Astrology: Sun Signs, Moon Signs and Rising Signs

Superstition is to religion what astrology is to astronomy: the mad daughter of a wise mother ~ Voltaire

I am one of those people who just cannot begin their mornings without the morning newspaper. Although I am no believer in astrology and horoscope, it was during my college days that I made it a point to read the daily horoscope readings that appeared in the newspaper. Especially during exams, I would hunt for some or the other line in the horoscope which would assure me that my exams was going to be great.

However it was during my internship in a newspaper, that I realized how inane these horoscope readings were. As an intern, all the work that I got initially was proofreading. I got the biggest shock of my life was when I was asked to proofread a horoscope reading. The astrologer seemed to have skipped her language classes, and it was almost impossible to make sense out of any sentence that she had written.

Puzzled by the strikingly bad language, I approached my supervisor only to find out that I was supposed to rephrase and reword the readings in any which way possible to make sense. Soon the readings started getting funnier and funnier, and soon a bunch of people gathered around my desk and all of us laughed at the weird lines. Soon, it became a daily ritual to edit the hilarious horoscope readings and have people rolling on the floor with laughter. Occasionally we were even told to shuffle a few lines from one sun sign to other or even one date to another.

After this experience, I knew that horoscope readings meant zilch, and just because someone tells you your day is going to be a disaster, you have no reason to believe him / her. Everyday after this, I tried to go to work without reading the horoscope and read it at the end of the day only to find out how silly it was.

In India a majority of people believe in matching the horoscopes of potential brides and grooms to ensure they are compatible. In spite of this, there are numerous instances where the horoscopes matched, the knot was tied and yet the marriage was a disaster, On the other hand, there were instances where people went ahead with their marriage plans without giving a damn about matching their horoscopes and were happily married for years together.

Once when I came across a funny game about horoscopes and sun sign compatibility I forwarded it to all my acquaintances, one of my friends who is happily married for more than fifteen years got a horoscope reading saying that her sun sign was not compatible with her husband's and that they were incompatible. Incompatible? I laughed aloud in my mind since one look at them and anyone would know what that they belonged together. Marriages might be made in heaven and materialized on earth, but it surely takes more than matching horoscopes, favorable planetary positions and compatible sun signs to make it work.

Some people use astrology to know if they will be successful in life, some want to know when and where will they find their soulmate and many other people are constantly seeking astrological help to seek wealth, health or success in general. Sometimes these things work and people get all worked up about how it has changed their lives. I am happy for the people who have found solace in astrology for all their problems, however I myself find it rather irresponsible to sit and wait for the planets in the sky to work up some magic miracle for me and shower me with success and all the good things in life.

The sun and moon signs also claim to be able to predict behavioral patterns. I agree that some of the characteristic features might seem to be true, but you cannot stereotype a bunch of people and label them with a rigid set of qualities associated with their sun or moon sign. But again, it is a matter of belief or faith. I do not despise the people who would like to consult the planetary positions and their horoscope readings before taking any important decision, but I revere the ones who confidently rely on their own abilities, simple logic and a positive attitude.