I’m Scared of How Accurate Astrology Is

If you’re one of those people who checks their horoscope daily, knows every person in your life’s big three by memory, and discovers the birth chart of every new person you meet in a matter of seconds, you likely believe what astrology tells you to a religious extent. Even I, who doesn’t give a f*ck what someone’s zodiac sign is in relation to my compatibility with them, will check my horoscope now and then and fall in awe of how much it applies to my life. Why is this so? 

Either the extreme vagueness of the average astrology site allows anyone to relate, or the brain tricks you into thinking that what you’re being told by a random person on a random platform is some sort of cosmic sign that you and the universe are one.

How is astrology so real? 

Upon doing some light research, I learned that astrology is absolutely not backed up by science. A specific study noted by McGill University sought out to discover whether or not astrologers could accurately match the birth charts of 23 people. The astrologers were given photos of each person and their answers to a designed questionnaire. Results showed that the astrologers did not perform any better than they would have by chance in matching the charts. Yes, this is only one study, but it brought to mind a more recent experiment I saw on YouTube. The channel Cut brought in a man whose profession has been astrology for nearly half a century to guess strangers’ zodiac signs. The result showed that he accurately guessed 4 out of 12 people’s signs. That’s a ⅓ chance of getting their results correct. In addition to these studies, it also seems that the field of astrology does not show the progress it would be exhibiting if it were backed up by science. Conclusively, astrology has been deemed nothing more than a pseudoscience. 

According to QZ, ancient astrology has roots in the Hellenistic era, between the 3rd century BC and the 1st century CE. During this time, astrologers’ work focused on connections made between movements observed in the sky and the events that occurred down on Earth. An interpretation was based on observations collected in the past by the Mesopotamians. This historical way of producing horoscopes contradicts the way astrology is conducted today. 

Modern-day astrology almost projects people’s desires and thoughts onto horoscopes. QZ says that the way astrology is interpreted today “leaves far too much wiggle room for astrology to simply sound like affirmations of what people want to hear about themselves and think about the world.” Think about the way your mind works when you read a horoscope. I immediately find a way to connect what is written under my daily horoscope to something that’s been happening in my life recently. A sentence as general as “You might be feeling more sentimental than normal.” will easily allow someone to connect it to their life. While centuries ago, astrology focused on how the universe worked in relation to happenings on Earth, it seems today astrology basically consists of projections that allow people to feel more comfortable with what’s going on in their lives, using the universe as a justifying force. The workings of the stars and planets no longer possess a causal relationship with events that occur on Earth but are rather used to forecast and rationalize individuals’ personalities and behaviors. 

So why do we really believe in astrology so much? People naturally seek explanations for the events that occur in their lives. Even more so, it gives one a sense of comfort to know why they behave a certain way or why someone treats them the way they do. Astrology is an explanation, a reason behind personality, actions, and perspectives. At times an alternative to psychology, astrology appears to be a natural way of reasoning what goes on in the world on a day-to-day basis. If someone’s acting weird, it’s justified because Mercury is in retrograde. Is that person you just met unable to escape your head? The connection must be because their moon is in Virgo, and your rising sign is Aries. 

It is entirely understandable why astrology is as big as it is today. In a time when life is turbulent for many, it’s nice to have a constant force backing up what happens in your life. Just don’t start falling apart when you meet a Leo who, surprisingly, doesn't like constantly being the center of attention. 

Strike Out,

Parmis Etezady

Boca Raton

Parmis Etezady is a Content Writer for Strike Magazine Boca. In her free time, she likes to take groovy photos, go to concerts (or blast music in her bedroom), and obsess over vintage fashion. You can reach her at petezady@gmail.com or on Instagram at @parmisetez.