This is an opinion article piece. Allie Richter is a senior at Mendham who writes for Arts and Entertainment News. All opinions expressed in the following editorial are her own and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Patriot. 

Has anyone ever told you that “you’re such a Gemini!” but as soon as you hear the topic of zodiac signs you immediately start thinking that there is no way any of this can be true? How could the stars in the sky tell us about how we act as people? Well, many people believe that astrology is all fake and that there is no science behind it. I believe that astrology actually plays a big role in all of our lives and people who do not believe in it need to open up their minds to the possibility and take the time to become educated. People can really benefit from learning about astrology and are closing themselves off from these benefits when they say they don’t want to learn more.

When people think of their zodiac sign they often are just thinking of their sun sign which is the easiest to locate because all you need is your birthday. The sun sign is considered the personality of the person and so when people read it and do not like what they hear, that often leads them to not take it seriously and believe there is no science behind it. What a lot of people do not know is that astrology is not just your star sign. There is actually more to it which is the birth chart. The birth chart is what the sky looked like at the exact moment you were born. It includes all of the exact locations of the planets and what constellations they were in. All of these planets represent different aspects of one’s life and what constellation it is will determine how they deal with the aspect. For example, the moon is how we express our emotions while Venus represents your personal tastes and aesthetics.  In a birth chart, there are also houses. As Allure says, “ A birth chart is divided into twelve sections referred to as houses. Each house represents an area of life: Houses one through six address everyday activities and mundane matters such as personal finances, the home, and routines; houses seven through 12 relate to more abstract concepts, including philosophy, legacy, and psychic abilities.” When you include the stars, planets, and houses and their placements, it can help us better understand ourselves and recognize our strengths and weaknesses. This practice has been going on for thousands of years and for all of this to not have any effect on us as humans just seems bizarre to me. If you are interested in figuring out your birth chart you can calculate yours here. 

Not only is there the birth chart and the other aspects that help prove that astrology has an effect on us but there have actually been studies to show the correlation between people’s zodiac signs and different aspects

 of their life. One researcher, Gauquelin actually looked at the horoscopes of different men and looked at how that correlated to their career. According to Futurism, “Despite varying degrees of statistical significance, correlations existed between the positions of the planets at the moment of birth and the profession later pursued.” What I found interesting was that Mars and Saturn were found in the charts of scientists and Jupiter and Mars were found in charts of athletes and military people. If you don’t want to believe this, they used statistical techniques just like any other science researcher would to conduct this research and come up with these results that help with the argument that astrology is real. Using actual research and replicating the study multiple times which resulted in the same findings allows for me to feel confident in this belief in astrology and it should help skeptics see the science behind it.

The world of astrology is a beautiful thing that people don’t take enough advantage of. I have personally learned a lot about myself and others through studying astrology and I believe that you can too if you just take the time and allow yourself to open up to the idea that this can be real. I know there will still be people who don’t want to study astrology because they just refuse to believe in it and I respect that but I hope people will also not discredit all of the science, research, and all of the aspects that go into it. So next time you find yourself reading your horoscope and don’t find yourself relating to it, remember to look at the bigger picture which will help you understand more about what makes you, you.