I do read my horoscope sometimes. I admit it comes true more than not, but perhaps it is because it is general in content and not specific. I am skeptical, but sometimes impressed by its accuracy. My being a Taurus, for example. It describes Taurus as down to earth, easy to get along with, until you get him angry. Then, you can't stop him. When I was looking for a gf at FSU websites, I loosely incorporated my astrological compatiblity in my search. I found one who was also a Taurus. Astrologically, she is not not the best mate, but close. We can get along quite well, even when one of us gets angry. All hell will break loose when we both get angry. My compatible partners are Virgo and Pisces. Thoughts?
I'll give you a better astrological match: Chinese Horoscope.
A Russian friend of mine (girl) asked me what I thought about her boyfriend and I told her that they were not a match. She did not believe me ... until they broke up.
Then she asked me what the best match was and I gave her suggestions, according to the Chinese Horoscope. She said that she did not know anybody that age ... until she found one.
They are now happily married with a son.
The best matches, according to the Chinese Horoscope, are four or eight signs difference (roughly translated to four, eight, 16, or 20 years but remembering that the Chinese New Year falls around the last days of January).
Ok, I'm going to give astrology a go, see if I'm any good at it. Just a quick experiment, approach with an open mind. Read the below paragraph, and rate it out of 10 in how accurately it describes you:
You have a great need for other people to like and admire you. You have a tendency to be critical of yourself. You have a great deal of unused capacity which you have not turned to your advantage. While you have some personality weaknesses, you are generally able to compensate for them. Disciplined and self-controlled outside, you tend to be worrisome and insecure 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 pride yourself as an independent thinker and do not accept others' statements without satisfactory proof. You have found it unwise to be too frank in revealing yourself to others. At times you are extroverted, affable, sociable, while at other times you are introverted, wary, reserved. Some of your aspirations tend to be pretty unrealistic. Security is one of your major goals in life.
You have a great need for other people to like and admire you. 3 Sometimes I wish people who admire me would stay away.
You have a tendency to be critical of yourself. 3 I'm doing what I can.
You have a great deal of unused capacity which you have not turned to your advantage. 10 At least, I hope so.
While you have some personality weaknesses, you are generally able to compensate for them. 0 Personality weakness? I am what I am.
Disciplined and self-controlled outside, you tend to be worrisome and insecure inside. 2 Yes, I worry. But why? It doesn't do any good.
At times you have serious doubts as to whether you have made the right decision or done the right thing. 2 Wrong decision? Change your mind and go the other way.
You prefer a certain amount of change and variety and become dissatisfied when hemmed in by restrictions and limitations. 2 Restrictions and limitations? There is a price to get over them.
You pride yourself as an independent thinker and do not accept others' statements without satisfactory proof. 10 Perfect!!!
You have found it unwise to be too frank in revealing yourself to others. 9 If they knew what I really thought, they would freak out. Most of the time, they know anyway.
At times you are extroverted, affable, sociable, while at other times you are introverted, wary, reserved. 5 Give me a chance to speak my mind and I will.
Some of your aspirations tend to be pretty unrealistic. 7 It remains to be seen.
Security is one of your major goals in life. 9 OK.
Horoscopes are a load of bullshite, they are written so openly that they can be interpreted in so many different ways more, rather than few, may read in to them positively.
As an example I have very recently, and successfully, sued the police regarding an incident of earlier this year, their cheque/check is in it's way to my bank account, now just imagine how many horoscopes one may read whereas something of good luck, good fortune, positive etc. etc. etc. may be mentioned that could be pertinent to financial, how could these horoscope writing jerks possibly know that I had taken court action against the police?
One time, I was in a crowded mall. A man in the square on a stage was doing some mind reading tricks. He asked the audience to think of a number from one to ten. He wrote a number on a piece of paper and then pointed to me and asked my number. I said seven. Sure enough, his number was also seven.
For the longest time, I wondered how he did it. I was not part of his act. I still wonder, but someone years later on, gave me a clue. He asked for my number then he showed it. Perhaps he did a switcheroo when I told him my number.
