7 Surprising Signs That Astrology Really Works By Matt Currie l Daily Horoscope

Astrology persists as a popular undercurrent in our modern, scientific, and rational world. Whereas many superstitions are long gone and forgotten, astrology remains. Could that be because there's actually something to it? Any skeptic will naturally laugh it off, but the truth is: evidence that astrology does in fact work keeps popping up in unexpected places -- unexpected if you aren't an astrologer, that is -- and skeptics keep running to plug the leaks. The following are some examples of some astrological principles science has uncovered... and then struggled to explain away.

Visit Oh My Stars! to read more from Beliefnet astrology expert Matthew Currie.

Astrology & Your Love Life

Carl Jung is best known as one of the founders of modern psychiatry. He's best known as the founder of analytical psychology, and the first person to express ideas like "the psychological complex" and describing people as "extroverts" or "introverts." What is less well-known is his work with astrology.

Astrologers have always claimed there are certain connections between birth charts that lead to compatibility. Jung actually put this to the test by studying the birth charts of over 400 married couples looking for those patterns. His findings confirmed what astrologers had always claimed, with the odds of it merely being as fluke (by Jung's calculations) being over 62 million to one!

Astrology & Weather

Ancient astrologers used astrology to find patterns in the natural world that could be of practical use -- like predicting the weather. Although the modern science of meteorology is still never 100% accurate (and may never be), the ancients found meaningful connections between the planetary positions and weather conditions. One of the tasks of astrology in its early history was to pick the best dates for planting and harvesting, and a large body of research evolved from that work. And although predicting the weather is inherently very complex, it appears there may in fact be a connection between the placement of planetary bodies and the weather. For example, research by computing scientist Sergey Tarassov and Astrologer Alphee Lavoie indicates a strong correlation between planetary placements in our Solar System, and effects on weather here on Earth.

Astrology & Redheads

Astrologers have long claimed that a birth chart can determine what a person looks like. Astrologer Judith Hill selected area of study to scientifically test: the correlation of the placement of Mars (the "Red Planet") and redheads. Amazingly, she discovered a significant correlation between people being born with Mars rising and being a redhead, as compared to a control group of non-redheads: nearly 30% of redheads were born with Mars near the Ascendant.

One other interesting note: in Astrology, Mars rules surgery, and a strongly-aspected Mars can make for special considerations under those circumstances. Mainstream science has already established that, on average, redheads require more anesthesia than others during surgery.

Astrology & Athletes

In the mid-1970s French psychologist Michel Gauquelin set out to disprove astrology, but along the way he made an interesting discovery: champion athletes are much more likely that random chance would explain to be born with Mars rising or near the Midheaven. This so-called "Mars Effect" has been the subject of intense scrutiny by skeptics: The Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP) (now known as CSI, or "The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry") set out to disprove The Mars Effect, fudging the numbers in their favor and causing one of their founders to quit in protest.

CSICOP finally released a policy statement in 1981, removing themselves from the field of active anti-paranormal research. The Mars Effect still lingers.

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