So – I’mma going to be a token girl with a nose ring in saying: I freaking love astrology.
Whether or not astrological signs are true is a mystery I think we will have to wait to solve – though I will say, the eerie personality similarities I’ve met within signs makes me wonder if someone should do a formal study on them.
But honestly, this isn’t about whether or not astrology is accurate. I argue that it doesn’t even really matter if they are or aren’t.
I feel like astrology help us learn about ourselves by getting us started on the creation of a guide/roadmap to speak about our internal environment. Your horoscope explains what traits “X” sign has, so you can decide if you relate (or not) to it. You begin to identify with things that make you feel “honed in”, grounded. You begin to feel, whether it’s a Virgo’s neat freak energy or a Picses’ proclivity for emotions, if that feels like “you”. Or, you reject those ideas because they don’t resonate.
The main point of astrological signs – and we can extrapolate this to things like personality tests, enneagrams, etc -is identity to a sense of self. What makes you feel like, well, you. And I think people do this less than we realize – reflect on who they actually are, what makes them “tick”. Who/what/how they identify outside the role they fit into in society.
But it doesn’t really matter, if the goal is just getting us to ask – who am I? What is my identity?
Because for many people, things like astrology – personality tests – enneagrams – etc. – they’re the gateway to self exploration. The gateway to asking what’s happening in your internal environment, helping you get quiet and listen, quite literally, to your gut.
I am a Virgo, and the most Virgo-y Virgo to ever walk this earth; learning about my horoscope helped me put words to some of my personality traits.
My best friend is a Sagittarius, whose sign is known being adventurous, flaky, outgoing, wanderlust-y. My best friend is none of those things. But asking the questions as a contrast to her real personality (which is grounded, home-oriented, and introverted) is a tool to uncover her own inner knowing.
So whether it resonates or it doesn’t, I argue these tools – astrology, human design, enneagrams, etc. – are valuable regardless. They are a window into your internal environment, and your inner knowing.
What’s your experience been with astrology or other systems you’ve used to learn about yourself? Share below.
