Can someone explain horoscopes to me?

Question

What is the scientific reasoning behind grouping individuals into certain personality categories based on when they were born?

Answer 1

I will fill you in on the basics, which are not the twelve signs. I started out a sceptic, but the more I study the more I think that there really is something to it.

Your horoscope is not the sun sign thing that you see in the papers. Your horoscope is set up for the exact date, place and time of your birth. The only way someone else has the same chart as you. is to be born with identical birth data. Your sun sign is only one planet. All of the panets are placed in a specific place in your birth chart according to the time of your birth. when I say chart I am talking about (in most western astrology) a pie shaped graph that is divided into twelve sectors. Each sector is allotted an area of your life. The planets placed in a sector blend their energies with the sign the sector is in and that has an impact on the area of your chart, that is governed by the house of the pie chart. I will break this down a bit at the end as it gets confusing. As well as the planets, there are also asteroids and fixed stars that can be placed in your birth chart to gain information.

Along with your birth chart, there are progressed charts to see where the planets have moved to, according to the number of years that you have been alive.

There are also transit charts. which show the position of the planets at this moment in time- in relation to your birth chart or progressed chart.

Planets in any of your charts can be in aspect to each other. This causes a bit of blending of their energies. Some planets work well together. or in some aspect and others cause difficulties.

This is all an endless supply of information to study. It is amazing that I can almost always find a parents birth planet in a persons house of early beginnings and also find their spouses planet in their house of long term relationships. I am not even going to go into karmic astrology, midpoints, sabian or harmonics as the list is endless-you can also look at a persons chart in reference to another persons chart or a place or event....the stuff here is just the basics.

Some folks believe that our soul is involved in setting up our birth chart prior to our birth, in order that we can learn the lessons that we need to learn in this lifetime so our soul can progress. Makes you think twice about how really bad things can happen to really good people, etc.

Guess who the wise men were that found the baby Jesus? You guessed it, the wise men during that time were astrologers. Also back in those days and for a long time after, physicians were also astrologers. Hippocrates from the hippocratic oath was an astrologer and felt that you couldn't be a good physician unless you were a good astrologer also.

I won't tell you that I believe or not, simply that it is very interesting study. If you want to know more, there are lots of free computer generated "birth charts" on the internet. You could go to www.astro.com.

As far as the general sun sign predictions www.bridgettwalther.com is great as is www.cainer.com and the best monthly is at www.astrologyzone.com.

There is a really cool site called astrofaces.com that shows groups of people according to their sun and moon signs-it is interesting, they are trying to decide if some of the stuff about physical characteristics is valid.

Western astrology is mostly about knowing yourself and your traits, while eastern or vedic astrology is better about making predictions. No matter what, the stars tend to give tendencies, what you do with those is up to you.

1. Each planet is placed in your birth chart according to the exact time and place of your birth.

2. Your birth chart is broken down into twelve houses with each house sitting in a horoscope sign. Each house governs one or several area's of your life.

3. Each planet can have aspects or relationships with other planets in your chart that blend their energies.

4. There are many kinds of horoscopes and each one is "best" at dealing with certain types of information.

5. You have a birth chart, a progressed chart (number of years since your birth) and a transit chart that all supply different information.
etc. etc. etc. takes quite a while just to understand the basics. Go get some birth charts and their interpretations and have fun.

Answer 2

Astrology uses science to find out planetary orbits (they did not know of outer planets in ancient times), time (and time zones) and other data. However, astrology is NOT a science but it did lead to astronomy a legit science that got us to the moon and beyond.

In reality there are 13 signs (link #1) from the earth's point of view. Due to the precession of the equinox your sign is off as well. The constellations also vary in size and having a more or less 30 days per sign is not true. The astrologers add on planets but do not bother with the rest.

When it comes to personality, there is no science. That seems to be base on the myths of the constellations and planets. Libra being the sign ot The Balance (scales) means automatically they are more "balanced" (what ever that means). Venus is the only "female" planet so must be associated with anything to do with love. Pluto has yet to complete a full orbit since it's discovery but has been given traits. The twelve signs also have "elements" fire, air, earth, and water assigned and that is where a lot of personality comes from.

How did the ancient astrologers do it? This world did not have accurate clocks, no time zones, no concept of latitude/longitude and believed the world was flat not round. Astrology was done mainly for the rich and the powerful. The caster better say the right things or he could lose job and his life. The poor had no need, let alone money to spend on fortune tellers. They had to struggle to live each day. Few birth records were kept and many did not know when or where they were born. And now for astrologers we better keep a GPS system for the birth of our children.

Of course there are more than one type of astrology and they main thing is belief not science. You must "believe" in astrology for it to work. If there is science in astrology (like ways to measure) then it can be tested. In fact astrology has been tested (a lot link #2) and has failed.

So far no one here has shown ANY independent test results links that back up their claims. They have stories but no evidence. There is no science without tests that can be repeated. Consistency is a key point for science while in astrology there is none.

Answer 3

>Scientific< reasoning?

Is Astrology the Key to Your Future?
- What Is Astrology?
- A Long History of Failure
- In Conflict With Bible Teachings
http://www.watchtower.org/library/g/2005/8/8/article_01.htm

The Zodiac :
- Historical Background
- Hidden Dangers
- The Bible--A Reliable Guide
http://www.watchtower.org/library/g/2000/11/8a/article_01.htm

Advanced Search (can be used to find future-modified URLs) http://watchtower.org/search/search_e.htm

Answer 4

'I believe that not everything has a proven scientific reasoning to back it up. young children are forever asking "BUT WHY?" and sometimes the answer is "just because that's the way it has always been". Meercat young have only hours to be accepted in to the family fold, if they are not liked and accepted, they are abandoned by their parents to fend for themselves and of course their destiny is set of dying before they have even lived. Natures way I know but what is the reasoning behind this phenomenon. I can't figure it outits another "just because"

Answer 5

There is no scientific reasoning.

Scientific reasons wont say may or maynot.

According to these "scientists" there are only 12 kind of people in the world and these people are to have near identical behaviors and life due to hitherto unknown "governing" force of the planet/star of the month.

The logical reason is the seperation of the money from the gullible by selling them their futures and fortunes.

Answer 6

To understand and appreciate the scientific rational you will have to read about the history of astrology, with an appreciation that it is the ancient "mother" of what became astronomy and mathematics. I personally believe it also influenced the begining of psychology simply by it having defined a group of personality types.

Answer 7

horoscopes are believed to be fore tellers of ones fortune... more so, horoscopes are divided into 12 classes based on the constellation or shape they form namely:
Aquarius, Pisces, Aries, Taurus, Gemini, cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius and lastly, Capricorn...

people born under these would then be able to recognize or be aware of their luck... or so so...

quite frankly, the truth of these so-called "fortune" is unknown... however, it is up for that person who have read his/her horoscope to live by it or ignore it...

after all, YOU, yourself... create your own fortune... a human has the capability to direct his/her life in ways he/she proves to be right...

so, it's up for you decide whether you'll believe in it or not...^^

Answer 8

There is none. It's along the same line as believing in ghosts and psychics.

Answer 9

The idea is that everything in the universe affects everything else in the universe, planets and people included.