Last night, after two beers but before the pool competition, I had the misfortune to be cornered by someone with a deep, abiding belief in astrology.
"So when's your birthday?"
"December."
"Ah, a Sag?"
Warning bells start going off about now. The only people who refer to Saggitarius as 'Sag' are those who use the word often enough to be dangerous.
"So, you're an outgoing guy, then. Life of the party."
"I'm a toxic introvert."
"Like the outdoors?"
"Er, not really."
"Ah, but you said you just came back from America. So you like travel. Typical Sag."
At this point, I can feel my brain-cells dying en masse just from being forced to listen to this. Or maybe it's a mass suicide to avoid having to process any more of it. I picture my neurons lined up, cups of poisoned kool-aid gripped tightly in dendrites: "It's this, or having to work out what your rising sign is! You know what you have to do!"
I have a pretty laissez faire attitude to spirituality. If you believe in a God, or several Gods, or a nebulous spiritual ether that encompasses all living things, or even the divine right of women to change their minds whenever the fuck they feel like it without any warning whatsoever, then that's really none of my business.
At least, that's what I thought. Now I know that I have one exception, in the same way that Country is my exception to having no musical biases.
If you honestly think that a human being's personality or destiny is shaped by the fact that some guy looked up at a pattern of dots in the sky a few thousand years ago and thought "Ooh! Horsey!", then I'm sorry, you're an idiot.
typical Sag!
That actually happened to my brother once. He was chatting up a girl at a party, who asked what sign he was: "Capricorn, but I don't believe in that stuff."
To which she replied: "Of course you don't, you're a Capricorn."
Do you dislike all country music? Have you listened to much Johnny Cash? His last album - The Man Comes Around - is just amazing. Actually, just about everything that Johnny Cash has done is brilliant. Sure there is plenty of crap, but there is a whole lot fantastic stuff that is country.
I fall under the Libra sign. Whenever I talk to someone who believes in astrology, they say "Ooooh, a Libra... riiight..." and then refuse to talk to me anymore like I've somehow offended their astrologiness or something. I still to this day don't know what the fuck is going on.
My 2cents worth over here:
http://cardboard.nu/blog/2004_07_15/adams_on_astrology.html
I refuse to allow my life to be determined, or predetermined, by a bunch of gaseous and rocky spacial bodies. Astrology is fun and amusing and all, but it's not a belief system. I want to be a Zen Taoist Liberal Rubber Duckie.
"I refuse to allow my life to be determined, or predetermined, by a bunch of gaseous and rocky spacial bodies."
So you don't believe in gravity? You don't believe in sunburn?
You don't even believe in gravity?
And the lesson is, read *all* the comments before replying.
If I might be a bit picky...
Astrology isn't actually about stars. It's about seasons. For example, the zodiacal sign of Aries does not have anything to do with the stellar constellation Aries. Aries is the name given to the period covering 1/12 year beginning with the vernal equinox - the 'first month of spring', we call it now.
The names of the zodiac are simply traditional names, assigned thousands of years ago at a time when the vernal equinox occurred while Sol was in the same direction as the constellation Aries.
Although modern life tends to insulate us developed-world dwellers from many of the effects of the seasons, it's not too unreasonable to consider that not so long ago, a person's personality might have been considerably affected by the season s/he was born in.
According to http://www.astrology-online.com/sagittar.htm sagittarians have a dislike for off-the-wall theories - I think you have just proven you are indeed a typical sag.
It also says you're honest, trustworthy and ambitious though, so you're probably right in stating it's all a load of crap :-)
You just made my day. I, too, hate to deal with that kind of stuff. I gave up on a girl because she wouldn't quit talking about it. Yes, I *am* serious.