Okay, so now we see where it all got started, but what’s with the surge in popularity? Astrology was on the downturn back in the 1600’s, as astronomy really took off. It wasn’t until the relatively recent events of World War I, that astrology really started to pick up again. So, why is it that in this day and age, with the knowledge available to most industrial and post-industrial nations, that astrology is so popular? Could it actually be a viable means of telling the future, or a person’s psychology?

So far, that answer is an emphatic NO, from the scientific community. Despite the fact that one Gallup poll found that an estimated 50% of Americans believe in astrology, there has been no scientifically valid evidence to back up this belief. On the contrary, there are quite a lot of counterexamples for it. In fact, there are so many counter-examples to the validity of astrology, that most scientists just dismiss it as a fun diversion. Still, for the sake of closure, a few such examples are given below.

For starters, we have the arbitrary nature of astronomical symbols themselves. All the traditional planets of our solar system (i.e. none of the recently discovered planetary candidates), were named after Roman gods. This assignment was completely arbitrary. There might have been some logic behind it (Mars is red, war has blood, etc.), but overall there is no real reason to think that just because Venus was named after the goddess of love, that it should hold any sway over one’s relationships. If the “effects” of the planets on people, had any real relationship to the planets themselves, then Venus should be the ruler of bad gas, not love.

Other things to consider are the fact that many astrological terms, are holdovers from a time when the Earth was believed to be the center of the universe (geocentric). As such, astrologers still talk about cycles and epicycles. How many times has one heard an astrologer (or astrology minded individual) say that “Mars is in retrograde.”

Then there is the fact that Uranus, Neptune and Pluto have only been discovered within the past 250 years. Many astrologers assert that astrological techniques have been accurate for numerous centuries. If planets affect people, then one cannot discount these three; which is to say nothing of the recently discovered “10th planet.”

Another nail in the proverbial coffin is the mysterious omission of the 13th sign of the zodiac: Ophiuchus. This constellation falls along the ecliptic, and houses the sun during one month of the year (December). Yet modern astrologers choose to ignore the “serpent bearer,” in favour of the 12 zodiac symbols. The reason, they cite, is the turbid history of the constellation. Ophiuchus lies in a spot in the sky, which once housed multiple constellations. This argument tends to fall apart, though, when one considers that the ancient Greeks, as well as “father of modern astrology,” Claudius Ptolemeaus, both considered Ophiuchus to be a valid constellation. The more likely scenario seems to be that 12 zodiac symbols fit rather well with the 12 months in the Gregorian calendar. As such, the reason for the omission seems to be convenience and aesthetics, rather than any real problem with the constellation itself.

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