Astrology - do you believe in it?

[RosaVernal]

I'm a pretty big fan of astrology. I don't believe that it is more than 60% true/accurate, but I find it entertaining and full of insights on human nature. It can be almost creepily accurate on how well a natal chart can describe your personality (even within the arbitrary language used) or how a daily horoscope can be right on.

Do you believe in astrology? For the lulz, or seriously?
What's your sign? Are you typical for your sign?
Care to get a natal chart? (I'm bored and feel generous.)

 

[Alphawolf]

No

 

[radhead]

I believe there is truth to it. I'm a Sagitarrius. I see many similar characteristics in other people of this sign. I recently realized that many of my best friends have been the same sign.

But I believe these things represent our natural ("sinful") selves. We should be constantly working at overcoming these things, or at turning them into good things.

 

[RosaVernal]

I believe there is truth to it. I'm a Sagitarrius. I see many similar characteristics in other people of this sign. I recently realized that many of my best friends have been the same sign.

But I believe these things represent our natural ("sinful") selves. We should be constantly working at overcoming these things, or at turning them into good things.

Well, there are "positive" and "negative" sides to each sign... so I'm not quite sure what you mean there.

*blinks*

 

[radhead]

It seems like it is about trying to understand ourselves in order to live in harmony with each other. Or whatever the message is.

But the real truth is that what we see is just the superficial top layer. The true essence of people is underneath, and it's something that astrology has no part of.

 

[RosaVernal]

Oh, alright, that makes sense then.

Yeah, I agree with that completely. There's truth in some of it, but people are a lot more deep than what an interpretation of the alignment of the stars were at the moment and position of your birth.

^.^

 

[radhead]

Something I've been curious about, why do different astrological sources have different cutoff dates for each sign (within one day usually).

For example, I've heard that people have argued about whether Adolf Hitler was an Aries or a Taurus. He was born on April 20. Most sources say that's a Taurus. Others, an Aries. I could understand if he was born on a leap year, then it would be like he was really born April 21 or whatever, but I don't think he was.

I believe Hitler was definitely a natural/sinful person.

 

[RosaVernal]

Something I've been curious about, why do different astrological sources have different cutoff dates for each sign (within one day usually).

For example, I've heard that people have argued about whether Adolf Hitler was an Aries or a Taurus. He was born on April 20. Most sources say that's a Taurus. Others, an Aries. I could understand if he was born on a leap year, then it would be like he was really born April 21 or whatever, but I don't think he was.

I believe Hitler was definitely a natural/sinful person.

...y'know, that never occurred to me.

I think it might have something to do with the kind of chart being done, and inaccuracies in the supposed position of the moon/planets in relation to the Earth.

As far as Hitler... well. I think he did a lot of wrong things, and I'll just leave it at that.

 

[Keri]

I'm a Cancer... and I've read an entire book on Astrology, and read each one of the different sign's descriptions and I fully believe that Cancer describes me and my personality traits the best. I'm pretty sure I'm a true Cancer as well, barely on the cusp.

I even researched my birth year along with the birth date and how that plays into my traits.

It can be entertaining. I don't however take it too seriously.

 

[RosaVernal]

I'm a Cancer... and I've read an entire book on Astrology, and read each one of the different sign's descriptions and I fully believe that Cancer describes me and my personality traits the best. I'm pretty sure I'm a true Cancer as well, barely on the cusp.

I even researched my birth year along with the birth date and how that plays into my traits.

It can be entertaining. I don't however take it too seriously.

Have you gotten any more detailed on it?

I prefer to go down to the minute of birth and location too, but then again I'm picky.

 

[Keri]

Have you gotten any more detailed on it?

I prefer to go down to the minute of birth and location too, but then again I'm picky.

The book I read had that option, but I was working a night shift and it was starting to put me to sleep. lol.

 

[ulu]

Something I've been curious about, why do different astrological sources have different cutoff dates for each sign (within one day usually).

For example, I've heard that people have argued about whether Adolf Hitler was an Aries or a Taurus. He was born on April 20. Most sources say that's a Taurus. Others, an Aries.

.

Checking an ephemeris, there's no confusion. ie taurus might start april 20 1 year, and start april 21st another year.Also someone born early on the 20th might be aries, a later birth might be taurus in the same day.

IMO it would take a shrink many sessions to know as much about a person as studying their natal chart.

 

[Tinkerbell33]

I'm not sure, but I am an Aquarius, and I have the characteristics that an Aquarian is supposed to have.

 

[Wormie]

Don't believe it, never put any stock into it. I don't need to know what my day/ week/ time of the future is going to bring me - I've got enough just concerning myself with the here and now.

There are other reasons, but the above is sufficient.

 

[Wren]

I think that I fit the description of a Taurus. I think the charts and sign descriptions can be accurate but that the horoscopes are usually a bunch of nonsense (like saying I will meet someone special this month or some hooey like that).

 

[alfrodull]

The characteristics of any given sign are typically broad enough to encompass pretty much any individual. Perhaps, at least originally, this wasn't purposeful trickery by astrologist con artists but because astrology was just about the closest thing there was to science at the time, and people were making observations, and observing...That people's moods change with the seasons! *gasp* But it's a human tendency to read more into things than is actually there.

Face it...The same people believed that blood-letting healed you and that lead could be turned into gold. So while it's an interesting bit of history, it's not something I can take at all seriously.

 

[PeculiarTreasure]

Nope

 

[Silver-winged Flyer]

I think Christians should stay as far away from it as possible and I'm shocked and horrified to hear how much Christians are into it.

 

[Mrs. Luther073082]

No, I don't. Research has shown that there is no significant relationship between astrological signs and personality and that personality is not significantly related to birth dates. And if research findings do not matter to you, God doesn't seem too fond of astrology in the Bible, either. (See Deuteronomy 4:19 and Isaiah 47:13-15, for example).

Last semester, my research methods class did an experiment involving astrology and confirmation bias. We randomly selected participants to be in one of two groups who each got to rate how much a personality description fit them. The personality description was exactly the same for everyone who participated, but one group of people was lead to believe that their personality description corresponded with their astrological sign and the other group was just given the personality description and that's it. The group that thought their personality description was related to their sign rated the personality description as being significantly more like themselves.

 

[Mrs. Luther073082]

I guess it would be good of me to provide the sources for the statements I made:

Clarke, D. Gabriels, T. & Barnes, J. (1996). Astrological signs as determinants of extroversion and emotionality: An emperical study. The Journal of Psychology, 130, 131-140.

Hartmann, P., Reuter, M., & Nyborg, H. (2006). The relationship between date of birth and individual differences in personality and general intelligence: a large scale study. Personality and Individual Differences, 40, 1349-1362.