Astrology: rubbish or insightful?

[Strawberry_Xu]

Do you ever check out your horoscope?

 

I find astrology interesting in so far it describes personality traits. I don't know about you, but most of the stuff I've read about my profile and that of others I know, ring really true. So mostly it's things I already know about myself and perhaps that's why it's so fascinating to see something agree with my observations. The astrological profiling is really complex, a lot more is considered than the rubbish you read in the horoscope section of the newspapers, which mostly concentrate on Sun Signs (to check out a basic profile on your sun sign, click here )

 

For instance, astrologers reckon your horoscope is as unique as your fingerprint. They consider, your time/date of birth, as well as your location (langtitude/longtitude), the position of various planets plus your:

 

- Sun sign. Your Sun Sign is where the Sun was placed in the Zodiac at the time of your birth. Sun signs have become the staple diet of popular astrology, because everyone knows their birthday and the Sun's position can be easily worked out. Here's how: we divide the year into twelve months of around thirty days each and the Sun takes about thirty days to travel through each of the twelve astrological signs.

 

- Ascendant. Also known as the Rising Sign, is the sign of the Zodiac which was rising over the eastern horizon at the time of your birth.This changes approximately every two hours. Even twins born as little as five minutes apart could have different ascendants, which would make a real difference in their horoscopes and therefore their personalities. Your Ascendant represents your self-image and, to a considerable extent, how others see you. If you find, for instance, that the gentle, caring man you've met doesn't seem to fit the personality profile of the typical Aries... well, perhaps it's because he has a Pisces Ascendant. Or, if you find that only about half of what you read on this website applies to your submissive Leo lady, perhaps accommodating Libra crossed the horizon at the time of her birth.

 

- Moon Sign. Your Moon Sign is the sign of the Zodiac occupied by the Moon when you were born. The Moon sign indicates your personality, reflecting the emotional development you underwent in your formative years. It can be thought of as an imprint or legacy from your early home environment and especially from the way your mother related to you when you were a child. As an adult, you experience the Moon sign as a bundle of deep-seated emotional needs that must be fulfilled. Under pressure, you may exhibit the emotional needs and characteristics of that sign more than the characteristics of your Sun sign.

 

 

I don't really believe in horoscopes (or anything else) that claims to "predict" the future. However, it is intersting to learn how planets exert an influence on us human beings...that while nothing is predetermined, aspects can be connected to the nature and the universe. If our personality is understood to be formed through a combination of genes, social (and biological) environments, personal experience, childhood etc, I don't why there can't be some traces left on us by the position of our planet at the day of our birth. (I mean, earth's orbit and that of other planets affects pretty much everything else on our planet, so why not us humans).

 

I know it's not very scientific, and much of this cannot be quantified. But I still find some astrological findings, personally surprisingly insightful.

 

Source

 

Personally, I consider it a science. How do you feel about it?

 

Oh, ps. Before you ask, no I don't believe in witches, psychics, tarot cards, or anything like that. And no, I don't consult soothsayers and suchlike. Though on the subject of Tarot cards, I've heard a theory that says it has much to do with our subconcious feeling drawn to a certain descision, meaning that we sort of choose a destiny and then try to act on it rationally without knowing that we wanted it in the first place. Kind of like a self-fulfilled prophecy.

[juba]

Personally horoscopes is a bunch of bull that just make people feel better, because i have never seen one that says anything negative (maybe u have?)

 

A science? maybe a psuedoscience if even that

[Urban]

i think they're really really vague

[Cara.]

Not knowing my exact birthday, I used to just read the horoscope and pick the one I liked best (all my mother could remember is that I was born during the 'gu' of 78). The truth is that it's all hogwash, but when you're young, it's natural to seek all avenues that promise to tell you about yourself. When I was a teen I tried numerology, palmistry (my fave), and the handwriting analysis thing too. Fun but it didn't take long to figure out the system.

 

The best horoscopes by far are available at The Onion

[Baluug]

Don't follow that crap at all. Useless. If i was born on Sept.5 and it was a dark and stormy night, and there were wolves and hillbillies stalking around the hospital the night I was born, that has absolutely no bearing on how my life will be. Allah SWT has set out our lives already and the pages are dry.

[Jamilah]

I am actually surprised no one mentioned how unislamic the practice is. :eek: Horoscopes are a form of Shirk which is a perilous sin. The term Shirk means associating partners with Allah. Which is what you are indirectly doing my reading such material.

I don't really believe in horoscopes (or anything else) that claims to "predict" the future.

