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Before I get into anything, let me start by saying my Sun is Pisces, my Moon is Gemini and I’m a rising Taurus. I’m a frequent user of the astrology app Co-Star (which I would highly recommend) and my most frequently said phrase is probably something along the lines of “Mercury must be in retrograde.”
So, I think it’s safe to say I’m a full-blown astrology babe. In fact, I was reading my horoscope long before it became a TikTok trend. Most mornings before elementary and middle school, my mom would read me my horoscope while I ate breakfast. Yep, my mom was an astrology, crystal-loving girl long before my time, and I’m proud to say it. While I may not be astrology’s biggest fan, I would argue I have enough experience to know my way through the subject.
Do I believe that the stars, planets and moon really hold enough power to influence the events of our lives? Well, yes, but I also understand that there’s some wiggle-room for interpretation with astrology. So, while it may not be entirely factual, I still see the importance of believing in astrology.
Don’t worry, my goal is not to turn you into an astrology lover like myself. I know it’s not for everyone, and I don’t like the idea of pushing beliefs onto someone who clearly doesn’t want them. What I will say, though, is that I think we could cut the astrology believers (myself included) some slack.
Yeah, it may sound a little funky to predict compatibility, relationship struggles, and the general ups and downs of life using the stars and planets. But, I think we could look at any set of beliefs and see potential flaws. This, however, is not to point and laugh at the weaknesses of someone’s beliefs, but to instead understand that believing in something like astrology will never result in pure perfection.
In my opinion, as long as someone isn’t forcing their beliefs onto others, or harming anyone, let them believe what they want, even if it involves looking at birth charts. In fact, I see astrology as a gateway to starting interesting relationships. Don’t know what to say on that first date? “Hey, what’s your sign?” or, “Oh my god you’re a Leo? Girl, no way, me too!”
I think now more than ever there’s this sort of culture around astrology that can really bring people together. Astrology can be a conversation starter to one person, a way of understanding self-identity for another and a coping mechanism for a third. While I think there are necessary limitations to set regarding just how much astrology can do for someone, I also don’t think it’s anything to make fun of someone for believing in. While people shouldn’t use astrology as an intense form of therapy, the subject isn’t worth rolling your eyes over at dinner, either.
While astrology has a lot of positive benefits, it’s also important to take a step back and make sure our discussion of the different signs don’t turn into a stereotyping competition. There are many similarities between people with the same astrological sign, and while many people under the same sign potentially share characteristics with one another, we shouldn’t go so far as to assume people are going to act one way or another just because they are a July Cancer.
And, I’ll admit, I’ve struggled with this toxic part of astrology at times. There have been a couple moments when “Oh she’s such an Aquarius” has slipped out of my mouth, but I’ve made a point of not basing my perception of someone off of one little aspect about them. Knowing someone’s sign is a cool fact about that person, but it’s never their whole personality. Just remember to be kind to people. Like with anything, sometimes joking about commonalities can take a step too far and turn into flat-out stereotyping. Let’s keep astrology as something fun and exciting to discover, not another way to put people into boxes.
And, if you happen to be an astrology lover yourself, let’s add each other on Co-Star. But, in all seriousness, enjoy your love for the stars, but don’t push it onto people. Sometimes astrology is not someone’s thing, and I think that’s totally understandable. Football isn’t my thing, but I don’t see anyone trying to get me to become the next quarterback. Simply put, believe in what you like to believe in, but also let other people have their beliefs, too. We’re never going to agree with everyone, but as long as our beliefs are safe and non-intrusive, I think we can maybe learn to co-exist.
I understand that the world is kind of ending. There are a lot of terrible things happening at this very moment and sharing my opinion on astrology might seem really unimportant. And I agree that it’s minor. But I also know I can’t save the entire world, no matter how much I wish I could, so if I can give people a little bit of encouragement for believing in astrology, I’m going to go for it. Sometimes, believing in the little stuff makes all the difference.
xoxo,
Your Favorite Pisces