I am a Taurus. Everyday I get a notification from my astrology app giving me my ‘Day At A Glance’. Today it said “You don’t have to treat difficult feelings like hot coals in your hand that must be thrown off for fear that they’ll burn you.” I don’t know about you but I’m confused. Do I have feelings? Yes. Do I think that they are going to burn me? No? To be honest I’m not quite sure what how feelings could burn me. Here is another one I got: “Experiment with telepathy”. Here goes my experiment: I am currently sending everyone reading this an inner secret with my telepathic powers from my horoscope. I’m sorry but what?! As you can see, I personally do not believe in the phenomenon that is astrology but there is a big population across the globe that full heartedly believes in their horoscopes. To each their own and if you are part of that population then good for you! I know plenty of people, both friends and fellow students, that believe in astrology and regularly check their horoscope. The truth is I used to be one of those people.
The Times went into some depth on the history of astrology which gives a little look into the past. Reading the stars and the sky dates back to ancient China where the sun and eclipses were used to tell whether there would be good or bad times for the emperor. This did not have much to do with individuals, but it was one of the first uses of the sky as a way to predict the future. The Sumerians, Babylonians, and ancient Egyptians furthered that practice by watching the movement of the stars, sun, and moon. These movements were recorded on tablets that other ancient peoples and historians were/are able to use. All of this development peaked when Alexander the Great conquered Egypt and all of the ideals merged. The planets, the moon, the sun, and the stars, were being used for divination. The path of the sun through the constellations led to the twelve astrological signs being created by the Ancient Greeks. Dates and images were attributed to each constellation based upon where they were in the elliptical path of the sun. However, the creation of specific characteristics for each sign was not something invented by the ancient Greeks, that is quite a modern creation. Are horoscopes ancient and fantasized over by many civilizations? Yes, but I believe that no generation is as infatuated as we are today.
It was my junior year of high school and needless to say I was struggling. I downloaded an astrology app on my phone for reasons still not quite known to me, but maybe it was because I would get messages everyday about my life at that moment and there was some security in having ‘the stars’ be the deciding factor and not myself. This is otherwise known as decision fatigue. You can only make a certain number of well thought out decisions in a day before your brain starts to, well for lack of a better word, fatigue. As a highschooler going through the toughest year of high school a lot of decisions about my future and my education were being made. Maybe getting a notification from my astrology app about how my day will go or how to handle a random situation was comforting because it was a decision I wouldn’t have to make. Sitting in English and discussing this with a good friend of mine, we both realized that last year we were doing the same thing. Astrology seemed to have a hold on us and we truly believed in what the stars, or maybe a writer for some app company, was telling us.
We are pretty unaware of decision fatigue, but it can make a huge difference in the actions we take. Speaking as a high schooler, if something can be decided for me that will not have any negative consequences, I will take it. Horoscope apps and websites can “predict our future” and when we read those predictions it gives us some guidance or path from the stars. For me, I thought if some inhuman power predicted my future it has to be accurate but maybe I just bought into it so that I wouldn’t have to make decisions about the near future. In the working world and in academia, our brains get tired after making choices all day. Astrology makes that part of our day a little easier. If the sun, moon, and stars make our personalities and some of our choices then that is less we have to do! Sounds pretty good to me.
According to my star given personality traits I’m practical, loyal, and ambitious. However, I’m also lazy and stubborn. Something interesting was that my personality seemed to vary slightly from website to website. Even though each site gives me different personality traits or different predictions for my life, my junior year self bought into every single one. In recent years, astrology and horoscopes have been eagerly accepted by the younger population who look to these apps and websites to give them insight on themselves. In my experience and after talking to my friends about their encounters with horoscopes we all have agreed that most of the time these predictions or insights about our lives are not completely accurate. However, we get so wrapped up in the stigma behind horoscopes that we finagel our current situations and lives to fit whatever the ‘stars’ said that day.
It is easy to get on board with horoscopes, but there is no scientific evidence behind it. Whether this is a game changer for the horoscope believers or not, that is a fact. The stars have not been proven to predict the future or affect your personality. However, just like the addictive buzzfeed quizzes, astrology is like a black hole. Once you start digging into your sign it can be hard to get out of the internet vacuum. Horoscopes can give positive predictions and messages to you which can be a real mood booster. A journalist for the inkling news said horoscopes are “a subtle way to spread positive sentiments, and through their predictions, which are almost always positive, they provide a sense of hope and purpose”. In society today there is a constant pressure on kids to succeed and be the best of the best, so horoscopes providing some positivity and hope for them is something that anyone can get behind.
One thing I’ve noticed a lot with horoscopes is that people will explain their actions with their horoscope. Here is an example of what I mean: I like watching Netflix in bed a lot but I’m a taurus so that’s why I’m lazy. Now I play two sports and enjoy being outside, but am I lazy sometimes? Most definitely. But do I like to watch Netflix in bed because I am a Taurus or is it just because I am a high school student? Almost anyone I have talked to enjoys doing the same thing and they are different signs then I am. However, even though I do not relate my actions and emotions to my sign, I can see how people do this. Showing emotion can be very difficult and some of the things that we find normal to do or feel might not be for everyone. In a progressing judgemental world where appearance is important to people it can be hard to show emotion or who you really are. With the personality traits that our horoscopes give us, if we cry or show anger, etc. we can blame it on the fact that we “x” sign. It is a way for people to express themselves because whatever they show can just be related back to their horoscope. You can give an explanation about the way you present yourself by saying that it is because you are “x” sign and have “x” personality traits. In this circumstance astrological signs can be good and bad. Horoscopes can help to show people’s personality, but they can also be excuses for certain behavior. If the horoscope matches who you are then show it off, but mending yourself to try and fit those characteristics or making excuses because of them is not the purpose of astrological signs.
So… Horoscopes. I am a Taurus but am I REALLY a Taurus? For me the answer is no, but for anyone else they could truly relate to their sign. There are aspects of my personality and certain interests that I have that are generally not connected to Taurus, so for me I am not truly a Taurus. However, horoscopes and astrology have been a huge trend that past couple of years and based upon society today it is fairly easy to see why. People get wrapped up in the positivity, superstition, and mystery of horoscopes. I myself am guilty of this! The need to fit into the designated sign for people’s birthdays has risen now that astrology apps and websites have become more popular. Things I discussed such as decision fatigue and reasoning for behavior also contribute to the stigma behind horoscopes. I must say as a student taking astronomy now and learning about the twelve major astrological signs, they are pretty cool. Whether or not they can predict the future and influence who you are as a person is completely up to you. You decide if you believe in your horoscope or not and if it something you enjoy then keep on doing it. Even though I am not a strong believer in it, I still have my astrology app on my phone and compare my sign to my friend’s signs. I recommend that you do look into your horoscope and maybe you will find that it does suit you. Astrology can be a really positive thing in our lives if we take it with a grain of salt, but you decide whether it is a myth or if the stars really do tell the truth.
