So you don’t believe in God, but you believe in astrology gave you certain traits?..Isn’t that more of the same?
I cannot think of any rational reason that my son was diagnosed at 9 months old.
Its amazing we have to continue discussing this stuff just as I am baffled this disease is not a thing of the past already. To be honest I am not handling it well at all. I do what I have to and do my best to control it but it ususally wins. Quite frankly I am beyond miserable and scared. To say that ruined every aspect of my life is an understatement. Here’s to some successful breakthrough already! I put in my dues and enough is enough already!
Phenomena lke Seasonal Affective Disorder are well-documented so one can clearly see how the Sun impacts psychology. Whether or not other stars would have a similar impact is not quite as clearly documented although there was a recent blurb about some actuarial support for an “IRL” phenomena: Beware Virgo Drivers Allstate Data Warn.
I am not sure I find that entirely credible as the sheer number of stars would sort of argue against any specific impact of a few of them lumped into a constellation. Still, there seem to be quite a few people reporting odd numbers, perhaps something running off the rails in the circle of life? I am a bit low myself but that’s b/c I shoveled a circle in my yard so the 10 lb dog can go out in the 2’ deep snow!
I love the way Diabetic Queen put it a few pages back, she hit the nail on the head for me. She often has a perfect way with words. Now for my poor two cents!
I dunno what happened, but I DID pray to lose ten pounds QUICK and somehow be forced to stick to a healthy diet. and right after that I had the pnemonia diet, (very effective, but not recommended, LOL) followed by diabetes. SO that prayer was answered and I have lost over 30 pounds so far. I was only 12 pound overweight to start, but the way the BMI calculator works, there is a wide range of normal before you get labeled underweight.
It’s in the Bible it is the glory of God to conceal a thing and the glory of man to find it out. I don’t expect to be clever enough to figure out why I got this when nobody else in my family tree has had it. That’s gonna have to be question #1,399 for when I get to heaven, LOL.
I believe there is a reason for me to have this disease as well - and your not crazy ;).
I remember right around the time I was diagnosed, there was a few dreadful things going on in my life - then the diagnosis. I believe I have this disease to make me a stronger person, and to help those around me a little bit better.
No, the “real” study of astrology (not the psychic fortune teller stuff in store front businesses with a crystal ball) actually has nothing to do with “God” - and here I am referring to a God like alot of the worlds major religious believe in. One being controlling or ruling over everything else. One that you must “pray” too.
Astrology is all about the planets, constellations (the zodiac signs) and human psychology. The Moon Nodes on ones natal chart ( or birth chart = this is the position of the planets and constellations at the exact time and place that you were born) represents your “goals” in this life and what you were in your past lfe. Each planet represents one part of your psyche (or personality). Houses represent areas of life and signs how and why of these parts of our personalities
Whether or not you choose to believe there is a “God” responsible for this “life” is out of the realm of the true study of astrology - some people who study it “pull” it in there and some don’t. For myself, I see in more as a guide to understanding myself better and why I am the way that I am. I have a Bachelors in Psych and for me I learn how to read peoples charts (any my own) because it gives me an extension to understanding of human behavior.
I don’t like the word “God” in general because most people seem to carry that one defintion of it as I mentioned above and I believe that man invented that definition of God. So I like to stay away from that word.
I don’t like to say I have a certain “belief” but if I have to label it I call myself an atheist or agnostic.
Obi- Wan comes close to describing what my closest belief would about “spirituality” and the world (don’t really like the word “spirituality” either but people always want to use words like this to describe these things) in how he described “The Force” in the Star Wars movie:
“The Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It’s an energy field created by all living things. It’s surrounds us, it’s penetrates us. It bind the galaxy together.”
The belief that everything in the universe is connected and that connection forms an energy. To me, that collective “energy” is “God” (but like I said I don’t really use that word but that is how most people can understand). So, even rocks are “Gods”. Everything is equal. There is no one being or entity that is more powerful than me.
