DAY 51 - AN ESOTERIC EXPERIENCE

Day 51

Last Thursday, I was invited by a colleague to go to her astrology class. They needed volunteers for a birth chart analysis. So, out of curiosity, I decided to go. I arrived earlier than her, so I sat down and listened to the conversations that were going on.

As one would expect, they were discussing esoteric phenomena. They all had my birth chart in front of them, ready to dissect me. One woman looked at me and said: “ You know, as I was looking at your birth chart, I saw right away that you are a reincarnation of an Egyptian Priestess”. Yes! This is what I want to hear! I always knew I had some kind of Royal blood! I’m not only the Queen of Procrastination after all!

I have to admit that I was very skeptical about what they were going to tell me. As the night progressed though, I realized that I was not only enjoying the experience because of the entertainment it provided me, but also because what they saw ”written” on my birth chart was quite accurate and specific.

Astrology was born in Babylonia almost 4000 years ago. It traveled through India, Greece, Egypt and has made its way to the modern era. Initially, it was considered a science. Many prominent thinkers, philosophers and scientists, such as Nicolaus Copernicus, Galileo Galilei, Johannes Kepler and Carl Jung practiced or significantly contributed to astrology.

Now, it has become a pseudo-science, an esoteric belief that scientists often view as eccentric. The writers of the daily horoscopes are far from helping the image of astrology with their predictions: “Today, you will encounter obstacles that you will have to overcome”. Who doesn’t encounter obstacles in a day that are inevitably overcome?

Yesterday’s analysis didn’t sound like that at all. I don’t know if I completely believe in it. I am still rather skeptical, but what they told me wouldn’t have applied to my husband, had it been his birth chart they were analyzing!

I had so much fun listening to them and I wondered where this pleasure came from. I guess we all enjoy having people tell us how we are. It boosts up our ego, especially if we are given qualities we value:
-You’re a very creative person. You are generous. You have charisma.
- Oh thank you, where do you see that? What else do you see?

We know ourselves better than anyone else, yet whether a friend, a palm-reader, an astrologer or any other person describes our personality, we enjoy it. I remember those tests that asked your favorite color, or your favorite animal in order to tell you how you were or how you viewed life. I used to love them. I guess having people validate our own hopes and thoughts about ourselves, is a source of happiness. The question is, is it a happiness we should seek or is it somehow the expression of a profound need for recognition?