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Astrology Star maps for guidance in life By Vivian Chow |
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“Those books have a good sales return. The buyers are mostly teenage girls. The peak season is near the end of each year,” he said. Said John Lau, editor of the horoscope section of the Oriental Daily: “Readers may not really believe in it, but they are just very interested. “The horoscope section is indispensable. The content is not long anyway, so people don’t mind reading it. |
 The zodiac shows where the sun was on the day of birth. |
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Yes! magazine contains a large horoscope section. One of the writers of the section, a woman who has been writing for the section for three years, said the content depends on the readers. “Readers are very interested in knowing more about themselves through the horoscope. They ask many questions,” she said. Apart from print media horoscope reports, horoscope accessories are also popular. “Customers may not believe in horoscopes,” said one Mong Kong shop owner, “but they feel special when they are wearing these accessories. It is one of the ways they establish their own personal identity.” Horoscopes can be seen as part of a philosophy that helps to explain and predict life. Billy Kong Siu Cheuk, a Year 2 finance student at the University of Hong Kong, has been studying horoscopes for 5 to 6 years. “The analysis of horoscopes helps me to understand more about myself, so I can improve myself,” he said. Meanwhile, 13-year-old Sherman Cheung reads horoscopes to predict her future. “It is especially true when it comes to the occurrence of unexpected luck,” she said. However, other horoscope users disagree. Said one: “I only believe in the analysis of people’s character, not fortune telling. I don’t want to know about my future, because I’m very afraid to know about it.” “I don’t think the predictions are very believable, because everyone can write that kind of thing,” said another user. Dr. Gordon Mathews, a lecturer in the Department of Anthropology at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, said the belief in having more control over life contributes to the popularity of horoscopes. |
Janice Cheung Chinese soothsayers tell fortunes with these scripts. |
“Life is difficult and full of chaos. People would like to have more guidance to their lives. The horoscope is one of the many ways. “They don’t care whether it makes sense or not. They just want to simplify the world,” he said. His colleague Dr. Andrew B. Kipnis said, “Not everyone likes to predict everything. People just want to know their chances of finding love and wealth.” Horoscopes existed in the ancient world. |
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“The analysis originated in ancient Greek stories,” said one aficionado. “It was developed also under the influence of specialists in ancient Egypt, India and Babylon and those of the middle-ages. “It’s believable because of its long history.” Although they have strong beliefs, most horoscope fans won’t force others to believe in it. “I would encourage my friends to discuss it instead of believing it. It’s not a bad thing anyway,” said one user. Dr. Chu Ming Chung teaches astronomy in the Department of Physics at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Said he: “Horoscopes are merely some arbitrary boundaries that are made by human beings. “It’s just like boundaries on earth. Horoscopes make it easier to recognize the stars. “According to astrology, stars of the same zodiac sign may not seem related to each other when they are viewed 3-dimensionally. They can be very far away from each other, say, 4 light years,” he said. Dr. Chu said the stars have random relationship. Also, stars drift away from their earlier positions as time passes. “I think there’s little relationship between the analysis of character and the movements of stars. “People believe it because they don’t like things to be unpredictable. The horoscope serves as a comfort to them,” he said. |
A taste of local tradition
December 1997
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