Do you believe in astrology?

[Abaddon_ire]

Here's a quick poll just to see if anybody here genuinely believes in astrology. I get the impression that almost nobody here does, both atheist and theist alike, but it will be interesting if anybody here actually takes it seriously.

About 40 years ago, when I lost religion, I went through a process of testing pretty much every crankery there was to find. One of those was asstrollogy. I made it my business to learn all about it. I had a head start. I already owned a telescope (not a great one) and had a keen interest in all matters space related. I learned how to calculate birth charts. I had ephemerides at my fingertips. I learned how to do all of the calculations and produce madly complex skymaps for any given date and place of birth. I learned what ascendants and descendants were. I learned words like "triune" and "square". Then I learned what these alignments were supposed to represent and what they should be interpreted as for meaning.

I also learned that it is a load of horse shite. 

Exactly the same thing has resulted from every single one I have investigated. Tarot? Horse shite. Dowsing? Horse shite. Ouija? Horse shite. Auras? Horse shite. Ghosts? Horse shite. I could keep going.

Now I had a few advantages. My old man was, in spare time, a stage magician. He brought me along to his shows as the prop boy when I was 10-11-12. I prepped the props. But I also learned how easily people are fooled. Ironic, because he was devout RCC but so be it. People compartmentalise their beliefs. The mad bugger is long deceased (he had a wild sense of humour) but I still practice magic. He liked to step up on a stage and entertain hundreds of children. I prefer to do something wildly unexpected at a dinner party. When someone sees it happen right before there eyes, they lose the plot. It's fun

Anyhoo, packing up the gear one night we were accosted. Shock horror. By a catholic. This old loon claimed that we were in league with satan and ranted at us from a virtual pulpit. Me the burgeoning atheist, and dad the devout catholic had a very long jaw drop and get the hell out of dodge moment without speaking a word. It was only the second time I had ever heard him swear. We were only marginally short of banjo music.

The real point here is that you are free to believe your own flavour of crankery all you like. You do not get to impose you flavour of crankery on other people. So stop trying to do that

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

I don’t see how anyone could not ‘believe in’ astrology. It’s been around for at least four millennia, it has had millions of adherents, there have been uncounted books written about it, you can find versions of it in almost any daily newspaper, and a shockingly large number of people make a living at it. 

That fact that astrology is the purest bunk changes nothing. It exists, it’s a real thing - you can’t rationally NOT believe in it.

Saying that you don’t ‘believe in’ astrology is like saying you don’t believe in Australia, or cheese, or television.

Boru

[Gawdzilla Sama]

I don’t see how anyone could not ‘believe in’ astrology. It’s been around for at least four millennia, it has had millions of adherents, there have been uncounted books written about it, you can find versions of it in almost any daily newspaper, and a shockingly large number of people make a living at it. 

That fact that astrology is the purest bunk changes nothing. It exists, it’s a real thing - you can’t rationally NOT believe in it.

Saying that you don’t ‘believe in’ astrology is like saying you don’t believe in Australia, or cheese, or television.

Boru

/quibble

It's splitting hairs to say you have to believe astrology exists because astrology. And just a tedious quibble.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

I don’t see how anyone could not ‘believe in’ astrology. It’s been around for at least four millennia, it has had millions of adherents, there have been uncounted books written about it, you can find versions of it in almost any daily newspaper, and a shockingly large number of people make a living at it. 

That fact that astrology is the purest bunk changes nothing. It exists, it’s a real thing - you can’t rationally NOT believe in it.

Saying that you don’t ‘believe in’ astrology is like saying you don’t believe in Australia, or cheese, or television.

Boru

/quibble

It's splitting hairs to say you have to believe astrology exists because astrology. And just a tedious quibble.

Not really. It’s like not believing in God vs not believing in theology.

Boru

[Gawdzilla Sama]

:asusual:

[Porcupine]

I don't think this thread is going anywhere but that's just my Virgoness showing.

“I don’t believe in astrology; I’m a Sagittarius and we’re skeptical.”

― Arthur C. Clarke

[Little lunch]

I didn't believe in it either until I found out that my sign is the zodiac's greatest lover.
And apparently worst husband so that's all the proof I needed.

[The Valkyrie]

I don’t see how anyone could not ‘believe in’ astrology. It’s been around for at least four millennia, it has had millions of adherents, there have been uncounted books written about it, you can find versions of it in almost any daily newspaper, and a shockingly large number of people make a living at it. 

That fact that astrology is the purest bunk changes nothing. It exists, it’s a real thing - you can’t rationally NOT believe in it.

Saying that you don’t ‘believe in’ astrology is like saying you don’t believe in Australia, or cheese, or television.

Boru

I believe in cheesy Australian television.


"Neighbours. Everybody needs good..."

[arewethereyet]

Here is a clue...horoscopes (your daily dose of astrology) tend to appear on the comics page in the newspaper...along with crossword puzzles. It's entertainment.

Added point. I have two daughters born almost exactly four years apart (within 5 days), both were born on a Sunday morning. There aren't two people more different to be found. Polar opposite doesn't even come close to describing how different they are. So much for both being Scorpios and sharing traits.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

I don't think this thread is going anywhere but that's just my Virgoness showing.

“I don’t believe in astrology; I’m a Sagittarius and we’re skeptical.”

― Arthur C. Clarke

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnbfuAcCqpY