It seems like nearly everyone has been exposed to the concept of astrology at some point in their life. Although familiarity with astrology seems to be a part of our culture, views about astrology seem to vary substantially from person to person. Some people only view astrology as a simple form of entertainment which really has no deep meaning. People who are very religious, view astrology as heretical and unorthodox. On the other end of the spectrum, there is a small mix of ‘clairvoyant’ people who are fanatical about astrology and they think of it almost as a religion in itself. Upon learning a little about astrology myself, I don’t consider myself to be fanatical or heavily opposed to it. I’m more interested in finding out the reasons how and why certain things about astrology seem to be true, and where did it come from.
How I Got Interested in Astrology
As early as the third grade, I’ve always known what my zodiac sign was. I was born on April 24th around 5:00-5:30pm. When I first discovered my sign was represented by a bull (Taurus), I didn’t really like that animal, and I didn’t understand what it had to do with me. I thought bulls were just big, slow, dumb animals and I didn’t want myself to be associated with those kinds of traits. As I had gotten older, occasionally I would read from the horoscope section in the newspaper; but I never found (and I still don’t) anything about it to be enlightening in any way. That was pretty much the extent of my zodiacal knowledge for a long time. I didn’t really care about astrology nor did I pay much attention to it; until one day somebody exposed me to a book entitled Black Love Signs by Thelma Balfour. It is a relationship book geared towards African American readers focusing on the characteristics of the zodiac signs and how they might interact with one another.
When I read about my sign, I found mine to be amazingly accurate in correlation with my personality. I’m definitely down to earth, practical and rarely act on impulses. I’ve always been independent and more of a common sense type person as opposed to a book smart person. I’ve also always been more of a homebody who loves lounging around the house and being comfortable as opposed to going out all the time. I’ve always loved music. I’ve always been strong-willed meaning that nobody could ever force me to do something that I didn’t want to do. I’m also stubborn and definitely lazy sometimes. I’ve always loved to eat. I’ve always had a small obsession with money and the ability to keep it and make it grow. When I was a child, I was the only one who would save my allowance money versus spending it immediately, and it would break my heart to have one $100 bill versus having five $20’s because to me having more bills felt like having more money. I also always had good taste in clothes and décor. Although I don’t consider myself to be superficial, I definitely like to feel luxurious whether through my clothes and personal appearance when I go out or through my surroundings at home. When I shop, I focus on quality a lot. The strange thing about that is that I am also a big bargain hunter because I don’t like to frivolously spend money, so it’s as if I’m constantly at war within myself when I go shopping which is why I don’t enjoy doing it as much. I’m also a person who is definitely slow to anger, but once you get me heated I can definitely charge just like a real bull does to a matador.
From reading Thelma Balfour’s book, I started reflecting on some of the reasons why I am the way I am, or at least why I act the way I act. I ultimately believe many things make up a person’s personality whether it is from personal experiences, family genetics, spiritual growth, etc., but I’ve also always wondered why I did things the way I always did things even from an early age. Once I started learning about my sun sign, I started to understand aspects of myself and not only that, but other people who I normally bumped heads with; namely my father and my sister who I both can never understand even up to this day. Their signs are Aries and Libra which are fire and air signs. This means that they are more aloof, unpredictable, impulsive, illogical and basically difficult to understand if you are not like them. Since becoming accustomed to things regarding astrology, I really wanted to find out more about its history and how does it work. How can something so man-made be accurate in describing me as a person?
History of Astrology
Upon doing research, I found out that astrology dates back to ancient Mesopotamia. It was practiced by the Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, and Babylonians and many other groups. The Chinese actually have their own astrological chart which is totally different from that of the Western influenced chart. Astrology and astronomy used to be synonymous with one another until after the Renaissance period, and with the rise of the Christianity, astronomy became considered more as a science and astrology became more of a mysterious practice. Astrology’s actual origin has been lost in history, but it has been speculated that the Sumerians were among the first people to practice it. Astrology’s first uses were to make predictions about future events, but soon they figured out that they had developed more of a means for understanding individual nature including tendencies, abilities, strengths and weaknesses; and they developed a chart based on these understandings.
There are many factors included in understanding the basics of astrology. There are first of all the twelve zodiac signs: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces. Of those twelve zodiac signs, each person has a sun sign which is the sign most people are familiar with and is directly related to the date of their birth. There is also the rising sign which is related to the time of their birth. And also there is the moon sign which is indirectly related to the time of their birth in correlation with the position of the moon at the date and time as well as the year of their birth. Of the signs, there is the notion of opposites. Opposing signs include: Aries and Libra, Taurus and Scorpio, Gemini and Sagittarius, Cancer and Capricorn, Leo and Aquarius, and Virgo and Pisces. Also associated with the understanding about the signs is the notion of the four elements: earth, fire, air, and water. Earth sign people are more down to earth and practical. They include Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn. Fire sign people are more unpredictable, feisty and aggressive. They include Leo, Sagittarius and Aries. Water signs are more emotional and intuitive. They are Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces. And the air signs are more independent, highly analytical and intelligent. They are Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius. There is also the concept of the quality of the sign which includes fixed, cardinal, or mutable. Cardinal signs include Cancer, Aries, Libra and Capricorn. The fact that the sign is cardinal means that they are mostly creative and take initiative to start things. Fixed signs include Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius. Signs which are fixed are mostly determined and unwilling to change in their dispositions (unless they really want to). Mutable signs are signs that are highly changeable in character and they include Pisces, Sagittarius, Virgo, and Gemini. Another idea presented in astrology is the notion of having 12 houses which are ‘supposed’ to represent specific influences or circumstances that you are ‘supposed’ to encounter within your life time. Planets also play a large role in astrology. Each of the signs is associated with a different planet which carries a certain meaning. For example Venus rules Taurus and Libra and is the planet of love and beauty. Jupiter stands for fortune and higher thought and is ruled by Pisces and Sagittarius. The basic gist behind how astrology works is that everything is organized on a circular chart and depending on the date, time and year of your birth, the chart basically reflects the positioning of the sun, moon, and the stars at the exact moment of your birth which ultimately determines the characteristics of your personality.
