Whenever I talk to people about astrology, I always precede with “I know it’s not real, but it’s fun”.
My dirty secret is that I’m not entirely sure it isn’t true.
Even if we could be entirely sure that there is no merit to it, I still think there are benefits to learning about it.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a pseudoscience lover. I’m a chemistry major in an honors program, so I swear I have some scientific competency. There’s plenty of terrible science out there, from the beauty industry’s nonsense about “detoxifying” products (that’s what your liver is for), to morning shows that run headlines about “the new study that proves the link between drinking red wine everyday and immortality” (correlation does not equal causation). Chem trails aren’t real and the Earth is round. In short, I’m well aware that there is no scientific basis for astrology.
It’s just that I don’t care about that.
I would now like to outline the benefits of astrology to you in the form of a serious itemized list:
1. It actually is fun
We are a self absorbed species. I know this and you know this. What’s a better way to feed our obsession with ourselves than reading descriptions of ourselves? Short of convincing the people you actually know to write nice reviews about you(good luck with that), there isn’t one.
2. If nothing means anything, what’s the harm in following the stars?
I turned my college application in on a day that my sun and rising sun declared would be lucky for me. My logic was that I had to turn it in at some point, why not pick a day that might be lucky? If there is no meaning to the universe, then it doesn’t matter that I turned it in on Tuesday instead of Monday or Wednesday. Real or not real, no harm done. (For the curious, I did get into both the schools I applied to)
3. It connects people
People jump at the chance to have their chart read. They also love to debate the worst sign (sagittarius), and tell stories about people of certain signs they know. It really is fun. I am one of the “people” described here.
4. It is a catalyst for self-reflection
Not everything in a chart is positive. Every sign and placement has a downside, and believe it or not, astrology can lead to self-reflection.
5. It’s a way to break out of taking yourself seriously
I’ve got a working theory that people who take themselves seriously and avoid vulnerability are typically the perpetrators of most of the cruelty in our world. We’ve all heard stories of people changing after becoming rich or famous. It makes plenty of sense. If you have some much economic or social capital that you’ve become untouchable, what’s to keep you grounded?
We see this untouchability as a goal. We crave the security we think it would provide. Social media has become a way to cultivate an image of the self, consciously or not. Gone are the days of grungy rebellious teenage phases, here are the Instagram baddies. If you’re not camera ready, you’re not anything at all. Perfectionism is an epidemic. We live in a world where an mistake can go viral and every mistake is preserved.
There is no forgiveness in our world. We have convinced ourselves that to have any imperfection is a punishable offense. How much energy have we wasted on preventing mistakes that haven’t hurt anybody at all? How much energy have we wasted on making ourselves suffer for mistakes that disappear into thin air? How many hours spent in front of a mirror, getting make up right? How many nights obsessively studying to prevent a handful of mistakes that could cause a B on a test? How many fights never end because we can’t admit we could possibly be wrong? How many cups of coffee drank to prevent the need for sleep? And how many alarms set to prevent us from sleeping in? As silly as it sounds, I think astrology is a small way to combat our pursuit of perfection.
To say “I know this has flaws. It is not harmful. I am choosing to engage with it.” is a meaningful statement.
To admit to that in front of others is a small act of rebellion. And perhaps, if we extend that statement to parts of ourselves, to our appearance and our work, we can find our way to some peace. Or maybe you’ll just get laughed at. But you’ll survive that. You might even be better for it. After all, nobody has ever loved anybody without knowing their flaws.
Planetary (Gab!) 