Astrology is nonsensical

The hocus pocus that goes by the name of astrology is strange. The idea of stars and planets influencing our life is absurd. But the idea is deeply rooted in some people’s psyche. Even Shakespeare was full of it, and there are celebrated practitioners of this “art and science” in the West.

The stars are a wonder in the sky. They look so close on a clear, dark night, and yet they are light-years away from us. The concept of a light-year is by itself mind-boggling. And if one has to contemplate, there are as many galaxies in the universe as there are stars in our galaxy. And look at our galaxy. One bend of its spiral spreads like a luminous celestial river across the firmament. How many other bends are there? Surely our galaxy is a clear testimony on the existence of the Almighty God who changes our destiny as He wills.

An individual is a mere speck on earth like a droplet in the Indian Ocean. Yet astrologers claim to record the position of the sun, the moon, the planets and some stars at the time of one’s birth and proceed to make fateful deductions or provide a basis for them. This presumes too much. Our earth itself is a speck in our galaxy, which in its turn is a speck in the infinity of the universe. To be determining the course of life of an individual speck (as distinct from numerous other individuals) according to the position and aspect of some planets and stars is being fanciful in the extreme. The stars do seem to be saying something special to each one of us. Do listen, by all means. Hear their song. It would be most rewarding. But to imagine them saying whether you will be cured of pneumonia or conceive a male child is like deciphering the twittering of the birds or decoding a rippling stream.

We have seen astrologers make predictions on the basis of the relative positions of some heavenly bodies which then turn out to be false. However most of these astrologers are clever con-men  who clearly see through their game, but knowing the needs and weaknesses of their victims, they deal in double-speak like the witches in Shakespeare’s Macbeth and go on thriving, unrepentant and unpunished.

Predictions from astrologers sometimes disrupt family life by falsely predicting calamities and instances are known where politicians have been ruined because of depending on them. Why do people have to believe in astrology? Our destiny lies in the hands of God and not on the revolutions of the Saturn, Mercury or Jupiter .