Astrology, once considered a scholarly tradition, is experiencing a surge of popularity due to its growing interest among younger generations. The field is booming, driven by the desire for meaning in the stars and the availability of numerous websites and platforms catering to astrologically-minded individuals. Astrology has been seen as the territory of New Ageers since the 1970s, but it is now experiencing a surge in popularity, particularly among young women.
Studies have shown that people are more likely to turn to astrology when they are experiencing personal crises or facing stress in life, attesting to its benefits in minimizing stress. In 2021, nearly half of all respondents aged 25 to 34 reported having no religion at all, more than double the rate in the 65+ age group. Astrology has also become a viral-happy content, providing an easy framework for personalized material, speaking to young women, and accessing ’90s nostalgia.
The mystical services market, which includes astrology, mediumship, tarot, and palm readings, is estimated to be worth US$2.2 billion ($3.3 billion) globally. Belief in astrology is on the upswing, especially among younger people, as it has become more accessible through technology. Astrology and other new age systems not only provide a way to express feelings or introspection but also present a system that could provide guidance.
Surveys show that 65 of people between the ages of 14 and 29 read their horoscope daily, with 40 believing the zodiac helps make life decisions. However, in the beginning, very few people were aware of astrology, and as popularity and awareness increased, horoscopes became popular.
New data from the Harris Poll suggests that a backlash to astrology is beginning, with Gen Z being less interested in astrology than millennials. A perfect storm of factors has driven a surge in looking to the stars for truth.
📹 The Modern Astrology Obsession, Explained
Why is astrology still so dang popular? The science behind astrology is, arguably, a little… iffy. So why are people still so …
Why is Gen Z obsessed with astrology?
The “woke” generation, who rely heavily on scientific evidence, believes in astrology, numerology, and Tarot as a way to validate themselves and maintain a sense of security. This generation is conscious about their own lives and often feels insecure about the future, leading them to associate and tap into their zodiac sign traits. Phrases like “I don’t usually like Scorpios” or “Cancerians are more emotional” have become common in conversations at work, friends, social gatherings, and on the internet.
The alignment of stars, numbers, and cards can make life easier by allowing individuals to dive into self-exploration and analyze their personality traits. This subtle form of introspection makes individuals more conscious of their actions and helps them understand the good and bad within themselves. This pseudoscience can make life easier for the “woke” generation, as it allows them to step away from the alarming aspects of their lives and focus on their strengths and weaknesses.
Is astrology still relevant?
Astrology is a belief system that suggests a connection between astronomical phenomena and human events or personality descriptions. However, it has been criticized by the scientific community for lacking explanatory power and scientific testing has found no evidence to support its premises or effects. The most famous test, led by Shawn Carlson, concluded that natal astrology performed no better than chance. Astrology has not demonstrated its effectiveness in controlled studies and has no scientific validity, making it regarded as pseudoscience.
There is no proposed mechanism by which stars and planets’ positions and motions could affect people and events on Earth in the way astrologers claim, which contradicts well-understood aspects of biology and physics. Modern scientific inquiry into astrology focuses on the correlation between astrological traditions and the influence of seasonal birth in humans.
Are most girls into astrology?
Astrology, the belief that astronomical phenomena can influence events or personalities, is increasingly popular among Americans. According to the American Federation of Astrologers, 70 million Americans read their horoscopes daily, and a 2017 Pew Research Center poll found that over 1 in 4 Americans believe in astrology, with slightly more women than men and more young people than older adults. Theories for this belief include the decline of organized religion, a world in chaos, and escapism.
As a Double Virgo with Extreme Virgo tendencies, the author enjoys dabbling in the cosmos to make sense of the world or forget it. However, it is important to note that astrology is not gendered, as most astro-memes shared are with girl or gay friends. The author’s experiences with astrology may not reflect their gender identity, but rather their interests in the field.
What percentage of Gen Z believes in astrology?
Around 80 percent of Gen Z and millennials believe in astrology, with a significant portion using it to make career decisions, according to a report from EduBirdie. The report, based on survey results from 2, 000 young Americans, found that 63 of those who embrace or relate to horoscopes say astrology has positively impacted their career, 72 use it to make important life decisions, and 18 lean on the practice to make career moves.
Astrology is an attractive guide because of its personalized nature, as a horoscope is based on the unique date, time, and place a person is born. Ksenia Hubska, data lead at EduBirdie, believes that young people often lack someone to talk to, and their human nature is to find evidence and external motivation when they don’t know something.
How long has astrology been popular?
The Silk Roads played a significant role in cultural exchange and the development of various scientific disciplines, including medicine, mathematics, geography, cartography, and astronomy. Astrology, a broad field concerned with the search for meaning and predictive information in the sky, was one such discipline that was widely accepted in political and cultural circles.
During the Tang (705-907 CE) period, foreign systems of astrology were adopted in China, particularly the practice of ‘horoscopy’, predictions made by an astrologer based on the position of the sun at the time of a person’s birth or the calendar significance of an event. Astrology often acted as a medium of transmission of other knowledge bases, predominantly from Indo-Iranian sources, especially within astronomy and the close mathematical observation of stars and planets.
Indian astrology was often introduced into new regions of Central Asia, the Iranian Plateau, and China alongside the introduction of Buddhism, another significant shared legacy of these trade routes. Early Islamic astrologers included numerous Indian theories in their works, most of which reached them via texts written in Middle Persian during a time when direct translations into Arabic of many scientific texts from Ancient Greek and Indian sources were made.
