We are inhabitants of a planet. In space, to be precise. Along with a slew of other planets, stars, and cosmic bodies. Wild! Human nature is to want to understand and locate themselves within this global conversation.
Astrology and astronomy were tightly linked until the 18th century, and the rhythm of the sun, moon, and stars provided a cosmic pattern for living life on Earth. It’s easy to forget about the original lightsthe planets, stars, and luminaries, thanks to the invention of artificial light (sun and moon). This old art, however, can still be used to connect with ourselves and the universe.
In the field of astrology, there are numerous schools and systems of thinking. The idea that the sky is a mirror of life on Earth is a common thread among them. Planetary and stellar movements and positions can aid our understanding of ourselves and our place in the universe.
Astrology is also a language that gives us new insights into our own motions, beliefs, and feelings by providing perspective, clarity, and imagination. Placing our personal events into planetary language and context may be both enlightening and invigorating. Astrology gives us a new perspective on life and helps us to reimagine (and even re-enchant) our daily routines.
Astrology, in my opinion, is most inspiring when utilized as a tool for increased self-awareness and universe connection. Many of us are looking for methods to develop a sense of connection and understanding with forces greater than ourselves in these supercharged, fast-paced times.
In This Article...
What is the value of astrology?
It employs scientific understanding of celestial bodies as well as scientific-sounding instruments such as star charts. Some people use astrology to build expectations about future events and people’s characteristics in the same way as scientific theories do.
How can astrology help you live a better life?
How to Improve Yourself Using Astrology
- Find out more about yourself. How can you better yourself if you don’t even know who you are?
- Find a sense of security and control. The world can be overwhelming and chaotic at times.
- Make Valuable Connections.
- Align yourself with the cosmos.
- Unleash Your True Potential
What impact does astrology have on one’s life?
Astrology, according to hardened scientists, does not work. It does, according to believers. Who is correct? They’re both correct. It depends on your definition of “work.” Astrology is the concept that, depending on when one was born, the alignment of stars and planets influences one’s mood, personality, and environment. Astrologers publish customised horoscopes in newspapers based on a person’s birth date. These horoscopes make predictions about people’s personal situations, define their characters, and offer guidance based on astronomical bodies’ positions. According to a poll done by the National Science Foundation, 41% of people believe astrology is “extremely scientific” or “kind of scientific.” Let’s break down the original query into two more precise questions: 1) Is a person’s life affected by the position of astronomical bodies? 2) Can horoscopes improve people’s moods? These are two completely different questions. Both are scientifically verifiable.
Is it true that the positions of astronomical bodies have an impact on people’s lives (beyond the weather)?
No. Seasons are determined by the sun’s position and orientation in relation to the earth. Anyone who has shoveled snow off his path in January when he would rather be at the beach can attest to the fact that the planets have an impact on our lives. Electromagnetic disturbances caused by solar flares can impair satellites and possibly create outages on Earth. Ocean tides are caused by the moon’s position. If you’re a fisherman, the moon’s location might have a big impact on your livelihood. Beautiful auroras are caused by the solar wind, and sunlight is our planet’s primary source of energy. All of these effects, however, are covered by simple meteorology, not astrology. Astrology claims that, depending on a person’s birth date, astronomical bodies have an impact on their lives beyond fundamental weather patterns. This claim is untrue from a scientific standpoint. Several scientific research have refuted the idea that astronomical bodies have an impact on people’s life based on their birth date. For example, Peter Hartmann and his colleagues looked at nearly 4000 people and discovered no link between birth date and personality or IQ. Shawn Carlson conducted one of the most renowned tests in which he had 28 astrologers give predictions and then verified their accuracy. He fine-tuned the approach before conducting the experiment, ensuring that it was scientifically sound and that all of the astrologers believed the test was fair. He discovered that astrologers were no better at predicting the future than random chance, according to a study published in Nature. These findings are consistent with basic science.
