When I was a kid, I was a voracious reader. I would finish my ten books I checked out from the library within a few days. Granted, most were Baby Sitter Club books (or some equivalent). As I grew older, I started reading some of my mom's books. One of these books--a western astrological sign book--sticks in my mind. Although I can't remember what this books' name was, I remember the content, and it sticks with me today. Every time someone tells me their birthday, I always think about some of the characteristics of that astrological sign, and see if they match up with that person.
Now, you might ask: Hillary. You're a Ph.D student. You're kinda smart. Do you believe in that crap? I would reply, well, I'm not sure. What do I know is that many of the traits assigned to astrological signs reflect some of my friends and family, and others do not. I'll provide some examples below.
From what I know about western astrology's history (which is limited to what I just skimmed in a few scholarly articles and my brief Google search), it is based on Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos, and a lucid starting guide for understanding this history is A History of Western Astrology by Jim Tester. Western astrology is largely horoscopic, or based on a horoscope of an exact moment (like birth), and reduced to sun sign astrology, which only considers the placement of the sun at a person's birth. Overall, western popular astrology, or the signs that you see for horoscopes and what you respond if someone asks, "What's your sign?", is greatly simplified. Nonetheless, I find it intriguing how sometimes these astrological signs describe a person's personality accurately, and sometimes they don't.
First example: me. My sun sign is Aquarius (born between January 20th and February 18th...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjxSCAalsBE). Aquariuses are, according to a few different websites and my memory of my mom's book, humanitarians, intelligent, independent, progressive, original, honest, and curious. These are the "positive" traits. The "negative" traits include being stubborn, insensitive, aloof, sarcastic, unpredictable, and rebellious. I would agree that most of these characteristics describe me. However, I have a few family members and friends who are also Aquariuses, and these descriptors do not describe them.
Another example: my lovely partner-in-crime. He's a Pieces (normally born between February 19th and March 20th). Pieces are compassionate, artistic, creative, open-minded, and devoted, as well as fearful, escapist (of reality), lazy, impractical, and loners. He (and I) would only agree with about 50% of those descriptors. But I'm wondering if it depends on the month (and perhaps even day) people were born. My dad is also a Pieces, but was born in February, unlike my spouse. Dad is definitely artistic, creative, and devoted, but he's neither lazy nor a loner.
What I'm curious about is how these characteristics describe some people, but do not describe others (I'd love to hear some examples from my readers!). This is where the more complex astrology comes into play, I believe. Although I do not have the time to delve into astrology fully, I wonder if astrology may be another way for humans to understand ourselves and others.
Works Cited
"Aquarius Astrology January 20-February 18." Zodiac Signs Astrology. http://zodiac-signs-astrology.com/zodiac-signs/aquarius.htm.
"Aquarius Zodiac Sign Aquarius Horoscope." Astrology Zodiac Signs. http://www.astrology-zodiac-signs.com/zodiac-signs/aquarius/.
"Aquarius Zodiac Sign--Characteristics & Personality Traits." 123NewYear.com. http://www.123newyear.com/zodiac-signs/aquarius.html.
Friedman, Hank, "The Differences Between Western & Vedic Astrology." Learn Astrology. 2012. https://www.learnastrologyfree.com/differences.htm.
Pelham, Libby. "Personality Traits of an Aquarius." Explore Astrology. 7 December 2016. http://www.exploreastrology.co.uk/personalitytraitsaquarius.html. Accessed 19 December 2016.
Pelham, Libby. "Personality Traits of a Pieces." Explore Astrology. 7 December 2016. http://www.exploreastrology.co.uk/PersonalityTraitsPisces.html. Accessed 19 December 2016.
"Pieces Astrology February 19 to March 20." Zodiac Signs Astrology. http://zodiac-signs-astrology.com/zodiac-signs/pisces.htm.
"Pieces Zodiac Sign--Characteristics & Personality Traits." 123NewYear.com. http://www.123newyear.com/zodiac-signs/pisces.html.
"Pieces Zodiac Sign Pieces Horoscope." Astrology Zodiac Signs. http://www.astrology-zodiac-signs.com/zodiac-signs/pisces/.