In Medieval Central Asia, two distinct versions of the discipline emerged: one focused on mathematical theories and precise astronomical measurements, and the other on the interpretation of magical elements to make predictions. Al-Biruni, a polymath, differentiated astrology from astronomy, arguing that the former was more of an art or practice and criticizing its weak mathematical and scientific foundations. He also emphasized his theory that astrology is not a science through analysis of astrological doctrines from Ancient Greece, the Indian subcontinent, the Iranian Plateau, and Central Asian regions.
What Gen Z will never know?
Members of Generation Z have been exposed to portable music devices, such as iPods and mobile phones, from an early age. This has enabled them to carry a vast array of musical compositions in their personal possession. They have never had the opportunity to experience the joy of purchasing a compact disc and inserting it into a digital audio player. Instead, they have grown up with telephone directories, which have enabled them to locate individuals or locations. While phonebooks were once utilized for making telephone calls, they have since become obsolete due to the ease of accessibility of information through online search engines such as Google.
How many millennials believe in astrology?
The majority of Americans, particularly those in the Millennial generation, hold favorable or neutral views toward astrology. In a recent survey, 85% of respondents expressed belief in astrology, with Millennials exhibiting the highest level of enthusiasm for it.
Is astrology becoming more popular?
In a recent interview, Tracey L. Rogers, an astrologer and life coach based in Philadelphia, observed a notable increase in interest in astrology over the past decade, particularly during the pandemic. Many individuals have turned to astrology as a source of guidance in navigating these challenging times.
How popular is astrology today?
Astrology has gained significant cultural acceptance since the 19th century, with a 2017 Pew Research Center poll showing almost 30% of Americans believe in it. This shift is similar to the rise of psychoanalysis, where people explain themselves using signs like sun, moon, and rising signs. The popularity of astrology is not just due to its widespread use, but also because it aligns with people who aren’t kooks or climate-change deniers. The religious breakdown of astrology is surprising, with mainline Protestants having the same rate of belief as the general population.
However, this is likely due to their normal American beliefs. Only 3 of atheists believe in astrology, which is surprising considering that many people may not believe in God but believe in other supernatural things. This suggests that astrology could potentially serve as a substitute for traditional religious systems.
Why did astrology decline?
Astrology has been a scholarly tradition throughout its history, connected with other studies like astronomy, alchemy, meteorology, and medicine. However, new scientific concepts in astronomy and physics, such as heliocentrism and Newtonian mechanics, challenged its academic and theoretical standing. Astrology, in its broadest sense, is the search for meaning in the sky. Early evidence for humans making conscious attempts to measure, record, and predict seasonal changes by reference to astronomical cycles appears as markings on bones and cave walls, showing that lunar cycles were being noted as early as 25, 000 years ago.
Farmers addressed agricultural needs with increasing knowledge of the constellations that appear in different seasons, and used the rising of particular star-groups to herald annual floods or seasonal activities. By the 3rd millennium BCE, civilizations had sophisticated awareness of celestial cycles and may have oriented temples in alignment with heliacal risings of the stars.
Scattered evidence suggests that the oldest known astrological references are copies of texts made in the ancient world, such as the Venus tablet of Ammisaduqa, which is thought to have been compiled in Babylon around 1700 BCE. A scroll documenting an early use of electional astrology is doubtfully ascribed to the reign of the Sumerian ruler Gudea of Lagash, but there is controversy about whether these were genuinely recorded at the time or merely ascribed to ancient rulers by posterity.
The oldest undisputed evidence of the use of astrology as an integrated system of knowledge is attributed to the records of the first dynasty of Babylon (1950-1651 BCE), which had some parallels with Hellenistic Greek astrology.
When did people stop believing in astrology?
Astrology has been a scholarly tradition throughout its history, connected with other studies like astronomy, alchemy, meteorology, and medicine. However, new scientific concepts in astronomy and physics, such as heliocentrism and Newtonian mechanics, challenged its academic and theoretical standing. Astrology, in its broadest sense, is the search for meaning in the sky. Early evidence for humans making conscious attempts to measure, record, and predict seasonal changes by reference to astronomical cycles appears as markings on bones and cave walls, showing that lunar cycles were being noted as early as 25, 000 years ago.
Farmers addressed agricultural needs with increasing knowledge of the constellations that appear in different seasons, and used the rising of particular star-groups to herald annual floods or seasonal activities. By the 3rd millennium BCE, civilizations had sophisticated awareness of celestial cycles and may have oriented temples in alignment with heliacal risings of the stars.
Scattered evidence suggests that the oldest known astrological references are copies of texts made in the ancient world, such as the Venus tablet of Ammisaduqa, which is thought to have been compiled in Babylon around 1700 BCE. A scroll documenting an early use of electional astrology is doubtfully ascribed to the reign of the Sumerian ruler Gudea of Lagash, but there is controversy about whether these were genuinely recorded at the time or merely ascribed to ancient rulers by posterity.
The oldest undisputed evidence of the use of astrology as an integrated system of knowledge is attributed to the records of the first dynasty of Babylon (1950-1651 BCE), which had some parallels with Hellenistic Greek astrology.
📹 Astrology isn’t science, but your horoscope is more real than you think
Astrology isn’t real science, but there’s more to the zodiac than ancient superstition. Before horoscopes were popularly debunked, …
I guess my issue with astrology is less about what other people believe, and more about my frustration with people trying to apply that frame of thinking to me without my permission, and attempt to explain or predict my behaviors using astrology. For example, they’ll say “It says here that because you’re Aquarius that you are a patient person”. I’ll say “I’m not a patient person, I yelled at someone in traffic for braking at a red light” and they’ll insist “No no no, I KNOW you. You’re definitely a patient person, let’s see what else this says…” Like, they view reality through this restrictive lens, and are willing to tell you that you’re wrong about yourself to convince themselves that astrology is different from whatever religion because LOOK this is PROOF. Everyone of these uninvited comparisons takes a year off my life, I swear.