Gravity, electromagnetism, the strong nuclear force, and the weak nuclear force are the four fundamental forces of nature. When an object interacts with a human, it must do so via one of these fundamental forces. Strong acid, for example, burns your skin because the acid’s electromagnetic fields pull on your skin molecules so intensely that they split apart. Gravity drags a falling boulder onto you, crushing you. Because of nuclear forces, a nuclear bomb will evaporate you. Each of the fundamental forces has the potential to be quite powerful. The issue is that they all die out as time passes. Beyond a few nanometers, nuclear forces decay so quickly that they are effectively nil. Electromagnetic forces can range from nanometers to kilometers in length. Electromagnetic waves (light) can be detected from the boundary of the observable universe by sensitive equipment, although the light is extremely feeble. Although a star’s gravity is technically felt across the cosmos, its unique impact on the universe is limited to its solar system. Polaris’ gravitational attraction on an earthbound human is weaker than the gravitational pull of a gnat flying around his head due to the impact of distance. Similarly, the electromagnetic waves (light) from Sirius that reach an earthbound human’s sight are dimmer than the light from a passing firefly. If stars and planets had an impact on humanity, gnats and fireflies would have an even greater impact. Even if the planets’ gravity was powerful enough to influence you, a literal alignment of the planets would not result in you winning the lottery, for the simple reason that it never happens in the real world.
Yes. But it has nothing to do with the accuracy of the horoscopes. Because of a psychological impact known as the placebo effect, horoscopes make individuals feel better. The placebo effect occurs when a person’s belief in a useless procedure makes them feel better. The improvement is caused by the belief rather than the method. The placebo effect has been shown scientifically. If you offer ten sick people water-only pills and tell them it’s a potent new treatment that will assist them, and then have ten sick patients refuse to take the pills, the patients who take the pills will improve in health over time. Because of the placebo effect, a new treatment must be shown to make patients feel better in addition to making them feel better. It must be demonstrated that it outperforms a placebo. The control group in accurate medical experiments is not a group of untreated patients. The control group, on the other hand, is made up of patients who were given a placebo. The placebo effect is at work when it comes to astrology. A large number of people believe in astrology. They feel better when they read their horoscope and follow its advise. However, it is their belief, not the astrology, that makes them feel better. The placebo effect is used in many pseudoscientific treatments, from crystal healing to homeopathy. Believing in a treatment that doesn’t work may be beneficial, but believing in one that does is much better. Sticking to scientifically proven treatments allows you to reap the benefits of both belief and therapy action. Instead of reading your horoscope first thing in the morning, go for a walk. Exercise has been shown to be beneficial to both the body and the mind, and your belief in its benefits will also aid you.
Topics:
astrology, astronomy, gravity, horoscope, placebo, placebo effect, sign, stars, astrology, astronomy
Is there any validity to astrology?
Astrology is a collection of belief systems that assert that there is a connection between astrological phenomena and events or personality traits in the human world. The scientific community has dismissed astrology as having no explanatory power for describing the universe. Scientific testing has discovered no evidence to back up the astrological traditions’ premises or alleged effects.
Is it true that many believe in astrology?
Christine Smallwood’s fascinating piece, “Astrology in the Age of Uncertainty:
Astrology is currently experiencing widespread popular acceptability that has not been seen since the 1970s. The transition began with the introduction of the personal computer, was expedited by the Internet, and has now reached new levels of speed thanks to social media. According to a Pew Research Center poll from 2017, about a third of Americans believe in astrology.
Astrology, like psychoanalysis before it, has infiltrated our collective vernacular. At a party in the 1950s, you could have heard someone talk about the id, ego, or superego; now, it’s normal to hear someone explain herself using the sun, moon, and rising signs. It isn’t just that you are aware of it. It’s who’s saying it: folks who aren’t kooks or deniers of climate change, who don’t find a conflict between utilizing astrology and believing in science…
I ran a short Google search and discovered the following Pew report from October 2018:
The religion breakdown was the only thing that surprised me about this table.
I had the impression that mainline Protestants were the rational ones, but they believe in astrology at the same rate as the overall population.
But, hey, I guess they’re ordinary Americans, so they have average American ideas.
Only 3% of atheists believe in astrology, which is also unexpected.
This makes sense, yet it seemed reasonable to me that someone may not believe in God but believe in other supernatural things: in fact, I could see astrology as a type of replacement for a traditional religious system.
But it appears that is not the case.
Brian Wansink has been compared to an astrologer who can make astute observations about the world based on a combination of persuasiveness and qualitative understanding, and then attributes his success to tarot cards or tea leaves rather than a more practical ability to synthesize ideas and tell good stories.
