# Do Grown People Really Still Believe In Astrology? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 29, 2004, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-grown-people-really-still-believe-in-astrology/271918 "2004-10-29T20:16:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Denis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5e9695/32.png) [@Denis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Denis)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-grown-people-really-still-believe-in-astrology/271918/101 "2004-11-01T02:50:49Z")
**moriah** 😃 No worries, I don’t feel my problems are belittled at all. I have this habit of, shall I say, “determined optimism.” I have suffered some pretty grim depressions before, and I find that taking positive, practical advice, _no matter what the source_ helps me stay away from the downward spiral. That and talking to friends and family. This is the first time I’ve ever done one of these things, and I just thought it was weird how it described my state of mind to a T. On the other hand, my therapist knows me pretty well, and he can describe my state of mind to a T as well. And he doesn’t use any woo-woo methodology to do it. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-grown-people-really-still-believe-in-astrology/271918/102 "2004-11-01T04:37:08Z")
I’ve read that even the basic tenets of astrology are no longer valid. The twelve star signs were established over two thousand years ago and since then the drifting of the constellations means they’re no longer present during the birthdates they’re supposed to influence. And there are now thirteen constellations which supposedly are birthsigns. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-grown-people-really-still-believe-in-astrology/271918/103 "2004-11-01T05:15:14Z")
> [@yosemite](#): > > With that said, no, I don’t take astrology seriously. I check it now and then for fun, but it’s wrong just as often as it’s right. See, this is what I don’t get. What’s fun about it? Reading statements that may or may not apply to you … you may as well pick a random page in the dictionary and read it once a day. At least you might learn some vocab while you’re at it! One thing I’ve never got a straight answer for from any astrology believer: are the positions of the sun, planets, etc, just an elaborate way of fixing time and place of birth, or are they supposed to be exerting actual influence on personality by some magical means? Either way, if it was valid then two children born in the same hospital ward in the same minute of the same day ought to have identical personalities. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-grown-people-really-still-believe-in-astrology/271918/104 "2004-11-01T06:15:03Z")
> [@Sublight](#): > > As Og is my witness, it took her 13 tries. What’d she do? Guess Gemini twice? ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-grown-people-really-still-believe-in-astrology/271918/105 "2004-11-01T06:24:07Z")
> [@](#): > > Anyway, I was quite surprised to find that a lot of the students actually described themselves as believing in astrology (the class split about half-and-half in a poll asking whether I believed in astrology, so I guess I did an okay job of non-indoctrinational teaching! ). But most of them seemed to regard it as a psychological tool rather than a true predictive device: that is, when you’re confronted with a decision or trying to understand something, you use your horoscope to provide a kind of narrative structure. That’s how a good friend of mine uses Astrology. Of course, I have to bite my tongue every time she says something like “Oh this bad thing happened because Mars is in retrograde.” She doesn’t even know what “Mars is in retrograde” even means! It drives me batshit. ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-grown-people-really-still-believe-in-astrology/271918/106 "2004-11-01T06:37:36Z")
> [@Bryan Ekers](#): > > What’d she do? Guess Gemini twice? ## Umm… Libra? Cancer? Aries? Castor? Pollux? Peace. “Gemini twice” … I get it! What are the names of the two fish in Pisces? ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-grown-people-really-still-believe-in-astrology/271918/107 "2004-11-01T08:32:28Z")
“At times you are extroverted, affable, sociable, while at other times you are introverted, wary,and reserved. You have found it unwise to be too frank in revealing yourself to others. You prefer a certain amount of change and variety, and become dissatisfied when hemmed in by restrictions and limitations. Disciplined and controlled on the outside, you tend to be worrisome and insecure on the inside. While you have some personality weaknesses, you are generally able to compensate for them. You have a great deal of unused capacity, which you have not turned to your advantage. You have a tendency to be critical of yourself. You have a strong need for other people to like you and for them to admire you.” This is an all-purpose astrological “read” written by Carl Sagan in The Demon-Haunted World. How many posters recognise themselves in it? ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-grown-people-really-still-believe-in-astrology/271918/108 "2004-11-01T13:14:32Z")
> [@moriah](#): > > What are the names of the two fish in Pisces? Frank and Ernest. ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-grown-people-really-still-believe-in-astrology/271918/109 "2004-11-01T13:43:32Z")
> [@Polycarp](#): > > Frank and Ernest. Are you sure it’s not Carpe and Polly? ---
