It's my birthday soon which makes me a Sagittarius. Actually I'm on the "cusp" whatever the hell that means because you see, I'm just going to put this out there from the start - I think astrology is a bunch of hocus pocus.
There, I said it :-)
Does that stop me reading my stars whenever I'm in possession of some woman's magazine? Nope.
Does it stop me from consulting my handy-dandy astrology book when I'm creating a new character? Nope. Does that mean I think that people who do believe in it are crazy? Nope.
It's just not something that has any real focus in my life.
I'll give you a classic example. When my son was three somebody asked me what his star sign was - I looked at them blankly because honestly, it had NEVER occurred to me to look it up. So anyway, after she'd picked herself up off the ground, she asked me his birth date and told me he was a Libran and I learned something new that day. When my daughter came along I made sure I knew her star sign right from the get-go because I wanted to be informed should anyone ask me that question again. They haven't.
So, what about you guys out there. Are you believers or sceptics like me? Are you the kind of person who can see astrological traits in people (I believe scepticism is a Sag trait...) or are you utterly oblivious? What star sign are you and do you believe that the traits attached with that sign are actually *you*? Ever placed a bet on a horse or done something else slightly left of center because the stars told you to do it? :-)
Oh and I thought you might enjoy a bit of 70's psychedelia.
I'm a believer when the predictions work out and a disbeliever the rest of the time - which is nearly always. Love reading the star signs in the paper or magazines for a good laugh but usually forget what they said moments afterwards. I'm a Gemini so apparently there are two of me which explains a lot.:)
ReplyDeletelol Sue - a pragmatist, that's what I like to see :-)
DeleteI tend to be a believer in reverse. Usually discovering that something or other was retrograde when I was going through a rough spot or struggling with life/writing/you name it! LOL! I'm a Piscean and a bit of a dreamer (apparently a Piscean trait) so I would say I'm more a believer than not.
ReplyDeletelol, I like that Yvonne, believer in reverse :-)
DeleteI'd say if being a dreamer is a Piscean trait then being a writer is perfect :-)
In the first year of my (Media studies) degree, a zillion years ago, I had to analyze horoscope content across all daily newspapers for a month and write a paper on my hypothesis to prove or disprove whether they predicted the same things for each star sign. Basically they didn't- and they couched things in such 'woolly' language that you could interpret them how you wanted. That was twenty odd years ago- I can't imagine they've changed much! Sorry, but I don't believe any of it. (Doesn't stop me reading them every now and then though, just for a laugh!) I'm a Leo- apparently I like drama and attention. Yeah, I do :-)
ReplyDeleteI'm not surprised, Louisa. I listened to a couple of YouTube astrologists while researching this and for Sag for December and you'll be pleased to know they both concurred - it was a time for budgeting and for family.
DeleteDecember, really?? Who'd have thunk it :-)
I had lunch with a group of colleagues after a very intense time of bedding in a new project, so we'd got to know one another pretty well. The question got asked about star signs.
ReplyDeleteI didn't volunteer mine, I made every one guess based on the attributes they observed while we worked together. Six guesses, six strike outs - including the person who takes her astrology *very* seriously!
So put be down as skeptic. I don't believe one can (or should) pigeonhole people and personalities.
I had to laugh at Louisa George's comment above. If she was doing media studies a zillion years ago in Australia, she might have analysed the newspaper my husband and I worked for.
Occasionally he'd write the horoscope pages (if the syndicated one didn't come through) and he made it up - sometimes he was very mischievous about it too...
Interesting Elizabeth and OMG I laughed re your husband making them up - the true believers would be horrified!
DeleteI'm a Sag too. I do look at the horoscopes when I come across them, but I don't live my life by them.
ReplyDeleteMy mother, when she was alive, was able to guess the star sign that a person was based on how they walked and carried themself.
Yes, Lyn, some people do have an uncanny knack for knowing someone's astrological signs.
ReplyDeleteIn Holding Out For A Hero one of my characters has psychic ability and reads the taro cards all the time. I don't believe in them either but man, was it fun to write Iris :-)
I had notice Iris and her psychic ability along with tarot card use. I only finished the story on Sunday so I don't even know why its relevance escaped me.
DeleteAmy
ReplyDeleteI am an Aries and have no idea what my traits should be LOL yes I sometimes read the stars in magazines but don't remember what they said :) I am me :)
Have Fun
Helen
You *are* you Helen and thank the stars for that :-)
ReplyDeleteGreat post. Age of Sagitarius sounds better than the age of Taurus. Although I think the Taurus traits of being stubborn, bullheaded and partial to blind rages at people cutting them off on the motorway are over exaggerated. Though I have heard they are extraordinary lovers...so that's me out.
ReplyDeletelol Hayson the age of Bull? You crack me up :-)
DeleteI don't believe in them, yet I have mine delivered to my email box daily... and read them if I come across them - Don't sound like a non believer hey... but if they suddenly got it really right on something critical I might change my mind...
ReplyDeleteElizabeth, I blame your husband for making it up and getting my hopes up when he said I should win the lottery that time.... and I didn't...LOL- thank you for the laugh!
Amy - I have always loved that song!
@Tina C. Hee, hee ;-)
Deletelol Tina :-)
DeleteI've always loved it to but I think that's the first time I've seen the film clip. Far out man :-)
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio...
ReplyDeleteMind you, Amy, I'm not sure horoscopes are one of them. ;-) They're fun to play with, sure...but frankly I think I'm too lazy to be the loud roary lion I'm supposed to be. That said, I have a friend who is completely into astrology -- and she makes it sound like a science with exact birth dates and times etc necessary for accurate calculations. But as it all sounds too much like math...
lol, Michelle. Maths....shudder.....
DeleteAmy, I never really gave it much thought though I now know a lot of people who take it quite seriously. I occasionally see traits that fit what I'm 'supposed' to be but never know whether it's just because I was looking for them. I'm not usually a horoscope reader. I love the sound of a character with psychic ability. That can be so fascinating.
ReplyDeleteOooh good point, Annie, psychic characters and the angst that often causes them are very fascinating!
DeleteAmy, I'm right beside you on that Sag "cusp"! I must confess I think horoscopes are fun but not to be taken seriously! Though it is nice when they say something uplifting and tell me how productive/clever/perceptive/fill-in-other-wonderful-attribute I'll be that day. Much better than something saying that dark forces are afoot and be careful of my finances for the day!
ReplyDeleteI have Linda Goodman's Sun Signs and it's fun dipping into it when I'm meeting my characters and learning their characteristics!
Ah that's right Sharon, we're one day apart aren't we?
ReplyDeleteI don't have the Linda Goodman book. Off to look it up!