Does Brian Wansink, on the other hand, believe in astrology?
What about Marc Hauser, Ed Wegman, Susan Fiske, and the rest of the bunch who call their detractors “second-string, replication police, methodological terrorists, Stasi, and so on?”
I doubt they believe in astrology because it symbolizes a rival belief system: it’s a business that, in some ways, competes with rah-rah Ted-talk science.
I wouldn’t be shocked if famous ESP researchers believe in astrology, but I get the impression that mainstream junk-science supporters in academia and the news media feel uncomfortable discussing ESP since its research methods are so similar to their own.
They don’t want to be associated with ESP researchers because it would devalue their own study, but they also don’t want to put them under the bus because they are fellow Ivy League academics, so the safest plan is to remain quiet about it.
The greater point, however, is not astrology believing in and of itself, but the mental state that allows individuals to believe in something so contrary to our scientific understanding of the world.
(OK, I apologize to the 29% of you who don’t agree with me on this.)
When I return to writing on statistical graphics, model verification, Bayesian computation, Jamaican beef patties, and other topics, you can rejoin the fold.)
It’s not that astrology couldn’t be correct a priori:
We can come up with credible hypotheses under which astrology is real and amazing, just as we can with embodied cognition, beauty and sex ratio, ovulation and voting, air rage, ages ending in 9, and all the other Psychological Science / PNAS classics.
It’s just that nothing has come up after years of rigorous research.
And the existing theories aren’t particularly convincing: they’re speculative world models that may be good if the purpose was to describe a real and enduring occurrence, but they’re less so without actual data.
Anyway, if 30% of Americans are willing to believe such nonsense, it’s no surprise that a significant number of influential American psychology professors will have the kind of attitude toward scientific theory and evidence that leads them to have strong beliefs in weak theories with no supporting evidence.
Indeed, not only support for specific weak theories, but support for the fundamental principle that pseudoscientific views should be treated with respect (although, oddly enough, maybe not for astrology itself).
P.S.In defense of the survey respondents (but not of the psychology professors who support ideas like the “critical positivity ratio,” which makes astrology appear positively sane in comparison), belief in astrology (or, for that matter, belief in heaven, gravity, or the square-cube law) is essentially free.
Why not believe these things, or not believe them?
Belief or denial in evolution, climate change, or unconscious bias, on the other hand, can have social or political consequences.
Some opinions are purely personal, while others have a direct impact on policy.
I have less patience for famous academic and media elites who aggressively support junk science by not just expressing their trust in speculative notions supported by no real data, but also attacking those who point out these emperors’ nudity. Furthermore, even a hypothetical tolerant, open-minded supporter of junk sciencethe type of person who might believe in critical positivity ratio but actively support the publication of criticisms of that workcan still cause some harm by contaminating scientific journals and the news media with bad science, and by promoting sloppy work that takes up space that could be used for more careful research.
You know how they say science corrects itself, but only because individuals are willing to correct themselves?
Gresham’s law is also true, but only when people are willing to distribute counterfeit notes or money they think is counterfeit while keeping their lips shut until they can get rid of their wads of worthless stock.
P.P.S.Just to be clear:I don’t think astrology is a waste of time, and it’s possible that Marc Hauser was onto something real, even while faking data (according to the US government, as mentioned on Wikipedia), and the critical positivity ratio, ovulation, voting, and all the rest…
Just because there isn’t enough evidence to support a theory doesn’t mean it’s untrue.
I’m not trying to disprove any of these assertions.
All of it should be published someplace, along with all of the criticism.
My issue with junk science proponents isn’t simply that they advocate science that I and others perceive to be rubbish; they can also be wrong!
However, they consistently avoid, deny, and oppose valid open criticism.
P.P.P.S.Remember that #notallpsychologists.
Of course, the problem of junk research isn’t limited to psychology in any way.
Professors of political science, economics, sociology, and history, to the extent that they believe in astrology, spoon bending, or whatever (that is, belief in “scientific paranormalism as describing some true thing about the natural world, not just a “anthropological recognition that paranormal beliefs can affect the world because people believe in it), this could also sabotage their research.
I suppose it’s not such a big problem if a physicist or chemist believes in these things.
