People have frequently asked me why I study astrology (at my advanced age, they imply) or what led me to do so in the first place.
My answer is always some variation on the refrain: “I wanted to understand why people act as they do, or think the way they do.” And that answer has stood since your favorite ancient astrologer began the study of the stars at sixteen. In the midst of my peers’ teenage angst, I too was searching for answers – why was the boy I liked ignoring me; why did the boy I couldn’t stand try to walk me to class every day, did the math teacher really hate everyone or was it just his third-period geometry class and so on. When I encountered astrology, through a grandmother who was also curious about the more esoteric side of life, a few of the answers could be found by interpreting a birth chart.
The boy I liked was ignoring me because as a Leo, he wasn’t compatible with my Sun Sign, and we both sensed the truth of this. The boy I couldn’t stand was also incompatible with my own planets, and I could calmly tell him I wasn’t interested in going to the school dance with him because our charts conflicted. This confused him enough that he gave up and started escorting another girl. (Many years later, I heard he’d married the girl who replaced me. My only thought was that of deep gratitude to a benevolent Higher Power who had possibly rescued me from the same fate.)
So just for the fun of it, try a few star theories out on your co-workers and their willingness to work on group assignments, or that cousin who’s always so snippy. While this isn’t scientific, it could prompt a deeper dive into any number of things to study – not just astrology, but anthropology, linguistics, political science – in short, any of the studies which involve analyzing people. And figuring out ‘what makes people tick.’ – MZ