MaryJo 4: Zodiac Signs

Around 2 months ago, my astronomy class began our constellation unit. After what seemed like too many days full of lectures about celestial equators, equinoxes, Galileo, and everything I, for some reason, didn’t think I would have to sit through in a class about astronomy, we finally got to the part where we would get to look at fun shapes made from stars. As soon as the 12 zodiac constellations were mentioned, our class naturally erupted into a conversation about our horoscopes. From this innocent conversation, I had to receive some of the most crushing news and feelings of betrayal I have felt in my life. My teacher had to break it to us that, since 2016, there was a discovery of a 13th zodiac sign falling under the dates of November 29th to December 17th: Ophiuchus. This meant that all the other signs needed to adjust to this interval and fall under different time frames. This meant that my birthday, July 13th, now falls under the season of Gemini. This meant that all the horoscope personality posts, advice about my future, and compatibility charts I read never meant anything after all. As expected from the first stage of denial, I decided to pretend I was never aware of this news, mostly for the sake of all the cancer horoscope jewelry I’ve bought.

I’m not sure how long each stage of grief is supposed to take, but I still haven’t made any progress past the first. I’m not any kind of expert astrologist, but I am interested enough to have a few daily horoscope apps downloaded on my phone. It’s really interesting for me to think about the idea that our personalities and pathways in life are being influenced by the night sky. I know that a lot of people have criticisms about astrology and are very adamant about how illogical and ridiculous it is, and I’m not denying that it is.

I obviously don’t expect all of my entire life decisions to be dependent on what my horoscope suggests I should do with my life, and I wouldn’t call things off with my future soulmate after finding out that he’s an Aries (although I would really prefer if he isn’t). Despite all this, it’s the comfort I find in thinking that something written in the stars decided that I am the way that I am and has a plan set out for me that I am destined to follow that tempts me to check my horoscope whenever I feel lost in the world. Believing in things like astrology, aliens, and ESP are little ways that make life a little more interesting and bring mystery into a world that seems too fixed and defined. Making myself believe that there’s something more behind what my life gives me makes me want to accept it, understand it more, and figure it out.