Do you trust zodiac sign horoscopes?

Whereas I do admit that I read the horoscope, it is only for fun. Being a Christian, I believe God only knows my future.

I'm a Gemini six ways to Sunday, but the way I approach those fields (numerology, etc.) is to use it as sort of a sounding board or perhaps a "chart" of personality characteristics to try on and see if they fit. The daily horoscope stuff I'm not so much into.

An individual's astrological "sign," as
most of think of it, is actually just one of many signs that comprise the individual's chart. In your case, Leo is your sun sign, which represents the core of your identity. Archtypes are the king, performer, child & clown. Self expression is the keyword for Leo. If you were born within a day or so of Cancer or Virgo, those characteristics may apply.

You also have a moon sign which represents your soul's urge. Sort of whatever inner longing you have for yourself. Your moon sign might be Taurus or Piesces or Leo depending on where it was located in the sky when you were born. Consequently, your soul's urge might have those traits. Finally (in today's lesson), you have a rising sign (again Taurus, Libra, what have you) that was "dawning" in the sky when you were born. This represents your persona, how you first appear to others. The trinity, if you will, are the three primary signs, but there are about nine or ten others in a full chart, each with their own influence.

Back to your question (ha!) the daily stuff in the paper is probably based only on what's going on with the sun sign and obviously cast a pretty wide net.

Individual astrology

A real horoscope isn't just based on your sign sun. It's based on aspects to your sun, and to all your other planetary placements, as well as the transits of planets through the houses of your chart, as determined by time and place of birth (in simple terms, the ascendant sign set this up). Syndicated daily horoscopes, for the most part, don't apply to the people they're written for. That said, Sydney Omarr was pretty darned good at grabbing those sun-sign aspects and getting the most out of them.

I don't read or believe in horoscopes, although if I happen to flip through a newspaper and see it (maybe once or twice a year), I do stop to read it out of curiosity.

Based on the answers above by @kevbo and @xenopii, I *do* have a couple of follow-up questions:

1. Does it mean then, that properly individualized horoscopes should be adjusted to take timezones into account? In other words, is your real horoscope influenced by where in the world you happened to be at the time of your birth?

2. What horoscope are you supposed to use if you were born via a scheduled caesarean section rather than by natural childbirth? What if your "natural" birthdate would have been a few days later if not for a c-section that was scheduled in advance of your due date?

Hope you don't mind that my 'answer' is actually just more questions. Thanks!

@mdy, good questions.

1. Yes. Astrological charts are based on the time and location of your birth. However, those data points in and of themselves aren't important. They are used to determine the postions of the planets ( and other elements in the sky at the moment of your birth. So a chart is a "picture" of the sky/universe the moment you are born.

2. You'd use the date of your cesaerean birth. With astrology & numerology the thought is that you/your soul chooses your birthdate and name. So, circumstances are what is meant to be.

I'll add for the benefit of the group that " evolutionary astrology" has become more predominant in the past ten years or more. Evolutionary astrology speaks more in terms of an individual's potentials supporting their freewill instead of deterministic, fatalistic or prescriptive messages such as those in the paper. Steven Forrest (stevenforrest.com) is one such astrologer.

@kevbo, thanks for taking the time to answer. You've explained things very clearly! 8-)

Absolutely not, it’s an arbitrary system and EVEN IF it were accurate once upon a time it’s now based on outdated astronomy. Not sure that this would qualify as a “good time” but for fun talk to an astrologer about where the sun and moon are in the sky. Then go ask an astronomer, you’ll discover that astrology is based on very old books, old enough that the earth has precessed and they’re no longer accurate.