Why do we read or even have horoscopes?

Every day, every week, every month and even every year millions of people inspect their horoscope for news about their life and whether their life is about to unfold and change. We have all seen words like; ‘your zodiac sign influences your future, discover your horoscope 2018 here’. ‘Select your zodiac sign and obtain your free horoscope prediction for 2018!’. The signs of the zodiac have existed for hundreds of thousands of years. They are ancient signs that people have looked to for guidance, but exactly how truthful is the information, and can it be relied upon?

Evidence from Nicholas Campions’ book, “Astrology and Popular Religion in the Modern West”, suggests that over 90% of adults know their sun (zodiac) signs. Some surveys also indicate that well over half agree that the signs’ character descriptions are a good fit: Ariens are energetic, Taureans stubborn, and Scorpios secretive, for example.

The zodiac signs consist of 12 astrological signs, each based on a single month of the year. The 12 zodiac signs are: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces. The ruling planets are one of the following: Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn. There are those who dismiss astrology as false, but the truth is that the signs of the zodiac do have some value to them.

Have you ever wondered why the zodiac has never been dismissed as pseudo-science?

There’s a reason for this and it’s because there’s no way to actually dismiss them entirely. Humans have been using the zodiac for literally thousands of years. Through inspecting the alignment of the planets, masters of astrology have managed to comprehend certain truths of the world.

It works in the same way as the movements of the moon control the tides of the oceans of the world. For example, Mars is the planet of passion. And Jupiter is the lucky star.

Over the centuries, kings, popes, and historical figures from Benjamin Franklin to President Reagan have consulted with astrologers. They trusted that astrology could provide valuable information about the future, insightful analysis of the past and, wise counsel they could depend on as being accurate. In fact, J.P. Morgan once said, ‘Millionaires don’t use astrologers, but billionaires do!’
Two types of people are incredibly passionate about astrology: those who love it, and those who love to hate it.

Astrology sceptics scathingly dismiss the field as false and facile, and those who buy into it as stupid. Certainly it’s easy to mock the notion that the entire universe is aligning itself to tell you what kind of business start-up you should create or what romance you should seek, or whether today is a good day to start that diet.

Bill Nye, the Science Guy does so aptly in the video below:

But it seems rash to think that astrology, which has been practiced by humans for millennia, is complete fabrication. Personally, some of my best friends who enjoy astrology are among the most intelligent people I know. Perhaps they’re seeing something that the eye-rolling sceptics have missed?

Astrology’s belief that individual behavioural traits are linked to the cosmos may sound silly, but similar ideas become significantly more respectable in the mouths of more well-regarded thinkers, from Plato to Jung. And while each school of thought has very different nuances, these philosophical fields do influence each other. “Astrology draws on the main philosophical current that comes down to us from Classical Greece,” says Nicholas Campion, professor in cosmology and culture at University of Wales Trinity Saint David.

Astrology’s focus on external forces encourages people to be aware of their limitations (as determined by the planets), as well as how to respond to these limitations. Campion compares this idea to Stoic philosophers’ belief that life is determined by uncontrollable factors, such as where and to whom you’re born, but that we can choose how to respond to these circumstances. Or, as the Marxist philosopher Friedrich Engels wrote, ‘Freedom is the appreciation of necessity.’ “These paradoxes are common to many other philosophies,” says Campion. “They deal with issues of whether we can be free or not.” Whether thinking about the planets or the fates of birth, it’s useful to recognize that one’s own life course is partly determined by factors outside of our control—and even more important to recognize and have empathy with others whose paths are laid (or blocked) by circumstance.

I believe that the true value of astrology is its ability to tap into the part of our minds that naturally gravitates towards things like divination and the occult. By tapping into this inner meaning, it forces the mind to think in a different way. And this alone can generate some meaningful insights.

The accuracy of a horoscope is directly dependent on the power of interpretation of an astrologer. If we consider the power of interpretation of the present astrologer (who is able to predict up to a maximum of 30% accuracy) as 1, then to get a 100 % accurate answer the power of interpretation would need to be 1000 times the present power of interpretation. The power of interpretation and intuition can only be increased by spiritual practice. In this current era 65% of our lives are destined. If we use the 35% of our free will to do spiritual practice we can overcome or be insulated from our destiny. Spiritual practice is the only way to counteract an adverse destiny..

Some people say that astrology is about helping you to understand what you already know. It’s just a matter of forcing it from deep inside you. It’s no coincidence that a variety of successful people have used astrology to further their personal lives and careers.
It’s not compatible with the scientific method. If anything, it’s the polar opposite of the scientific method, and that’s why some people are willing to dismiss it as nonsense immediately. It’s an example of a closed mind. Open your mind and you can unveil hidden insights that you’d previously never known about.

Ultimately, whether the planets really shape our personality or experiences is entirely irrelevant. Astrology is a way to impose meaning on life. “I think that unless we’re capable of making meaning, we probably can’t get out of bed in the morning,’ says Campion. ‘Making meaning is part of functioning.’

The signs of the zodiac do have some value to them. Choose the right astrology expert and you can take advantage of a horoscope that guides you through life and helps you to find new meaning in things.

What is your star sign?