I have not looked into horoscopes deeply. Sometimes, I do read it. Even if you are a believer in horoscopes, I suppose you still would be skeptical of those who tell horoscopes without looking into the stars or whatever they do to tell your horoscope.
I have never heard of anyone saying they are not the personality types of their astrological sign. Is there anyone care to comment on that? I therefore thought who is compatible astrologically would be more accurate than reading horoscopes.
astrology is horseshit. unless you believe in it. just as christianity is horseshit, unless you believe in it. buddhism is horseshit, unless you believe in it. democracy is horseshit, unless you believe in it. communism , socialism, racism
"...ism, ism,ism. All we are saying, is give peace a chance." John Lennon. Happy Birthday John.
actually, astrology is a bunch of crap.
if you didn't know when you were born and took a spin of the big astrological wheel, whatever it came up you could rationalize to 'fit' yourself. of course I am amazed at how everything said about me is absolutely true. But based on the assumption that 1/12 of all people are the same sign, how can all these people be as good as me? Because I know some of these people and they just can't possibly be the same sign as me. unless of course you consider the moon phase, the planets, the earth's spacial orbit etc. and it could be thousands of years for everything to 'line up' perfectly again. blah-blah-blah. ever wonder why the daily horoscope is on the comics page of the newspaper?
It depends on what newspaper. I suppose someone who needs a job can put out horoscopes like Muzzy did. I don't know about horoscopes, but people can predict things. Look at the Bible. I am not a scholar of the Bible, but Joseph predicted things with dream interpretation. I believe Daniel was also one who told the future.
When I was in grade school, the teacher gave us about a dozen or so spelling words. When I got into certain words at home, I could not get certain silly sentences out of my mind, and those were the ones I used. I remember one sentence as, "My shoes are clean." The teacher would call on people who would read their sentences out loud. There was this girl who raised her hand a lot and was called on four times. She had the same exact silly sentences I could not get out of my mind. Neither of us had clean shoes. Since I was a nerd or the cissy in class with cooties, I never did tell the girl that.
I did not believe that guy at the mall actually read my mind. If he did a switcheroo, I did not notice it. To this day, I wonder how he did it.
By the way, I don't think of this thing seriously or I would have picked a Pisces or a Virgo for a gf.
Ralph, "Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away" - Philip K Dick. A discussion about the difference between actual reality and perceived reality is a can of worms you just don't want opened on a forum such as this, especially with novel length posters like Durak and I hanging around!
That paragraph I wrote earlier was written to prove the "Barnum Effect", and is basically composed of "Barnum Statements". A paragraph such as this was written and shown to a control group, in the 1970's. Typically, respondents stated the paragraph to be 70 - 90% accurate in describing them (regardless of their astrological sign). In the last 40 years, the same paragraph has been used repeatedly and shown to people of following generations - the accuracy score has always been the same, between 70 - 90% accurate.
Barnum statements are designed to be vague enough to apply to anyone at some level, while sounding specific enough to apply directly to the reader/listener. This is why no-one would hear their horoscope and say "that's absolutely not me". It's one technique used in "cold reading", along with Jaques statements. Cold reading is something I highly recommend people do a bit of research on, as the psychological deception techniques used really help to understand how the mind handles truth and possible truth when evaluating things.
Muzzy, I am familiar with the term 'cold reading'. I do not wish to get into a discussion on psychology. My less than tender remarks were not intended to provoke a discussion on the subject. But merely to give my unscientific point of view.
Ever wonder why the Amazing Kreskin is so amazing? ;)
what the heck, I am still awake. Muzzy if you read what I wrote you should understand that I do not disagree with you in my first post. But you mention reality being something that is there whether you believe it or not. Reality then is an existentialist ideal. Or not. If based on the assumption that what happens, is real or imagined regardless of beliefs, then the existentialists have a hand up on the rest of us. For there's is the way to freedom of the mind. Sure they are looking for answers. But if nothing is answered life still goes on. Does the stink bug crawling across my ceiling give a hoot? No, it is just an animal existing. God gave us a conscience. And free will. In the simplistic, do dogs go to heaven? If not, why not?