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Should we start believing in astrology and pursue our life partners based on it?

Tons of people believe in it. It's a thing in astrology to choose a life partner that is compatible with your birth month. For example, if you're a Capricorn you're most compatible with a Taurus.

Do you know anyone who subscribes to this? Are you someone who believes?

I'd like to come into this with an open mind and hear everyone's thoughts.
 
Someone working at another site in my company who I know had an arranged marriage based off of astrology and swears by it. He and his wife are Indian.

I think it is goofy as hell, personally, to believe that the alignment of stars can have an impact on our lives, or that there is some cycle of human behavior caused by the arbitrary motion of the Earth.
 

Tesseract

Banned
I want to drink this post.

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Someone working at another site in my company who I know had an arranged marriage based off of astrology and swears by it. He and his wife are Indian.

I think it is goofy as hell, personally, to believe that the alignment of stars can have an impact on our lives, or that there is some cycle of human behavior caused by the arbitrary motion of the Earth.
This is what I find the most interesting about astrology, is that people swear by it. It is extremely interesting.

It's Alex Jones interdimension grade intriguing. You just take it as some shit from the beyond. Except totally ordinary people partake. Gotta walk through that Aurora borealis into the gates of infinity.
 
Well, I'm open minded towards some supernatural things, like ghosts, spirits, life after death, God etc.

But astrology is pretty clearly one of the best examples of pure mumbo jumbo I can think of, the human brain finding meaning where there is none, like shapes in the clouds.
 

DS_Joost

Member
Tons of people believe in it. It's a thing in astrology to choose a life partner that is compatible with your birth month. For example, if you're a Capricorn you're most compatible with a Taurus.

Do you know anyone who subscribes to this? Are you someone who believes?

I'd like to come into this with an open mind and hear everyone's thoughts.

Here is my open minded answer: nope.
 

JordanN

Banned
I'm open to the idea that there are outside forces that could have an impact on biological lives.

Like how the sun constantly bombards us with radiation.

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Apart from that, I remain skeptical.
 

bitbydeath

Gold Member
Astrology would have us believe that of the billions of people on this planet, every one in twelve will have a similar day/week/month/way of living. Etc

It’s just not possible.
 
We live on a rock that floats around space in a group of objects with a constantly changing distance from one another.

Nah. That shit ain't real, dawg.

Do people believe in Tarot Card readings, too?
 
We live on a rock that floats around space in a group of objects with a constantly changing distance from one another.

Nah. That shit ain't real, dawg.

Do people believe in Tarot Card readings, too?

Tarot card readings make a little more sense (from a statistical point of view, or even philosophically) than birth signs. The cards represent normal life experiences, so in a reading there is a good chance that random draws will actually produce results that "predict" what the person being read is going through. I think following the themes of the tarot would probably also result in a good life, as it is more about guidance and advice than birth signs dictating everything about a person and how they should act.
 
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Traianvs

Member
I'm conflicted. I wouldn't date a girl who believes in astrology because it sounds crazy.
On the other side, sex with crazies is Damn gooood
 
Tarot card readings make a little more sense (from a statistical point of view, or even philosophically) than birth signs. The cards represent normal life experiences, so in a reading there is a good chance that random draws will actually produce results that "predict" what the person being read is going through. I think following the themes of the tarot would probably also result in a good life, as it is more about guidance and advice than birth signs dictating everything about a person and how they should act.

When we all become computers I hope you upload your mind to “the mainframe” so I can borrow from it. I like the way you think.
 

Thurible

Member
Tarot card readings make a little more sense (from a statistical point of view, or even philosophically) than birth signs. The cards represent normal life experiences, so in a reading there is a good chance that random draws will actually produce results that "predict" what the person being read is going through. I think following the themes of the tarot would probably also result in a good life, as it is more about guidance and advice than birth signs dictating everything about a person and how they should act.
Why would a bunch of cards have any power over "fate"? Putting faith in such things isn't rational. Also, why should I trust them more than superstitions about stars? Following the tarot to lead your life isn't a healthy thing to do. Life is full of risks and tragedy, trying to predict what is going to happen only leads to paranoia and an over reliance on the cards to dictate your life.

On a more personal note, as a guy who tries to be religious, I am afraid of the possibility if such things do actually have some power to them (though I doubt it). I won't risk summoning dark ungodly forces just to find out what my vocation is or if I will win the lottery. I also don't think "fate" is real, we all have our own autonomy and can decide what we can be regardless of the circumstances. The only fate I know is there for me is that I will die and be judged, nothing more.

If you are attracted to women, learn it anyway because belief in astrology is most prevalent among women:
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Gallup poll article.

I hope it isn't as common as your poll suggests. Why should people believe in such things when there is no empirical evidence, it doesn't make sense.
 
Why would a bunch of cards have any power over "fate"? Putting faith in such things isn't rational. Also, why should I trust them more than superstitions about stars? Following the tarot to lead your life isn't a healthy thing to do.

I did not say they had power over your fate - I said that, based on what the cards represent, a random draw is bound to hit upon something for the readee. It is like how cold readings work - the archetypal events the cards represent apply to almost all of us at some point in our lives, and are broad enough that a skilled cold reader can easily make someone feel that a draw represents their situation.

