MSU Students Decide if Zodiac Signs are Fact or Fiction

The opposing feelings of intrigue and disdain towards astrology and Zodiac signs is something our generation is quite familiar with. The field of astrology is classified as a pseudoscience, as it makes claims about human traits and behavior based on the positioning of stars and planets. Our Zodiac signs are the personalized description of our individual personality based on where, and when we were born. The ideas of astrology have been around for a long time, and despite changes to its scientific validity it still carries great popularity.

As far back as five thousand years ago ancient cultures believed the positioning of the stars carried messages about what was to come, and in places like ancient China every newborn was given a horoscope at birth.

Astrology developed in the way that we know it today with the Greeks as they divided the sky into twelve constellations of the Zodiac. It remained a scholarly tradition until the 17th century at which point the scientific method developed, and the relevance of astrology diminished. 

Despite no longer carrying scientific support, there are plenty of people who still believe in the power of prediction in astrology. Personally, after extensive research in astrology, and zodiac signs I came to the conclusion that as entertaining as it may be, astrology has no relevance on determining who we are as people and I’ll tell you why.

Zodiac signs often appear to be accurate simply because of the vague language and long list of differing traits they provide. After entering my birthdate, time and location into a website I was given a chart with information describing my personality. I was skeptical, but the more I identified with the descriptions, I genuinely thought that maybe I was too quick to write off astrology. 

Then I entered the birthdays of my friends, followed by birthdays of infamously horrible people, followed by completely random birthdays and I noticed a pattern: I could identify with every single description. 

Each Zodiac chart is full of mostly positive descriptions that varied to some degree, but were broad enough that I could align myself with any of them. For example, one of my descriptions was: “You are a very dynamic person who questions tradition and authority, yet, paradoxically, you can be quite set in your ways”. Broad statements like these allow a wide variety of people to interpret their own perception of themselves.

The three most important parts of our Zodiac chart are our sun sign, moon sign, and rising sign. Our sun sign is said to represent our ego and motivations, our moon sign depicts our emotional nature, and our rising sign dictates the kind of energy we put into the world. There are more than a dozen different signs in total. With so many signs filled with mostly favorable descriptions, even if we disagree with some, it becomes easy for us to think that there is some truth behind what they say. 

However, there are plenty of people out there who disagree. We’ve all met the person who asks us for our sign and after we tell them they say, “I knew it! Of course you are.'' 

Liv Legg, a senior and community health major, is one of those people. Legg said that she feels strongly that there is accuracy in zodiac signs and a real benefit to knowing your full chart. When asked about those who think it’s made up she said: “People that like to deny it just don’t like to face the hard truths of their personality,” 

Legg also felt there was a real importance to understanding your zodiac chart as a starting point for better knowing yourself. “Any sort of reflection on your personality and how you react to things is positive, and I think Zodiac signs are a really good introduction to self-reflection,” Legg said.

Sam Allred, a senior math education major, also offered a take on the topic. “Nah, people just believe what they want to believe. I trust Neil Degrasse Tyson over some crystal person,” Allred said.

The students I spoke with were generally neutral in their opinions. “I don’t really care, you do you as long you’re not using it to cover up bad behavior then it’s really not a big deal to me,” sophomore architecture major Cara Schuttler said.

Most students shared Schuttler’s sentiment that Zodiac signs and people’s feelings about them are harmless, as long as they are not treated as some way of excusing your behavior. Despite my opinion that they have no relevance to who we are, I agree with them that Zodiac signs are fun, as long as it’s not taken too seriously. If it’s your thing, go find your full Zodiac chart. I have a feeling you’ll identify with whatever you find.