Not so fun fact. Had a bad mental health decline in college. Very bad. Saw an emergency counselor on campus who gave me a list of psychologists in the area to see. We picked one with good reviews and I went. The woman was an astrologist who spent most of the session bragging (again very first meeting with this “psychologist”) about being a former astrologist to Hollywood stars and told me that the next time I came in, I needed to figure out what moon I was born under for my treatment. Needless to say, I did not return.
i think astrology is popular because science has revealed how bleak, cold, and terrifying the universe can really be and, since the morals of ancient religions aren’t always gonna hold up against modern values, a new, less morally judgmental spiritual alternative is what a lot of people were looking for astrology is a great fit for that, because it doesn’t have any strict commandments but still implies that the universe is sorta made for us and is looking out for us, but i think that the universe doesnt need to be spiritual to be beautiful, and it doesnt need to be magical to be wondrous, its a great big cosmos out there and its amazing enough as is
I’ve started lying about my zodiac sign whenever someone new I meet asks it, so they can put me in their little boxes and see how they react when they eventually find out I was born on a different day I’ve been thinking of going as far as calling them out for saying I should identify with the sign they say is right for me instead of the one I choose
Honestly most of the time I have seen anyone mention astrology anymore is when engaging in essentially micro aggressions. Disliking someone not because of who they are but because your an X and they are a Y and therefore use these excuses to justify their dislike and refusal of simply being around someone.
Freud and Jung didn’t split because of astrology. They split because of a difference in theories of sexuality. Freud tolerated Jung’s fascination with the esoteric, but it had nothing to do with their relationship ending. Jung knew when he published his first book that it would create a rift between them, and even held off publishing the book for some time until his wife convinced him to do so. Freud’s Pleasure Principle is key to his entire psychology and a main force driving the PP (pun intended) was the libido. Jung believed it was only a secondary force, and not the main stimulation.
I live on an island that has a propensity to attract hippies/hipsters. Least to say I’ve developed an irrational anger towards astrology. People who are into astrology and new age stuff are some of the most toxic individuals (if you could even call them that) I’ve ever met. It supposedly makes you more aware of your place in the “cosmos” but it really just makes you more solipsistic, consumeristic, and self-centered.
I had a real bright coworker, real sharp tool in the shed kinda gal (that’s sarcasm) when I worked at Burger King. We got along well enough but she definitely didn’t like me. Well after about a month she goes “I’m a Pisces, I always get a long well with other Pisces. What’re you? I bet you’re Capricorn (I don’t remember exactly which one she said tbh).” I told her I’m also Pisces and the disbelief was hilarious. I pulled out my driver’s license and proved it. She was pretty dumbfounded.
On the one hand, any beliefs/action/desires/tendencies that don’t harm others should be allowed/not criticized. But the problem, in my humble opinion, is that a person who might be open to believe in anything unscientific/unprovable might be more vulnerable to believe in more dangerous unscientific/unprovable ideas if presented in charismatic manner through a convincing speaker. That’s where the real worry is for me.
As somebody who has a Masters of Science in astrophysics, I get triggered every time somebody brings up astrology or, even worse, mixes that shit up with astronomy/astrophysics. It’s the worst. Studying this shit for years just to be told “but look I read this”. This is what climate scientists and virologists must feel like. Moreover, to me, it feels like a cop-out tool, or something robbing agency. “Look, I cannot do anything about my terrible behaviour, I swear I am not just a terrible person.”
Astrology, though discredited for centuries, still remains wildly popular. A recent poll by the National Science Foundation showed that more than 40% of Americans think astrology is a science. Months are cultural constructs, not cosmological. Astrology is so popular despite its debunkness, you’ll find its merchandise sold within a science museum knowing they’ll make sales due to the lack of people’s capacity to distinguish science from pseudoscience. Interesting that many people that pride themselves as being critical of social constructs have a soft spot for something so obviously socially constructed. The most unfortunate part of it all, is that Astrology takes away from the real grandeur of the Universe. We live in an amazing place, this Universe of ours, and it’s quite fantastic enough without needing people to make up things about it. Astrology dims the beauty of nature, cheapens it. When it comes to searching for a sense of spiritual enlightenment, the Cosmos is sufficient enough.
You got the painting wrong in the beginning of the article. That’s the School Of Athens by Raphael, showing Aristotle and Plato in the center of the painting. You don’t see Ptolemy from the front, he’s in the corner of the painting facing several other people. Astrology remains popular because people have an immense fear of approaching reality on their own, so instead of natural introspection they cling to anything telling them what to do. Jung’s entire philosophy was centered around introspection and self-confrontation, which is the antithesis of astrology. He also separated from Freud because they disagreed on fundamentals of the ideas they were working on, and because Jung felt he’d learned everything he could from Freud.
I have zero supernatural beliefs (beyond liking buddhism as philosophy of life), but I like I-ching and Tarot. I enjoy the literature, art, poetry and philosophy in those things. For me is just a game. Both things are completely random and generate a sort of story where you put yourself in. I think that that random shake up of how I think about things helps me find new ways to process what is happening to me, and also renew my sense of optimism. The stories that the hexagrams and the cards generate have some nice philosophy in them. The I-ching and Tarot are little random story generators, that I think that move that narrative capacity we have. It forces me to recontextualize stuff and unstucks me. But I like those things because they are random. There is no destiny marked by the stars on the day of my birth, no fixed deterministic path that can be calculated. Only the infinite variations and the one you got randomly.
