Why Stars?

I’m a little embarrassed to admit I read my horoscope (Taurus) and pay fortune tellers in Japan for my birth year (Rooster). Back in the age of newspapers, the horoscope was one of my required reading. I pay attention to both the Western and Eastern Zodiac. Why be shy to admit this? After all, I’ve got a Ivy League master’s degree in international affairs and my dad was a physics professor.

There must be some reason these belief systems have been around for thousands of years. As long or longer than most religions. My impression is that western zodiac is based on the stars while eastern zodiac is more focused on the moon. But both seem to come from observations of nature. What about the coincidence that both systems are centered around the number twelve? Twelve months. Twelve years. Twelve symbols. Twelve animals. I’ve got to think our ancestors noticed that large star - Jupiter - visiting the same part of the night sky every twelve years.

Japan follows the Chinese cycle that assigns one of 12 animals (Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig.) to each year. This year, for example, is the Year of the Ox. Two of the animals - the ox and the ram - overlap with the symbols in the western zodiac. In the eastern zodiac, each animal year is also named for one of five elements - wood, fire, earth, metal and water. There are 60 possible combinations of the animal year and the five elements.

According to these two zodiac systems, I’m a Taurus, and a Fire Rooster. I wondered if there was any overlap in the characteristics of these two zodiac animals. There was! In the eastern system, the twelve zodiac animals are divided into four “trines.” A Trine is defined as: “of, relating to, or being the favorable astrological aspect of two celestial bodies 120 degrees apart.”

The second Trine consists of the Ox, Snake and Rooster. “These three signs are said to possess endurance and application, with slow accumulation of energy, meticulous at planning but tending to be stubborn. The three are said to be intelligent, hard-working, modest, industrious, loyal, philosophical, patient, goodhearted and morally upright, but can also be self-righteous, egotistical, vain, judgmental, narrow-minded, and petty.” Hmm. My Eastern Rooster personality sounded awfully close to my Taurus personality.

“Your Chinese Astrology” predicted: “Fire roosters have the leadership ability, and they are smart, confident but impatient. Also, they are independent and attach great importance to their privacy, so they don't like be too intimate to others. Fire roosters like to pursue freedom and stimulation rather than the well-behaved, ordinary and joyless life. They have a passion for vigorous exercise and cannot stand the static activities.

Generally, fire roosters have a strong concept of time and they are trustworthy. However, fire roosters are short-tempered and they will feel uneasy if they cannot finish something on time.

Fire roosters have good luck in wealth. However, no wealth will fall down from the sky, and they need to strive to create wealth. Fire roosters get good results regardless of the jobs they choose; they have fast luck in wealth and often have unexpected harvest; they are good at managing money matters and can maximize the interest of their money in hands, but they need to purchase some fixed assets where the money is in surplus.

In terms of love, fire roosters have a rich, colorful and romantic emotional life. However, they may meet obstacles more or less and male fire roosters have more problems than females. The disputes are easily to appear between the couples, leading to the emotional problems.”

Well, so far my life seems to verify this fortune. I love exercise, especially dance. I’m above the average American in terms of money but unfortunately, also in terms of divorce. I guess I’m lucky to not be a male fire rooster.

Now let’s take a look at my western horoscope. The Birthday Astrology page of the Events History site predicted: “Taurus is the second astrological sign in the Zodiac. The symbol of the bull is based on the Cretan Bull, the white bull that fathered the Minotaur and was killed by Hercules.”

The time of year that the Taurus zodiac falls under is spring. It is when farmers are plant new crops. For this reason, Taureans are viewed as grounded people who are practical in nature and do not like change. Also because of this, of the four elements, Earth fire, wind, and water, Taurus is associated with Earth.

Because the Taurus zodiac sign is related to the beginning of spring, when plants start to grow, it is the horoscope sign of the farmer. Therefore, the traits related to Taurus are based on a person who tends the land and cares for nature. The positive traits most associated with Taurus are patient, reliable, warmhearted, loving, persistent, determined, placid, and security loving.

Positive traits which show themselves in an excessive degree can often be viewed as negative traits. Such as being jealous, possessive, resentful, inflexible, self-indulgent, greedy, and stubborn. While Taurus may be calm and conservative, she can also be reluctant to change. Taureans like to think in practical terms instead of theoretical. So, not only do Taureans tolerate routine; they prefer it.

In the western zodiac as a Taurus, I sound much more sedentary, slow and boring. But in a more positive light, I guess I sound more thoughtful and practical.

Life is full of challenges. And we’ve come up with so many ways to handle these challenges. Technology. But when problems have no clear answers or solutions, that’s when I look to the stars. Who do I love? Where should I live? What can I do? When no computer can untangle the knots of my life. That’s when the zodiac helps. But I’m not the only one. There’s hard data to back up the fact that the logical Japanese made decisions because of the zodiac.

In January 1987, the Japanese government announced only 1.4 million young men and women (born in 1966) participated in the national Coming of Age Day. This sharp drop of 400,000 from previous years demonstrated the power of the zodiac.

In Japan, the years when Fire and Horse fall upon each other are considered to be the worst years. According to a widely held belief, women born in the Year of the Fire and Horse are destined upon reaching adulthood to marry and then kill their husbands. (Yikes! Talk about a bad omen.) The last Fire Horse was 1966. Japanese parents took no chances that year, and refrained from getting pregnant. So the number of births plummeted by almost 25 percent from 1965. But by 1967, births soared by about 40 percent.

I don’t think Americans keep track of the influence of the zodiac on our daily lives. But I believe there’s a place for it. In fact, I think we need to keep mental space open to such ideas. We mustn’t underestimate the wisdom of our ancestors.

My dad started off his physics career in particle physics. Looking at the smallest parts of our physical world. But shortly before he died at the age of 91, he became interested in cosmology. The stars. And the universe, which is mostly made up of Dark Matter - the unknown stuff that holds up the stars and provides evidence of the Big Bang. The Origin. Maybe he realized we humans don’t really know much about our world, and ourselves. So we might as well look to the stars to try to decipher the mysteries of our lives. The unknown parts which include the zodiac.