By Jia Dsouza

For centuries, our ancestors have turned to the stars to reveal their fate, and who could blame them? It is not easy navigating through a world full of unknowns. However, uncertainty is probably the only constant in our universe. Whether it is seeing a pandit with your parents or manifesting a better life for yourself, we all need some reassurance that Providence is on our side. 

Astrology has been a heated topic of discussion since its conception in Babylon more than 2,000 years ago. Its fundamental principle is surrounded by the fact that the motion of celestial bodies like planets and stars is not arbitrary, but instead, it holds a great degree of control over the events that take place in our lives, our emotions, and the choices that we make. The purpose of such divination practices is to give individuals an insight into their lives from the beginning of their existence, regarding how important dates and times in their lives coincide with various spatial events, including eclipses, equinoxes and planetary conjunctions.

The Principle Of Astrology

Astrologers rely primarily on natal charts to advise the best moments for their clients to make significant life decisions. Also known as an astrology birth chart, a natal chart is a mapped guide of all the orbital positions of the planets around the Sun from Earth’s perspective at the time you were born. Here is what it looks like:

Via mindbodygreen.com [3]

I think it looks alarmingly perplexing. However, considering I have limited expertise in this area, I shall try to explain it as simply as possible.

The birth chart includes various indicators. The sun is said to represent the basis of who you are, i.e. your aspirations, needs and sense of self. The moon controls your emotional and subconscious well-being. Astrologers also pay special attention to the placements of Venus (how you value material possessions), Mars ( charisma and energy), Saturn (karma and justice) and Jupiter (fortune and growth). The angles you see in the chart above are called aspects, and the planet at the East at the time of your birth is known as the Ascendant. The Ascendant is the primary influencer of how people perceive you. Astrologers also look out for the balance of fire, earth, air and water signs, the balance of qualities, and the classical “shapes” that the alignment of the planets forms.

Can Astrology Be Considered A Science?

Now that it has been established that there is some logic behind astrology, is there enough to consider it a science? According to a 2012 General Social Survey, 34 percent of Americans surveyed consider astrology to be “very” or “sort of scientific”. The Oxford dictionary defines science as the intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behaviour of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment.

Therein, if you were to hyper fixate on the words “systematic structure and behaviour of the physical and natural world”, you could agree with that 34% of Americans. Yes, astrology does give you information on the movements of the planets based on reasonably accurate calculations and logical insinuations. However, astrologers often oversimplify these details who attempt to connect them to the happenings of human life. For example, I find it very difficult to believe that Mars is out there, floating in space, telling me I need to calm down and take a breather. Can a celestial retrograde be a justifiable excuse to take a day off from all responsibility?

While I consider it acceptable to have some faith in the stars, I think it is vital that we do not entirely abandon rationality. Ruby Warrington, a lifestyle writer, put together the answer to this article’s titular question perfectly when she said, “I see astrology as a language of symbols that describes those parts of the human experience that we don’t necessarily have equations and numbers and explanations for.” Astrology cannot be considered a science because it relies not on facts but instead on interpretation. Horoscope predictions are generally so ambiguous that they can fit almost any context. The validity of astrological concepts is also quite foggy as most hypotheses involve abstract and intangible variables like emotions and dominance, which are almost impossible to verify and test.

It is nice to think that the universe revolves around us, but we must constantly remind ourselves that it will not stop just for us. This notion does not just apply to astrology but to anything that relies heavily on the belief in an unknown, be it religion, luck or pure coincidence. Of course, believing in a higher power beyond that of humans will always motivate us to have hope, but I think it is best to separate the scientific world from the mystical one; For now, at least.

References

1: Good Heavens! Oldest-Known Astrologer’s Board Discovered. (2012). Retrieved 27 February 2022, from https://www.livescience.com/17943-oldest-astrologer-board-zodiac.html

2: astrology | Definition, History, Symbols, Signs, & Facts. (2022). Retrieved 27 February 2022, from https://www.britannica.com/topic/astrology

3: How To Read Your Birth Chart Like An Astrologer. (2019). Retrieved 27 February 2022, from https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/how-to-read-your-astrology-birth-chart

4:Dummies – Learning Made Easy. (2022). Retrieved 27 February 2022, from https://www.dummies.com/article/body-mind-spirit/religion-spirituality/astrology/6-components-of-an-astrological-birth-chart-268227

5: Calculate Your Rising Sign – Ascendant – astrosofa.com. (2022). Retrieved 27 February 2022, from https://www.astrosofa.com/horoscope/ascendant

6: Stierwalt, E. (2020). Is Astrology Real? Here’s What Science Says. Retrieved 27 February 2022, from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/is-astrology-real-heres-what-science-says/

7: Oxford Languages and Google – English | Oxford Languages. (2022). Retrieved 27 February 2022, from https://languages.oup.com/google-dictionary-en/

8: Beck, J. (2018). Why Are Millennials So Into Astrology?. Retrieved 27 February 2022, from https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2018/01/the-new-age-of-astrology/550034/

9: Astrology: Is it scientific?. (2022). Retrieved 27 February 2022, from https://undsci.berkeley.edu/article/astrology_checklist