Astrology
Like a glass of Pinot Grigio, Chablis, or Sauvignon Blanc, astrology delivers clean and crisp categorization.
Let’s state the obvious: Nobody wants to be put in a box. We want to imagine ourselves as terribly unique, a creative combination of traits that make us who we are—totally irreplaceable. It angers us to think we could be an AI Overview.
But AI is the world we’re living in, and we’re drowning beneath a tsunamic wave of information. From articles to reels to podcasts to someone’s latest Substack, we’re forced to sift through the garbage. It’s what psychologists call “cognitive overload.”
On top of that, there are billions of people in the world today. We meet them online or in person, and we’re supposed to navigate that tsunami of humanity. It feels noisy, overwhelming, and downright rude.
Turns out this isn’t a modern problem, but one that’s been around for centuries. Developmental psychologists tell us we’ve been sorting information since birth. Infants detect signals for belonging; children assimilate into groups; Greek polymaths created org charts. We categorize not out of laziness, but out of efficiency. Simply put, it’s the only way to survive a world of ongoing complexity.
Astrology are just the natural extension of this instinct. Categorizing humans—formally, social categorization—refers to the categorization of society. It’s a rich taxonomic world that rejects good and bad in favor of variety. It’s about mixing and matching, seeing what’s dissonant and harmonious, and observing what’s true.
Some may find the categories reductive, and that’s okay. If you approach this as a scientist collecting data, spotting patterns, and testing hypotheses, then it’s just an ordinary day in the lab of life.
How to Start Sampling
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We arose from chaos, found ways to organize it, and now reject it. Today it’s about fluidity and poly-everything. Cool, but what is what? What’s a boy and what’s a girl? How do we know which pronoun to use? What’s the difference between your reality (human) and how you identify (cat)? You can see tensions arise as organizers (older generations) clash with organization-obliterators (younger generations).
This step might be hard if you’re looking to dismantle the system. You’ll look for errors and exceptions to disprove staunch categorization. Your impulse will be valid, and you’re within your right to fight. But consider that categorization is something we naturally do and is not synonymous with prejudice.
(Lest I get canceled, let’s be clear: Categorization is useful for understanding people; it’s not useful for judging people.)
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If you’ve managed to get past Step 1, then it’s time to sample a system. Whether it’s archetypes or astrology, it’ll be some form of categorization. Remember that these systems are in place to simplify the complex, so don’t be surprised if what you discover feels basic, maybe even elementary or uncomplicated. It’s designed to be that way.
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Figure out which category you fit into, then read up on its traits and attributes. All categories have a light and shadow side, so no one gets away with being the “best sign” or the “best number.” There will be flattering and less flattering descriptions of whichever category you fit into.
Next, do the same for people in your life (relatives, friends, colleagues, etc.).
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Now it’s time for the great experiment. In a comparative context, how do you match up with other signs or archetypes? Are there people you just get vs. people with whom you clash? How does that line up with their respective categories and descriptions?
Get curious about people, the way you might casually ask where they live, if they have siblings, or what they’re reading. Observe them in different contexts, too, because those traits will make themself known (for example, in a work setting, people sometimes play the role that’s required of them vs. expressing their true nature; therefore, dig deeper to see how they spend their time outside of work and what personality emerges).
With all your sleuthing, you may discover the system actually works! Maybe there’s something to this whole categorization thing. Or maybe you discover it’s a 50/50 situation, with descriptions proving scarily accurate or scarily off. Either is fine! You’re just sampling a system to help you organize the sea of humanity.