by Marie Brunkhorst, Senior
Fall 2016
Before anything, the term “astrology” means, “the study of movements and relative positions of celestial objects as a means for divining information about human affairs and terrestrial events,” according to oxforddictionaries.com. The subject has been challenged on both theoretical or experimental grounds, had claims that it has no explanatory power, and is to be considered a pseudoscience among many.
Numerous people have doubts about whether or not astrology is true. Lots believe that there’s no way that the stars can determine how a person’s personality will turn out. This belief isn’t incorrect, however it is a misunderstanding on how horoscopes work, and how they tie into science in a believable fashion. It’s not just a random speculation or a made-up story about how the stars gave anyone a personality. The planets don’t give things to human beings. Instead, there is a pattern among people. Early Babylonians used the planets to calculate the future.
Going back into early history, the term “zodiac,” came from Greek terminology, translating into “circle of animals.” Egyptians are usually credited with starting astrology, and Babylonians later picked it up to use for themselves, dating back to 2,000 B.C, to determine when will be the best time to harvest or when the next storm will show, as stated in entertainment.howstuffworks.com.
What astrology often uses is what is known as the Barnum Effect, which is the general information about something, usually being vague in predictions, yet people believe to be directed towards themselves in particular, even though it’s just generic information about a whole group of people. Of course it wouldn’t apply just to one person. It’s for everyone in that group. It’s nearly impossible to narrow it down to only one person alone. People’s brains are too complex to completely unravel its contents to the smallest cell, as it is reported by pensees.pascallisch.net.
Astrology is a difficult thing to take into seriousness, due to the absurdity that it sounds, but it is indeed an area of science that involves in-depth research, and can be proven to be true. For one thing, many people use it to not only learn about themselves, but the people around them; how they’ll react to a situation, how they’ll think with logic or irrationality and how they view their friends and family.
This leads to what are known as birth charts. Birth charts are wheel charts that get very close to determining a personality of a character. Needing more information than just a birthday, they usually take account into where one was born, what time they were born and sometimes more than that. A random birth chart on the internet wouldn’t cut it because of its inaccuracy, therefore leading into false information, which will inevitably lead to doubt that horoscopes are true. The trustworthy ones are likely to be the ones that need to be purchased - such as the software known as “Solar Fire,” which orients around PC users, and the software “Astrology” is for Mac users, on timecycles.com. Birth Charts are used by determining what position the planets were in at the time of a birth. A Sun Sign is the typical sign that a person is. It marks one’s main traits, energy, and generalize the way they act. Determining where the other planets were determines a more in-depth calculation and meaning that counteracts why one may not act like their Sun Sign.
Here is a list of what each planet presents on the Birth Chart:
Moon Sign - Emotional personality and the subconscious
Mercury - Communication and Minds
Venus - Love and Attraction
Mars - Energy and Motivation
Jupiter - Wisdom, Luck and Growth
Saturn - Fears, Discipline and Challenges
Uranus - Originality and Changes
Neptune - Healing and Dreams
Pluto - Power and Transformation
Each planet is placed into what is known as a “House” on the Birth Chart, which covers specific areas depending on where the planet falls into. This determines what talents a person may possess, why one may feel indifferent in certain areas, or why someone may like to be challenged in a certain style. The further the research, the more complicated the details become.
Astrology is a mysterious form of science, vaguely testable, stated in cogsci.uwaterloo.ca, and is considered nearly impossible. Everyone has a right to believe what they wish, though perhaps this explanation had cleared up a few holes in the views of astrology in people’s eyes.