Astronomy and Stuff (Ezra)

9/9/2019

The ideology of astronomical signs are fascinating. When a person is born that dictates their astrological sign, and each astrological sign supposedly makes a person act in certain ways. The question I have is; are the astronomical signs a good excuse to use for your actions?

Personally I do not believe in my decisions based off the stars, or the reading of horoscopes. I am a person and I act how I want to act not how my astrological sing makes me act . There is no connection between the stars and our everyday decisions and actions.

35 Comments

Faith

9/9/2019 10:52:41 pm

Astrological signs are truly very interesting. However, I like the ideology of the concept, but I don't believe that it influences my behavior or daily decisions. Every decision we make comes directly from our own personal experiences and knowledge, not the stars. As cool as that would be.
One thing about astrological signs I find the most outrageous is sign compatibility. Scorpios and Capricorns get along great, while Scorpios and Leos are polar opposites and should avoid all human contact so they don't start a riot or something. I find this hilarious. I believe it depends on one's social compatibility rather than sign compatibility. This to me is the more logical reason why we tend to gravitate towards some people rather than others. If two people have similar/different interests, friends, and maybe personality traits, that is more than likely the reason people like or dislike each other. Not what month they were born in.
I also have a theory that people who genuinely believe in their astrological signs make somewhat ridiculous connections to their sign's daily predictions. For example, "You will be faced with many hard decisions, but will overcome them with grace", you can connect something like that to just about anything. "Do I want chicken tenders? Or mac and cheese? Well, the chicken tenders are cheaper, and I could get more for the same price as a small container of mac and cheese. I think I'll get the chicken tenders". A hard decision made, yet overcome with grace.

Kately Cockrell

9/14/2019 10:22:58 pm

They are odd, in that respect. It seems the personalities depicted in these horoscopes and entities are overblown and exaggerated. I think that’s to set them apart from each other. Chicken tenders are definitely the right way to go, nicely done!

Brax Kauffman

9/15/2019 07:54:56 pm

I had not thought about the sign capabilities with one another. I suppose this could be used in a good way if it got two people to become friends that otherwise would not have yet it could also go the other way as well. It also made me think about how the signs could be taken as meaningful but not entirely literal and how that could be beneficial to some people’s lives.

Erykah

9/10/2019 08:34:06 pm

According to the American Federation of Astrologers, astrology began when the Babylonians created charts to predict the seasons. Babylonians created zodiac signs according to 12 different constellations that appeared throughout the seasons. These constellations were given the names of specific animals and people. These astrological charts and zodiac signs were introduced to the Greeks then to the Romans, which is where we got the names for the zodiac signs, and later to the Arabs and eventually, the rest of the world.

Because astrology ‘predicts’ each human’s personality based on the season and stars, I do not believe in horoscopes. Each person is born with their own individual mind, and the characteristics highlighted in the different signs can most likely be found in others. However, I enjoy reading online horoscopes. Even though they are wrong most of the time, they are fun to read and sometimes make me laugh.

Source:
https://www.astrologers.com/about/history
Astrology Chart:
https://vocal.media/futurism/the-basics-of-the-astrological-chart-rules
Astrology Memes:
https://www.boredpanda.com/funny-zodiac-memes/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic

Kately Cockrell

9/14/2019 10:19:19 pm

I agree, it’s funny to think that this sort of thing was almost a science, a way to discern and understand why things are the way they are and how they came about. Things like legends and myths are certainly interesting, even if they prove apocryphal.

Andy Gebhardt

9/15/2019 01:41:35 pm

You are definitely correct when you say they are fun to read and sometimes they can be really absurd. The zodiac signs are almost another type of personality test. There are so many other personality tests out there and they often have similar characteristics. Do you think there can be any similarities between zodiac signs and personality quizzes?

Erykah

9/15/2019 08:44:25 pm

There are definitely similarities. People are not only curious about their personalities, but they want to relate to others when taking a personality test or reading their horoscope.

Kately Cockrell

9/14/2019 10:39:56 pm

I personally believe zodiacs and horoscopes to be mildly interesting, nothing more. The belief that you should cut all ties with an acquaintance because they’re a Leo and you’re a Scorpio and you “don’t need all that negativity”, just seems ridiculous to me.

