Your Opinion On Astrology

Well, my dad has done astrology as a hobby ever since I can remember... and I have no idea how it is so accurate, but it is.

An exellent example would be that last year, 'round september, when the Yankees started to go into that big slump [2] he found out the date at which the Yankees where formed, and he looked at the charts, and said "I think it looks like another world series, but it'll be close."

He also did a chart for the election and wasn't able to pick a winner any faster then the US Supreme court could...

-Neal

I think that:

• 1) Astrology is a crock of shit and

• 2) It's a really great way to categorize people's traits; It's a really neat system, as it covers the major traits of people, introversion, extroversion, stolidity, capriciousness and the like. Works well for me. 'course, I'm a , so of course I can believe both at once.

(Ari)

Lately, I read my day's horoscope that I get in my email, look at it, and tryto ignore it because it's so damn accurate. I read it and say "Yep, that's my problem", and read Robyn's and say "Yep, that's her problem, too", and read Tessa's, and say "Yep, that's the problem there, too... oh, and Taurus applies to her too, sorta". Oy. I hate it when they're so accurate. Or maybe it's just accurate because there was a recent change in ..er.. relationship status.

Excuse me Rick, but I really don't appreciate being so high handedly dismissed in the public of my respected peers. It is (was, this post was a while ago, but you have been so prolific in publicly undermining Robyn and I that I'm sure I still haven't seen it all) an incredible abuse of your status in the unschooler community to publicly critisize us because of personal conflicts. No one is perfect, I realise each person (including me, including you) has "their problems", but public vilification is not going to have any positivy affect on either the problems or the people concerned. I appoligise to anyone who's day or contemplation of astrology I interupted with this rant of frustration, sincerely,

I think it's really interesting, actually. I'm a , and it's scary how much the typical pisces' behavioral traits match mine. Also, when I was really little, mom had her Tarot done, and the Tarot reader told her she was going to have twins. She got pregnant, and she was kinda' freaked out... she kept insisting to the doctor that it was twins, and he kept telling her that it was only one baby. Casey was born at 11:45 (pm) on the 20^th of June. 15 minutes later, and he would have been a cancer. But he wasn't. He was a Gemini... kinda' weird.

But yeah- I think that the things in the newspapers are really a crock of... stuff. My dad totally doesn't believe in it at all, but he's a Virgo. *grins* That's what we always use to tick him off. He says it's just a bunch of hooey, and we just reply "see?!? You're a Virgo!" and he rolls his eyes and walks away. -JessicaSkater

yo. i don't want to live my life by the stars. i don't see any symbolism in the pattern with which millions of burning balls of gas are sporadically placed through-out our solar-system. i don't see how the day/time/year at which i was born has anything particular to do with my personality. i don't like the idea that there's a person out there who was born at the exact same time as me. are they exactly like me, or what? i don't like being categorized. at all. that's my personal opinion on astrology. and don't tell me i feel this way because i'm a gemini. ~naomi the moth

When I was born... some of you know this story... uh, I was given a name by a "yogi" that was supposed to be based on astrological ideas and have spiritual significance. "Guru Sangat Kaur Khalsa" was my name (until I was 10, when my whole family quit the organization). It's Sanskrit: Guru = leader, Sangat = "the people" loosely, a congregation. Kaur, which all the girls got, means princess[0], and Khalsa, our collective surname, the Sikh word for chosen people.

The name was supposed to have a lot of significance for what I'd be when I grew up. And then, being born in the time period catagorized as Leo, I was reading similar stuff in the horoscopes all the time. So... when I was younger, I really thought it all fit me. I did seem to be naturally a leader type, and always want a lot of attention and all that. But then, I have three younger brothers, and was around younger kids a lot, so it was sort of logical for my to be leading.

Like Rick, I tend to be able to feel truth in both sides of an argument, and see many perspectives on any given issue. Maybe that means is my "rising" or "decending" or "circling" or "spare" sign [1]. Or maybe not.

I agree that it's valuable in that it's a fairly well-developed system, structure, to talk about and examine ourselves and each other, our traits and tendancies. But if that's all we're using it for then let's admit it and abandon the whole star pretense, and the involuntary catagorization of people. I mean, I know it makes for good motifs and all...but fuckit, it's irrational. I've never really felt comfortable telling people I know who are into it what I think of it, especially if I really respect them for other reasons...