What I was getting at is that themes of the tarot are not harmful - recognizing our situation in terms of archetypes and history and drawing upon that knowledge is the basis for rational thought and personal growth. On the other hand, birth signs and similar astrological ideas tell people that what they are is preset, that who they can interact with is already determined by star positions. This is a stagnant worldview that limits those who hold it.
 

Thurible

Member
did not say they had power over your fate - I said that, based on what the cards represent, a random draw is bound to hit upon something for the readee. It is like how cold readings work
The tarots are indeed like cold readings, though I don't see it as very different from astrology. Both are superstitious and are used in faux rituals used in things like fortune telling. A suppose you could see something in a tarot that does represent your life or an aspiration you desire, but like astrology it has no truth to it and rely on the belief of the person seeking their fortune.

the archetypal events the cards represent apply to almost all of us at some point in our lives, and are broad enough that a skilled cold reader can easily make someone feel that a draw represents their situation.
I think people who take advantage of others through "psychic readings" or what not do more harm than good. They just tell people what they want to hear, and astrology is kind of like that as well. Only difference is astrology is more based on unchanging factors like the planets, stars, birthdays, etc; where the tarot is drawn at random and the fortune is guessed from what the reader thinks of the readee.

What I was getting at is that themes of the tarot are not harmful - recognizing our situation in terms of archetypes and history and drawing upon that knowledge is the basis for rational thought and personal growth.
Perhaps the themes of the tarot are not harmful, but the tarot itself is. Judgement, death, strength, etc are not ideas that are tied exclusively to the tarot but to the human condition. What the tarot does is take these ideas and presents them as a way to find out your life and your place in it through bunk means. I argue that it is harmful because one should not place their faith on random card drawings and readings. Also, I think people can make important life decisions based on these devices and create a TON of mistakes in the process. I shouldn't decide who I marry or what job I will get based on "fortune telling".

On the other hand, birth signs and similar astrological ideas tell people that what they are is preset, that who they can interact with is already determined by star positions. This is a stagnant worldview that limits those who hold it.
True, but the tarot doesn't help with actual decision making.
 
S

SLoWMoTIoN

Unconfirmed Member
Astrology is the dumbest shit women believe in.
 
The tarots are indeed like cold readings, though I don't see it as very different from astrology. Both are superstitious and are used in faux rituals used in things like fortune telling. A suppose you could see something in a tarot that does represent your life or an aspiration you desire, but like astrology it has no truth to it and rely on the belief of the person seeking their fortune.


I think people who take advantage of others through "psychic readings" or what not do more harm than good. They just tell people what they want to hear, and astrology is kind of like that as well. Only difference is astrology is more based on unchanging factors like the planets, stars, birthdays, etc; where the tarot is drawn at random and the fortune is guessed from what the reader thinks of the readee.


Perhaps the themes of the tarot are not harmful, but the tarot itself is. Judgement, death, strength, etc are not ideas that are tied exclusively to the tarot but to the human condition. What the tarot does is take these ideas and presents them as a way to find out your life and your place in it through bunk means. I argue that it is harmful because one should not place their faith on random card drawings and readings. Also, I think people can make important life decisions based on these devices and create a TON of mistakes in the process. I shouldn't decide who I marry or what job I will get based on "fortune telling".


True, but the tarot doesn't help with actual decision making.

I think you are misunderstanding me - I am not saying that tarot reading itself is legitimate, but that the themes of it are.

As you said, the major arcana are representative of the human condition. There is value in the overall message, which is why fortune tellers use it to make money - anyone can relate to it, so their potential audience is vast. We all go through the same challenges in one way or another, and there is a path to overcome them.
 
To go along with what Thurible Thurible is pointing out, I do think tarot, i-ching, and astrology are ultimately harmful if they are taken seriously and given weight. Although I am religious, I can argue it from a purely psychological standpoint.

We know that believing in something with certainty lends the adherent a particular confidence and fervor they might otherwise lack. The truthfulness of their target has little bearing on how this belief ends up affecting their lives. This phenomenon has been verified scientifically as the placebo effect. Indeed, religions are also guilty of this: when you believe something with absolute certainty, it will affect your personality. People can slip into all sorts of delusions, and of course some argue religion itself is self-delusion. The point being, we all 'believe' in a vast array of things because that is how our brains operate. The brain is an extremely efficient assumption machine, and if it can keep getting away with practical-but-false assumptions, it'll continue making those assumptions.

So from that perspective, tarot does have power. It can cause a person to make a certain choice with confidence, when they should've thought longer about it and gone the other way.

That being said, choice is a terrifying thing, and if someone needs pretty pictures and a dim room (why not just a coin flip?) to proceed with a difficult decision, I understand where they're coming from. I still don't think it's right or beneficial, but I can see where they're coming from. Absolute certainty is extremely powerful, even if it's based upon a lie.
 

Tesseract

Banned
the history of astrology is interesting (as a precursor to astronomy), in much the same way alchemy was to chemistry

practicing it in 2019 is another thing, people should know better
 

Yoshi

Headmaster of Console Warrior Jugendstrafanstalt
Not a believer, but it’s no less ridiculous than all knowing celestial deities.
And also no less ridiculous. So overall completely ridiculous.

So to answer the question of the thread: No, we should not.
 

betrayal

Banned
We have a TV station called "AstroTV", where you can phone in and then they forecast your future, "clean" your energy and many other hilarious things.

Whenever i'm lazy or just want to relax before i go to bed i switch to this channel and it never fails to entertain me.
 
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