It’s just cute for the most part. Relying on it to make life decisions isn’t going to work for the most part. However you can get that small boost of confidence or happiness if you’re down for some reason. You’ll start feeling hopeful in dire situations like the pandemic. It’s not a coincidence that astrology shot up during the pandemic, people were infact so stressed that they needed some kind of hope that everything is going to be okay.
Kinda funny to have a genome app sponsorship on a article about astrology being bupkis. The human genome is not terribly well understood, and you’re still dealing with tons of self-fulfilling prophecies by looking up that stuff. The extent that your upbringing vs your genetics determine your life is always going to be a debate, but it definitely is not deterministic based off your genetics.
Religion isnt what it used to be but some people are just naturally more in need of something to believe in that’s higher than ourselves and believing in it helps them to cope with nihilism whereas some others either can’t believe ( i place myself in this category) or for whatever reason find meaning in atheism.
The story is always the same when it comes to why modern spiritual movements exist. People feel scared, poweless, confused, weak, etc. so they make shit up to make themselves feel better. To me it feels like spirituality, religion, and drug addiction are all cut from the same cloth. They are temporary fixes to problems we can’t comprehend. They are all forms of escapism. The issue is those outlets avoid the problems rather than confront them.
Regarding the driving forces towards the rising appeal of astrology, I think there is a lot of crossover with the Anthony Giddens idea of ontological insecurity as a shared phenomenon of late-modernity. By disrupting peoples sense of rootednes in time and space, late-modernity disrupts our sense of both collective and individual identity. Not only does astrology provided a religious-like framework to make sense of the world as Munk explains, it also overlays an identity that cuts over class and race signifiers, in a way offering a cohesive identity at a time when nearly all ‘traditional’ identity signifiers are influx and invite critique. At the same time it retains and emphasises the supremacy of the individual that is essential to the function of contemporary capitalism. I would be interested to hear more on the gendered way society views astrology from this perspective. At least in my experience it is predominantly relatively affluent, college educated, white women, who are most vocal about astrology while most men I know are very dismissive off it. I think marginalization is very much a part of it but I wonder if this gender divied also refelctes the challenges of navigating rapidly changing gendered socail relations?
I consider myself a hardcore skeptic, so previously I was very anti-astrology. But then I realized that even though it is not true, it is a cultural force that cannot be denied. Even though I don’t engage myself in explaining reality through this framework, now I see it as a medium for people that believe in it for talking about their personality without having to be (or feel) so vulnerable.
There was a time (several years) when I read Rob Brezny’s Free Will Astrology in my local weekly paper almost religiously. Always thought of it as a somewhat personal, semi-specific, yet generalized piece of advice and guidance for my week. Never thought of it as dogma or science in any way. But I appreciated the insights and focused challenges that were presented for the week. Been a couple years since I’ve read it regularly. (Was about to speculate on reasons why, but… hey, it’s almost 2022. Who’s focuses haven’t changed?)
I see the craze of astrology as a symptom of the craze for the past, a collective mission to uncover the history and evolution of human archetypes. The zodiac is an early map of both time and space made by the observations of the first civilizations, and because that is metal as fuck, we are naturally attracted to it.
If you use astrology to navigate other people, you are pretty much a bigot. Judging someone based on a sun sign, time of birth, is little different than judging someone based on nationality, place of birth. Why get to know someone when you can just ask them their sun sign and judge them immediately. Here is a description of Scorpio with the sign replaced by a nationality: “The Chinese personality is often misunderstood due to their intensity and their tendency to be harsh. However, Chinese people are extremely emotional, and crave intimacy. They have a powerful presence and demanding personalities, and their penchant for mystery is what makes them one of the most interesting peoples.” If you want to read your own horoscope and divine meaning, fine. But if you find yourself avoiding or judging other people because your sign doesn’t mesh well with theirs, you are a bigot
The problem lies in people who see astrology as “definitive”, “You’re X sign thus you have X traits”, human personality isn’t definitive, it’s ever changing and evolving alongside our experiences. Regardless if it’s astrology, MBTI or any other stereotyping system, some people use these ideas to escape accountability, instead of using these same systems as a roadmap to what they are and look to improve and be what they want to be.
8:13 “Everyone thinks their time is the most terrible, most awesome and most epic age to end all ages.” I’m sure people in ancient Rome, medieval Britain or Renaissance Italy also already felt that they didn’t know nearly enough and still needed to make decisions about the world. I mean imagine the Flux of the Age of Discovery.
I enjoy tarot precisely because it plays around with the narrativism mentioned at the end of this article. I don’t actually believe the cards are telling me some deterministic fate in my future; it’s more that it allows me to 1) contextualize my life in a more mythic/narratively-satisfying way and 2) think about my life and the paths its taking through a new perspective. Plus, the vibes of a good tarot reading — *chef’s kiss*. Light some incense and candles, smoke some weed, get into the altered state while spending time with friends, etc. Similar to new atheists in the God debate, I think many skeptics of astrology miss the point of why many people seek it out. There may be a certain explanatory element to it for many people — as in they believe it explains reality better than the alternatives — but I think the core reason its sought out has more to do with an existential yearning for the spiritual. To vibe with something that can’t be neatly confined to our modernist physicalist boxes; to directly engage with the mysterious like our ancestors did for hundreds of thousands of years; to tell our stories with a cosmic resonance so we don’t feel as alone and disenchanted; etc. No, the planets probably have no effect on your personality. But goddammit, there is still so much to uncover about reality and spirituality will remain valid for as long as humans remain human.
So effectively Astrology is almost like a modern-day religion because although it is baseless, unverified, and has broad based recommendations it kinda provides structure in the chaos of modern world to individuals who are not able to or dont want to see through the chaos and make rational decisions.
