Unpacking Astrology

By Emily Waddell

Image by @Jumi

I'm feeling bold; maybe it's the Scorpio in me. And so, I will begin with Karl Marx’s famous words, “religion is the opiate of the masses.” Without subscribing to the severity of this quote, you can admit that critically viewing the function of spirituality in the culture is, at the very least, interesting. 

Astrology is the chosen elixir of the modern era.

It’s a palatable balance of spirituality and science (planets, duh). But it's the effects that are most intoxicating: once consumed, one feels understood. It is a celestial salve for the directionless, the lonely, and the anxious. It shares with many other religions in lifting the weight of decisions off one’s shoulders. If it is written in the stars, what is the use in fretting about it? 

While it may feel unique to our generation, Astrology isn’t new. Originating in the Babylonian era, Astrology boomed during the renaissance of the Medieval Era. Astronomers Galileo and Bonatti whispered star-struck advice to politicians and esteemed members of the court. It fell out of favor at the onset of the scientific enlightenment; all trust was lost in astrology as we became hyper-fixated on rationality and objectivity. The pattern suggests that now, we need more than what is in our rational view; it reveals a craving for the nebulous and mysterious. It reveals that in the world today, we feel misunderstood and misguided. When faced with events, temporalities, traumas, and plights of the times we live in, being able to look to the sky to find cosmic order has utility. 

Astrology distinguishes itself from other spiritualities by honoring one’s personal qualities. 

Rather than setting one standard for followers’ behavior, astrology promotes knowledge of one’s self. When gently baptized into the world of astrology by an Instagram post or Google search or aggressive friend, you are gifted a set of qualities to evaluate. Are you humble? Self-effacing? Are you practical? Or are you stoic? Mysterious? Determined? It feels good to have a vocabulary of who we are. Even traits that may otherwise be considered negatively aren’t viewed as such in astrology, they are merely just traits.  Astrology can promote the peaceful and cathartic acceptance of yourself, others, and events that feel out of your control. 

For some, it is the missing link between nature and nurture. Helping us weave a narrative of our past and present, it renders us the main character in our own coming-of-age film. We want to be seen and known, in all of the trap doors of our personality. For others, it is nothing more than chance and coincidence. Maybe it even helps justify the choices and traits we don’t want to be accountable for.

I argue there’s a balance; a time to be on the ground and a time to be in the stars.