I’m not attempting to shut down study into astrology, embodied cognition, ESP, beauty-and-sex-ratio, endless soup bowls, spoon bending, the Bible Code, air anger, ovulation and voting, subliminal smiley faces, or anything else.
Allow for the blooming of a thousand blooms!
Given that a sizable portion of the populace is willing to believe in scientific-sounding notions that aren’t backed by any good scientific theory or evidence, it should come as no surprise that many professional scientists hold this viewpoint.
The repercussions are especially evident in psychology, which is a vital field of study where theories can be hazy and where there is a long legacy of belief and action based on flimsy data.
That isn’t to say that psychologists are awful people; they’re merely working on difficult challenges in a field with a long history of failures.
This isn’t a critique; it’s just the way things are. Of course, there is a lot of excellent work being done in the field of psychology. You’ll have to work with what you’ve got.
What appeals to you about astrology?
The scorpion is the Zodiac sign of determination, assertiveness, and intuition. Are these the qualities that a world leader must possess? Some speculate that this is the case. According to Vocativ, an analysis of 190 world leaders found that certain Zodiac signs are more likely to hold leadership roles. “Scorpios, who are born between late October and late November, have the most cabinet ministers, with 22, or more than 11% of those in charge around the world, according to the Daily Mail. President Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, Marie Antoinette, and the Pope are all Scorpios “Sun Yat Sen, the father of modern China. The fiery Leo and Sagittarius are next on the zodiac list of world leaders.
4. Hitler’s horoscope foretold his future.
Someone born on April 20th, 1889, was predicted to ascend to power by an astrologer. Adolf Hitler was that person. Karl Krafft, a Swiss astrologer, prophesied an attempted assassination of Hitler. The Nazis arrested Krafft for foreseeing the sad occurrence. Goebbels, the Minister of Propaganda, engaged Krafft as the Nazis’ in-house astrologer after determining the astrologer was innocent. AstrologyCosmos claims that “Hitler began the successful Operation Barossa attack because of Krafft’s astrological predictions.
5. Babylon was the birthplace of astrology.
Babylon was the birthplace of astrology as we know it today. In the cultural region known as Babylonia, some of the first astrological documents date back to 4000 BCE. Planets and stars were noticed and recorded by Babylonians. These astrologers laid the groundwork for Greek and Hellenistic astrology, which is now influencing Western astrology.
6. You have multiple signs
Many people believe that they only have one sign, which is determined by their date of birth. The sun sign is the most well-known, but there are also signs for each of the planets and 12 different houses. ‘The’ “Your sun, moon, and rising sign are the big three, and they give information about your personality, emotions, vulnerability, and how you love. In order to download your birth chart, you’ll need your birth date, birth place, and birth time (as accurate as possible) “The big three
Any of the following free birth chart calculators can be used:
7. The moon has an effect on your emotions.
When the moon is full, you can find yourself sobbing on the couch about your first love. What was the source of that? As far back as 400 B.C., there has been research “The moon’s influence was blamed for the shifts in behavior. According to Healthline, the term “lunatic” comes from the belief that changes in mental condition are linked to lunar cycles. Perhaps this is why Emelia informs Othello in Shakespeare’s Othello that the moon is too close to the Earth and has driven men insane.
8. There is an element in each Zodiac sign.
Water, fire, air, and earth are the four elements linked with each of the twelve Zodiac signs. The characteristics of these elements are inextricably linked to the characteristics of the indications.
What was Jesus’ take on astrology?
I believe that God created astrology as a tool for us to better understand ourselves and to use as a spiritual tool. Numerous bible texts, in my opinion, support astrology. As a Christian, I try to remember what Jesus said. “There shall be signs in the sun, moon, and stars,” Christ predicted in Luke 21:25, referring to the importance of astrology. He explains the value of astrology with his pupils, as well as how it might be used as a sign of his return. Why would Jesus provide us this critical knowledge if we are not intended to understand the energies of the planets and signs, and if he was actually against it? Just as the three wise men knew Jesus would be born under the star in the sky that led them to him lying in the manger, Jesus warned us that when he returns, there will be signals in the sky.
Who is the originator of astrology?
Jones stated, “This is possibly older than any other known case.” “It’s also older than any of the written-down horoscopes from the Greco-Roman period,” he said, adding, “we have a number of horoscopes written down as a kind of document on papyrus or on a wall, but none of them as old as this.”
