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Just in the past week, The Collegian started publishing our horoscopes online. Even if you don’t believe in the zodiac or the indisputable fact that Geminis are pretty awesome people, there is little denying that the day you’re born influences the way you respond to life situations.
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Even by a bit, I think it’s hardly a coincidence that all of the July babies I know personally share some pretty distinct personality traits.
There are 12 zodiac signs, each with their own strengths, weaknesses and particular characteristics. Through an analysis of the relationship of the sun, moon, stars and planets, astrology provides us with a glimpse of a person’s flaws and perfections.
I am often met with the expected, “The month I’m born has absolutely nothing to do with my personality.” Believe that all you want. Acknowledge, however, the science and the history behind astrology.
Experts on the subject don’t have the name of the person who came up with the idea of studying the stars and their “divining influences” over the human race. However, astrology appears in ancient cultures with various belief systems in different civilizations.
Ancient Chinese, Egyptian and even Greek civilizations — despite their strong reliance on math and logic — studied the stars for divine influences. The stars had long been used by farmers to mark the occurrence of good harvests, but it was not until the ancient Greek period that the 12 signs of the zodiac came into existence.
I don’t claim to be an expert on the matter. I only want to address some of the skepticism on the topic of astrology.
One of the first things to understand is the placement of the signs and which element they belong to. Each zodiac sign is placed into one of four elements — air, water, fire and earth (if that’s hard to remember, just think of “Avatar: The Last Airbender”).
It’s quite easy for one to disregard it completely, but in some shape or form, the universe has some influence over us all. “
Some people resonate deeper with their signs than others. For instance, people’s personalities tend to deviate from their supposed sun sign generalities quite often. However, the rising sign is a zodiac influence that we all have but is less discussed, probably due to its complex nature.
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Have you ever had a friend tell you something along the lines of “No wonder you’re so honest; it’s ’cause you’re a Sagittarius,” even though you’re not? This is your rising sign manifesting itself through your personality.
The rising sign is bestowed upon us at birth. It is the sign that was rising at the moment a person is born. Whether you correspond with your sun sign or not, the rising sign is most likely to describe you much better. Aside from the rising sign, there are many other placements to consider when looking at your chart.
There are many opinions on this hotly debated topic, but there is no escaping this conversation. It comes up pretty often around different groups of people. And when is better to have it than during a statewide stay-at-home order since we have nothing better to do?
It’s not that uncommon to stumble across an article in a magazine or a post on Instagram that pokes fun at different zodiac signs. Some posts are more lighthearted, categorizing the signs into quirky activities like sleeping in on the weekend versus those that like to get up bright and early.
There are also the deeper horoscope accounts that give insightful advice and weekly predictions according to one’s zodiac symbol. This advice is based on predictions that align with the movement of the stars.
Yet, the phrase “movement of the stars” is a fallacy in itself. It’s not the stars that move, but the Earth that rotates. As there are only 12 signs, it is impossible to categorize every person into a neat little box. Some individuals will relate seamlessly to the characteristics of a Libra, while some will only relate to one or two of them.
And that’s OK. We’re individuals, and we’re unique in nature.
Horoscopes are a vast subject to explore, and when you contrast them with free will, it only becomes a philosophical headache. It’s quite easy for one to disregard it completely, but in some shape or form, the universe has some influence over us all.
Joslyn Orji can be reached at letters@collegian.com or on Twitter @lazy_svndae_.
