time like Galileo, Plato, and Hippocrates were all astrologers.

“Sun sign horoscopes have become popular in the media, but they are really just the tip of the iceberg. Astrology is the study of the celestial bodies and their movements within the zodiac, and their influence on mankind.”

Astrologer Natasha Weber has backed the addition of horoscopes to Channel 7’s news broadcast. Picture: Wayne Taylor

The planets and the zodiac don’t force people’s actions, Weber said, but rather provided guidance.

“They don’t make us do things, free will is always at play,” she said.

“Astrology is a tool to help guide us to make the best decisions for ourselves.”

Far from having head in the stars, Weber grew up with her feet firmly planted on the ground, living at the Melbourne Zoo. Her father, Ernst, was the Zoo’s assistant director and her mother, Maryke, looked after the animal hospital.

“I have always had an affinity with nature and animals,” she said.

“My mum was a bit of a poster girl for the zoo. She reared the first Honey Bear in captivity and the first pygmy hippopotamus and we had a chimpanzee living in the house with us. “Mum was also clairvoyant.”

AstroTash said zodiac signs could provide guidance to viewers.

Weber studied ballet and travelled the world as a model before astrology became her passion after the birth of her daughter.

“I went into Channel 10 to do a modelling job on Bert Newton’s Good Morning Australia and ran into (celebrity astrologer) Karen Moregold and I thought ‘this is the sign that I need to pursue astrology’, she said.

“Karen put me on to the Australian Academy of Astrology and Cosmobiology. I did three years of study there and then joined a senior research group. I presented cases as part of the group for 15 years, then started my AstroTash business and it really has snowballed from there.”

Weber was recently awarded a diploma from the academy for her contribution to astrological research and has had papers published in international astrological journals. She is also a member of the American Federation of Astrologers.