I believe you should decide whether or not you want to stop being with someone based on their actions, not because of constellations.

I enjoy zodiacs and horoscopes from an anthropological and anthological standpoint. But I would not use them to steer my life.

Andy Gebhardt

9/15/2019 01:38:54 pm

I agree with you about not letting zodiac signs rule your life. It seems like a lot of people make this mistake and can end up losing friends because their “horoscopes” do not match up. Is there any way the zodiac signs could be used in a positive way?

Tori Weir

9/15/2019 03:13:42 pm

It is as if zodiac signs can dictate a person's life if they let it. To have something to decide if a person can be friends with another only because of their sign, is limiting. Especially if it is based on the stars that someone made up without any actual evidence that it works.

Aiden

9/15/2019 07:15:21 pm

It’s pretty funny that people think that because someone has a sign that isn’t compatible with yours they shouldn’t be friends. This was probably someone trying to get their crush to not like another guy thats birthday is different than hers.

Maddy

9/15/2019 07:55:30 pm

It is quite interesting to see on the internet and social media’s such as Twitter and Instagram, people almost discriminating due to what month others were born. People make jokes, make connections, and make mean comments whether or not you’re a Cancer or a Scorpio or a Capricorn. It gets quite out of hand sometimes for sure.

Andy Gebhardt

9/15/2019 01:35:51 pm

Horoscopes and the ideas along with them are something I heard about just a few years ago. Of course, I had known vaguely about them but did not know more than just that they were associated with stars. I do not remember when it was that I looked into them but I was curious and wanted to make my own decision about the truth of them.

Now much like werewolves are affected by the moon in stories there is scientific proof that other animals react to the sun and moon phases. Being a hunter I would much rather hunt on a day of a full moon than a partial phase because there is simply more activity from animals.

Does this mean I believe the zodiac symbols are correct? No it does not and I think the way we act and socialize comes from our upbringing. Our parents and friends teach us skills and we use them and become the people we are today. On the opposite side of that though, many people do have differences in character that we would say are predisposed. Some people are much more shy than others and it is hard to say why and how they came to be that way.

Overall, I think the zodiac signs are just another myth that explains a natural phenomenon that the Greeks and Romans were so fond of coming up with. Some areas of horoscopes could be partially correct but I doubt there is one person that ever aligns perfectly with a zodiac sign and that means they do not work.

Tori Weir

9/15/2019 02:59:02 pm

I also never paid attention to the horoscopes until recently. It is interesting how it became famous and a part of our culture. I know that "Snapchat" promotes zodiac signs, but why do you think horoscopes are still super popular in our culture?

Faith

9/15/2019 07:07:53 pm

I liked your point about how the sun and moon affect animals but the stars do not affect us. I also agree that our upbringing and people we surround ourselves with affect who we are and what we do rather than the stars.

Tori Weir

9/15/2019 02:43:21 pm

Similar to the Chinese horoscope, the zodiac signs are determined on a person’s birthday. Depending on the sign a person will have, they automatically get an assumption on what their personality type they are and what they might be facing. It seems bizarre that other people made this up and some people actually believe in what they had said. However, I believe people make up these actions and beliefs of the horoscopes simply to either find a reason to explain who they are or blame their actions based on their signs. There are people out there who let themselves believe in horoscopes and that is fine, but it seems untrustworthy to believe in zodiacs signs. Everybody is different and to place them under a sign that tells them what they should be doing and acting is impossible.

I never read into zodiac signs and really do not know much about them. From what I understand of the signs is that they are supposed to tell a person what their strengths and weakness are, and to tell who they can befriend the best or who they should avoid. It is interesting how different signs have different personalities and various meanings, but I do not believe in them. I believe a person is responsible for their every action without relying on an astrology sign. Their actions are based more on a person’s morals and the person themselves. In the end, astrology signs are fun to see what the signs say but it does not take responsibility for a person’s action.

