Why astrology is more than what you’ve been told
Astrology has long been shrouded in a spiral of misconceptions. Many people think of it as just a fun way to check their horoscope in the back of a magazine or a vague prediction of their future, as a dopamine hit, and not thinking anything much of it. Popular astrology wraps up real astrology in a veil of misinformation, vagueness, bluntness, and generalization, which can be quite dangerous to sensitive souls with low self-esteem, teens, and generally younger people below the age of 25, and those who are in very vulnerable situations/positions currently in their life, and so on!
The truth is, astrology is so much deeper, richer, and more complex than that. It’s a powerful tool for self-awareness, growth, and understanding the energetic forces that shape our lives, when used in the right way. Let’s explore thoroughly together why astrology is often surrounded by skepticism and unravel the myths behind it with facts.
MYTH NUMBER #1 — astrology is just a modern made-up form of entertainment/astrology is made up from local fortune teller scammers
Depends on the part of the world you are coming from and in what generation you fall into; people that heard of astrology usually think in these two directions. If you are from Europe, particularly eastern, and come from the era before the internet, you probably associate astrology with a local Baba Yaga who scammed your acquaintance for a tarot/palm reading/astrology reading once. If you come from the US, for example, and you are from a younger generation, you probably stumbled upon TikToks of God knows how many astrology-themed videos on your feed, making a drama of the next planetary ingress, especially if it’s a retrograde Mercury or an eclipse happening. I don’t want to burst the bubble, but we have a couple of those on a yearly basis…
Both of these examples paint a pretty negative picture of astrology when viewed through that lens. Personally, I never wanted to be associated with the first approach, nor did I want to create content just for the sake of posting about inevitable transits. For me, the biggest issue is the ethics of it. I genuinely believe it’s wrong to boost views by stirring panic or uncertainty. It's a low-energy, toxic approach that preys on people's emotions, fueling their anxiety and feeding off their energy without offering anything valuable in return. In doing so, astrology risks being reduced to mere spectacle, losing its deeper purpose and significance, which has actually been happening for decades at this point. So, what’s the truth behind the origins of Astrology then?
Fact check: Western astrology originated in Mesopotamia, modern-day Iraq, around 4000 years ago
Around this time, people began documenting how the movements of the stars and planets appeared to correlate with events on Earth. They often recorded these observations as straightforward predictions, following the "if this, then that" format. Over time, this practice evolved, expanding through ancient Egypt, the Hellenistic period in Greece, the Roman Empire, and beyond, shaping the foundation of astrology as we know it today. Do you know that astrology actually originated before formal mathematics in the way we understand it today? Ancient astrologers observed celestial patterns and cycles long before the development of mathematical systems for measuring and explaining these movements.
By the end of the fifth century BCE, the zodiac was standardized into twelve equal signs, each occupying exactly 30 degrees, into the Whole Sign house system that we know of today. Besides these facts, astrology is deeply ingrained in ancient philosophy, the origins of astronomy, mathematics, and history, yet in such an unfair way, it got so little attention and appreciation in comparison to the mention of ancient studies.
Another important point to note is that much of the data on astrology has been lost over time, particularly during the Hellenistic period in Greece through wars and natural disasters. Just pause for a moment and think about the fact of how many libraries were bombed during the 20th century, which wasn’t that long ago, in comparison to the age before Christ. Here is a reminder from not so long ago: during the Iraq War in 2003, the National Library of Iraq in Baghdad was looted and set on fire. It’s estimated that thousands of books, manuscripts, and historical documents were lost, although some were later recovered. Don’t forget that modern day Iraq is ancient Mesopotamia, where astrology originated 4000 years ago…
Unfortunately, the Iraqi library is just a needle in a haystack. Here’s a list of all the documented libraries that were destroyed through wars, fires, and natural disasters. This being said, I hope your perspective on the depth of it all changed, just for a bit at least. Yet I tried to keep it as summarized as possible. If you want to be thrown into a rabbit hole, I highly recommend Chris Brennan’s book called Hellenistic Astrology: The Study of Fate and Fortune + From the Omens of Babylon: Astrology and Ancient Mesopotamia by Michael Baigent.
