Why do you think people believe in astrology? How might this be related to cosmological themes from the myths we have read in class (give examples!)?
In the introduction to the first chapter of my Psychology 1 textbook, the author writes, ``The human being is, as far as any human being knows, the only animal that contemplates itself.'' This self-contemplation is the reason behind many human endeavors, such as science and religion, and it is also the reason people believe in astrology. Because humans contemplate themselves and their environment, they are constantly searching for meaning in the world around them, and belief systems like astrology can provide them with the answers they seek.
According to T. G. Cowling, ``astrology began as an attempt to interpret the will of arbitrary gods,'' or to find some concrete laws in the seeming randomness of the universe. Most of the myths we read were constructed to provide such laws, and most assumed the existence of some rather arbitrary ``gods''. With the exception of the Jain, Buddhist, and Taoist myths, all of the myths served to reassure people that there was some higher power in control of the universe, and astrology functions in the same way.
The premise of astrology is that the seemingly mystical events taking place in the cosmos are somehow related to the life of each individual; this belief helps make people feel that they are significant among all the entities in the universe. The idea that occurrences in nature and ``the heavens'' have significance for people on earth is also present in the creation myths of many cultures; for example, the Jivaro people of Ecuador believe that humans were created in a solar eclipse during the union of the sun and moon gods.
Thus, astrology is a cosmology in itself, reassuring people that a higher power is ``watching over'' them, and connecting them to the rest of the vast universe. It helps alleviate the confusion that accompanies humans' status as the ``only'' self-contemplating animal.
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