Astrology -- taking your birthday as the basis of your future and destiny. Some believe that this practice is evil and induces bad karma. Others use the philosophy as a fun way to understand the different ways people communicate.

If you’re unfamiliar, it’s basically a loose structure using the alignment of certain planets and stars on the day and time zone you were born in to predict the way your life will unfold. This is different from asking a psychic a direct and specific question such as “who will I marry?” or “what will my career be?”

For example, if you were born between September 23rd and October 22nd, your main sign or “sun” sign is in Libra, like me. The symbol for Libra is the scales. Like, literal weighing scales. So Libras are typically known for fairness, justice, harmony, but also indecisiveness and a fluctuating (or flexible) personality.

What I’ve learned through my share (and probably more) of looking into astrology is that everyone has a little bit of every personality, and it’s easy to relate to another person if there’s a structure we can follow. Kind of like psychology or sociology, I believe astrology is not meant to be religious but an assistant in the way we look at how people's reactions can differ from ours.

Keeping that in mind, do not use astrology as solutions for the following:

1. STALKING YOUR CRUSH

Birthdays are easy information to pull, so it’s an innocent act to look up what constellation your crush was born under. They’re a Scorpio, so their mysterious nature intrigues you to find out more. Before you know it, you think you’ve figured out what makes them mad or turns them on. Depending on these characteristics to sustain a relationship often sets expectations that, if not reached, will (no pun intended) crush you, (okay, maybe a little pun intended), and frustrate you when you did exactly what astrology told you they would like.

2. LOOKING FOR SPECIFIC PREDICTIONS

As previously mentioned, astrology isn’t the same as a clairvoyant. Often if not every time you see a psychic, you will be asked to give your birthday, but don’t be fooled -- this is just to give the predictor a sense of who you are. And chances are if you’re visiting a psychic, you’ve looked into your own astrological description and will immediately relate to what they say. If you ask the stars when you’ll meet your soulmate, you’ll be given a vague answer about a conceptual time in your life when you’ll be most ready to have a partner.

3. SELF-DIAGNOSING

This one is a bit of a duo. You’ve been having some bad luck and are wondering if it’s been you making bad choices or if it was simply out of your hands. The stars tell you this planet is in retrograde but the reality is that life happens and no matter how carefully you study any angle of it, bad things are going to happen. The other end of this stick is that, for the weak of mind (which is probably most of the astro-reading population, looking for reassurance), the stars also give you a chance to forgive yourself for a small regret that may have been eating at you. We all have sadness and anger and impulses that feel wrong, and sometimes we need that affirmation.

4. BEING JUDGEMENTAL

A commonality among stargazers is a predisposition towards certain signs. The most significant being a judgemental attack on Geminis. Geminis are represented by a pair of twins. Each sign is known for certain traits, as mentioned above. Since there are two bodies in this constellation, it is believed that those born under it have an inherit split-personality, or are “two faced”. So upon meeting someone and discovering that they are infact the twins, it’s easily construed that this person will eventually act out in betrayal. But the problem with this stereotype is that everybody lies, no matter when they were born, and someone, regardless of their birthday, will no doubt tell you a lie big or small in the time you know each other.
Some more examples of negative astrological stereotypes are as follows: Aquarius' are pretentious, Pisces are over emotional, Taurus’ are stubborn, Leos are prideful, etc.

5. MAKING BIG DECISIONS

Astrology is a fun way to explore a philosophy based off of the beautiful unknown of space. When this past-time stops being fun, it’s probably best to rest your eyes and just live life in the present instead of trying to control the future. Making big decisions like career choices or moving homes based on what your sign is believed to meant for is a quick trip to unhappiness. Not fitting into what is supposedly your destiny will just make you feel less connected with yourself and lead a life of more poor decisions. No one is going to fit 100% into their own sign, not only because there are many other placements of your birth to consider, but more importantly because you don’t have to be what the stars tell say you are. You were born an Aries (known for nievity and impulsiveness) but feel more like a Cancer (known for motherly nature and consistency)? Forget the fire and water signs, be whoever you want!

6. EXCUSING BAD BEAHVIOR

This usually comes in when a personal relationship is at stake. Your friend or partner is acting up the way they always do. Lashing out in anger, taking emotional jabs at you or just plain backstabbing. One of the worst things you can do with astrology is use it to write off how someone is treating you. Similarly to the myth that "boys will be boys"; they’re not ignoring you because they're a Sagittarius and need their space and independence. They’re ignoring you because they’re an asshole and you deserve better. Simple.

Above all if you take anything away from this article, you should stay aware of the infallible fact that we are all human beings who contradict ourselves everyday to the next and there’s no way to track how the chips will fall -- they just fall.

However, as a writer I've found one really helpful thing about astrology; building characters!

You can look up your birth chart, which includes the rest of your planets, seasonal placements, and elemental attributes, on my personal favorite site Cafe Astrology.

Good luck and safe reading!