The discovery was presented in the most recent edition of the Journal for the History of Astronomy by Jones and StaoForenbaher, a researcher at the Institute for Anthropological Research in Zagreb.
Forenbaher told LiveScience that the crew was working near the entrance of a Croatian cave in 1999, a site well known to archaeologists and residents of the surrounding hamlet of Nakovana who simply named it “Spila,” which means “the cave.”
Nobody realized at the time, however, that the cave featured a part that had been locked for over 2,000 years. Forenbaher’s girlfriend (now his wife) dug under the rubble and discovered a broad, low passageway that ran for over 33 feet in the dark (10 meters). “The unique King Tut experience, arriving to a spot where nobody has been for a couple of thousand years,” Forenbaher said of passing down the corridor.
When Forenbaher entered the cavern, “there was a very thin limestone crust on the surface that was splitting under your boots,” indicating that “nobody had gone there in a very, very, long time,” he added.
The researchers eventually discovered that it had been blocked off in the first century B.C., presumably as a result of a Roman military effort against the locals.
The archaeologists discovered a phallic-shaped stalagmite, as well as countless drinking containers deposited over hundreds of years and something more. “These very small bits and pieces of ivory came out in the course of that dig,” Forenbaher explained, “and we didn’t even recognize what we had at the time.”
The group got to work. “It took years to piece them together, find more bits and pieces, and figure out what they were,” Forenbaher explained. They ended there staring at the ruins of the world’s oldest known astrologer’s board.
Archaeologists aren’t sure how the board got inside the cave or where it came from. The Babylonians developed their own version of horoscopes around 2,400 years ago, which is where astrology began in antiquity.
Then, around 2,100 years ago, astrology went to the eastern Mediterranean, where it became popular in Egypt, which was ruled by a dynasty of Greek monarchs at the time.
Jones explained, “It gets transformed very much into what we think of as the Greek style of astrology, which is really the present type of astrology.” “The Greek style of astrology is the foundation of astrology that spans the Middle Ages, modern Europe, modern India, and beyond.”
The ivory used to produce the zodiac images dates back to 2,200 years, just before the advent of this new kind of astrology, according to radiocarbon dating.
The location of the board’s manufacture is unknown, though Egypt is a possibility. They believe the ivory came from an elephant that was slain or died in the area around that period. Because ivory is such a valuable commodity, it would have been preserved for decades, if not a century, before being utilized to make the zodiac. These signs would have been adhered to a flat (probably wooden) surface to form the board, which could have featured other features that did not survive.
It could have been loaded onto a ship sailing through the Adriatic Sea, a vital trade route that the cave overlooks. Illyrians were the people who resided in Croatia at the time. Despite the fact that ancient writers had a negative view of them, archaeological evidence reveals that they interacted with surrounding Greek colonies and were a vital part of the Mediterranean civilization.
An astrologer from one of the Greek colonies may have visited the cave to make a prediction. A consultation in the cavern’s flickering light would have been a powerful experience, if not particularly convenient for the astrologer.
Jones commented, “It doesn’t sound like a very practical site for performing horoscope homework like calculating planetary placements.”
Another hypothesis is that the Illyrians acquired or stole the astrological board without fully comprehending its use. The board, along with the drinking containers, would have been presented as an offering to an unknown deity worshipped in the cave.
“This astrologer’s board could have shown up as an offering along with other exceptional items that were either bought or robbed from a passing ship,” Forenbaher speculated. He noted that the drinking cups discovered in the cave had been chosen with care. They were made in another country, and only a few cruder amphora storage vessels were discovered with them.
“It nearly appears that someone was bringing out wine there, pouring it, and then discarding the amphora away because they weren’t good enough for the gods, or to be deposited in the shrine,” Forenbaher said.
The phallic-shaped stalagmite, which may have formed naturally on the site, appears to have served as a focal point for these offerings and rituals held in the cavern. Forenbaher cautioned that all stalagmites appear phallic in some way, and it’s difficult to know what significance it had to the cave’s inhabitants. “It had to mean something significant,” he said.
“This is a spot where goods of local importance were deposited with some type of supernatural power, transcendental being, or whatever.”
