When I was younger, I got a daily horoscope book for my birthday. I decided to do a little experiment with it. I put the book aside for a few months and lived my life like normal. Then, one rainy Sunday, I thought back on the most interesting, fun and exciting day I had experienced during that time and looked the date up in the book. It said I would have a quiet day at home. That coloured my view of astrology ever since.
Last week, stories broke about how a new astrological sign Ophiuchus had been re-added to the chart, moving millions of people’s signs up and causing mass panic among loyal devotees of the zodiac and people with now incorrect tattoos. Then astrologers swung into full damage control mode, making sure that everyone and their uncle were made well aware that this wasn’t anything new and if you followed the tropical zodiac (instead of the sidereal zodiac) as most people in the west do, then nothing has changed.
Given my past thoughts on astrology, you’d think I wouldn’t care or pull a ‘bah humbug’ but that wasn’t the case. You see, I’m a Taurus. I’ve always been a Taurus and I always will be. I’ve got all the traits, or at least the major ones. I’m loyal and creative, but stubborn. It’s what I’ve always known and it’s a part of me.
Even though I don’t follow horoscopes or pay attention to which signs I’m supposed to be a good match with, the thought that I am somehow now an Aries is disturbing. It’s not me. Astrology is part of our culture and makes good small talk, small talk which we have repeated time and time again. Changing the script now would be a colossal annoyance.
Also, with all the people who do follow astrological charts, those charts have had an effect on our culture that even non-believers like me are affected by what they say about who we are and how things are going to be. Maybe if I had read that book in advance, things would have turned out differently or I would have acted differently or just saw things in a different light.
Astrology is an industry and entertainment, but it’s a show that people take seriously, kind of like a soap opera starring everyone you know. Because of that, I feel it’s important that the show must go on.
This is what the revised Astrological chart looks like btw:
ARIES = APRIL 19 – MAY 13
TAURUS = MAY 14 – JUNE 19
GEMINI = JUNE 20 – JULY 20
CANCER = JULY 21 – AUG 9
LEO = AUGUST 10 – SEPTEMBER 15
VIRGO = SEPTEMBER 16 – OCTOBER 30
LIBRA = OCTOBER 31 – NOVEMBER 22
SCORPIO = NOVEMBER 23 – NOVEMBER 29
OPHIUCHUS = NOVEMBER 30 – DECEMBER 17
SAGITTARIUS = DECEMBER 18 – JANUARY 18
CAPRICORN = JANUARY 19 – FEBRUARY 15
AQUARIUS = FEBRUARY 16 – MARCH 11
PISCES = MARCH 12 – APRIL 18
