Leo: lioness, loud, warm, and at times, overzealous. That’s what my astrological sign says about me, more or less, in every book, magazine and every website I have ever read.
Each sign falls under a different element, or natural force. A Leo’s natural force is fire, as opposed to earth, wind and water.
There are plenty of traits commonly given to Leos, both good and bad, that fit my description.
Do I buy what those descriptions say? Maybe. I would say I’m impartial to what my sign says about me as a person. But, can horoscopes really spell out my day, week, or even month for me on paper?
Whether you’re on Facebook, Twitter or flipping through a magazine, reading horoscopes can easily be a part of your daily routine.
Your Facebook page can automatically post your daily prediction right to your profile.
The buzz from your phone may remind you that your Twitter horoscope update is now ready for you to interpret.
According to Astrology.com, it’s a great time for a Leo to think deeply.
The month of September is apparently a solid month for those born between July 23 and August 22, or so Astrologyzone.com believed.
The Washington Post’s horoscope section informs Leos that saying something aloud to someone this month will be a challenge, but will create empowerment and necessary change.
Thus, according to these outlets, a Leo must think deeply and speak their mind in order to have had a successful month of September. However, aren’t these traits best to have all year long?
Strangely enough, next month, a Youtube channel by Patrick Arundell tells me to “continue to use your [my] mind to every opportunity to articulate your [my] ideas.”
April Ruback / Equinox Staff
Arundell is a part of Astrology Enterprises Limited, a company that supplies astrological information to numerous clients including, but not limited to, The Press Association, Life Reader and Proctor and Gamble.
As I listened to him speak about my upcoming month for about five minutes via Youtube, I could not help but think “of course.”
Of course I want to change some things in my life, Arundell. Who doesn’t? Of course I will find a way to deal with stress. I did not need to look up my horoscope to tell me that, however.
Horoscopes can be vague at best, allowing hopeful readers to expect a change or cause them to discover an epiphany.
There are plenty of benefits from these discoveries, and finding inspiration to change one’s day, month or even year should be applauded.
But, next month when I pick up a magazine and hear the same horoscope for next month as the month of November, I wonder how easy it must be to paraphrase month to month or even day to day.
A number of horoscopes seem far too familiar to what I have read last week or even years ago, when I still received Teen Vogue in the mail.
Now, social media, magazines and newspapers alike are certainly not all to be blamed for lack of specification in astrology. As with any other articles, stories or briefs, the readers themselves choose what to listen to and what news to follow.
I believe I have been a “motivated reasoner,” or a person who looks for data and information they already agree with, according to Wikipedia.
I think that says something bigger about readers in general—are we all guilty of reading to find what we want?
When we read astrological sign predictions, are we already looking for something we feel, thus hearing exactly what we hope to hear?
Motivated reasoning is a “form of implicit emotion regulation in which the brain converges on judgements that minimize negative and maximize positive affect states associated with threat to or attainment of motives,” according to Wikipedia.
Since the astrological prediction on minihoroscope.com says I will be lucky on October 18, does that mean I will automatically look for positive outcomes of that day? Perhaps.
For now, I’ll stick to looking at each day as a new beginning, a different day than yesterday, and that is all.
No luck, no alignment of the planets, no paragraph description of what my life is like at that moment according to a magazine.
Brittany Ballantyne can be reached at bballantyne@keene-equinox.com