Do you Believe in Astrology?

**s_lone** · 10-13-2009, 12:02 PM

Originally Posted by Stoney Toni

And coincidence is given meaning by the observer. The coincidence can be quite small, yet given great importance by the observer. For astrological purposes, I think this is a manifestation of confirmation bias.

The events that do not synchronize, are disproportionately analyzed in comparison to positive results.

More to the point, if an outcome is expected it's probability of actually ocurring is much greater.

Exactly. You explain perfectly why I can't say astrology is a legitimate practise (but I don't necessarily say it's illegitimate). But that being said, one usually doesn't find what one isn't looking for.

Supposing there are some patterns between our human lives and planetary cycles, how else could we discover them than by trying to find patterns?

I started reading in depth on astrology because of a dream I had which defied my conception of ''just a coincidence''. I dreamt I was on a beach watching Jupiter setting on the horizon. It was incredibly moving and beautiful. It was as if I was on one of Jupiter's moon.

When I woke up, I was very unsettled by the dream because of how beautiful it was. About 2 weeks later I went to see an astrologer out of a mix of curiosity and interest. At one point she told me that Jupiter had crossed my ascendant 2 weeks ago (the horizon point in a natal chart) and wanted to know if anything significant had happened in my life . I immediately remembered my dream, which had happened at the moment where Jupiter was crossing the ascendant point in my natal chart.

I don't expect you to make anything out of this story. All I can say is that that's the way it happened and that when I had that dream, I didn't know where Jupiter was in the sky. To me that is a good example of a meaningful synchronicity that cannot be dismissed as a mere coincidence. But I understand the subjective nature of my experience and don't expect anyone to take this as evidence of anything.

My only ''rational'' explanation is that the information was somewhere hidden in my unconscious mind. I knew that I was a Scorpio rising and perhaps the information that Jupiter was in Scorpio at the time was lurking somewhere in my memory. Perhaps I read it distractedly in an astrology section of the newspaper...

**Stoney Toni** · 10-13-2009, 12:34 PM

I wouldn't make much of it, but I wasn't the observer. So to me it really is only coincidence. It doesn't matter how I interpret it.

**s_lone** · 10-13-2009, 12:39 PM

Originally Posted by Stoney Toni

I wouldn't make much of it, but I wasn't the observer. So to me it really is only coincidence. It doesn't matter how I interpret it.

How about you give me your birth stats? Just for fun... See if we can find anything interesting...

**JoeSchmoe** · 10-13-2009, 12:59 PM

No. There is no scientific basis for astrology whatsoever.

Here's an interesting clip by Richard Dawkins on the subject:
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlMiKrwCRQ0[/media]

**JoeSchmoe** · 10-13-2009, 02:50 PM

Astrology does not hold up to scientific examination.

http://psychicinvestigator.com/demo/AstroSkc.htm

Astrologers who claim they can analyze a person's character and predict a person's life course just by reading the "stars" are fooling the public and themselves, University of California researcher Shawn Carlson has concluded in a unique double-blind test of astrology published in Nature (December 5, 1985). The controlled study was designed specifically to test whether astrologers can do what they say they can do. Carlson, a researcher at UC's Lawerence Berkeley Laboratory, found astrologers had no special ability to interpret personality from astrological readings. Astrologers also performed much worse in the test than they predicted they would, according to Carlson.

The study refutes astrologers' assertions that they can solve clients' personal problems by reading "natal charts," individual horoscopes cast according to the person's date, time, and place of birth. "It is more likely that when sitting face to face with a client, astrologers read clients' needs, hopes, and doubts from their body language," said Carlson, who is also a doctoral canidate in physics at UCLA and a professional magician who has himself performed "psychic ability" demonstrations.
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