Rockstar Xu, It's a good thing you don't believe in it but I strongly recommend you go one stop further and stop reading them. Personally, I don't think it can be qualified as anything near a science.

[Jafarel.]

Praise be to Allaah.

 

Astrology, horoscopes, superstition and fortune-telling are all actions of jaahiliyyah (ignorance) which Islam came to show as false and to explain that they are shirk, because they involve depending on something other than Allaah and believing that benefit and harm come from something other than Him, and believing the words of fortune-tellers and soothsayers who falsely claim to have knowledge of the unseen in order to cheat people of their money and change their beliefs. The evidence (daleel) for that is the hadeeth narrated by Abu Dawood in his Sunan with a saheeh isnaad from Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him), that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever learns anything of astrology has learned a branch of witchcraft (al-sihr)…†And al-Bazzaar narrated with a jayyid isnaad from ‘Imraan ibn Husayn that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “He is not one of us who practises augury or has it done for him, who tells fortunes or has his fortune told, or who practises witchcraft or has that done for him.†Whoever claims to know some matter of the unseen either is a fortune-teller or is acting like a fortune-teller in some sense, because Allaah is the only One Who has knowledge of the unseen. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning);

 

“Say: ‘None in the heavens and the earth knows the Ghayb (Unseen) except Allaah…’â€

 

[al-Naml 27:65]

 

My advice to everyone who has anything to do with these matters is to repent to Allaah and ask for His forgiveness, and to depend only on Allaah and to put their trust in Him in all their affairs, whilst following the practical means that are prescribed or permitted in sharee’ah. They should give up these matters of jaahiliyyah, keep away from them and avoid asking the people who practise them or believe what they say, out of obedience to Allaah and His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and in order to protect his commitment to Islam and his ‘aqeedah (religious belief).

 

 

Adapted from Majmoo’ Fataawa Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him), 2/123 (www.islam-qa.com)

[Keyz 1-8-7]

A must read thread from our very own archives

 

Magic & Horoscopes

[Castro]

I've known for a long time that fortune-telling is forbidden in Islam but before I came to that knowledge, I wondered why any fortune-teller would have to work when they can easily predict what was about to happen and make a fortune from it. The only reason they weren't rich and had to hustle for a living (preying on unsuspecting and desperate folk) was because they themselves knew their trade was full of doo doo.

[Conspiracy]

Beside being Haram and all; It doesn't actully make sense that around the world all the people that born same day/year as me share the same personality /fortune , if it is true then this world is full of clones and its a repetitive cycle around the world at the same time ... umh weird huh

[Strawberry_Xu]

Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him), that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever learns anything of astrology has learned a branch of witchcraft (al-sihr)…†And al-Bazzaar narrated with a jayyid isnaad from ‘Imraan ibn Husayn that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “He is not one of us who practises augury or has it done for him, who tells fortunes or has his fortune told, or who practises witchcraft or has that done for him.†Whoever claims to know some matter of the unseen either is a fortune-teller or is acting like a fortune-teller in some sense, because Allaah is the only One Who has knowledge of the unseen. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning);

I didn't realise this applied to anything to do with astrology. I know any form of divination is haraam without question, and really I don't read horoscopes or pay any attention to them. I was just surprised by how accurate the personality profiles were. I don't automatically judge people by their star signs but retrospectively, it seems to be fairly insightful. Maybe I was a bit silly to call it a science, but it all seems very methodological.

 

But I guess if it's haraam, it is and thank you for letting me know.

[Modesty]

Horoscopes are haraam, and hence rubbish.

[Medley of extemporanea]

I use to think the same like you Xu; evertime i read the horoscope it would agree with alot of stuff I though about myself.

 

And then oneday I found out my real birthday.

[J.Lee]

^

 

I was just surprised by how accurate the personality profiles were.

 

Aries Traits

 

Adventurous and energetic

Pioneering and courageous

Enthusiastic and confident

Dynamic and quick-witted

 

On the dark side...

 

Selfish and quick-tempered

Impulsive and impatient

Foolhardy and daredevil

 

Inaba caadhi mo'oho!

[Chocolate and Honey]

 

And then oneday I found out my real birthday.

 

Darn! you cracked me up .

My boss thought I was having a seizure, 4real. Poor you. But I know what your talking about. It happened to me too. I used to think I was Virgo. And I used to have bunch of shirts that: Virgo: shy and sly. So perfect. Everyone secretly hates you and my friends used to say, Girl that is soooo you. Well.. that was that untill I found out I was born a month later,looooooooool! Talk about dissappointment!

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Get Up!Up Even the best fall down sometimes