Paige

9/15/2019 07:15:04 pm

I like how you recognized that people came up with zodiac signs, and it is bizarre that there are individuals who believe them. I agree with your point on how it is impossible to place differing people under an astrological sign.

Madicyn

9/15/2019 07:58:54 pm

I used to read my horoscope and enjoy reading others to see how they matched with the people’s personality. Although I definitely do not live my life according to what they say, I do think it is quite interesting how well these little paragraphs can match up so well with personalities. I am a Cancer and my personality matches rather well with what all the websites say they should. My sister is a Gemini, and my mother is a Leo. I don’t know how people explain the accuracy of these traits and inferences, but it is quite interesting.

Aiden

9/15/2019 06:29:28 pm

Like the majority of people in this world. I understand that the intricacies of the placing of the stars does not, in fact directly affect my decisions. The idea of blaming your strengths and weaknesses on your Zodiac sign is ridiculous. Each person is vastly different from everyone else and grouping people together that have similar birthdays is laughable.

I believe that one of the most important gifts we have while we exist on this earth is to choose. Our choices determine where we are going. Obviously I also believe there are a multiplicity of factors in how or why we choose. That being said blaming a bad choice on the stars placement at the time of your birth is just irresponsible.

Faith

9/15/2019 07:12:56 pm

I really like what you said about one of our best gifts is we get to choose in life. I think choosing what we do shapes us into the people we are now, and allows us to make mistakes, grow, and learn as people. The stars should not be a logical explication for one’s behavior.

Paige

9/15/2019 07:18:12 pm

It is definitely interesting that we group people depending on the month they are born and say they are alike. There are billions of people and it is truly laughable to practically say there are 12 types of personalities.

Brax Kauffman

9/15/2019 07:51:53 pm

I am glad how you brought up that putting faith into astrological signs is illogical and in no way should be practiced with how someone should live their lives. Do you have anyone in your live that you know looks at these signs as more than just as something to enjoy.

Paige

9/15/2019 07:11:50 pm

Horoscopes and astrological signs are not science. I personally feel they are there for more of an enjoyment than fact to base life upon. I do not know people who read their horoscopes daily and use them to determine their actions. However, even such people would hopefully have the maturity to take responsibility for their actions, rather than blaming it on the star alignment during their time of birth.
I do not think under any circumstance an individual should use their astrological sign as an excuse for poor behavior. Those who use it as such are immature and irresponsible, and are seen in that way. People are given agency and they generally have the ability to make decisions and act how they please.

Sabrina

9/15/2019 07:53:59 pm

I feel like we are to the point where no one really believes in astrological signs. I personally haven’t met anyone that blames their actions on their sign unless they are joking. I also think that everyone has agency and should acknowledge it, but we don’t like being wrong. That is where signs come in. It’s a way to remove our agency and also our blame.

Erykah

9/15/2019 08:17:59 pm

Zodiac signs used to have more meaning. For example, Chinese astrology was connected to the religion Taoism, where people used constellations to determine one's future. Unfortunately, people today just use it as an excuse instead of realizing that astrology had a role in religion and science a long time ago. People have control of their destiny, not the stars.
https://depts.washington.edu/triolive/quest/2007/TTQ07030/religion.html

Alyssa Farnworth

9/18/2019 11:23:59 pm

As you stated, "horoscopes and astrological signs are not science", but do you feel that reading the horoscopes could have a positive effect on some people's lives? For example if a generally negative person reads that their sign should come into some luck and happiness throughout the year and they adjust their outlook to make this happen couldn't if be positive for that person? This is not to suggest that there wouldn't be downsides but maybe the positive could outweigh the negative in that regard.

Brax Kauffman

9/15/2019 07:49:16 pm

Astrological signs can be a really fun thing that people can look for enjoyment and to have a good time with there friends or by themselves. However they should never be taken seriously when it comes to how a person should actually behave. I have only seen one person throughout my life that would consistently look at their horoscope and signs and base their daily actions and decisions off of them. While this was only for a short period of time in their lives I can defiantly say it did not benefit them doing so. It gave them excuses to actually completely different all of the time and take no responsibility for themselves. Granted this was when I was younger which did have a large affect on how the person acted themselves but there was still the added negative aspects because of them looking at their signs. So once again I believe that they can be a really fun thing to look at for a joke but that they should never be taken seriously in any case because of what it can lead to.

