CONQUERing Collaboration: Is Astrology Fact or Fiction?

Astrology is a divisive topic in today's society. Some people are really into astrology and know how to interpret their full birth chart. Others debunk it as a pseudoscience and chalk it up to a bunch of nonsense. 

Astrology is the study of how celestial bodies—like the sun, moon, and planets—may influence a person's personality. In this post, we'll explore the history of astrology, the 12 zodiac signs, and how you can interpret your birth chart. 

We also decided to dedicate our monthly collaboration blog post to this topic. We wanted to see what our SuperFans think about astrology since it is such a debatable topic. Keep reading to see what they think about it! 

What is Astrology and Where Does it Come From? 

The origins of astrology can be traced by to ancient civilizations. The general consensus seems to be that the first practices were developed in Mesopotamia. In Mesopotamia, astrology connected celestial events, like eclipses, to human behavior and natural disasters. 

It is believed that those practices spread to other regions who adapted it into their own form of astrology. There were also other ancient civilizations that independently developed their own practices. 

The rise of astrology in the United States can really be linked to a 19th-century astrologer named Evangeline Adams. Evangeline rose to popularity when she began predicting disasters based on celestial events. She used the media to boost her business by offering custom mail-order horoscopes. 

Evangeline's influence is what made horoscopes in the newspaper a common practice. From then on, people began to fixate on what their zodiac sign is and how it influences different aspects of their personality. 

What are the Different Types of Astrology? 

Since different practices developed from many ancient civilizations, there are different types of astrology. As a company based in the United States, we are referring to Western astrology when we use astrology has a blanket term. 

For the purposes of this post, we will elaborate on the three most common types of astrology. It's important to note that there are many other forms and we encourage you to conduct research to learn more about the diversity that can be found in astrology. 

Here are the three most common types of astrology: 

1. Western astrology. Western astrology is common in the United States and Europe. It is most similar to practices from Ancient Greece. Western astrology is based on the position of the sun when you were born. It is comprised of twelve signs that are believed to influence an individual's personality. In Western astrology, the planets also exert great influence, and each sign is associated with one of four elements. 
2. Vedic astrology. Vedic astrology, also known as Jyotish astrology, originates from Ancient India. It focuses on the position of the planets at the time of your birth. Vedic astrology deals with karma and past lives. A baby's birth chart is made based on the positions of the planet at the time of their birth. Families use this chart to understand the baby's past life and how it might influence their current life. 
3. Chinese astrology. Chinese astrology originates from Ancient China and Buddhism. It is based on the lunar calendar and assigns one of 12 animal signs to each year. A person's sign is based on the year they were born. In Chinese astrology, there are 5 elements that interact with the animal signs. As someone who was born in 2000, my sign in Chinese astrology would be the metal dragon. 

As we go through the rest of this post, we will be referring to Western astrology. 

What is a Birth Chart and How Do You Read One? 

Your birth chart is a map of the stars on the date, time, and location of your birth. If you do a quick search, you can find several sites that will calculate your birth chart for free. All you need is the date, time, and location of your birth—the more exact you are, the more accurate your chart will be. 

A birth chart shows which constellations were near each planet at the time of your birth. Different planets are believed to influence different parts of a person's being. If you choose to calculate your birth chart, you'll likely also get an explanation for what each planet influences and how that impacts who you are. 

What are the Big Three Zodiac Signs? 

Most people focus on their big three when it comes to zodiac signs. The big three are: 

1. The Sun: When someone asks what your sign is, they're asking what your sun sign is. The sun is believed to influence who you are—your sense of self, your personality, and your interests. You don't need to calculate your birth chart to know what your sun sign is. All you need to know is your birthday. 
2. The Moon. Your moon sign depends on which constellation was near the moon when you were born. While the sun sign is all about your exterior, the moon sign is all about what's inside. It can influence how sensitive you are, how you process emotions, and how spiritual you might be. 
3. The Rising. Your rising sign isn't a celestial body. It essentially creates the make-up of your birth chart. Your rising sign is determined by which constellation was on the Eastern Horizon when you were born. It is believed to influence how you present yourself to the world. 

What are the 12 Signs of the Zodiac? 

There are twelve signs of the zodiac in Western astrology. They start with the Spring equinox, which is why the first sign starts in mid-March. 

You can determine what your star sign is by looking at the date ranges associated with each sign. These are the twelve signs of the zodiac and the personality traits that are believed to be associated with them: 

1. Aries (March 21-April 20): Fearless, motivated, and upbeat. Aries can tend to act on impulse and sometimes struggle with patience. They are symbolized by the ram. 
2. Taurus (April 21-May 21): Luxurious, resilient, and loyal. A Taurus typically proceeds with caution when making any choices and have no problem being blunt. They are symbolized by the bull. 
3. Gemini (May 22-June 21): Creative, extroverted, and energetic. Geminis can have an indecisive nature and love to exaggerate when they tell a story. They are symbolized by the celestial twins. 
4. Cancer (June 22-July 22): Loyal, intuitive, and compassionate. Cancers gravitate towards self-protection and have no problem being passive-aggressive. They are symbolized by the crab.
5. Leo (July 23-August 22): Comfortable in the spotlight, dedicated, and natural born leaders. Leos do struggle with being dramatic and are easily threatened by others. They are symbolized by the lion. .
6. Virgo (August 23-September 22): Practical, supportive, and hard-working. Virgos tend to be overly critical of themselves and overthink things. They are symbolized by the goddess of wheat. 
7. Libra (September 24-October 23): Extroverted, intellectual, and innovative. Libras are people pleasers to a fault and avoid conflict at all costs. They are symbolized by the scale. 
8. Scorpio (October 24-November 22): Passionate, ambitious, and empathetic. Scorpios are known to be intense and can be possessive at times. They are symbolized by the scorpion.
9. Sagittarius (November 23-December 22): Thrill-seekers, passionate, and adaptable. A Sagittarius can be blunt and inconsistent at times. They are symbolized by the archer. 
10. Capricorn (December 23-January 20): Resilient, fearless, and youthful. Capricorns like to push boundaries and always have to be on the go. They are symbolized by the sea-goat. 
11. Aquarius (January 21-February 19): Activists, innovators, and collaborators. An Aquarius can be sensitive which leads to frequent moodiness. They are symbolized by the water bearer. 
12. Pisces (February 20-March 20): Empathetic, creative, and gentle. A Pisces is known to take things really personally and get lost in their thoughts often. They are symbolized by the two fish. 

What Do Fidget Jewelry Fanatics Think of Astrology? 

We turned to the CONQUERing Collective Facebook group to see what our SuperFans think about astrology. There was a pretty even mix of people who fully believe, people who casually follow, and people who strongly oppose. 

A few members mentioned how they feel their identity is influenced more by their religious beliefs. Their focus is on the Creator of the stars, moons, and heavens, not necessarily the stars, moons, and planets themselves. 

Mikaela W. talked about how she is a firm believed. She said, "Astrology is very real. It's based on the stars & planets & everything that's out there. If everyone looked into their birth charts & way beyond a simple horoscope they would see how real it all is." She encourages people who are looking to get into astrology to really dig deep. 

The majority opinion seemed to fall somewhere in the middle. Many SuperFans mentioned how they don't really believe in it but like to read their horoscopes or share what their sun signs are. One of the commenters, Faith P., explains the viewpoint of someone who falls in the middle really well, "[Astrology] can be used as a tool to provide insight & make you think deeper regarding specific instances, however should not be taken as fact. It's all how you choose to use it." 

Astrology is truly all about intention. How you choose to interpret your horoscope or make decisions based on your zodiac is truly up to you. 

Fidget Jewelry Based in Astrology 

Astrology isn't for everyone. Whether you're a firm believer or in strong opposition, what's truly important is how you show up for yourself and others every single day. 

If you are an astrology fan and are looking for fidget jewelry to show off that interest, check out these products: 

Zodiac Constellation Element	Zodiac Element	Luxe Zodiac Constellation