The Rationale behind the Concept of Astrology
Many people determine that they don’t ‘believe’ in astrology, as though astrology is some kind of belief system. Others say astrology is directly related to witchcraft and should be avoided at all costs. Although I do believe that astrology has its associations within the occult and a person should never lean on astrology versus their belief in the Most High God, I still have to wonder if there is some rationale behind it which causes it to make sense. People always shun things that they don’t understand.
First of all, everyone has no problem believing that the moon controls the tides of the oceans, but yet our bodies are made of 75%water; so logically it shouldn’t be hard for us to grasp the notion that the moon might have some effect on us as well much like it has an effect on the tides. We believe that the sun can give off energy which can be converted into solar energy and used to our benefits. Also, the law of gravity which causes things to stay on the ground is directly related to how the earth spins in rotation with the other planets on its axis. Also, we have always been acclimated to the idea of the earth exuding energy from within. Studying geology and the inner workings beneath the earth’s crust can prove that the earth has vast amounts of energy within. Well, the earth is a part of a solar system which includes many stars and planets, including the sun and the moon. Together all these elements also transmit energy into the atmosphere as they spin in rotation with one another. So the truth of the matter is that the heavenly elements are affecting us all the time. Why should it be so difficult for people to believe that they can also have an affect on them at birth? Though nobody really understands why astrology works, the concept behind its methods should not really be hard for one to grasp considering the way the universe appears to us.
My hypothesis behind the Logic of Astrology
As a Christian believer, my hypothesis behind the logic of astrology is based on ideas that come from those beliefs. The best way that I can explain why I think that astrology makes sense is because if you really look at how the world has been created; everything including things like the natural food chain with all the different animals, the human body, the earth with all the rocks and vegetation, etc; everything all the way down to the smallest atoms and elements have been created with orderliness to them. The human body is an intricate machine with various organs that perform various functions within a system that works together to support life in us. Throughout any given year there are four seasons which move in rotation systematically as we experience changes in the weather. Even rocks have cycles that they go through to become other rocks. Water is evaporated from the sky and falls back down on the earth as rain as part of a cycle. Everything from the ecosystem to the economical system has been created to have order. Even we as human beings have an innate desire to live orderly. Although not everyone does live orderly we all seem to have a desire to maintain order in our lives. When you walk into a room that is clean and in order, you naturally want to stay in that room, whereas if you walk into a room that is chaotic and disorderly, you naturally want to leave that room. Also, the fact that children thrive with discipline and a sense of order in their lives proves that we have this innate characteristic of orderliness within us. The point of everything that I am trying to make is that if it is not impossible that God would create this world full of order, should it seem impossible that God would create our personalities in an organized fashion? I believe that there are definitely always some qualities within our personality and our soul that are definitely completely unique to each of us as individuals, but it I also think it seems highly coincidental how accurate astrology can be in predicting personality characteristics in individuals.
Conclusion: What do I Believe the Ultimate Purpose of Astrology?
I think where a lot of the pagans go wrong is that they try to use astrology to predict future events, looking to the stars for answers and using them as a guide for day to day living. They also believe that whatever astrological sign you hold at birth will determine your life and you can never deviate from whatever “the stars” have determined for you. Basically, they worship the stars as opposed to worshipping the God who created all the stars and the universe. I don’t believe that this is the correct purpose for astrology although I don’t propose that I know the exact reasons for the existence of astrology either. How I think astrology can present itself as useful is that it can help us to understand a little about ourselves, and also each other and why we act the way we naturally do. Why are some people more prone to act wild and crazy while others are more prone to be more shy and timid? Why are some people more analytical and intellectually smart while others are more common-sensically smart? Why are some people better with money than others? Why are some people more independent than others? Ultimately I believe that when you begin to understand things about yourself, you can learn to appreciate yourself and grow as a person to be better than just who you are from birth. A person who never understands themselves can never learn to better themselves. For example, I’ve always known that I am naturally a stubborn person, so instead of unknowingly embracing that negative trait about myself I choose to try to modify it by reacting in an un-stubborn way in situations which might cause me to naturally want to act that way. Also, when you understand things about others, it can help you to appreciate them too and look past certain differences because you know that ‘that’s just the way they are.’ I definitely do not think that astrology is the answer to any of our problems, but it definitely seems to have some truth in it in helping us understand ourselves and each other.
Bibliography
Balfour, Thelma. Black Love Signs. New York. Simon & Shuster. 1999.
“Concept of Astrology” [online] Available http://library.thinkquest.org/C0113521/lconc.htm, April 29, 2008.
“Astrology on the Web” [online] Available
http://www.astrologycom.com/facts.html, April 29, 2008.