In Opinions: Astrology 101: Understanding the zodiacs

Illustration by Adam Montes | The Signal

As a Gemini, I’ve been told that I have multiple personalities, a two-faced liar, and a fantastic person. All could be true given the day. I read my horoscope daily to see how my day might go. Many people think horoscopes and natal charts are complete garbage. Those same people are the ones that never looked past quizzes and clickbait Instagram posts. 

While we can respect those who have done some research, it’s mind-boggling how anyone would discredit astrology as pseudoscience. Some people are convinced that astrology is real, like me. But there’s not a single piece of evidence that proves it. 

According to astrology, astronomical phenomena can influence our behavior. Many believe that their lives are bound by the patterns suggested by the astrological readings.

Others simply think that astrologists are not scientists and are just frauds. So now the question is, do you stand with your beliefs or science?

This ancient practice has been around for the last four thousand years. Astrology can be defined as studying the relative positions and movements of celestial objects to understand and predict human affairs and terrestrial events. Many cultures have developed their own astrology systems, the most popular being the western and Indian systems. 

According to astrology, the relative positions and movements of celestial objects affect the Earth’s orbit. An example, for instants, would be how the moon has a significant impact on the tides. Celestial objects such as planets and suns can influence the physical world around us, such as humans and their personalities and decisions. 

With the relative position of celestial objects changing throughout the year, astrology has been divided into different groups according to birth times and dates. These other groups have different personalities and behave differently. Astrologers claim to be able to predict the behavior of people based on their personalities. In the society that we live in today, many people ask, “what’s your zodiac sign?” and expect you to know everything.

Humans have been captivated by the wonder of the universe. I currently know five people with whom I share a birthday. It’s safe to say that we all somehow act precisely the same, with minor differences. So what’s the difference between the zodiac signs and why are they all different? 

There are 12 familiar star signs of the zodiac over centuries; each sign has been associated with different animals, colors, characteristics, etc. Each sign has a different approach to life, including its strengths and weaknesses. There are four different elements that the signs are associated with. First, you have fire signs which include: Aries Leo and Sagittarius. Next, you have earth signs which include: Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn. Then, you have your water signs, which include: Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces. Finally, you have the air signs, which are Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius. Personality-wise, fire signs are more passionate, earth signs are more practical, air signs are intellectual and water signs are emotional. 

If you were to look at your birth chart, you’d see that sometimes you have different zodiac signs in other houses. Your sun sign is also your main zodiac sign; this is the one that was on the eastern horizon at the time of your birth. To complete your birth chart, you need to know the date of birth, the time, and the place. There are 12 sections within the birth chart, including your rising sign/ascendant, sun sign, moon sign, mercury sign, Venus sign, Mars sign, Jupiter sign, Saturn sign, Uranus sign, Neptune sign, and Pluto sign. Each section is called a house; each house describes a different part of yourself, including your personality, how you react to certain things and how you interact with people. 

I believe in astrology and I’m not here to tell you that you act a certain way just based on the time you were born. I think it’s pretty cool that some people act the same way while others act differently based on their birthdays. D.H. Lawrence once said, “we need not feel ashamed of flirting with the zodiac. The zodiac is well worth flirting with.”