While “Research without Fear” is the alternate title of my curriculum vitae web page, it is also the behavior required of an occultist. The facts must be pursued and information rationally synthesized regardless of the outcome.
Background
During the preceding week, two long term acquaintances have questioned my adherence and use of astrology (one message was a video from The Big Bang Theory where Sheldon responded to Penny’s statement that she is a Sagittarius). If these two gentlemen concede my intelligence, yet deny the valid use of astrology, are they finding a contradiction in my reasoning or is their understanding of astrology deficient?
If astrology consists of nothing but useless trivia, it would be of the same utility as learning the lives of the saints-idle learning. However, should the application of astrological concepts be found to be useful and beneficial, then we must acknowledge the validity of astrology.
Fast food and Astrology
During my career as a manager in the fast food segment, I openly used astrology to place my staff in positions that best used their natural tendencies and inclinations. I’m certain the staff, crew and managers alike, thought my use of astrology was quirky, if not pointless. But, I was never told by upper senior management not to run my shifts in this manner, no doubt, because it achieved results that I was working towards-lowering stress for myself, the staff and the customers- and managing for profitability.
If either a person’s behavior or body type does not conform to my experiences, I mentally reclassify them to the sign I think is appropriate. An example of this reclassification is a certain Gemini Cancer Apprentice who has four planets in Scorpio.
At one point, I did attempt to position people according to the Major Arcana of the Tarot. While this method was abandoned, it did provide me with a memory device for the successive staffing positions in the restaurant, where the unnumbered card must fall to management since there is no fixed position for the manager.
A brief overview of my astrological positioning is necessary:
Virgo-people orientated, talkers-drive thru order taker and cashier
Gemini-energetic and enjoys stimulation-front drive thru
NB-the drive thru staff have the same ruling planet
The emotional water signs were placed on front counter to serve customers and the earth and air signs were assigned to the kitchen. The mixture of the active and inactive signs does cause tension, however their productivity outweighed any personal conflicts that arose. With this configuration (and yours truly running the shift from the french fry station frequently stating “Some people call me the frymaster” and “People are coming by to see what I’ll do next”) in place, we were prepared for any volume of business.
Everything can be categorized by Astrology
I like to bring to people's attention that their like and dislikes of family members can be explained through astrology. Family members are those we have known the longest and are usually the most polarizing. I explain that their enjoyment of certain bands (usually the lead singer) is explained by astrology and their animal preferences as are certain personal tendencies (Sagittarians can not tell an involved joke and Aquarians giving nicknames to people). I state that the politicians, cities and companies they like can be explained through applied astrology.
Objections to Astrology
As Dr. Cooper understands astrology, there can be no significant influence from distance star groups that are given arbitrary names and arbitrary influences. I see astrology as a tool to be used, not unlike a calculator-I don't understand how it functions-or a vehicle-the internal combustion engine is a mystery- but, I do not have a need to know how these tools work, I only need a correct result and to arrive safely.
Detractors of astrology sometimes point out the nature of twins, which I always assume to mean identical twins, and these individuals, if born around the same time should, if astrology is to be believed, exhibit the same behavior. Fortunately, the original twins of the zodiac inform us that identical twins do not have identical behavior. In fact, their behavior has an overwhelming tendency to be opposite. The zodiac depictions offer additional insights into the behavior of the signs. For example, Capricorn is shown as half goat and half half fish, where the emotional nature (the water based fish) is subordinated to the strong will and nature of the goat. The astute astrologer knows that Capricorns are more emotional than their behavior conveys. While we readily concede the overt sexual nature of Scorpio, we can not dismiss the sexual symbolism of the goat.
Another objection is that people of a specific sign should look similar, if, as astrology maintains, physical characteristics are manifestations of astrology. I respond that in the twentieth century the astrological meaning and significance of the signs changed to conform to newspaper publishing. Before the advent of the mass use of sun signs in newspapers, the historical description of an individual was not the location of the sun, but the sign that was on the eastern horizon at the time of their birth (rising sign). From a historical perspective, I am a Libra on the cusp of Virgo, not a Capricorn on the cusp of Sagittarius. (This insight may explain why I placed the earth and air signs in the kitchen-the staff were physical manifestations of my astrological nature.) Therefore, Capricorns are born throughout the year, not only after the winter solstice.
To be consistent when apply astrology, we must know the rising sign of the subject and then classify peoples and places to this standard. Unfortunately, I have neither the time, inclination or willing Apprentices for an undertaking of this magnitude.
Deductive Reasoning or Playing the Odds
I assume people I meet are Americans and speak English. My assumption of their language is confirmed when I engage them in conversation. If their home town is large or small, I make additional assumptions. If they are from Indiana, a reasonable assumption is that they follow college basketball. If they are from Terre Haute, and when I learn which high school they attended, I can make more assumptions based on my experiences with other graduates of those high schools.
The analogy of the above paragraph and the answer to “What’s your sign?” should be obvious to most people, even Sheldon Cooper.