Is Astrology Bullshit?

Every time I’m dating someone new, I talk to my sibling Titty about him. I tell them how excited I am about him, the things I like about him, what we did on our date… I go on and on, but eventually Titty interrupts me with:

“Okay, okay, but what’s his sign?”

I roll my eyes. I don’t care. I didn’t ask. Hesitantly: “Well, I’m not…”

Titty interrupts: “Lucas, I swear to God, if you’re dating another f%@!ing Gemini…”

I’m not sure I’m willing to let the stars determine who I fall in love with. I’m of the belief that if someone is important to you, you see through the differences and make things work. Most things can be overcome through hard work, healthy communication, and a good old-fashioned stubborn insistence on…

…Wait. Shit. I’m a Taurus.  

I come from a Christian background. Hebrews 11:1 reads: “Now faith is being sure of what is hoped for and certain of what we do not see.” What once was a virtue to me has now become suspect–after all, if you’re told to place your full confidence in something you can’t examine, what (or more insidiously, who) really is determining your beliefs? One can be easily manipulated once belief is separated from independent observation. For that reason, I usually identify as agnostic.

All the same, I miss the Bible. I miss opening a book with the expectation of discovery, the certainty that something I read could bring new knowledge, new healing, new direction. It was powerful motivation; every day, I could strive towards self-improvement through greater connection with the Divine. 

But really, that was about reflection. You’ve got to start somewhere–something cues your consciousness towards something you weren’t previously paying attention to. In reflection, you turn inward in search of integration with a deeper Truth–something underneath the daily grind. Those starting points for reflection offer a powerful invitation to approach life differently.

But if reflection is the goal, does it matter what our prompt is? As often as I’ve been challenged and inspired by Scripture, I’ve been absolutely clocked by a horoscope. Presented with a truth I’d been choosing not to see, but now could no longer ignore. Read. to. FILTH. To me, it’s more process than prophecy; when the Truth of the Universe presents itself to you, it isn’t a passive force. It requires action. You are left to decide what you do with that Truth, and it’s in the doing that we grow. Whether the invitation to “do” comes from religious writing, a self-help book, or a horoscope seems irrelevant to me. 

So no, I’m not buying any lottery tickets because a horoscope told me I’d get lucky. But while nothing is actually observable, I’m not exactly choosy about where my inspiration comes from. The stars seem as good a prophet as any; but ultimately, it’s what I do with what they tell me that determines my fate.

…but no more Geminis.

(…probably)

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