Why Astrology And Sports

I realize I may have left some folks out in the dark regarding the whole astrology aspect of this blog. In other words, it may be time to give a brief introduction to what astrology is all about, for those non-astrologers reading the ol’ Astro-Blog.

I read somewhere recently (wish I could remember where, so that I could cite the source) that showed while a large percentage of folks could tell you what their birth sign is, a relatively small percentage actually believed in astrology. Actually, I think it was an astronomy web site disputing astrology and (in part) Gauquelin’s “Mars Effect.”

Anyhoo, astrology (which has been around a bit longer than astronomy) is the study of the effects of “the heavens” (that is to say, the placement of planets and certain stars within the constellations we see in the night’s sky). It is both an art and a science...the science part has to do with the calculations and pre-determined definitions and rulerships, the art comes from the interpretation of those things as a whole.

In ancient times, interpretations were often much more literal, using empirical interpretations, attempting to codify astrology as more science than art. However, whenever dealing with human beings in possession of free will, one has to allow some leeway and modification to take place; without that leeway, you’re likely to miss the boat with your interpretation.

These days (and for me personally), astrology is great ant predicting tendencies in behavior...just as a person born Jewish has different predilections from a person born Irish-Catholic, or as a person raised on a farm in China has different tastes from a person growing up in a Chicago project. Astrology is great at showing tendencies, strengths, and challenges in a person’s temperament and psyche...but how a person uses those is greatly a matter of free will and personal evolution.

Pop psychology, I guess you could call it...or new age psycho-analysis. Whatever, I find it to be an excellent tool for personal understanding and self-growth, and pretty useful at understanding the hows and whys of others...though of course you can get a feel for someone by learning they are a loving parent, workaholic, or perpetual bachelor, too. The nice thing about studying astrology is that it can give you clues to understanding how to go about meeting those challenges in yourself and helping you find your own strengths.

‘Know thyself,’ said Socrates...wise words for everyone. Astrology is one more way to help know yourself.

SO GREAT...what does astrology have to do with sports.

Honestly, I don’t know...quite possibly it doesn’t mean much at all. While some folks might use it to predict wins and losses (just as financial astrologers use it predict stock market trends), my purpose in analyzing sports, teams, and players is to simply refine my understanding of astrology. Plus it’s fun, like doing a sudoku or crossword puzzle!

Is it a waste of time?

Well, maybe. It’s as much a waste of time as watching sports and blogging in general.

But watching sports can be an interesting diversion, a bonding experience with family and friends, and an exploration of “civic pride.” And writing blogs can be a good writing exercise, especially when paying attention to one’s syntax, spelling, and thematic structure.

I guess...maybe those are just half-hearted attempts at justifying an obvious waste of time, when I could be setting out to make the world a better place!

Again, speaking from my own personal experience, I’ve found the study of astrology to have improved my life; it’s made me more self-aware, and more understanding of the quirks and foibles of others. This is a good thing. If I can turn others onto astrology and help them along their own path of self-actualization, then I will have accomplished “a good thing” and made the world a slightly better place in my own way.

And while lots of folks may not be “believers” in astrology right now, there are tons of folks that do follow pro-sports...so I guess my Astro-Sports blog is a way to make the whole astrology thing palatable to folks who might not otherwise be interested.

Of course, it’s only useful to folks who want to follow a blog that intends to move all about the sports stratosphere. Do people really read blogs about sports? I guess I follow a couple on espn.com...at least I did last year when I played “fantasy football” for the first time!

Anyway: I’m going to write this thing for as long as I can stomach it. If folks want to ask questions relating to astrology and sports, I am happy to do my best to answer. I welcome comments and questions on ANY of my postings.

And again, thank you for reading.