MYTH NUMBER #2 — astrology is based on your Sun sign
A lot of people think astrology is all about the sun sign – the one you see in your daily horoscope based on your birthday. This was populated thanks to the mass media, even before the era of social media. I guess we can agree that the majority of us grew up reading the Astro corners of our favorite magazines, all the way to adulthood. But here's the thing: your Sun sign is just the tip of the iceberg in your birth chart. I love when common sense arises in people such as ‘‘but the person I dislike is also a Capricorn Sun just like me, and we are nothing alike!” that’s simply because each of us have a unique blueprint, meaning what Capricorn Sun person #1 has positioned within it’s Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and other planets, asteroids and calculated points + the Rising which dictates the cycle of a persons chart + completely different aspects (relations) diifers from Capricorn Sun person #2. No two birth charts are alike, and yes, while it’s true that twins can have very similar charts, the subtle differences (even if only by a few minutes!) can lead to individual life experiences and personality differences. By studying twins’ charts through time, from my POV as an astrologer, I can detect that timing through the years for twins is usually synced. Even though they can go in different directions, timings follow, thanks to the (usually) same Rising sign. With twins that were born hours apart, cycles are not that synced.
Returning to the buzz of TikTok videos and the panicked reactions in the comment section, well, listen up… a planetary transit can impact each person differently. A Mercury retrograde can go completely inactivated in your birth chart, depending on the position of the rest of your birth chart. And then, an unnoticed Moon transition in Scorpio can trigger you once a month, being conjunct your Pluto in Scorpio, without your knowledge about it. But you have no clue what it is, and you are ‘‘blaming it on Mercury retrograde’’ because XYZ astro account told you on a video that popped up on your doom scroll feed. If you want to explore your birth chart the right way, begin by reading books instead, and opening your birth chart via astro.com or astro-seek.com for free. The fact is, learning astrology properly takes a lot of time, tuning in intuitively, sleeping over some facts, and having an aha! moments through time. For further guidance and clarifications, choose an astrologer who resonates with you.
MYTH NUMBER #3 — people working in the spirituality niche are usually scammers
Well... to be honest, I can agree with this, but only with the "usually" part. It makes perfect sense for Neptune and Pisces to be associated with spirituality because they can lead you into a deep, profound connection with the unseen. But on the flip side, they can also take you in the opposite direction, turning someone into a liar or a shady, deceptive person. Not to begin with the amount of narcissists in the niche, it’s basically an epidemic, yet at the same time, there’s an epidemic on the other, brighter, true side too — I’ve met amazing, talented, gifted, pure and spiritually aware people as well, and they definitely deserve to be seen in a brighter light than in how their inner gifts and callings have been portrayed in mass media and society throughout the years.
This is exactly why awakening your intuition is so important. If you’ve never paid much attention to your gut feelings before, it’s never too late to start practicing. The more you tune into those subtle nudges, the stronger your intuition will become over time. Everyone has an inner voice you should listen to; it’s a natural gift we all possess, even if it’s been lying dormant. By trusting it and learning to listen more closely, you’ll gradually awaken it and begin to rely on it for guidance in all areas of your life. It’s about building a relationship with your inner self, and once you do, it can lead you to deeper clarity and understanding. You’ll be able to read the energy of any situation with more confidence through time, whether it’s with an astrologer, Reiki healer, Akashic records practitioner, yoga teacher, psychic medium, herbalist, or anyone else. Trusting your intuition helps you manage these interactions and protect your energy, and eventually, protects you from energy vampires and scammers in the field.
MYTH NUMBER #4 — ‘‘I’m booking an astrologer for them to guess what’s going to happen and to guess my traits!’’
