Do stars really reveal anything about us?
Stars gave us mathematics, physics, geography, agriculture, and in recent years, a revelation about our own biology. So why is astrology deemed wildly improbable?
‘I can’t believe people like these exist…’ is a common sentiment when conversations about astrology kick off. Why, indeed, would we believe in something as seemingly inconsequential to humans as the stars? And why are more and more people exploring their curiosity about cosmic happenstance?
Eternal search for identity
Humanity’s search for identity has always plagued us: Who are we? As individuals? As a species?
As modern civilisations gave way to religions, sciences, and technologies, theories were postulated: We are divine creations from the hand of God, some said. We are products of evolution, some argued. We live in a built-up reality, some declared (and as suggested in The Matrix film series, Avatar, The Sims video games).
However we came about, we are here now…and making sense of who we are is a matter of great interest; a neverending quest.
Part of this identity quest is determining personalities. Tests were created to predict our behaviours in a variety of settings. We have the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), the Enneagram, the Color Code, the controversial Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5-TR), and many others.
Astrology, a much older science and today considered a pseudoscience, attempts to determine personal tendencies based on the alignment of the sun, the moon, and the planets, at the date, time, and place of someone’s birth.
Do stars really reveal anything about us?
Outer space revelations
In 2015, scientific bodies including NASA, The Smithsonian Institution, and The National Geographic Society, explained how we are most likely — if not definitely — made of stardust.
Astrophysicist Karel Schrijver, a senior fellow at the Lockheed Martin Solar and Astrophysics Laboratory, and his wife Iris Schrijver, professor of pathology at Stanford University, take us through the scientific details in their book, Living With the Stars: How the Human Body Is Connected to the Life Cycles of the Earth, the Planets, and the Stars.
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Although astrophysics and biology would seem to be unlikely connected, the Schrijvers discovered strong links between these two sciences.
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“When the solar system formed, it started to freeze gas into ice and dust particles. They would grow and grow by colliding. Eventually, gravity pulled them together to form planets. The planets are like big vacuum cleaners, sucking in everything around them. But they didn’t complete the job. There’s still an awful lot of dust floating around,” Karel shares in an interview with NatGeo.
Iris explains that “all the material in our bodies originates with that residual stardust, and it finds its way into plants, and from there into the nutrients that we need for everything we do — think, move, grow.”
Outside of our biological chemistry, stellar observations gave birth to mathematics, calendars, physics, geography, and agriculture.
If all these observations allowed us to collectively progress into modern civilisations, is it truly and wildly improbable that cosmic activities do not, at all, affect us socially?
Astrology and The Elements
Mention astrology and someone’s first thought is horoscope — those daily/weekly/monthly life forecasts published in newspapers, riddled with cliché and recycled phrases.
But astrology has an aspect people rarely know about; something that may actually be useful in navigating human relationships: the elements.
There are 12 signs on the zodiac wheel, grouped by element — fire, earth, air, and water. It is suggested that human tendencies are much like the nature of the elements. A pagan belief, perhaps, but there is nothing about the natural world that isn’t linked to us. We are nature.
FIRE :: Aries • Leo • Sagittarius
Calm but explosive, spontaneous, competitive, passionate, bright, warm, fun, bold, hostile, energetic, has strong sense of adventure, confident.
EARTH :: Taurus • Virgo • Capricorn
Practical, methodical, persistent, sensual, hedonistic, goal-driven, reliable, patient, enjoys stability, stubborn, has strong sense of duty, not easily intimidated.
AIR :: Aquarius • Gemini • Libra
Playful, easy-going, chatty, social, humorous, broad-minded, open to change, analytical with a tendency to overthink, private, elusive, has strong sense of freedom, indecisive.
WATER :: Pisces • Cancer • Scoprio
Intuitive, sensitive, sentimental, intense, imaginative, artistic, altruistic, attracted to depth, caring, cautious, has strong sense of security, resourceful.
Astrology: A Web of Self-Analysis
It’s a common misconception that astrology boxes people into one archetype. Interestingly, this isn’t so.
The early humans who mapped the stars tried to understand the complexities of human tendencies. It is suggested that our personal motivations are influenced by multiple factors relating to the world above us.
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The Sun Sign represents the ego — how we perceive ourselves. But there can be a disconnect in how others perceive us. Astrology attempts to explain why this might be so.
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Let’s say that my sun sign is Leo (meaning the sun was ‘sitting’ within the constellation of Leo when I was birthed). Stereotypically, Leos tend to be sunny and sociable. But people don’t always see me this way…and that’s probably because my rising sign (the constellation rising on the eastern horizon when I was born) was in Scorpio — stereotypically known to be dark and obscure.
It’s a fascinating angle to self-analysis. And there’s more:
The Moon represents our emotional expression and attachment. Mars represents our ambition, passion, sex drive. Venus represents our relationship with finances, material possessions, pleasures, desires. Mercury represents our verbal expression, communication, coordination…and on it goes with other planets. Under which constellation these planets were during our birth apparently has something to do with how we navigate our lives.
These ideas are wacky, complex, and archaic…in as much as they are thoughtful, specific, and modern.
Nothing serious
I was attracted to astrology for one reason: it’s the only belief system that doesn’t take itself seriously. It doesn’t pretend to know everything, and rather explores the likelihood of things. It appreciates the flexibility of circumstances. It’s full of possibilities, potential, and perspective.
And why not? If there’s anything both science and mysticism have taught us, it’s that Improbable does not mean Impossible.
Sources and further reading:
- Natural History Museum (UK)
https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/are-we-really-made-of-stardust.html - European Commission
https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/project-result-content/2b975140-fa95–457f-b53b-b65395c64743/THE%20IMPORTANCE%20OF%20STARS%20FOR%20HUMANS.pdf - Allure Magazine
https://www.allure.com/story/rising-sign-personality-traits-astrology-ascendant-signs
