Seven Popular Myths about Astrology Debunked and Explained
July 2, 2008 by Nina Gryphon
7. Daily horoscopes are an accurate representation of astrology.
Fortunately, that is not true. Most newspaper horoscopes are not based on anything resembling astrology, and rarely are they even written by purported astrologers.
6. The planets cause things to happen on Earth (the “Saturn ate my homework” theory).
The ancient astrological sources are very careful not to say that the planets cause anything. What would be God’s role, then? Rather, planets reflect everything on earth, as everything in the world is composed of planetary energies. When Saturn is in a bad state, all things partaking of Saturnian qualities are in a bad state. Ultimate causality affecting both us and the planets can only come from a Supreme Being, which is why belief in astrology is incompatible with atheism.
5. The constellations have moved over the millennia, so astrological signs are all wrong.
The astrological signs are not the same as the constellations. The astrological signs are an abstract 12-part division of the ecliptic band, which, thankfully, is still 360 degrees. The signs take their names from the constellations (which do move, thanks to the precession of equinoxes), but that’s all they have in common.
4. Astrology is one-size-fits-all, as computerized astrology reports prove.
Forcing astrology into such constraints may appear to work, but what you get is no longer astrology, but a mass-produced hodge-podge. The difference between a computerized astrological report and a personalized reading is like comparing mass-produced toys made in a sweatshop and a handmade, one-of-a-kind wooden toy. When the factory toy breaks as soon as it is out of the box, we get what we pay for. As with all the ancient sciences, astrology thrives in uniqueness and is disfigured nearly beyond recognition when pressed into robot-like service.
3. Astrology is part of the occult, demonic, and generally evil.
Demonic invocation is not one of the temptations of astrology. Pride? Perhaps. Mistakenly attributing causality to the planets (see item 6)? Yes. But there is no communication with spirits (unless one gets into astrological magic, which is a separate branch), or even tapping into psychic insights. Astrology is a learned skill; some intuition is helpful, but it is no different than balancing one’s checkbook. Though it is considerably harder to get right than debits and credits!
2. My astrology is better than your astrology. Multiple astrological systems cannot all be right.
That is like saying the Russian alphabet is inferior to the Latin, or that they are both inferior to ancient Scandinavian runes. They are all good for their given purpose (have you tried writing a Russian word in the Latin alphabet?), as long as you stay within one system. Once you try to borrow a little bit from there, and a bit from over here to create your own alphabet, you get an incomprehensible jumble. Regrettably, some astrologers have this buffet-like attitude. However, learning any traditional astrological system properly will give superior results. The issue is not finding the kind of astrology that is superior, but rather the skill of the astrologer.
1. Astrology is wrong. We cannot predict the future from the planets.
Correction: astrologers can be wrong, and often are wrong. But when we consistently get 80-90% accuracy, we must be doing something right! I myself was even wrong once; it was a most edifying experience. Between wishful thinking and incompetence, there is a lot of room for operator error in astrology. It is not unlike trading stocks; the theory seems simple – buy low, sell high – but the practice is a challenge. Emotions and inexperience are potent obstacles in both disciplines; there is many a slip ‘twixt cup and lip.
What other myths about astrology have you encountered or tried to dispel in others?
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