The Stars Say That You're An Exciting And Wonderful Person, But You Know They're Lying

[bloodyrosemccoy]

Trying to find a book on the history of astrology and its influences on the world, which isn’t hard to find. The tricky part is finding an author who doesn’t feel the need to constantly insist that astrology is TRUE DAMMIT. Bit surprising, really—I’d have expected it to be impartial, but the last author waxed strongly poetic about how empty astronomy is without astrology, and how astrology gives lives meaning and connects us to the greater universe in a tangible way, and other such bullshit.

Thing is, as an anthropology nerd, I find astrology fascinating. Not for its objective truth; one can be interested in urban legends, or religions, or fairy tales, without thinking they’re actual truths. No, I like to see what a complex mythology like that says about the people who made it up, and how a human-generated system influences how humans actually behave. It doesn’t matter if the position of Jupiter actually affects a person’s life*; what matters is that the person behaves as if it does.

I kinda wish I could find a book that sees the difference.

And yes, this is more research for writing. I’m trying to add some more mythology into the OGYAFE culture, and they just can’t get enough of their stars. If nothing else, it gives me some good place names to work with.


*It says you should spend the rest of the week face-down in the mud.

Comments

[beccastareyes]

I don't have any suggestions, but every iron atom in our blood was made in the core of a dying star. How does that not connect us to the greater universe in a tangible way.

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

That's the weird thing. The cosmos have a pretty direct influence on why we are the way we are, just ... not in the astrological way. I for one think it's far more mind-blowing that comets could have made oceans than the claim that they might mess with my love life.

[beccastareyes]

I think it was probably more water-bearing asteroids from what is now the outer Main Asteroid Belt -- comets have the wrong deuterium to light hydrogen ratio to be a major source of our water. *had a project on this for a class*

But it's cool that our oceans came from space, and that we can tell what part of space they came from by science.

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

Cool! *amends knowledge* That is one terrific project, too.

[beccastareyes]

It was 'we are going to have a debate about where Earth's water came from, so all of you have to study up on at least one of these possible theories'. I really liked that class -- Planet Formation and Evolution -- even if it was kind of scattered all over.

Actually, one thing I like about being a scientist is reading papers. And understanding them.

[shadesofmauve]

Well, I'm not usually one to give unsolicited advice, but you might consider filling that void in your pathetic life by playing whack-a-mole 24 hours a day.

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

I may not have time. I'm apparently scheduled to wind up with my head impaled upon a stick today.

[pixel39.livejournal.com]

Look for books on medieval astrology.

http://www.billyandcharlie.com/planets/

Eade, J. C. The Forgotten Sky: A Guide to Astrology in English Literature. Oxford [Oxfordshire]: Clarendon Press; New York: Oxford University Press, 1984.

North, John David. Chaucer's Universe. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1988.

http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/sbook.asp
http://omacl.org/
http://www.the-orb.net/

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

Ooh, nice!

I'm also looking for non-Western astrology--Eastern, Aztec, Native American, African, stuff like that.

[stormteller.livejournal.com]

I would ask my astrology-bent friends for advice on this issue, but they were all laughing at me behind my back and I had to kill them.

[stormteller.livejournal.com]

In all seriousness, people seem to have a hard time discussing astrology in an unbiased manner. I think it's one of those things that's so off-the-wall that you either have to lap it up or decry it as idiocy of the highest order.

[michellerz.livejournal.com]

Very interesting!! I wonder why that is?