Astrology: Is It Accurate?

Whether or not astrology is accurate is a debate that has raged for many, many years. Astrologers and lovers of astrology have always looked to the sky for answers and insight. They consider astrology a science with years and years of observations and records as proof that the solar system can in fact help us predict many things. On the other hand, many naysayers are quick to call astrology wishful thinking, superstitious and whimsical theories with no scientific proof. So the questions is: What do you think? Before you answer, let's look at both sides.

Astrology
Astrology has been around since the beginning of mankind, or pretty close. It has been traced back to 5800 B.C. and it is reported that in 450 B.C. the Babylonians developed and began recognizing the 12 signs of the zodiac. Other cultures including the Greeks, Romans, Indians, Egyptians, Persians and the Chinese, independent of each other were also discovering and using astrology for many purposes. Traditionally, astrology was closely associated with astronomy, which is also the study of the stars and planets, but was originally used to predict weather patterns for crops and harvesting. Throughout history, great kings, emperors and rulers have consulted astrologers and many have even had astrology advisers. This practice has even been as modern as the suggestion that the Regan's while in the White House consulted with an astrologer.

The very basics of astrology are based on the study of the stars and planets, the way they move, the cycles and shifts, and the way that they line up. These are used to predict events and occurrences here on Earth. Just as the moon influences the tides in the ocean, the planets, sun, moon and the stars influence us humans on Earth. The planetary alignments at the exact time of a person's birth are used to determine their personality, temperament and other traits that they will carry with them through life.

Astrology has been through its ups and downs, but it has always remained in existence because people have always believed it is accurate. Today it is still very popular and thousands of people seek out their daily horoscope, their natal chart and their romantic life predictions from astrologers.

Naysayers
As science progressed through the years, skepticism began to arise about astrology. When it was discovered that the planets were actually very, very far apart, it was generally thought that they could not therefore have a bearing on humans here on Earth and people began questioning astrology predictions, as they still do today.

Furthermore, skeptics are quick to point out that the time of birth is not an accurate prediction of a person's life, as the time of birth is defined by the person filling out the birth certificate. But who is to say that birth isn't when the water breaks to indicate labor, or when the head crowns, or when the newborn takes their first breath. Other people argue that maybe natal charts should be made at the time of conception.

There is also the argument that people who believe in their horoscope and astrology predictions are really just using selective thinking - the process of picking out the most favored evidence and ignoring the rest. Critics of astrology say that astrologers are just good at giving advice and telling people what they wan to hear, but the advice is just that, advice and it lacks any real scientific evidence.

It has also been pointed out that the descriptions of the 12 zodiac signs are so vague that they could describe almost every person from one day to the next.

So the question remains, is astrology accurate? Or is it lacking scientific proof? Can we really doubt a practice that has been around for so long and believed by so many? What do you think?