Time of the Signs

Are you a bold and ambitious Aries, or a passionate Leo with a thirst for theatrics? Perhaps you’re a Scorpio who just can’t understand why you’re always misunderstood.

Horoscopes are not new to us. In fact, many of us grew up reading about them in newspapers and magazines. Today, we sometimes find ourselves relating to the signs through niche memes on social media. For those who have been living under a rock and have no idea what horoscopes are, here’s a quick intro:

Astrology is the study of how the movements of celestial bodies influence human lives. Kelly Tatera from The Science Explorer used the University of California, Berkeley’s Science Checklist, to see if this is actually scientific. She found that the expectations generated by astrology are far too general to be considered testable. Tatera also quoted a study that aimed to test the accuracy of using astrology to describe the personality traits of 193 participants, the results of which showed that its accuracy pretty much came down to chance.

So if there is no actual scientific basis on astrology, why do so many people still believe in it? More than that, why are millennials so fond of horoscopes?

The narcissus in us

As much as we hate to admit it, some of us love to read about ourselves. Be it to understand more about our personalities, or to get a glimpse of how others view us, reading horoscopes can be very entertaining to some. This isn’t a bad thing at all. In fact, it can sometimes enlighten us on our less-than-admirable traits, and can be a tool for self-reflection and improvement. Just remember that not every reading will fit you 100%, so take everything with a grain of salt.

Everybody’s Cinderella

The general rule of thumb is that not every shoe will fit you. This is not necessarily true for astrology, however, because its forecasts can often be very vague and generalized. Many of us fall victim to this, and somehow make sense of the readings to fit our current situations no matter how far-fetched they are.

Someone to blame

It is always easier to find someone else to blame for the mishaps we experience. For others, they would rather pin the blame on a higher entity or being, instead of accepting that bad things happen in life. How easy would it be to say that your crush just isn’t compatible with you because he’s a Virgo, and totally not because you’re just not his type? Mm-hmm. I see you.

We’re stressed out

Julie Beck of The Atlantic also delved into the world of astrology in an attempt to understand the charm of horoscopes. In her article, she mentioned Psychologist Graham Tyson, who conducted a study in 1982 and found that many of the people who turned to astrology did so in response to their “stressors”. Tyson wrote that although these people would not normally believe in astrology when they’re not stressed out, they are open to consulting the signs as a coping device when being subject to high levels of stress.

And who better to prove this theory than Millennials and the Gen Z? A study done by the American Psychological Association has shown that these younger generations have been the most stressed out about current events and societal issues, and only 50% of Gen Zs are able to manage their stress adequately. Parallel to this, as discussed by Beck, are the observations made by Callie Beusman for Broadly and Stella Bugbee of The Cut — that site traffic for their horoscope publications have grown exponentially over the past few years. The time of the stars is now, though perhaps that depends on how stressed we’ll be in ten years.

Knowing all of this, we have to remain grounded in reality. As Cassius once said in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, the fault is not in our stars, but in ourselves. Believe as much as you want in astrology and its predictions, but keep in mind that the true power lies within you. Do not submit to a dreadful reading; rather, do everything you can. Take fate into your own hands. The stars do not hold your future—you do. 

LAYOUT BY: Cristine Joie Q. Bacud

PHOTO SOURCE(S): Canva Contributors