Throwing Away the Cusp

I was born on June 21, 1988. That means I entered into this life on the Cusp of Gemini and Cancer. What does all of this mean? Absolutely nothing. Comedian, writer, and director Chris Rock gave the perfect horoscope when he said: “Aquarius... you’re gonna die. Capricorn... you’re gonna die. Gemini, you're gonna die twice! Leo you’re gonna die.”

This witty, pithy, and utterly true statement sums up the whole fascination behind what has been handed down through the centuries. Your Zodiac sign has nothing to do with your character, mindstate, mood, sex life, love life, personality, or future outlook. This deterministic hogwash has oozed its way across space and time.

The sad part is millions of people still swear by all of this nonsense. Blinded by the light of unreason and tribalistic practices, people have allowed themselves to accept astrology because they already held mystical ideals. If people would sit down and realize their own desires and hopes are not tied to some goddamn sign, but to their own abilities and sensibilities, then we might have a more rational, thoughtful culture.

No. Miss Sagittarius over here is celebrating her birthday in Delaware because her horoscope told her to wear a jacket and scarf not because it’s fall and the start of winter, but because her sign falls between November 22 and December 21. The “jacket will keep you safe not only from the air, but from bad vibes from other signs, too,” it read.

But people believe these horse feathers.

I must confess, In my early years, I too used to swear by my horoscope. I said I was prone to fits of dark moods because I’m a Gemini, and uncomfortable because I’m also a Cancer.

I soon found all of this to be nonsensical, mystical nonsense. I also learned it was worse than pseudoscience. Phrenology was a pseudoscience at first, but it was eventually used to map the various segments of the brain to psychology to neurology. Please tell me what science can glean from the Aries’ inability to function properly today because he or she exhibits impulsiveness.

The nonsense surrounding the Zodiac is profound. If people continue to believe in the “science of the signs,” that’s their business. But I’ll be damned if I take someone seriously who walks up to me and asks me my sign. It’s got to stop. It’s like any application to something outside of the realm of reality. People may actually know they are wrong, but willingly to go against their better judgment. Why? Because they want to do just that.

You can show them the light, but they’ll point to the shadow and say, “But what about the darkness?” Folks all over the globe,and yes, even in the good ol’ US of A, have lowered themselves to the levels of unthinking mobs. If their friend stopped practicing astrology, without thinking, they may not be able to resist shrugging off the signs, too. Or, if the belief is so entrenched, they may never let it go.

It’s the refusal to use reason that keeps cow patties like this to continue. People have stopped using reason; they don’t know how to think. The unmitigated sense of rationality is what should be able to convert people already vulnerable to change. Besides, the majority of people profess some faith in another being. How do they equate astrology with faith? They don’t. They just rationalize away all of their hopes, dreams, and fears up to the altar of their dying minds.

Believing in astrology is pernicious. To observe something that is not only false, but potentially dangerous to the mind takes the idea of the “fun” behind signs into rough territory.