This one is my favorite as it’s like all the myths rolled into one: a Baba Yaga, uninformed TikTok influencer, and scammer who’s stuck on the “big three” signs, if you ask me. To keep it short, if you are booking an astrologer for them to ‘guess’ what’s going to happen, I don’t want to be a bearer of the bad news, but you will waste your time, energy, and money. My favorite ones are posts in FB groups with “I am willing to pick someone for a reading - what’s your zodiac sign. My brain cells when I read that: not found. x_x’
But here's the thing: predictive astrology is real. It’s a valuable tool for understanding the timing of events and the influences at play in your life. It’s not about crystal ball fortune-telling or guessing your personality traits broadly with yes or no questions and answers, but rather about recognizing the cycles and patterns that unfold over time. It's about understanding the energies around you, how they shape experiences, and how you can make the most of them! So, yes, predictive astrology exists, but it’s not about someone throwing out vague guesses or looking for a quick thrill. It’s about a deeper, more informed connection with the cosmos and its rhythms, and tracking also takes a lot of time, especially if you are just beginning. But the fact is, all of us are students of astrology for life; there’s no way of ‘‘learning and knowing it all.
In Western predictive astrology, key tools include transits and progressions, which track how planetary movements influence your natal chart over time. There's also annual profections, which highlight the energetic themes of your current year activated by the ruler of your activated house, and Zodiacal Releasing, which breaks your life into "chapters" with each having a planetary ruler. Astrocartography, including cyclocartography, is basically a tool that helps identify locations on Earth aligned with your chart’s planetary energies during specific periods, and more…
Think of it as energy forecasts rather than predictions, which you can bring to acknowledgement. The wording ‘predictive’ comes from factual timings. For example, we know when exactly our Saturn return is going to happen, as we can go online and run our transit chart to see the exact ingress of our Saturn sign and when it’s going to conjunct our exact degree in our birth chart. For each of us, we are having a Saturn return around the ages 28-30, simply because this is the timing of our natal Saturn to return to its position again once we inhaled our first breath on Earth. But how is it going to play out? We can only acknowledge the traits and what certain transits mean, and later see it in practice and reflect.
The same is for all of the techniques. The key is to acknowledge your birth chart through time, so you can acknowledge the cycles and what possible potentials and challenges they can bring, and what themes they activate. Personally, it helped me a lot not to wander in life anymore, as I certainly did during periods in life, as we all did. The point is, astrology helped a lot, and studying further helps even more.
MYTH NUMBER #5 — “I don’t believe in astrology”
Well, yeah, astrology isn’t a religion for you to believe in it. Astrology it’s a symbolic language and a tool for self-awareness instead. Saying you don’t believe in astrology is like dismissing weather forecasts, maps, or the Moon’s impact on tides, despite the fact that our bodies are around 70% water… Astrology isn’t about a certain belief system, as it’s related to recognizing patterns and understanding how they have influence. Speaking of beliefs, it’s fascinating how astrology has been around since long before Christ, yet the Catholic Church took a hard stance against it, and pretty much any other divinatory practice. But hey, that’s a discussion for another time.
Astrology works by observing the relationships between celestial movements and earthly events, using archetypes and symbolism to gain insight. You don’t need to “believe” in gravity for it to affect you, and similarly, astrology doesn’t require belief to reflect meaningful patterns in life. Whether someone uses astrology or not, its value lies in its ability to guide, offer perspective, and provide a deeper understanding, and definitely not in convincing anyone of its existence.
If you wandered here as a stranger to astrology, what pops into your mind when you think about it?
I think it’s time to explore and unpack more of the myths and facts surrounding astrology. There’s so much misinformation out there, and it’s time to set the record straight in a way that’s easy to understand. let’s explore what’s real, what’s exaggerated, and what’s been misunderstood for way too long.
until the next diary entry,