WOT but how does astrology respond to astronomical discoveries? Thousands of years ago, there were only the visible stars to be concerned about (although perhaps more of them without pollution?). A new star, of course, would be an amazing event however we now know that they are supernovae or various other astronomically explainable phenomena. I agree that SAD is real and measurable and feel it myself but I’m wondering how stars we can’t see with the naked eye are explained as having more affect than the more massive but much more distant numbers of stars that can only be seen with telescopes up to and including Hubble which seems to regularly see new and amazing things?
I found the car accident story fascinating because not only to they point the finger at Virgos but mention they are 700 times more likely to be in an MVA than Scorpios (although, perhaps ironically, my sister the Scorpio was in an accident recently…) and then rank the astrological signs in a seemingly very calculated ranking? They don’t mention whether they will use this data to adjust people’s insurance rates or not but they could probably make the arguement that it’d be supported by the data they are looking at?
My point was astrology and GOD are one of the same, astrology pretends to satisfy that human longing to be connected to the Cosmos. It does not matter when you are born your DNA is not created by alignment of planets, or a guy who sits on a cloud. Diabetes is a manifest of evolution and genetic “mishaps” to your DNA via your ancestor blood line which is PROVED by science.
Again, my opinion only, whatever gets you through your life with this disease to each his own, but my masters in Physics and astrophysics will not allow me to make my life better with fantasy stories.
Sorry acidrock I don’t go that far into it. 
I just study natal charts and learn how to interpret them (and my own) - I have only been doing that for about a year so I am still a newb in a way. I am not a professional astrologer - just a student of this and psychology. But in general, the closer something is to the Planet Earth the more affect it might have on the living things on this planet - is my understanding. This is why personal planets in astrology - which are the Sun, Moon, Venus, Mars and Mercury are more responsible for affects that transit will have one a person since the move so fast - they are closest to us (ie Moon changes signs every 2 and 1/2 days).
I didn’t read the Allstate astrology thingy yet but I can say that I have a Virgo Sun and I have NEVER been in car accident that I caused. People have hit me but not vise versa. Astrologically speaking that story makes no sense - Virgos get a bad rep in the zodiac - they are the most detail minded and cautious of all the signs so them getting into more wrecks makes no sense. Funny enough though - my Rising sign is Scorpio. And it is generally said that Scorpios are some of the ones to have some road rage going on. If you want to look at from the astrological viewpoint, your Rising sign would have much more to do with how you drive the car than your Sun sign. And to go even further your Mars sign (which is the planet of aggression and action) would have evern MORE to do with it. Mars in Aries would be the rush ahead accident prone person way more than a Virgo Sun. But as usually there is alot of stereotyping of people based on their Sun signs - you really have to know all the the persons planets and what signs they are in to get the whole story (and the planets connections to each other).
I certainity hope they don’t use zodiac signs to adjust someone insurance rates. haha I have a good friend who works for Allstate too! She is a Scorpio! I would be pretty sure that if it was proven that they use the signs to do this, the courts would laugh at it (as most people don’t take astrology very serious) and Allstate would be in big trouble.
So why would Virgos be 700 times more likely to be in car accidents than Scorpios? It if were like +/- 5%, I don’t think anyone would even notice but 1) it’s a pretty big insurance company, so they would likely have access to more data than an academic study and 2) the frequency is big enough that they probably could argue to charge Virgos a higher premium than Scorpios, at least from an actuarial perspective?
Also, I keep mentioning SAD because it substantiates that we are, in fact, connected to the cosmos.
I agree that it seems like a stretch that diabetes can be read into a genetics but, at the same time, if diabetes is a mutation (I read this in a book, Mapping Human History) perhaps the stars could theoretically play a role in that, even if the astral phenomenon turned out to be something like a bad sunburn combining with undercooked pork in Turkey 12,000 years ago?
But the article states that it IS pretty much proven. Rates are usually set by insurance commisioners and just like insurers prove that people driving certain models of cars and certain age groups and certain credit historys display actuarial trends, they seem to be suggesting that the data substantiates that if you were born at a certain time, you are more likely to have an accident? I am not by any means an actuary but I am in the industry and could see how they could make a case for this. Although I suspect that they would get a lot of negative publicity were they to do something like that?
I’m not that into astrology but am more into history and I have always been fascinated by Kepler because 1) the math angle seems insane and 2) he discovered both amazing facts about the universe while cavorting with Tycho Brahe and managing to be decent enough to be appointed the astrologer for Rudoph II (I think) AND his mother was a witch.