What better way to demonstrate that every person is unique than by putting them in group boxes and call them signs, or push the idea that you have almost everything in common with someone who was born on the same year, day, hour and minute, and that some people just aren’t right for you because when they were born the planets were aligned in a different way, but others might be because their planets aligned more favourably. What possible self-determination is there when our thoughts and behaviours are influenced, and worse, justified by unchangeable forces? It’s not just that they’re outside forces, because we are certainly conditioned for the most part by outside forces, but most of them are human-made, they’re political systems and environmental (geographical) conditions that are mostly based on human choices. I’ve seen too often people use astrology to justify a lack of accountability for their actions, and without accountability there is no change, no freedom and no self-determination, at least not for all. One may determine oneself to be an irresponsible individual(ist) who chooses to be guided by arbitrary factors and confirmation bias, i.e., astrology, sure. I’ve seen people justify their domestic abuse with the zodiac sign of the abuser, justify their lack of empathy with their own sign, their own disrespect towards other people’s boundaries, their manipulative and possessive behaviour, their conformity, their connivance with things that are detrimental to the common good or of any particular individual, basically anything they don’t want to work on.
I treat astrologists the same way I would treat an nft pyramid scheme buyer… avoid them at all costs an astrologists job is to peddle to the masses that what they are peddling is the truth. Not speculative, not maybe, not unsure, No. These people believe this crap and all they want is your money. take the ad of this article for example… smh
I believe, as Philosophers at Wisecrack, you should be treating astrology as any other theology. It is effectively religion in its societal context, and I believe it should be celebrated for the complex faith it provides (because, unfortunately, it was grossly simplified in this article through narrow, and obviously biased research. astrology is about far more grandiose belief systems than birth charts.) The problem here is you guys are reporting on astrology as if you reported on Christianity through only the lens of devout boomers. There’s more to astrology than commercial presence, and it was naive to make this article as though the business man who schemed to bring the practice to market represents the truths it has to offer. I say this all as someone who tends to adore the content of these articles.
Now I’m just curious if there’s an actual connection between certain people and their signs. You always hear about Scorpios and Geminis but how many Cancers are shouting to the heavens about their star sign? To what extent is there a prescriptive component to being a two-faced Gemini? When I found out I was a Scorpio, was I already 0.1% trusting or was I pushed into the role of being mistrusting by astrological society? I’ve only entertained astrology for fun and don’t really believe it… but I do know some Geminis that are 100% accurate, regardless of their beliefs in astrology.
Astrologers love to tell you about how “They are made of star dust” but they seem completely uninterested when you explain that stars like our sun are made of 91% hydrogen 7% helium, and the rest is iron, neon, nitrogen and a few other heavier elements. Human beings are around 60% Hydrogen and 20% oxygen 14% carbon and a few traces of calcium, iron, etc. Hydrogen makes up 95% of all baryonic matter. Hydrogen atoms have the most basic element structure: 1 proton and 1 electron, no neutron( unless we get into isotopes). Helium has 2 electrons, Lithium 3, and so on… I’ve also yet to meet one that knows how their sun sign is determined without using google.
If someone is willing to hear me out, I’d greatly appreciate it: Being a South African black male, I grew up in a fairly Christian family. Time went on and I just lost faith due to reasons and went through a quarter of my life not believing in anything. Fast forward I went through almost 3 horrible years, physically, mentally and emotionally. At my very lowest, philosophy and spirituality saved me and helped me become the best possible of myself I could be while being invested in an intuition that I can profoundly say feels Divine. What can I say? Its just somehow always right and always present. Now I dabble many of forms of spirituality, from Astrology, Tarot reading, Angel work, Chakras, to philosophy, to, African spirituality, to more Pagan and Eastern beliefs, . Science still plays a role in everything too, we’re just stuck in believing the stuff we were taught in middle school. Step out and find out more, expand your growth, love more, heal and abundance.
God I despise astrology! And recently found of it’s apparently “misogynistic” to criticize….. which BLEW MY MIND! What the actual f……. I’m a passionate feminist and passionately opposed to astrology BS because I’m passionately opposed to all BS. I’ve decided that if people who like astrology think it’s sexist to dislike, I think it’s racist/appropriation to LIKE IT! So there! We can all make up dumb shit!! In non western places (such an India) it is one of their main beliefs. So if I’m sexist for saying it’s bullshit then they are appropriating beliefs! Absolutely cannot believe that shit when I learned that was a “normal belief” of astrologists! That naysayers were literally misogynistic…. OKAY WOW!
I find astrology fun. But man, I give three flying fucks about it. It’s a fun kind of bullshit to me. If you believe on it, it’s absolutely ok and good for you, but please. Stop saying “we’re not compatible because of our signs”… Like really? Worst thing, in my country a lot of people that are die hard fans of this are the same people that say “man, enterprises and corporations want to control you” (even small companies that can barely pay their workers here) and they are being controlled by a piece of text that “defines” who they are. Man, just mind your own business and be yourself, don’t get carried away by a stupid paragraph.
If you don’t have the time or wherewithal to figure out who and what you are, sure, why not use astrology as a framework. Maybe having the stars guide you to a better place than you can by yourself or with people licensed to do so? 😐 Did I miss the part of the article where major religions weighed in on the practice of astrology?
Astrology is very very real, but much like most things in western culture it has been watered down for commercialism and commodified. I’ve been studying ancient Indian Vedic astrology and it’s amazing and enlightening. But no one really digs that deep! I think of astrology like I think of music. What you hear on the radio is only the SURFACE of what actual music is being made.
