What’s in the Stars for You?

BY AWAKE! CORRESPONDENT IN BRAZIL

“HAVE you heard it’s in the stars, next July we collide with Mars?” These words of Cole Porter’s lilting song well express the common and ancient belief that man’s future is somehow related to the stars.a But is there any real relationship between the heavenly bodies and mankind’s life on this earth? If so, how is mankind affected? If not, just what purpose do the stars fulfill?

It is not surprising that so many people are interested in the future when we consider some recent dramatic happenings​—the fall of the Berlin Wall and the rapid breakup of the former Soviet Union, the lack of confidence in political leaders, the ethnic hate surfacing in Africa and Europe, the religious enmity in India and Ireland, the galloping inflation afflicting so many countries, and the rebellion of youth. According to a report from the University of Hamburg, 1992 was the most bellicose year since the end of World War II, with 52 armed conflicts in different countries. Peace-​loving people naturally ask: ‘Where can we look for stability, peace, and security?’

The uncertainty of the future has led to a boom in fortune-​telling in its various forms. Astrology is probably the best known. Distinguished from the science of astronomy, astrology is “the divination of the supposed influences of the stars and planets on human affairs and terrestrial events by their positions and aspects.” Today, millions of people just cannot resist reading their horoscope for hints about their future.b

Other areas in which astrologers profess to foretell the future include the outcome of marital difficulties and health problems, the rise and fall of political leaders, the best date to open a new business, and the numbers to use to win a lottery.

A Reuters dispatch reported that astrologer Joan Quigley was regularly consulted by Nancy Reagan as to when her husband, then president of the United States, should give his talks and when his plane should take off and land. The New Catholic Encyclopedia revealed that “astrology was used by Pope Julius II [1503-13] to set the day of his coronation and by Paul III [1534-49] to determine the proper hour for every Consistory.” Alfred Hug, director of a Swiss firm that uses astrology to advise investors on the stock market, guarantees excellent results. “It is written in the stars,” he affirms.

Evidently, many feel that the stars do influence the lives of human beings. How did astrology get its start? Does the ancient book the Bible have anything to say about astrology and astrologers?

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