A Sign From Above

Moving with the ebb and flow of times, interest in astrology has risen and fallen in popularity throughout time. Its recent resurgence amongst the millennials, however, warrants a deeper contemplation on the practice.

- Kames Narayanan

“WE ARE BORN at a given moment, in a given place, and like vintage years of wine, we have the qualities of the year and of the season in which we are born,” once said prominent Swiss psychiatrist Carl G. Jung on the topic of astrology. To the uninitiated, the vast universe of astrology can be condensed thus: an understanding of planetary alignment at the time of birth that influences an individual’s inherent character traits, abilities and short comings.

Barely the tip of a convoluted conundrum dating centuries back, the practice of astrology, beyond its overarching principle, further diffuses into Western and Eastern practices. The first organised system of the former dates back more than 4,000 years ago in Babylon. Its Eastern equivalent, Chinese Bazi, directly translated as “Eight Characters” (better known as “Four Pillars of Destiny”), was founded in the Song dynasty and further developed more than 200 years ago in the Ming dynasty.

While the influence of celestial bodies has been developed throughout generations, by human experience and in-depth study, its modern day influence is largely stripped down to mere frivolous indulgence. Growing up, quiet reading sessions at the school assembly meant poring over the day’s horoscope readings parked under the entertainment section of the local newspaper. The habit continued into my early teenage years when visits to the magazine stands also meant sieving through the various monthly publications’ horoscope projections and cross-referencing to “fact” check. My juvenile self was not so much in search for a sign from the universe but rather a pursuit of self-amusement. When I progressed into adulthood, along with adolescent naivety, the routine of looking up horoscopes weaned off.