Astrology is a practice as old as ancient civilizations like those of Greece and Egypt. It isn’t that people weren’t scientific then. Often, the technologies of their time hit their limits and they just couldn’t explain some things.
That’s the reason that mythologies exist. They’re the way that ancient people sought to explain certain phenomena. How were ancient people going to explain something as monumental as an eclipse? In many cases, they could only explain it as a celestial beast consuming the moon.
As societies developed, their technology improved, too. When it did, they let go of ancient belief systems and traditions. Despite this, many ancient traditions persisted and survived for thousands of years. Astrology is one of them. Almost every ancient empire practiced it.
They’d look up at the stars and see figures among the constellations. Positions of stars and celestial bodies, like Saturn’s return, had an influence on their societies.
On top of that, astrology offered something that many people wanted. They wanted information about the future, because there’s not much scarier than the unknown. Any assurance at all about what the future could turn out like was something they’d take.
We believe in astrology for the same reason we believe in any other kind of superstition.
Why do we believe in astrology? It’s like asking why we don’t want to break mirrors or disrespect a person’s grave. Thinking it’s because of bad luck or that the person will haunt us is superstition, sure. But it still holds power in our cultures and our lives.
Does predicting the future actually help?
One of the primary things that astrology offers to anyone who believes in it is a look into their future. This look into the future offers many different things for a whole host of people. Some need the assurance that they know something about their future. Others only want to hear it so they can disprove that future.
Whichever it is, the fortunes of others are something astrology offers. It helps as much as the person needs it to help. Short, of course, of making that future come true. Astrology is a belief system; it can’t make any future it predicts come true. That’s solely in the purview of the people who follow it.
The idea that nothing in life is purely coincidental is a corollary to another astrological belief—that we exist in conjunction with the Universe and its energy. So nothing happens to us that has no real reason. Everything has causality.
Astrology claims to offer the reason for that, albeit in an unscientific way. Any other science or practitioner of such looks for concrete reasons behind a future. Astrologers and those who ‘seek their fortunes’ seek a look into the future in a way where no science can go.
So, you have a belief system that offers a look into the future. It even offers potential solutions for those futures by offering people the power to change their futures. Who wouldn’t want that? But of course, astrology can only help as much as you let it.
Astrology’s connection to the cosmos
Another reason many people believe in astrology is a desire to belong to something bigger. They look for their purpose in things bigger than themselves. Often, that means joining a business. For others, it means a family.
Instead of feeling like a mere slave to happenstance, believers in astrology can feel uplifted by a cosmic connection.
However, some believe that we should belong to something bigger. And that should mean belonging to the biggest possible thing. How much bigger can you get than the universe? Instead of feeling like a mere slave to happenstance, believers in astrology can feel uplifted by a cosmic connection.
Astrology offers a flattering character analysis of most of us, and that’s hard to turn down, to say the least. If you were told that your stubbornness is endearing because you’re a Taurus, are you going to tell the astrologer that they’re wrong and that most people hate you for it?
Things like the types of Zodiac signs help people get a unique perspective on their character. Astrology is kindly advice from an authority figure, and it’s personal and attentive advice, at that. That makes it difficult to refuse. What are you meant to do? Even the most hard-line, non-believer in astrology probably knows their own Zodiac sign.
Often, you’ll find that an astrologer will say something about how a planet’s alignment affects you. It doesn’t. But that’s just to distract you from what it is; they’re reading you as a person, and this helps them give you vague and general advice. People still believe in astrology because that advice sometimes actually proves helpful.
So does it really help, or not?
As said before, astrology helps as much as you let it and in the way you let it. Believing in astrology can help the most desperate people find a way to centre themselves. When they do, it helps them figure out how to take better control of their lives.
Others let it help them in a way that removes accountability for themselves. How much more convenient can you get than having a planet or Zodiac sign as an excuse? If you mistrust others to the point of detriment, you can just say it’s because you’re a Scorpio.
That, of course, isn’t astrology’s fault. Astrological advice can genuinely help people and remind them to take control of their own lives. But that response is dependent on the person receiving the information. If we’re using astrology as an excuse, then it’s not a help. But then, probably nothing could help someone who is looking for an excuse.
Yes, people believe in astrology because it helps them feel better sometimes. Sometimes it doesn’t help, but that’s usually not astrology’s fault. People believe in astrology because it gives them assurances, although we do hope that most see astrological insights as assurances rather than excuses.
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image 1 Girasol Tarsio Arte Visual from Pixabay; image 2 Here and now, unfortunately, ends my journey on Pixabay from Pixabay; image 3 nskumar1968 from Pixabay
