I never look to the skies for advice or think that the planetary alignment on my birthday – July 5, 1989 – explains why I struggle with anxiety and love wrestling and playing the drums. I don’t think these things are predetermined by the cosmos, but you might think otherwise if you are really interested in astrology.
I don’t consider astrology a hobby – it is no more illusory than organized religion in many ways – but as far as science is concerned, it is fairly simple: there is no evidence that the movements of celestial bodies can affect a number of properties form the basis of a personality. Still, it is actually good to understand something that is loved by many, if only one is able to better understand the many people who believe in these things.
What is astrology
Astrology is an area of divination that seeks to understand our lives by connecting us to the cosmos, suggesting that the positioning of celestial bodies – primarily planets and stars – ethereally captures our feelings and personalities on earth. Perhaps the most important aspect of astrology is the birthday and where it falls on the zodiac calendar, gives you an astrological sign (mine is Cancer, for example) that becomes a kind of spiritual calling card; a Sagittarius is known to be a certain species, as are fish and so on.
If you’re interested in wading into your own cosmological DNA, you can get your own astrological horoscope or horoscope that technically everyone has. There are many resources that will show you for free. You can learn Read and decode this table on your own or seek advice from certain experts (there is a whole subreddit for it).
This diagram is basically the road map to your soul, which is funny because scientifically, astrology is a lot of hokum. A&M professor in West Texas Christopher S. Baird explains why this is so:
Astrology claims that astronomical bodies, depending on their date of birth, have an impact on people’s lives that goes beyond basic weather patterns. This claim is scientifically incorrect. Numerous scientific studies have disproved that astronomical bodies affect people’s lives according to their date of birth. Peter Hartmann and his colleagues, for example, examined over 4,000 people and found no connection between date of birth and personality or intelligence.
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Why is it important to understand astrology?
Belief systems are the bedrock of human civilization, and even if something is technically not true – be it the foundation of a religion, ideology, subcultural trend, conspiracy, or something else – it can still have a huge impact on people’s lives and a greater one Society when enough people want it in existence or meaning. It’s worth at least understanding where certain belief systems come from and why people cling to them, because at least it helps make sense of the world.
This is essentially the gist of the Thomas theoremwhich was formulated in the 1920s by sociologists William Isaac Thomas and Dorothy Swaine Thomas. “Facts,” regardless of their actual accuracy, come to life when enough supporters believe them to be true. For a sick example, remember that January 6th, storming of the Capitol insurgents who firmly believed the US election was fraudulent? Belief in the Big Lie is just one example of a real-life manifestation of the work of WI Thomas, nearly 100 years after the concept was guessed.
Or in what is probably the most concise articulation of the Thomas theorem both Thomases wrote famously in 1928: “If men define situations as real, their consequences are real.”
While astrology is a much more innocuous example, it still helps to understand it, if only to clarify why people hold on to it with conviction. It can help people gain a sense of comfort amid the uncertainty and ever-changing winds of life, and while it should never be used as a substitute for actual science, it could serve as a place for people looking for some clarity search. In my opinion, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
