Malefic effects.
This could be controversial, but I am still curious.
9 times out of 10 (ish), I notice symptoms of repulsion- a gag reflex of sorts, an eye roll, or a change in tone or mood the second I bring up the topic of astrology with my male counterparts.
Also, almost immediately this happens- whoever who brings up the topic (in this instance myself) is caricatured into either or all of the following roles:
the torchbearer of astrology for the conversations thereon
someone who makes decisions about friendships and relationships based on compatibility percentages
someone who is irrational, believing in a pseudoscience.
There cannot be a better conversation killer. Everyone is “done” by the end of it, and the main takeaways so far from conversations i’ve had are usually-
“Its all general stuff, anyone can identify with everyone’s horoscope.”
"It taps into the human need to create a narrative, a story, which is why its got a market.”
”It seems irrational to base decision-making on what someone else is thinks or predicts for you.”
And because I am never prepared to defend astrology (because I didn’t intend to in the first place), I get stuck, and spend the rest of the conversation regretting why I was curious.
On the other hand, 8 times out of 10 (ish), talking about astrology has the opposite effect with women. Its addictive and you get sucked into it.
Sure enough, the first couple of minutes you will inevitably fall into the zodiac hole (I am told this is what irks most men), but when we wait patiently, it evolves into something more than that. Somehow, I find, it awakens deeper conversations about spirituality and character expansion. Behind that brittle shell of “dealing with the malefic effects of planets”, are conversations is about communication, different approaches to adversity, healing, care, etc.
Granted, the astrology world today is dodgy and biased in more ways than one, but I assume much of it is to do with the business and marketing of it. For example,
The divination of it and the “rise of the armchair astrologers” doesn’t sit well with me.
Look at the astrology section in most newspapers or magazines. It either deliberately or unconsciously caters to our femininity.
My theory is women might be psychologically inclined to ponder and dissect bad news- which could be why horoscopes are addictive.
Oh and try finding a women’s magazine without any astrology in it- I’m almost confident you’ll fail.
Does it sound fishy? Oh yeah absolutely.
But despite all this, I am still curious and convinced that we’re missing something.
Here’s why. Because-
it is mostly harmless
we haven’t done a good enough job explaining (atleast to the layperson) where astronomy ends and astrology starts. Archaically astronomy (which is a valid modern science today) and astrology were sibling sciences
Some of the most prominent scientists -Newton, Brahe, Galileo, Keplar- were astrologers, and much of their “scientific” work came from the notion that corporeal and the cosmic were intertwined- which is the basis of astrology too!
Also, I can not help but wonder like a simpleton- if the effect of a moon can change the moods of large oceans in the form of high and low tides, what makes humans an exception? Surely planets could exert some control..
But above all, if I can believe what a modern scientist predicts with a modicum of suspicion, why wouldn’t I believe that an astrologer’s prediction has a modicum of truth in it. And I have no answer for this.
See what I mean..? Astrology is confusing.
(Note: I deeply appreciate the heterogeneity of human nature and these are just casual observations. Don’t come at me for not using the “scientific method.” :)).