Why follow Astrology, Isn’t it made up?
As someone who loves their astrological sign and finds great comfort in reading my daily horoscope, I often get asked well why do you even care? Isn’t that just made up? Although it may sound hippy of me, it brings some guidance to people like me who may not find that in religion or other philosophies in their lives. I by no means think of astrology as a sort of “religion” but I just think that it can help people feel refreshed and empowered to carry on with their daily lives.
A Little History:
“Astrology is the search for human meaning in the sky,” and has been around since the very beginnings of human history. It is human nature to ask why? and it is shown through cave writings and bone markings that as soon as humans could consciously observe celestial movement, they tried to connect behavior to the patterns they saw in the sky. These earliest “records” are from Babylonia around 1700 BC. Astrology was seen as a scholarly tradition from this time until the 16th century AD when astronomy became much more developed. After Copernicus discovered that the solar system did not revolve around the sun, astrology quickly lost its credibility and became known as pseudoscience. Although astrology was always around, it became taboo in Europe with the rise of hostility towards un-mandated religions in places like England and France. It was not until the 20th Century, particularly in America during the 1920’s that astrology gained huge popularity again. This rise is credited to the creation of mass media and consumer behavior. Things like newspapers, and now especially magazines and social media make astrology widely accessible and something people often talk about in daily conversation with one another.
How I was first introduced:
Although I have always been aware of my sign, I found learning about astrology to be daunting as it is not really a mainstream thing, and I thought I would have to do all my own research. Holly Thompson, a friend of mine showed me an app she had on her phone, COSTAR. She introduced me to her chart, and what it all meant. As someone who always felt a connection to their astrological sign, I immediately downloaded the app and began checking it everyday for updates and encouraging messages. COSTAR is great for beginners at astrology, it breaks down what each sign in your chart means, how different planet’s movements will affect you that given week, and my favorite part is the feature of adding friends. On COSTAR you can add your friends and see your compatibility with them. For example, it gives scenarios and instances when your rising signs may come into conflict, or maybe when your moons may not align, I think overall it is entertaining to look at even if it is not a clear demonstration of our actual friendship. Finally my favorite feature of this app is the daily quote, and encouragement it gives. I love that daily boost of energy, or heads up about an obstacle that may be in my path. And I know the argument, well it’s so broad how could it possibly be accurate? To me it doesn’t matter the accuracy, it’s just something I find pleasure in reading, and my astrology is something I like to be conscious of.
Understanding your chart:
Although it’s typical for people to say, “I’m a Leo” or “I’m a Capricorn,” it’s not that simple. Each and every person has signs that control different aspects of their personality: moon controls emotions, Venus controls love and so on. Although COSTAR lays out all of the signs of your planets, the most important are the “Big Three.” These are your Sun sign, your rising sign and your moon sign. I am an Aquarius rising, with an Aquarius sun and a taurus moon. The sun sign (the one people most often refer to when talking about their date of birth), this is believed to be your “true self,” the most genuine expression of who you are. Whereas your rising sign is the personality you project onto other people, and how you engage with others. For me these signs are the same, but that is rarely the case. The moon sign is representative of a person’s deep inner emotions and below the surface details that they may or may not share with other people.
In addition to the date and time specific planets there are also three generational planets Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. These planets are so large that they stay in the same sign for years, although they are referred to as generational signs, they do not align with the social generations. Uranus stays in one sign for seven years, meaning that most of Gen Z’s sign is Aquarius. This means that our generation is unconventional, intellectual and innovative, which I believe socially holds true. Neptune rules over dreams, imagination and the unconscious stays in each sign for around fifteen years, and this sign is also Aquarius. COSTAR says this means Gen Z tends to “find inspiration through detached analysis and intellectual pursuits.” Finally, Pluto stays in one sign for thirty years, and it is Sagittarius. It rules over power, intensity, obsession and control. People born between 1995–2008, are comparatively positive, free-spirited, curious, optimistic and very forward thinking. It is believed that these commonalities between people of a certain age really help foster a cohesive energy at places like schools, especially in college. Although these “traits” are not as strong in some people rather than others, they often create similarities that people are able to quickly relate to one another.
Although what I have written about the basic signs may seem like a lot of information and hard to understand, it is just the tip of the iceberg. There is so much more to astrology that I am still trying to learn. Each of the signs in someone’s chart are also in a “house.” There are twelve houses and each one rules over a particular sector of your life, relationships, or personality. Each house’s position changes every twenty-four hours, therefore it is important to know the exact location, time and date of your birth. When analyzing your chart it is crucial to account for the different houses if you wish to fully understand your astrological self. I still have a long way to go to learn about my houses, but I think it is helpful to mention this part of astrology.
Along with the twelve houses, the planet’s transitions are another aspect of astrology which I am still in the process of understanding. The most well known type of transit is when planets are in retrograde. Retrograde is the apparent backward movement of planets, caused by earth passing by other planets on a slower orbit. Before astronomy could understand how orbits worked, this “backward” movement was thought to be unlucky since it went“against” the natural order of the universe. Now planets in retrograde are understood to cause stress or difficulty in someone’s life during that period of movement. Certain planets in retrograde cause specific difficulties like Mercury which causes communication, in particular to be harder than usual.
Final Thoughts:
Astrology is a tradition that has withstood the test of time, roughly four-thousand years to be exact. Even during times of persecution and shame being put on those who continued to follow their zodiac signs, astrology lasted. Why? Although most people see astrology as well as tarot and fortune telling to be nonsense, there is comfort, empowerment and wonder that comes from following pseudosciences like these. If someone has an identity crisis, or is feeling unsure of their next move it can be a breath of fresh air to read their horoscope and see that things are going to be alright. If a couple is having a hard time communicating at home, well you can always blame it on Mercury in retrograde. Maybe it’s the Aquarius in me because when I go on COSTAR and read my daily sign report and see the inspirational quote the app shares, I feel as though the possibilities for my day are endless.
I hope that I was able to teach you that astrology is much more than just the month you were born in. It is very intricate and takes an expert to fully understand how the signs, the planets, and the houses all culminate together to create the beautiful tradition of astrology. Each person’s chart is entirely their own, based on the minute, place and date of their birth. Although you may share a sun sign with someone, your houses and moon sign are sure to be different. Astrology gives people a sense of security when they are questioning themselves, their purpose and their place in the world. I think that astrology is a beautiful and impressive tradition that connects us to our ancestors from thousands and thousands of years ago. It is hard to understand and in my opinion that is why it is so looked down upon by some people. Only in taking a deep dive into the art of astrology can one truly appreciate the nuances and purpose of why it is still around and heavily admired by its followers.