I’ve been into surface level astrology since I was middle school aged but after a near death experience, I felt like I needed answers and got really into it with natal charts and aspects, etc. I’m not as obsessed with it as I was a year or so ago but it helped me feel like I had some control over my life and body and that’s that I needed at the time. I know a lot of people think it’s stupid but if it’s not hurting anyone, there’s no need for unnecessary negativity towards those who follow it. I don’t judge people based off their sun sign- that’s ridiculous.
I’m most likely in the minority here but I appreciate astrology for what it is. I’ve been really studying astrology for probably 8 months now and I realized the way in which it’s talked about lacks the nuance and understanding from both people who hate and enjoy it. The subject has been over simplified so that it can be easily digestible and marketed for consumption like most things are nowadays. There’s so much information that actually goes into understanding and interpreting the stars that go beyond “Leos are self absorbed” and “Gemini’s are too faced”. I do think most people got into astrology just because it’s popular and trendy (I would be a liar to say that didn’t influence my curiosity, I only knew my big three before it really blew up on tik tok and other platforms). Do I think that Astro is the set thing everyone should get into, no, it’s an occult practice for a reason. I personally stuck with astrology because it helps me see the world in another perspective. It also kinda helped me believe in something bigger than myself because sometimes it really feels like nothing matters (which still might be true tbh)
I’m a huge fan of astrology and find that certain aspects of it help my life. Granted, it doesn’t always predict what my days, weeks, months or years will be like. But I decided to take what connects with me while the rest doesn’t fit into my life. I’m still going to decide for myself what to do, even if I do get involve with Fortune telling and such. Whatever you believe in, that’s fine with me. Anyone who doesn’t believe in astrology, I get it. To be frank, fortune-telling is my hobby that I enjoy taking part of and I would love to create something out of my hobby.
Kind of sad how people are so desperate for meaning and answers that they go to ludicrous lengths to get them, they want to be special. It’s even sadder that instead pushing the limits of our existence and achieving some truly awesome things, most people choose a world of mediocrity/complacency and then complain about life being too plain. Knowing Mars’s position won’t give significance, actions will.
Self decode is as scientific as astrology. “Genes associated with coffee drinking” WOW! You mean human genes? “Associated with” just means “that we are associating with”, there is no scientific, causal link. “Hey, you got white girl genes, you must have… ANXIETY!” ‘Wow, how did you know?!?” “You also have a star sign that’s associated with perfectionism” “OMG that’s so me!!!”
The best argument against Astrology i’m aware of is that is never did discover ANYTHING just through “influences” that did not add up… no horoskope was ever imprecise cause “there is something in the fifth house past Saturn” that seemed to be important but we did not yet know what celestial body it was. And as we now know that all galaxies are giant heaps of stars and our own galaxy is WAY bigger than just the 5000 or 10.000 stars people can see with decent eyesight under total darkness conditions… why only the few stars people in antiquity drew lines between to make them? Why not sextillions of stars sorted by distance and size to determine the effect? As it is with half the planets or moons being “post astrology” discoveries and 99.9999% of stars never been assigned any importance the “art” is revealed to be all make belief and pretense.
Astrology is not based in facts, but someone else’s beliefs and philosophy. At the end of the day, it’s the author of whatever astrology that has the most control over what’s happening. There’s nothing wrong with using astrology, meyers briggs, the enneagram as a start to introspection and learning where we struggle, so long as we’re honest. The issue is when any one system becomes the core of our identity. So much so, it REDUCES ourselves to these archetypes, CREATED by another person. Which basically, you lose a major part of yourself to someone else that you’ve never met. Identity is a powerful thing. The pursuit of what you are turns very quickly into the pursuit of who you wish to be. While both intrinsically fail to realize “you are the pursuer” wishing to be an archetype is far more dangerous, as you will sacrifice aspects of yourself, or even see yourself in the wrong lens, because uncomfortably fitting into the clothes is better than being naked.
People are SO gullible. My grandmother was an astrologer at the controversial Camp Chesterfield in Indiana. One time I went with her to her trailer office, and I noticed her name on the shingle with “Rev.” in front of it. I asked her what that meant. She replied, “It means I don’t pay taxes.” She had customers paying her up to $375 per hour (in the 70s, no less) for what she called “chart regression.” I asked her why she was engaging in this grift. She said that if she didn’t do it, then they’d go see someone else, so might as well. Indeed, these suckers were looking for someone, and she figured that she’d be that someone. Ultimately, she impressed upon me that Astrology is nothing but spiritual garbage, as is all of religion. Grown adults should know better.
Appreciated the even-handed approach here. What most people get wrong, including you guys here, is that as a language that combines a great many factors to describe the quality of events or natures, it’s quite hard apply empiricism. In the same way you can’t empirically prove the existence of French, and you must rely on the anecdotal evidence of people.
Astrology of today sounds like either a convenient scapegoat whenever things don’t fall into place and a way to brush of any form of self-responsibility OR a comforting life compass when you are out of choices in life. Unfortunately, the former is more prominent and the latter people are better off seeking spiritual guidance through religion that actually have some principles and values they can align themselves with to live a more content and fulfilling life.
Human Design and Gene Keys are more modern versions to interpret this too. As for how it happens; every minute neutrinos from the heavens are pouring down on us here, depending on where we are. Thus why your date, place and time are required to get the “math right” The Secret Language of Birthdays is the book that totally blew my skepticism out of the water. The more I look the deeper the rabbit hold goes. But I am open to it; it’s just like magic or hypnosis or having fun; if you’re not open to the idea it won’t work for you.
Honestly, I think avoiding confronting the random and arbitrary nature of real life is really unhealthy. If you can’t accept life as it really is then your happiness is always going to be built on shaky foundations and you’re probably going to make bad decisions because of thinking that things are predestined to work out a specific way.
