horoscopes Archives - Astrology readings and writings by Lynn Hayes

Astrology and Islam don’t get along (now)

…according to this article in the Saudi Gazette (thanks Elsa):

Belief in astrology and the casting of horoscopes are in clear opposition to the letter and spirit of Islam. It is really the empty soul, which has not tasted real Iman (belief) that seeks out these paths. Essentially these paths, represent a vain attempt to escape Qadr (predistination). The ignorant believe that if they know what is in store for them tomorrow, they can prepare for them today. In that way, they may avoid the bad and ensure the good. Yet, Allah’s messenger was told by Allah to say: ” I possess no power over benefit or hurt to myself except as Allah wills.”

Now I have no desire to bash someone else’s religion, and all scriptures are subject to interpretation. We know that in the 8th and 9th centuries when sacred knowledge was stifled in the West by the Catholic Church it was the Arabic astrologers who rescued the sacred arts, translating the ancient Greek works into Arabic, and their wisdom,such as the Arabic Parts (including the widely used Part of Fortune), is taught to this very day ..

Astrology is banned by the major religions that seek to put power over individuals into the hands of a priestly class. As we know, astrology has the potential to help us to recognize personality traits and inner conflicts which limit us and keep us from serving the Divinity of our choice in a fully conscious and present way, not to mention living a life of joy and fulfillment.

This article was originally posted in February 2009.

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By Lynn Hayes|2019-11-10T19:44:33-05:00October 20th, 2014|Astrology in the news, Religion|0 Comments

“Horoscopes May Be Bad for You”

Image from Telegraph article

Just when I start to think that astrology is gaining respect in the mainstream an article like this comes along that shows how newspaper predictions are still confused with astrology:

Astrology may seem like harmless fun – but a new study suggests following your star sign could be bad for you.

Consumers who read their horoscope daily were found to be more likely to exhibit impulsive or indulgent behaviour when their zodiac was negative, the research suggested.

Already this article in the Telegraph is all kinds of wrong. First of all, there is no such thing as a “star sign” – the signs of the zodiac are “Sun signs” – the signs that the Sun travels through on its path (called the “ecliptic”) as we observe it from Planet Earth. Second, the zodiac is the collection of Sun signs that form the band of the ecliptic. We don’t have a personal zodiac.

A number of participants were presented with unfavourable star sign readings and asked to choose between either going to a party or cleaning their home.

Participants who selected going to a party were seen as having made an indulgent decision and those who chose to clean their home were categorised as having made a virtuous one.

The study found that those who had read a negative horoscope before making their choice were more likely to choose going to the party over the more virtuous activity.

Researchers had expected participants to chose a more virtuous action to prevent the unfavourable outcome presented in their horoscope.

“Conventional wisdom might suggest that for people who believe they can change their fate, an unfavourable horoscope should result in an attempt to improve their fate,” the authors of study, Hyeongmin Kim of Johns Hopkins […]

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By Lynn Hayes|2013-12-13T06:19:05-05:00December 13th, 2013|Sun sign astrology|4 Comments

“Confessions of a horoscope writer” and why I’m not one

Someone posted this article on our astroblogger Facebook group:

Until recently, I had a dirty little secret. I write horoscopes. Or at least, I used to. Now it’s not such a dirty little secret because a) I’ve just told you and b) there aren’t that many horoscope clients left in my portfolio any more, anyway. But back in the day – oh yes. I was the BBC Slink teen astrologer for 13 years until the site closed last year and provided daily teen horoscopes throughout that time. … ; You might think that this was a track record to be proud of. My husband, bless him, certainly thought so and would waste no time in telling people proudly about my various clients while I smiled through gritted teeth and quickly changed the subject. I wasn’t particularly proud; not ashamed either, exactly, but, well, embarrassed. You see, as a professional astrologer. I know better than anyone that sun sign horoscopes are by their very nature generalisations at best and at worst a load of tosh. Telling someone that I was writing them made it sound as though I – and worse, every other member of my profession – truly believed that all Scorpios were going to win the lottery on Thursday, but not before their Leo partners had ditched them for the next door neighbour and run off to start a new life on the Costa del Sol. Bracing myself for the “but you don’t actually believe all that stuff, do you?” question, it was easier to just move off the subject than try to defend *real* astrology and point out that I was just writing horoscopes because it paid well.

The word “horoscope” has […]

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By Lynn Hayes|2020-09-19T11:52:32-04:00July 24th, 2012|Astrology, Sun sign astrology|6 Comments

Astrology and the Forer Effect

Here is an interesting article about an experiment performed in 1948 by Bertram R. Forer who collected statements from sun sign columns and then presented them to his subjects as though they were personally assessed as part of a personality profile. Note: “horoscopes” are not sun sign forecasts, the horoscope is the actual map of the sky at a given time – the astrological chart, if you will.

These statements include the following:

You have a need for other people to like and admire you, and yet you tend to be critical of yourself.

While you have some personality weaknesses you are generally able to compensate for them.

You have considerable unused capacity that you have not turned to your advantage. Disciplined and self-controlled on the outside, you tend to be worrisome and insecure on the inside.

At times you have serious doubts as to whether you have made the right decision or done the right thing.

You prefer a certain amount of change and variety and become dissatisfied when hemmed in by restrictions and limitations. You also pride yourself as an independent thinker; and do not accept others’ statements without satisfactory proof. But you have found it unwise to be too frank in revealing yourself to others.

At times you are extroverted, affable, and sociable, while at other times you are introverted, wary, and reserved.

Some of your aspirations tend to be rather unrealistic.

The author of this article is correct – these do all apply to everyone to some extent or another. The Forer Effect is designed to prove something psychologists call “Subjective Validation,” or as the author says, “you are far more vulnerable to suggestion when the subject of the conversation is you.”

The author goes on to write:

Seen straight on, […]
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By Lynn Hayes|2019-08-26T13:48:08-04:00July 7th, 2010|Astrology, Favorite posts, Sun sign astrology|2 Comments

This is why Sun Sign astrology doesn’t work

A reader writes:

I was born under the sign of LEO. I think I have two other planets in LEO. I can tell you that I am far from a LEO. In areas that I should be strong because of my LEO traits, I am often handicapped by fear/anxiety. At times I think I strongly identify more with Virgo than LEO. I was wondering if you could tell what else in my chart that would account for this and if there is anything I can do to achieve the most positive aspects of LEO to the fullest.

This guy, let’s call him Fred, does indeed have the Sun in Leo and he also has Uranus in Leo which being a generational placement doesn’t add much Leo to his personality. In addition, his Sun is square to Neptune, the planet of mists and illusion, which does tend to water down that Leo somewhat and make it more of a challenge to find the Self that Leo needs so strongly to express.

More importantly, though, he has Virgo rising (the rising sign represents the persona, the style in which we live our life) so it’s no wonder he identifies with the sign of Virgo, and Virgo is very different from Leo. Fred has the North Node in Leo, so during this lifetime he is meant to move more fully into the Leo experience but he has to balance that Leo strength and power with the Virgo need for restraint and modesty. Often when an individual has Leo and Virgo both manifesting strongly in their charts they will identify with one over the other, and the key to integration is to allow both of these influences to exist simultaneously.

There’s no doubt that Fred is powerful – Pluto sits right on his ascendant. […]

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