Man. I respect individual differences but I am annoyed by notions of interconnectedness between living organisms and distant, lifeless masses. Cool picture though. So what then? Well, astrology
doesn’t matter because stars and constellations do not contain information
about the human lives on planet earth. Okay, that is somewhat presumptive. Let me
elaborate.
From our
perspective here on earth, we can observe a multitude of celestial bodies; stars, most easily. A star is an incandescent, spherical mass of plasma
with helium and hydrogen gases swirling at the core. Before this, large
molecular mists and space dust coalesce into smaller portions and
simultaneously release heat. As temperatures increase, some fragments may
condense and alas, a star is born. Slowly, that core dissipates and in some instances,
the weight of the outer layers causes the star to collapse in upon itself—though,
this process is decidedly more complex than my lay understanding and
explanation suggests. Needless to say, stars, the faraway freckles of night
sky, form and fall regardless of the happenings in human lives here on earth.
Astrology is the
practice of interpreting how stars and constellations are situated in the sky
and using those positions to make inferences about forthcoming life events and
individual differences. At least here in the Western world, such divinations
are often disseminated in horoscopes or, predictions written in generalized language
(nomoethetic), and partitioned amongst the population according to birth date. This
is one of the inherent flaws in the predictive robustness of astrology that
also contributes to its popularity: Broad and ambiguous narratives allow imbibers
to select the traits they identify in themselves. Furthermore, prescribed
believers are more likely to remember those anecdotes that came to fruition
(confirmation bias).
Indeed, I could continue
to objectively describe this intuitional approach to predictive analytics
but—consider the blog title. In the interest of full disclosure, because I like
transparency and honesty, I share the sentiment of the character of Dr. Cooper
in the video below. However, I would like to state, it is my understanding that
some individuals may, for myriad reasons, possess a certain fondness of
astrology and I, by no means, intend to impede upon, abase, or detract from their
experiences. Simply stated, as a quasi-scholar, a facet of my research
interests pertains to establishing tangible explanations of purported
immaterial phenomena.
So essentially,
the astrological methodology of classifying persons is dependent on the position of
stars and constellations at the point of birth in relation to the position of
those at a given period of time. You see, from our perspective here on earth,
the position of stars and constellations change as the earth spins in its orbit
around the sun. Likewise, as the earth spins, seasons change and the vicissitudes
of seasons include shifts in weather. Thus, instead of using the arrangement of
the stars at the time of parturition to infer personality and circumstance, a
more sound explanation for such an inference is the fluctuation of
meteorological conditions during gestation. That is to say, weather conditions such
as temperature, barometric pressure, and precipitation, can affect the mother
and intern affect the fetus in a manner that would promote certain personality traits.
There is a lengthy
list of teratogens, or substances that can interfere with typical development
of the fetus. For example, the deleterious effect of maternal alcohol
consumption on fetal growth has been established since at least 1973
but medical reports date to the late 19th century
and likely further into antiquity. Inadequate prenatal nutrition can lead to birth defects. Air
pollution can result in preterm births and lower birth weights. And it gets redundant. Exposure to any of the above teratogens can bring about
marked intellectual deficits and cognitive dysfunction. Conceivably, such
deviations could manifest, in sum, as a unique expression of personality.
From here we progress
to well-established associative links between prenatal exposure to flu and schizophrenia.
Similar relationships have been identified between gestational flu and
depression
as well as bi-polar.
At pathological levels, these are diagnosable psychiatric disorders; at any
level of severity, each constitutes unique embodiments of personality. Thus far
we have established that prenatal exposure to various substances and ailments
poses significant detriments in the developing fetus and later functioning of
the maturated person.
Weather
(i.e., sunlight, precipitation, & air pressure) has been shown to have a
small yet, significant, acute effect on mood that varies according to the individual individual. Mere exposure to light can improve mood, an effect that may be more or less
pronounced depending on genetics.
Well-documented are the periodic shifts in mental states that accompany seasonal
affective disorder. Higher birth-month temperatures—or, lower gestational temperature—can predict the traits of self-directedness
and persistence (both
self-explanatory).
Continuing,
May-June birthdates positively correlate with reward dependence,
a personality trait characterized by an innate need to socialize and seek the
approval of others.
Unsurprisingly, the corresponding astrological symbol, Gemini, is described, in
part, as being a veritable socialite who will often conform to those around them.
Conversely, Sagittarius focuses on their own motivations and can communicate in
such a manner that they appear to fail to consider how their words affect
others. Likewise, Novemeber-December birthdates have been negatively associated
with reward dependence; identified as being personally independent, practical,
and, at times, socially insensitive.
For
April-May births, these individuals have tested to be high in the trait of novelty seeking, that is, they are engaged
by novel stimuli and assume extravagant approaches to potential reward.
Conjunctly, the Taurus is described as having an innate proclivity for
pleasures, material goods, and luxury. Thus, October-November birthdates and Scorpio’s
which are low in novelty-seeking, are both described as reflective and
resilient.
Now,
these personality traits are grounded in empirical data. Psychological,
genetic, and neurochemical correlates of these traits have been identified or
at least appear evident when considering the data. However, I would not be surprised
if you gleaned different interpretations from the astrological descriptions.
After all, I was attempting to describe how astrology, an age-old practice,
corresponds with—and is, in effect, accounted for by—recent empirical findings.
That is, I, as infallible as I can be, may have inadvertently employed
heuristics and succumbed to the confirmation bias and saw what I wanted to
see.
So
yes. Those are my essential grievances with astrology. I feel like I’m due some
random bickering but, I’ll spare the reader. Forthcoming is the blog ‘everyone’
has been waiting on entitled Sex During Menstruation.
Wrote it several years ago and am just now getting around to refining it and
preparing it for public consumption. Others in preparation as well. Talk soon.
All the best.
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| The young Tibetan sand fox will marvel in youthful conquest; stoic wisdom only comes with age. |