I’ve never gone looking for my horoscope, but if I stumbled onto them I would read mine. They were always super vague. Then one day years ago, I was sitting next to the girl I just started dating and she downloaded an app for them. I don’t remember what it was, but it was spot on. Everyday for the entire relationship they applied perfectly to us either individually or together. Made us question reality a bit.
Excuse you, I was indeed interested in what Sagan had to say, more than I care why some perky chick thinks people like astrology. I’m personally just sick of hearing, “Ha, Virgo problems, am I right?” and the like. Even though you will find that almost every horoscope is relatable to most people. The notion that there are people who think they know what I’m like because of the circumstances of my birth… just pisses me off. And the people who scoff at my religious beliefs while thinking this nonsense… probably sounds hypocritical of me to those who don’t believe in God or other stuff like that. But see… I also don’t go around telling people I know all about them based on superficial circumstantial planetary movements. I don’t shove my beliefs down their throats. I’ll answer questions when asked but don’t go around spouting at everyone. Basically, I could see convincing yourself that there’s no God because you want scientific proof (though by definition, the scientific method says that anything you can’t fully and with certainty disprove must remain on the table as possibly being true) but to reject God and then turn around and say, “But I do believe I love spinach because I’m a Pisces,” is a bit much for me.
So, I host a podcast called Mancy that’s all about this history of magic and how it has influenced our culture. Astrology is such a massive and bloated topic because there are so many different astrological belief systems and they’ve got their own special relationships to modernity. There are other magical beliefs and practices that fit with modernity too. Astrology has certainly come a long way from being Ancient Babylonian Space Racism. (or maybe it hasn’t. People can be real judgemental about people’s signs.) I would argue that contemporary Magical practices and neopaganism also fill the roll of individualized spiritualism. People turn to magical belief whenever the chaos of existence is too much. That’s why we’re seeing a huge boom now in magic and spiritualism, like we did in the 20’s and 30’s. People can consult the stars, or carry a crystal, a rosarie, or gaze into the fire of a spell candle. The result is the same. It’s the human impulse to attach a handle to Hope so we can hold onto it. Even if we know it doesn’t work, it can still make you feel better.
Not sure if you take requests. I would love to see a article about genetic determinism. Seeing the sponsor on this specific article was really interesting to me. To my knowledge most of what was said in the sponsorship is pretty wrong or at least not proven. Yet the ideas promoted are often considered true by people. What does this say about us? Is big tech giving us medical advice(of corse it’s not meant to be taken as such because that’s illegal) ethical? ETC
I like astrology and some other New Age stuff because it’s very, very different from the Christianity/Catholicism that was shoved down my throat my entire childhood. It’s inclusive of people from all backgrounds and even other religions (it’s supposed to be anyway when no one is gatekeeping), and it doesn’t threaten you with eternity in Hell over stupid shit like the Abrahamic religions do. It’s actually helped me a lot, and one of my hobbies now is collecting many different kinds of tarot decks, but I don’t believe every single thing I hear. No one should take their religion/faith too seriously. For example, some people of the New Age faith claim they’re supernatural creatures who have incarnated into humans, like mermaids or leprechauns or dragons. That’s…a little too much for me. Claiming you are a fucking leprechaun inside a human body is my line in the sand. And I’m glad that I have doubt. Doubt is when you know you’re not in too deep.
TL;DR: Wisecrack needs to provide evidence they didn’t just promote clear quackery to make a buck It is very inappropriate for a philosophy website (or any other website) to promote something as questionable as Self-Decode and not include Self-Decode’s reference list. Self-Decode is making some very strong claims about its capability to identify such specific traits. Claims that strong had better be backed by significant associations in the literature, and those associations would need to subject to a stricter alpha to correct for the multiple-comparisons issues such studies face.
“Have you not heard of that madman who lit a lantern in the bright morning hours, ran to the market place, and cried incessantly: “I seek God! I seek God!” — As many of those who did not believe in God were standing around just then, he provoked much laughter. Has he got lost? asked one. Did he lose his way like a child? asked another. Or is he hiding? Is he afraid of us? Has he gone on a voyage? emigrated? — Thus they yelled and laughed. The madman jumped into their midst and pierced them with his eyes. “Whither is God?” he cried; “I will tell you. We have killed him — you and I. All of us are his murderers. But how did we do this? How could we drink up the sea? Who gave us the sponge to wipe away the entire horizon? What were we doing when we unchained this earth from its sun? Whither is it moving now? Whither are we moving? Away from all suns? Are we not plunging continually? Backward, sideward, forward, in all directions? Is there still any up or down? Are we not straying, as through an infinite nothing? Do we not feel the breath of empty space? Has it not become colder? Is not night continually closing in on us? Do we not need to light lanterns in the morning? Do we hear nothing as yet of the noise of the gravediggers who are burying God? Do we smell nothing as yet of the divine decomposition? Gods, too, decompose. God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him. “How shall we comfort ourselves, the murderers of all murderers? What was holiest and mightiest of all that the world has yet owned has bled to death under our knives: who will wipe this blood off us?
Lack of awareness about the origins of astrology and ignoring the Indian civilization’s role in the oldest Vedic astrology and other forms like Jyotish vidya makes this whole research incomplete and meaningless. It’s hilarious how much knowledge the Europeans and Romans just copied from others – misinterpreted it and commercialized it – and no acknowledgement is given to the actual source materials.
I really wish you guys would stop hang on the boarder and review Mark Fisher’s Capitalist Realism. You’re always really close but never quite reach the depth of critique that you might, I really think that that’s linked with the fact that you never really steps into the Marxist pov on our society and I really can’t see the why.
