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Do you believe in horoscopes?

I never used to believe in horoscopes, until I made a friend who was really into it.

I never used to believe in horoscopes, until I made a friend who was really into it. She had the same zodiac sign as me - Pisces - and she was able to describe my personality in great detail based on her knowledge of astrology.

Every time I reached out to her for advice, she would explain how my problems were likely to occur to all of us Pisces - lost and creative creatures desperate for attention. It would all make a lot of sense and it would make me feel reassured. After all, it was good to know there were others just like me out there.

She was then able to tell me which zodiac signs would be more compatible to mine (which signs can put up with all of our craziness without complaining). I am somewhat embarrassed to admit I’ve been asking potential partners about their zodiac signs within the first few dates (maybe that’s why I’m still single).

This was all a fun pastime until I recently started reading my monthly horoscope as well.

Unlike the people who read it at the beginning of the month to find out what is going to happen, I read it at the end, so I can check if the predictions were accurate. What is most surprising is that sometimes they are terrifyingly precise.

Yes, I did feel very social on July 16! Yes, I did meet someone important on July 18! And guess what? I really did feel like a vacation last Tuesday!

It is always so rewarding to realize that the horoscope was right (but mostly, that I am not crazy for reading it). But upon further analyses, I wonder if people are not kidding themselves.

Last night I was reading July’s horoscope when I noticed that I – like most people who enjoy reading horoscopes - tend to turn a blind eye to predictions that have nothing to do with my life.

At the same time, I get really excited about the ones that do. In addition, most of the predictions are completely ambiguous. Let’s take a look at this sentence, for example.

“After a very social month, by the month’s end, you may be feeling a little spent and in need of privacy and rest. By the full moon, July 31, you will crave rest.”

I must admit that when I first read that sentence, I completely agreed. After all, I did have a very social month and I am craving rest.

But then I realized that this could be applied to pretty much any day of the year. After all, I crave rest every day (I don’t know about you, but I constantly wish I could be on a beach somewhere drinking a piña colada).

Other sentences are just so broad that it makes them almost impossible to be wrong.

“Add real estate, home, and family as areas of possible gain on July 22.”

Not only this sentence is ambiguous, but it also involves different areas of my life. Of course something might happen in those areas, especially when they don’t specify what that might be.

Other parts are just simply funny, “Venus is about to retrograde in late month, so if you want to improve your looks by making dramatic changes, such as to have your hair cut in a radically different style or coloured differently, wait until September or better yet October.”

I’m glad the horoscope warned me about it.

I really don’t know if there is any truth to horoscopes. Maybe the trick is simply to have fun and not to take them very seriously.