Star signs: an unhealthy or worthwhile obsession? The more no-nonsense among us are likely to scoff and exclaim ‘what a load of rubbish!’ when our friend announces their horoscope for the day. But, I’ve met people who would live and die according to the stars. You can spot these such zodiac gurus a mile off because the very first thing they will ask you-and anyone else they meet- is for your birthday. For them, this is the deciding factor in whether to continue a conversation or politely excuse themselves. I’ve had people tell me that they categorically do not associate with members of a certain star sign because of their supposed ‘bad personality traits’. But, where does this obsession stem from? Astrology originated up to 25,000 years ago through the use of the sun to create clocks and calendars. Babylon Astrology was the first organised method used in the context of divination. But, it was in Alexandria- under the influence of enforcement of Babylon culture- that horoscope astrology formed. Up until the 17th century, Astrology was limited only to scholars and a highly regarded form of science with a strong influence on medical procedures: it was essential to know the position of the moon before carrying out any form of surgery.
Unfortunately, zodiac astrology has made the steep decline from medieval science to modern day trash. Horoscopes supposedly tell us our fate for the day, week, month or even year. A study by John Hopkins University deduced that ‘human nature drives us to believe our own fate.’ Therefore, Horoscopes are the astrological equivalent of the placebo effect. Your horoscope tells you that today will be a bad day for work stress. So, you go into work with that in mind and as a result, are more likely to pick up on the minuet details which could be seen as ‘stressful’; you type something wrong on the till, get flustered by the long queue and frazzled by a customer complaint. These are normal incidents but because of your horoscope you would be more likely to come home complaining about what a stressful day you’ve had. An unhealthy pessimism is encouraged.
Image by: LIeana Daniels
Star signs, love and lust tend to be a favourite combination. Even the most cynical of us may find ourselves tentatively looking up our significant others star sign and wonder if they really are ‘scared of commitment and likely to have a wandering eye’. Pages and pages online are dedicated to telling us who we shouldn’t date, who is the perfect compatibility for us, who we would have the best sex with and so on. These pages are, of course, littered with advertisements for dating websites, cosmetic brands, all dedicated to praying on us naive, impressionable, singles. Ask a zodiac guru for love life advice and they will likely look at you with a mixture of pity and shock when you tell them that you, a Taurus, are dating a Scorpio: ‘you’re not compatible at all!’ At the time you may scoff but, low and behold, three months and a whole lot of drama later they turned out to be right. And so, you tentatively wonder if perhaps it isn’t all such nonsense after all; you make a mental note never to date a Scorpio again.