**Author:** ![js\_africanus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@js\_africanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/js_africanus)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-grown-people-really-still-believe-in-astrology/271918/110 "2004-11-01T17:54:26Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > No one really takes this balderdash _seriously_, do they? Well, I’m a Cancer, but I was born on the cusp, so I’m sort of a Leo, too. But because of the Procession of the Equinox that makes me sort of a Gemini, and Geminis don’t believe in astrology. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-grown-people-really-still-believe-in-astrology/271918/111 "2004-11-01T18:25:11Z")
> [@LilyoftheValley](#): > > Did I mention she kept this information in an excel spreadsheet? :dubious: My wife does it in her head and is happy to tell you that she is an Orion. Seems that these days the Sun is in Orion for a few hours on June 18th so she’s neither a Gemini nor a Cancer. She doesn’t believe in astrology but I guess it was a way to use her knowledge of astronomy and her ability to do mental math and impress her friends instead of putting them to sleep, which is what she does when she starts talking about long-extinct invertebrates. They wake up when she mentions “animals without assholes” but start nodding off again when she explains further. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Scrivener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2004, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-grown-people-really-still-believe-in-astrology/271918/112 "2004-11-02T01:00:44Z")
> [@Little Nemo](#): > > I’ve read that even the basic tenets of astrology are no longer valid. The twelve star signs were established over two thousand years ago and since then the drifting of the constellations means they’re no longer present during the birthdates they’re supposed to influence. And there are now thirteen constellations which supposedly are birthsigns. I remember a news story along these lines years ago (except for the 13 constellations part, which I simply don’t recall). We are supposedly one month off what the ancients who invented astrology saw, so if you think you’re a Libra, you’re really an ancient Virgo (or maybe the shift goes in the other direction; whatever). I once confronted a 20-something, extremely devoted amateur astrologer with this revelation. His reaction was priceless: a pause, followed by something like "well… that’s interesting, but… it doesn’t really matter… ". He went on to argue that because astrology is such a richly detailed, \*time-tested tool \* [circular argument here] for achieving insight, it [somehow] overcomes the objections of skeptics and doubters such as myself. :rolleyes: Granting the absurd truth-claims of astrology’s proponents for a moment, just for the sake of hypothetical argument, if astrological readings ever had specific merit in ancient times, being a month off now should invalidate the readings, and vice-versa. But try convincing the true believers of this… ---
**Author:** ![easy\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/eb8c5e/32.png) [@easy\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/easy_e)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2004, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-grown-people-really-still-believe-in-astrology/271918/113 "2004-11-02T02:07:42Z")
The admin at my place of employment went online and got horoscopes for a coworkers twins when she heard of their birth. She was very particular in getting the exact time of birth as it’s oh so important. :rolleyes: And I had to hear about it 50 million times because my cube farm is very quiet, she’s kitty-corner from me, and she talks really loud. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2004, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-grown-people-really-still-believe-in-astrology/271918/114 "2004-11-02T02:09:09Z")
> [@Loopus](#): > > Yup. When I ask someone why in the world they believe in Astrology, I usually get an answer along the lines of\*\* “Why not?” It can’t be disproved,\*\* they figure, so they might as well believe it. > > How that’s supposed to make sense, I don’t know. (Bolding mine) Well, actually it WAS disproved by none other than Copernicus himself when he proved that the Earth wasn’t the center of the universe… **Astrology was first based on the belief that the Earth was the center of the universe** ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2004, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-grown-people-really-still-believe-in-astrology/271918/115 "2004-11-02T06:35:15Z")
> [@Little Nemo](#): > > I’ve read that even the basic tenets of astrology are no longer valid. The twelve star signs were established over two thousand years ago and since then the drifting of the constellations means they’re no longer present during the birthdates they’re supposed to influence. And there are now thirteen constellations which supposedly are birthsigns. Yes- the drifting of the constellations (actually, [precession of the vernal equinox](http://www-istp.gsfc.nasa.gov/stargaze/Sprecess.htm) ) is what the “Age of Aquarius” is about. The vernal equinox is moving backwards through the zodiac, so the sun is actually near the border between Aquarius and Pisces on the vernal equinox (not Pisces and Aries, as assumed by astrology). Astrologers seem to me to take this into account when it suits them (the Age of Aquarius) and ignore it when it doesn’t (sun sign astrology). [Here’s an article on the thirteen constellations of the zodiac](http://www.griffithobs.org/SkyOphiuchus.html). Not only is there an additional zodiac constellation that astrology doesn’t take into account, the zodiac constellations don’t all take up the same amount of space along the ecliptic. The linked article contains the dates that the sun is actually in those constellations. What’s more, the moon and planets don’t move exactly along the ecliptic, because their orbits are inclined with respect to the earth’s orbit. [Here is a list](http://www.griffithobs.org/IPSrealrealconstellations.html) of 21(!) constellations that the sun, moon, and planets can be found in. ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2004, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-grown-people-really-still-believe-in-astrology/271918/116 "2004-11-02T06:56:14Z")
> [@AndrewT](#): > > See, this is what I don’t get. What’s fun about it? Reading statements that may or may not apply to you … you may as well pick a random page in the dictionary and read it once a day. At least you might learn some vocab while you’re at it! Yeesh. Calm down. You sound like it’s really _bugging_ you that now and then (and I mean _now and then_—like a few times a year at most) I read some bullshit for fun. Hey, I don’t understand the appeal of most computer games, but I realize that some people think they’re “fun.” I don’t give a damn either way, but if it’s fun for them, it is. No big deal. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2004, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-grown-people-really-still-believe-in-astrology/271918/117 "2004-11-02T14:03:28Z")
Question of the astrono **mers** reading this thread: I thought the Sun “was in Cetus,” in terms of passing through the boundaries of ecliptic constellations, for a few days annually, too. Confirm or correct? As for the 21-constellation list, the possibilities for astrological forecasting abound: [ul][li]Uranus in Scutum: You enjoy line dancing.[/li][li]Venus in Sextans: You have a fondness for “marital aid” adult toys.[/li][li]Neptune in Cetus: You tend to read the Bible literally. [/ul][/li]😃 ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2004, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-grown-people-really-still-believe-in-astrology/271918/118 "2004-11-02T14:10:24Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > They wake up when she mentions “animals without assholes” but start nodding off again when she explains further. What a charmer! Tell us more. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Angua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8baadc/32.png) [@Angua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angua)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2004, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-grown-people-really-still-believe-in-astrology/271918/119 "2004-11-02T14:25:50Z")
> [@Polycarp](#): > > Question of the astrono **mers** reading this thread: I thought the Sun “was in Cetus,” in terms of passing through the boundaries of ecliptic constellations, for a few days annually, too. Confirm or correct? According to the [University of Utrecht](http://www.phys.uu.nl/~strous/AA/en/antwoorden/sterrenbeelden.html#v141) site, the sun approaces within half a degree of Cetus around the 27th March. Part, but not all of the Sun traverses Cetus. ---
**Author:** ![DeadlyAccurate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@DeadlyAccurate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadlyAccurate)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2004, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-grown-people-really-still-believe-in-astrology/271918/120 "2004-11-02T16:08:59Z")
From [astro.com](http://astro.com): > [@](#): > > This influence usually signifies a day of great activity in several areas of your life. Most of my days are filled with great activity. > [@](#): > > You feel a great need to exercise your will and to determine where you are going and what you are doing. Fortunately, I have Outlook for that. > [@](#): > > Often this is a day of hard work in your profession. Yes, Tuesday usually are for people working in a corporate environment. > [@](#): > > But you will be motivated by tasks that relate to your own personal objectives. Whoa! I have a doctor’s appointment today. How’d they know? Or maybe they’re referring to my writing, or my exercise routine tonight. Great, now I’m filled with anxiety over not knowing which one it is. > [@](#): > > Therefore this can also be a day of conflict with others, arising from what they consider your selfishness and excessive self- involvement. I bet this means I’ll get more ice cream than my husband tonight. Goody! > [@](#): > > Or as you pursue your own goals you may come into conflict with another whose goals are not in harmony with yours. Someone’s going to try to horn in my doctor appointment time. I’ll have to report back this afternoon when that inevitably happens. > [@](#): > > No matter which of these alternatives you encounter, this is a time for enlightened self- interest. Be selfish. Got it. > [@](#): > > But you must continually remember the people around you and be very careful not to alienate them any more than necessary. Don’t be selfish. Got it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-grown-people-really-still-believe-in-astrology/271918.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-grown-people-really-still-believe-in-astrology/271918.md?page=7)