Paige Bunker ‘20, LyonLife Editor-in-Chief
There is no doubt that there is nothing more divine than lying in the cool grass on a summer night and gazing up at the mysterious speckled black sky above. For centuries, people have looked up to the stars for guidance in their journey and admired their beauty. Yet, their most peculiar use for these constellations is in self-definition and predicting the future. Around the world, people are trusting that these billion-year-old, exploding balls of gas know themselves more than they do. They rely on the stars to define their strengths, weaknesses, love lives, and even futures more than their own intuition. Welcome to the psychotic world of astrology.
Depending on when your birthday falls, you are categorized into one of 13 zodiac signs that correspond to constellations, and this sign is supposed to group you with people of similar attitudes, tendencies, and futures. If you are searching for your star-crossed lover or the obstacles you will face for the day, horoscopes are ready to flood you with all sorts of unreliable predictions. The study of astrology and its horoscopes originated around 2,400 years ago in ancient Babylon and soon spread to the eastern Mediterranian, where it quickly grew popular in Egypt. “We don’t really know who first came up with the idea for looking at things in nature and divining influences on humans,” Sten Odenwald, the director of Citizen Science at the NASA Space Science Education Consortium, said.
The concept is completely irrational, and yet, widely adored. Today, zodiac signs and their correlating horoscopes flood social media platforms for users to find out a wide range of useless information about themselves. These posts can range anywhere from ideal companions for each sign to how each zodiac sign reacts to certain situations like going on a road trip. Even without any true credibility or evidence behind these claims, people still choose to blindly follow horoscopes like a religion.
Though astrology as a study is completely absurd, there is no doubt that looking up your daily predictions can serve as a fun pastime. “I always enjoy looking at my horoscopes for the day or month, but I don’t necessarily believe them. They’re just interesting to look at,” senior Kathryn Kopko said.
As long as you are not allowing a couple stars to completely transform your career goals or relationships, it can be fun to marvel at the false claims that these zodiac signs make about your entire life. All is fun and games until you allow these exploding balls of gas to predetermine your destiny. So just be careful not to get blinded by the stars.
Photo courtesy of factschronicle.com
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