I don't want to know what any of the signs are "supposed" to be like. Too many people have said, upon hearing my sign, "oh yeah, you're so Leo..." or whatever, and it's silly because I really think they'd say that no matter what sign I said. It just makes them focus on different aspects of methe same way it made me focus on certian aspects of me when I was littlewhich I don't neccessarily think is that great.

reanna

I think astrology is funny. There are some things that seem very accurate, like my sun in scorpio, libra rising, cancer moon... but man, the venus in capricorn couldn't be more bullshit. I wouldn't mind living in a van down by the river if I were with someone I loved. I would rather be with someone I loved than be able to have something to eat and a comfortable place to sleep. Astrology is a fun thing to play with sometimes, and it can help you in ways by making you look at things that are in you (because almost everything is) and make a balance with yourself. But really, it's like everything, there's evidence to support and to the contrary. Just look at what you think is right, and use that to help you, or just use it for play and amusement. - erin

I don't believe in it, but it's always fun to pointandlaugh at the horoscope in the paper. :) - Emma

I definitely believe in astrology! Stars and planets rule! I am a picky Virgo, so I love to put people into categories. And studying it is one of my favorite pastimes. - Fuzzhead

Generally, I tend to think that astrology is essentially a handy introspective tool, so long as you don't let it start to dictate your behavior. However, I have on occasion had people, without birth dates or signs having been mentioned at all, stare at me incredulously for a moment, and say (somewhat accusingly), "you're a Gemini, aren't you."

(The flaming :P)

Echoing other campers thoughts... I think of it as a nice introspective type of thing, a way of looking at one's self. I think it could provide me with different thoughts and be "right" no matter what my sign was. I've actually been pretty interested and well-informed about it, and done my whole chart and some other people's... not because I think it's "right" anymore than random tarot or random anything, but just because I like introspective exercises and games, and stretching the way I look at people. I used to invent ways of "fortune telling" and "reading people" that I think are just as interesting I'd have them close my eyes and I'd run my finger over my massive bookshelves until they said "stop", pick out the book my finger laid on, and do the same thing flipping through the pages, and the same thing running down parapgraphs, at which point i'd read the paragraph and see if it applied to them or the question they were asking. See SummersSillyGame for some "readings" I just did... (~Summer)

Fun, but not to be taken too seriously; untrue, but still an interesting concept.

Besides, I'm a , and capricorns rule! Hooray for growing young in your old age!

- Naela

I think Douglas Adams sums it up pretty good in Mostly Harmless.

[Conversation between Gail Andrews, world famous astrologer and Tricia McMillan- Page 649 to 650 of the Ultimate Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy] "I know that astrology isn't a science" said Gail. "Of course it isn't. It's just an arbitrary set of rules like chess or tenis or- what's that strange thing you British play?" "Er, cricket? Self loathing?" "Parliamentary democracy. The rules just kind of got there. They don't make any kind of sense except in terms of themselves. But when you start to excercise those rules, all sorts of processes start to happen and you start to find out all sorts of stuff about people. In astrology the rules happen to be about stars and planets, but they could be about ducks and drakes for all the difference it would make. It's just a way of thinking about a problem which lets the shape of the problem begin to emerge. The more rules, the tinier the rules, the more arbitrary they are, the better. Its like throwing a handful of fine graphite dust on a piece of paper to see where the hidden indentations are. It lets you see the words that are writeen on the piece of paper above it that's now been taken away and hidden. The graphite's not important. It's just the means of revealing their indentations. So you see, astrology's nothing to do with astronomy. It's just to do with people thinking about people."

That's my take, from my holy book =) -Adam B

I don't believe in destiny, but I do believe that everything happens for a reason. I don't use metaphysics to predict phate, but rather to counsel, to heal, to have fun. It is under no circumstances a substitute for free will.

JesseBorges

I don't know, I really don't. I prefer to think that I don't share my fate with the other 13,000,000 people born in my cycle (probably more than that, eh?) but sometimes it's so dead-on accurate I get a little nervous. However I am har to read for, I'm technically a but tend to have more behavior.

I'm obsessed with astrology lately, it's a whole lot of fun.. and, just like Fuzzy, I'm a picky Virgo and I love putting people into boxes and figuring out their personalities. *grin*

On the serious side... think about it. "We are made of star stuff". We, as a human race, were formed from meteors from outer space, along with the planet. Why shouldn't we be governed by a bunch of rocks in outer space?

Virgo sun, Aries moon, and Gemini rising

[0] Boys got "Singh" meaning Lion. Not gender stereotypical at all, was it?

[1] yay, i'm introducing new astro terminology!

[2] Yeah, you could argue that it's a a bit of a waste or good astrology to predict the outcome of sporting events, but hey, think of all the cash it could make in Vegas!!!

--- i dont really get it like it may be true but who knows eh? its becomeing more popular and more ppl have heard or it but i guess i just dont get it its rather anoying id like to know more abount it. and then i could see what its really abount...

Well, I usually like to read my horoscope, but if it says something I don't like, I try to change that so my day will go the way I want it to. Sometimes it's true, and then I freak out and go tell as many people as possible...but overall I think astrology is facinating. And I do fit most traits, even though Taurus starts on April 20^th (I think) and I'm april 18, so I'm a bit like Taurus's too. Which I think is cool. *jekissa*