Have you ever had someone ask you what month and day your body was born – only to then discover that they wanted that information so that they could stereotype you according to your zodiological sign?

That has happened to me. And because that happened several times, years ago I made the decision to stop giving people that information, because if they zodiologically biased then they tremendously struggle to relate with me, instead of relating with the sign. Most often, they have lost that struggle.

I always have had problems with astrology for that reason: the propensity for many who consider, and engage, events according astrological explanations about whatever is happening (be the event either environmental or personal) - with little regard for the dynamic actually occurring.

However – I do not throw out what I consider to be the baby with that bathwater.

To me, the baby is the union – the combined interconnection - of the zodiological archetypes. Such that: I consider each person to have all of the archetypes, including all associated qualities of those archetypes, as aspects of their personalities. Sure, some people have cultivated one or more of them to either greater or lesser degrees than others. Yet, I do not consider any one archetype to be the central, primary, or whatever-other-term-or-phrase-suggests-exclusive-personality-determinance of someone’s personality – based upon when someone’s body was born.

I consider the zodiological system as a map for archetypal development – one guide (amongst many guides) for cultivating various traits as clarified and consolidated according to those famous archetypes – where one can work on cultivating all their positive qualities (and surmounting the respective challenges for doing so with each archetype) for producing a specific kind of character complex.

Although not much talked about – I can see how a system for such development could be crafted, which deals with invoking and evoking the zodiological archetypes to order their mature placement within, and expression through, one’s magickal personality.

Anecdote for you.

My last girlfriend went to visit her mother. The first things that were said were:
"You've had sex?"
"No."
"You're going to have sex?"
"No."
"You're dating a scorpio?"
"Yes."

So they're not as innaccurate as you'd think.

Praxis, here's the real problem here, most people have no clue what they're really dealing with when they speak of astrology. There are numerous ways to combat this ignorance, I think the most effective is to learn enough for yourself to get by. Astrology is a highly effective magical aid as well, if you're interested in the occult it would greatly aid your endeavour to take up a basic study of astrology/astronomy.

Here's the crux of the dilemna, most people only think in terms of the sun sign. What nearly everyone doesn't know, and if you know this it will shock and stun almost everyone you tell, is that they're are two other major houses that you're born under. There's a person's moon sign (forget how you get to it) then, there's the critical ascendant (I think that's the name for it) sign, which is created from the hour you were born in. I'm not really into using houses for hours of the day, but such things do help categorize.

Other ways to impress people or reflect their idealistic knowledge is, so what's your star sign? So what does that sign mean on the medicine wheel (the psuedo new age native american astrological horoscope)?

Astrology shouldn't be overlooked, I would definitely urge you to get a copy of your own natal chart so that you can see what was where when you were born.

Your right Bb3. Too many are stuck in ignorance either by choice or by default. I once came across someone who said astrology was bunk because they couldn't apply a consistant logic to it as they said they could with reading tea leaves! LOL (IMG:style_emoticons/default/happydance.gif)

Most people only refer to the Sun sign when talking about astrology but that is only one of many conection that have to be made to understand ones chart. ALthough most people do consider the Sun sign the most important I would argu that the Moon and rising sign are equally important to the character of the individual. Followed by the connections of the planets. Just my 2 cents.

I do know that I've been able to pick out people's signs rather well. I remember a couple of times I'd bust out laughing and say "You MUST be a Taurean/Leo/Arien!" And they'd stop what they're doing and squeak out a "..yyeeaahh...how'd you know?"

I also think it depends on what you're looking for. The zodiacal signs are a very old system and just have become all the "craze". The book Message of the Stars is a great reference for zodiacal associations.

Another thing about astrology to consider is that it is essentially just the template of your initial energetic frequency - the frequency that you're born with. You might find that a lot of 'average' people, who are about as concerned with self-growth as they are with anything else in life, will fit their natal chart almost perfectly. On the other hand, anyone who has worked really hard to identify and understand themselves and actively balance out their negative traits with their positive ones - either through magick or through active spiritual pursuit of growth (arguably the same thing) - will fit their chart less, although in most of those cases I'd say the sun, moon, and rising sign will be probably even more accurate, as it's the other planet's influences that tend to make changes to those traits.

Me, I will look at a person's chart before the first date. It's a 'science' that has never failed me yet.

peace