Sabrina

9/15/2019 07:57:02 pm

I was shocked to find that 12% of people read their horoscopes every day. The one person that I knew that did this didn’t truly believe it but said that it was fun and gave their day some sort of guidance. I also found that silly, that they based their day around something that an app said, but it helped them do something productive or feel better about themself.

Madicyn

9/15/2019 07:51:46 pm

Astrological signs are not an excuse for our actions any more than any other excuse. Our actions are our actions, and taking responsibility for those is something everyone should always work on.
I know many people that take their star signs very seriously and devote their entire lives towards it. They base their plans and next moves all towards what some cheap website tells them their horoscope is for the day, week, month, or year. Now although I don’t believe in horoscopes so to say, I do think it’s really interesting how accurate these personality traits and such can be due to the time you were born. With the zodiac sign, I am a cancer. As a preteen I used to read horoscopes everyday, and sometimes I still will just to be intrigued. The personality traits I read about cancers have some that are quite accurate to my own, I don’t know how you explain that but it is still interesting.
Overall, I think zodiac signs, horoscopes, are all just ways for us to try and connect to the stars and the sky. Even if it may not be accurate.

Erykah

9/15/2019 08:26:10 pm

I enjoy reading my horoscope, too. Sometimes I read my sister's horoscope, and it's usually wrong. She's a scorpio. They are usually hot-headed and angry, but my sister is not easily angered. I think it's important to keep astrology alive for the sake of its history, and, like you said, our connection to the stars.

Alyssa Farnworth

9/18/2019 11:18:19 pm

Most of us noted that horoscopes and astrology signs are just a form of entertainment not to be taken seriously today, but do you think their could be some negative aspects to the signs? If yes, in what age group do you think it would be most present and why?

Sabrina

9/15/2019 07:52:16 pm

I am guilty of following hororscope pages on Instagram and finding similarities between my sign and myself. My sister also also identifies with signs, but not her own. It has become a form of entertainment to read about the different signs instead of believing in them. The different activities inside of that, like sign compatibility and opposites, don’t have any weight at all in today’s society, but they’re a fun activity.
However, these claims about signs do make people want to match their description based on their sign. Even though I know that all of it is made up, I find myself trying to imagine myself doing what my sign is supposed to do and believing it. I have never and will never bring it up in converation about my personality or behavior because one, I don’t believe in it, and two, no one else believe in it. If anyone tried to justify themselves based on their sign they’re either joking or desperate. Those that say they believe it only believ it when it matches their personality. The idea of it is ludicrous but as long as our society finds entertainment in it, it will stay present.

Aiden

9/15/2019 07:55:22 pm

I agree that it’s a joke to most people but occasionally people act like they strongly believe in the power of their sign. Which may or may not explain them but they find ways in their minds to justify how they act.

Josephine

9/15/2019 09:33:26 pm

My astrological sign is the Sagittarius. Although some of the personality traits of the Sagittarius were accurate, not all of them suited me. For example one of the traits a Sagittarius is said to have is straightforwardness. I consider my a person who will beat around the bush, and not give a clear answer most of the time. As much as astrology is fun and interesting, it is not considered a true branch of science. Therefore the stars one is born under does not account for one's actions.

Alyssa Farnworth

9/18/2019 11:13:54 pm

Astrology should not account for our actions as human beings as they are completely unrelated. People choose their actions. I find it interesting how accurate certain personality aspects are, but it is also humorous how wrong they can be. The way a person acts depends on a few factors such as their personality, their experiences in life, etc. A person should take responsibility for their actions rather than blaming it on an old invalid science that tells us how we should behave based on the stars of which we were born under. My sign is a cancer and sometimes when I read my horoscopes for entertainment they closely resemble my life and personality at the moment, but their are times when it is completely inaccurate. No matter what one believes the study of astrology is interesting but, should be taken less seriously and used more as an example of a past way that people and cultures would try to explain the human experience/condition.

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