Yes, I believe in astrology. No, I don't believe in horoscopes.
When threads like this roll around I always feel like I should try to defend astrology.
Aardvark post=18.79481.1014420 said:
I love people who believe in astrology. One of the first things they ask when talking to you for the first time is, "What's your star sign?"
My response: "Guess"
So far, I've had none who have managed to guess my starsign with one guess and several who have had to go through the whole horrorscope before hitting the right one.
That's because 90% of people who practise "astrology" actually practise "horoscope memorization". They internalize that Scorpio's are deep and thoughtful and that Leo's are proud and flamboyant ect, without bothering to study any actual astrological processes.
Horoscopes deal solely with sun signs. You have nine other planets (potentially more if you want to include important asteroids and sub planets like Eris) which can be in twelve other houses with a different ruling sign per house that will affect not only the meaning of the planet but the meaning of it's interactions with other planets. The planets have affects on each other determined by relative position, and they can be overlapping and extremely numrous and all of them have to be accounted for and planets can be in retrograde which will give the planet an entirely different meaning and -
Well, I guess I'm trying to say it's complicated.
I've studied astrology for a couple years now and my current record for guessing star signs is six people guessed correctly in a row. Perhaps we balance each other out?
AuntyEthel post=18.79481.1014430 said:
I don't follow it, as I cannot believe that everyone born within a month's range will have similar personalities. Horoscopes were invented years ago by people who didn't have science to explain explainable occurences.
They won't. The affect of the star sign is mitigated by the almost infinite other factors in a legitimate astrological reading. What they will typically have is something in common. It's ussually less about personality and more about additude and multiple kinds of additudes can be attributed to a single sign.
Horoscopes really over simplify the entire process and give the impression that everyone born on the same month will be a little clone of each other. This is of course completely ridiculous. However, certain qualities will be more prevalent in people born at one time than other times.
Xaryn Mar post=18.79481.1014710 said:
Well, since the star signs (or constellations as they are known as) are products of the human imagination and desire to see shapes in things (called pareidolia) they have no influence on us. Besides all the constellations have moved a sign in the approximately 4000 years since the constellations as we known them now where created (I can't remember which way though) add to this the fact that there is actually 13 constellations that the planets and sun passes through, and which the astrologers doesn't use.
And this is just a few of the problems with astrology. For a more thorough explanation I will direct you to Dr. Phil Plaits badastronomy blog (http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/), just search around a bit and you'll find information from a great skeptic.
You are aware that there isn't just one kind of astrology right? Sidereal astrology for example moves it's signs and houses to align with the current positions of constellations in the sky. Derivations of sidereal astrology also use Ophiuchus, the thirteenth sign. Almost all western astrologers use the tropical zodiac with equal angle houses (the kind of astrology you're most likely use to) but astrological systems exist that incorporate almost anything you could want. Different systems are better for divining different things; they all have their various uses.
As far as I can tell, your complaint is less with astrology and more that astrology has not presented a united front.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Before dismissing astrology out of hand because a couple bored incompetent staff writers decided it'd be fun to pretend the entirety of humanity could fit into 12 boxes, I'd encourage all of you to give astrology a legitamate researching. My first foray into astrology was purely for the purpose of figuring out why people thought it worked so I could show exactly why it didn't. Today, I still haven't figured out why it works but I'm pretty resolute that it does.