Re diabetes, I always blame atomospheric testing of nuclear weapons.
srtfitzger: Ok, well this is where you and I disagree. I don’t believe that need to have any connection to each other at all. If you read some books written by long term professional astrologers, you will not see any references that astrology and God are the same thing. In fact, most of them stay away from mention of “God” because it isn’t the basis of true astrology.
I never stated that DNA is created by the alignment of the planets. I believe in evolution and in science. I don’t think my astrological birth info gave me diabetes if that is what you are suggesting there. I am just of the believe that my astrological birth information contains placements and configurations that help me deal with tragedies in my life - and I can personally can SEE it in my life and myself.
I don’t see astrology as a pseudoscience but as a science that has some connection to astronomy and psychology. Astrology was actually the first earliest “psychology”.
This however is getting off topic for egirl’s thread so I will just leave it at that. I didn’t reply to this thread to defend astrology to the death but to give my personal response to egirls question.
They aren’t. It is called discrimination. That is like saying that women are worst drivers than men. I honestly don’t care what what it says - it is being discrimatory. It is just another ploy and excuse to drive up people rates. "Oh your a Virgo so you MUST be accident prone. So we will give you higher rates"
If things like this becomes the norm, than it will be just as easy as doctors/insurance companies to say to say “Well, your diabetic so you are going to be a more expensive, high maintenance patient than others. So you get higher rates.” (the car insurance companies could start doing that too - “You are a diabetic so you might pass out at the wheel. Oh, I think you get a higher rate.”)
A person can not help when they were born - just like they can’t help they got diabetes. My diabetes is genetic. - it might be mutation. But what does it matter - we have it don’t we?
Just like being a Virgo - I deal with the bad stereotypes of being born under birth sign (and are mostly spread by people who do not understand astrology) - just like I deal with the steretoype of being diabetic.
Like I said before, I didn’t respond to this thread to defend astrology. Everyone can believe what they want. I was giving my personal response to egirls question. I think Allstate and other insurance companies are wrong and I hope they get in trouble for it.
Women worse drivers nah. I had to pay my own insurance as a teen and teen boys pay more then teen girls.
Maybe that Voodoo girl I dated in my 20’s finally got back at me for running out on her. Ah good times worth it in the long run LOL.
So why would Virgos be 700 times more likely to be in car accidents than Scorpios?
Perhaps more Virgos enjoy their cell phones. j/k
I have to disagree the numbers are that high against Virgos. There have been more Scorpios than Virgos in accidents in our circle of Relations and Friends. (Okay I should add, that it was the moose’s fault with one Scorpio and the dump truck Driver’s fault with one of the Virgos),
“Eye witnesses” are not always correct nor are the circumstances revealed properly, in many cases, not to mention prejudices, etc. CSI is only a show and…We’re only Human.
I don’t think insurance companies ask ‘why’, as much as they look at the data for clues that will allow them to price their products more competitively? A data mining exercise which is where I presume the story came from, would just compare the categories of the dates of birth to the frequency of accidents. I find it sort of suprising that anyone would even be able to look at data that way (“hey boss, can I look at the astrological symbols this week?”) but they seem to have and the findings are sort of astonishing? They also aren’t necessarily looking at ‘fault’ or what ‘eye witnesses’ would say, just that people’s propensity to have accidents.
Perhaps it could also be explained by by Virgo’s perhaps peculiar situation demographically, at least in the US, being born in August-early September would skew that cohort to just missing the ‘cut off’ for starting kindergarten? I wouldn’t think that there’d be a social factor that would skew motorvehicle accidents so wildly but it’s hard for me to avoid trying to find some other reason, besides them having been Virgos?
Can someone link me to this said article? I work for a fortune 100 insurance company and this is laughable to say the least that any premiums would be based off nonsense as astrology.
http://chicagobreakingbusiness.com/2011/01/driving-habits-written-in-stars-allstate-data-show.html I put the link in. I was quite suprised but I don’t think they are basing it on astrology as much as they are reporting strange data? Which could concevably be argued to have been astrologically related.