Astrology is about you. I have a hypothesis that is does work. However, modern astrology is popularized with sun only horoscopes and very few look at all the visible and invisible planets like the ancient Greek recommend. Only so many people are open to new ideas and have time to follow a practice. I think its philosophic, physical, practical, emotional, and funny at times. Vedict Astrology in India is very popular it’s come back in favor. I think of it as the “harm reduction ” version of spiritually. Its fun and life’s too short to not stop at times and see how your natal chart vibes with the days we are living in. I think the most important part of your journey is to know yourself and we all have many faces. These archetypes have been our cultural key to connect the world in many ways. Knowledge and recognition of God’s masterpiece deserves respect and imo better studies. I can’t prove it although season correlation affects health isssues uniquely. perhaps astrology affects how DNA entangle. It all comes down to that money shot imo. Swimmers trying to get there first and when he does a lot of code comes together. A lot of things shape a person and imo natal astrology is one of many like DNA and the people around you. I don’t know how much it influences but i think it serves a vital importance to be elevated to hypothesis not looked down upon as a fake science. General patterns exist some parts are on point and clearly many published astrologers are in high for those who can afford them.
I’m a catholic, and have no problem with people who follow this stuff, although I have to say if i’m asked that acording to my religion this powers of prediction do not exist. I do have problem with fellow catholics or chritstians who believe all this, because it’s very very incompatible with our faith.
Step 1: Use a website to find out your zodiac sun sign and moon sign Step 2: Enter your zodiac sun sign and moon sign into Google, plus the term “Universal Tao” (ex. Taurus sun Leo moon Universal Tao) Step 3: Locate a .PDF file with the same result and read the whole description Step 4: Tell me your Sun and Moon sign and let me know if it is accurate or not
To people who say that the positions of the planets and stars and such couldn’t possibly have any impact on people and their personalities I’d like to bring up that every full moon ERs tend to see a lot more craziness than any other time of the month. I’ve had cops tell me that they tend to see a lot more crazy people out and about during a full moon as well. In fact the term “lunatic” used to mean someone who was crazy because they looked at the moon too much, or something along those lines. So if just the moon can somehow affect the way people behave than why can’t the other planets in our solar system have some kind of affect we don’t fully understand yet.
The most useful trait of astrology is a soft spiritualism; allowing you to identify forces more vast than yourself as responsible for the traits you possess that you are unwilling to accept responsibility for. If you keep being inappropriate at parties and it’s your fault, perhaps your ‘good’ self is only a persona you put on, or perhaps you have a real alcohol problem – both of these demand you reframe your self-identity and work on fixing. But if you blame Mars, it can’t possibly be your fault – how can you be responsible for the dance of the spheres? We believe less in spirits and ancestors that have done these things in your body, but planets… we KNOW they exist, and we can see them. What better entity to put your own faults upon?
A real interaction I had at work the other day: A woman came in looking for something to get her coworker for Christmas (I work in retail). She was having trouble deciding. I tried to offer my help, but wasn’t really doing much besides making the decision more difficult. After talking for a little while about our products I said “to be honest I’m probably the wrong person to help you make a decision here, I’m terrible at it myself”. She replied “Oh, what’s your sign?” “Virgo.” “Oh really? That’s surprising.” Her first reaction to learning about a personality trait of mine was to mentally ascribe one of 12 categories to me. This worldview is so ingrained in her that she was legitimately surprised to learn that my choice paralysis isn’t caused by the month I was born in. I can’t imagine this is the first time this has happened to her. How many other times has her 1/12 chance of being correct failed her? It’s fascinating how much cognitive dissonance the brain can tolerate. I told her it was my ADHD that made me that way but who knows, maybe I’m just doing the same shit she is.
Loved the article, but I disagree with the conclusion. To say that to be able to blame astrology for what happens in your life is a good thing is to disregard all that modern psychological science has shown us. Because this isn’t a one-time thing, you create a pattern, you start to frame every bit of your life in the lenses of astrology and create a layer of avoidance for the actions, emotions and even thoughts, this kind of behavior creates fusion with our thoughts which we just let it grow out and shape our view of reality. Take a look at the work of Steven Hayes’s ACT to understand it a bit more in-depth. Just for reference, I have a bit of experience with it since my mother is an Astrologist, I’ve seen how people create a bond of necessity in her previsions, how she deals with it, and how I was taught to deal with it, it can be very dangerous for oneself if untamed
I think it’s partially down to people were willing to cut ties with the old religions when it became clear those didn’t align with modern values and were often directly contradicted by observable evidence, but they weren’t willing to abandon the belief in the supernatural altogether. I think astrology offers people the same kind of spiritual belief system without all the bigotry that has historically been associated with, say, the Abrahamic faiths, and to boot it’s not claiming that the earth is flat or 6000 years old or that observable phenomena like evolution or plate tectonics aren’t real. Personally I don’t get it, I think the real universe that we know through science is plenty amazing without the need for introducing a supernatural component, but as long as people aren’t using it as an excuse to oppress or kill each other then I don’t really have a problem with it. Just maybe make important life choices based on evidence and not where the stars happened to be when you were born. *EDIT: Oh, or as an excuse to be an asshole. Your sign isn’t an excuse to be one of those. You’re an adult, control yourself.
Okay, so I just want to note the strangeness of the ad read including a bunch of statements about how “genes associate with” various traits, given the topic of the article is astrology, or how “astronomical events associate with” various traits. Yeah, it’s different—I’m just pointing out that it’s kind of awkward rhetorically, since it draws my attention to how self decode “actually” provides insight. Methinks the sponsor doth protest too much.