Now, some people talk about recovering astrology from whiteness and colonialism. That is still nonmaterial and I suspect it’s still magical thinking, so I question the worth in recovering it. But I will grant that perhaps there’s a whole spiritual framework which I do not know about that makes it ok in the way that religion is ok. So, before I get into criticisms of that, I will grant two carveouts: First, if you are part of a colonized culture and that branch of astrology is part of your people’s efforts to reconnect with spirituality or reclaim something, I’m butting out of it and leaving you to it without criticizing you. Second, if you’re living outside the west and your culture has some astrological beliefs, I’m staying out of it and you can have internal struggles with each other over it. Although in one case I maybe could throw my hat in if I wanted to, I just really don’t want to.
But that’s not who I mostly see talking about it. I see mostly white people (where I live) shifting the goalposts from “ok the complicated western astrology model is kinda bunk, fine, but what about other cultures?” And then they’ll delve into astrology from other cultures in a way that looks gross, culturally appropriative, and fetishistic. The vibe it gives off is: “I still want to feel like I have a spiritual connection to the stars, and also I am grappling with the realization that The West sucks, so if I draw my astrological practice from a non-western culture I’ll be accessing an older, wiser, more enlightened civilization’s knowledge of the magic of the stars and then I can continue to have this nonmaterial belief in the stars.” It’s weird, like they’re invoking other cultures’ beliefs to justify clinging to their own and give theirs an air of legitimacy while also making it seem problematic for anyone to criticize the ideas because then we’re “anti-decolonization” and “enforcing the problematic western hegemonies inherent in Science”.
And that’s some bullshit. That’s just shifting the goalposts and co-opting revolutionary language for ill purposes. How different is it from the syncretic new age shit of the last 100 years? None, it’s just a different iteration
Also gonna just drop this quick exchange from a year ago with someone who has apparently since been banned for downplaying SA:
That person:
Edit: Spoilering that person's comment because it was so sexist it got removed for sexism.
Is astrology bullshit? Yes. However it is women’s bullshit and we never let them have anything nice. It is our job to protect it until they get bored of it and move on.
Me:
This comes across as sexist (the thing that is bullshit is inherently feminine!) and patronizing (protect their frivolous bullshit til they grow out of it?) as well as patently false (why say it’s women’s? men and other non-women are into this shit too!)
With an additional: I think it’s sexist to call astrology something that is inherently for women. If it is disproportionately taken up by women (I know the meme is that it is, I don’t know if the actual stats reflect that) then that does not make it ok or good, it means we need to look at what the fuck is wrong with our society that women or more broadly non-men feel the need to turn to fake shit to express feelings, emotions, and personality instead of just speaking honestly and directly? There’s a pretty clear answer: the rampant sexist oppressive machinery of the patriarchy has to do with that, punishing women for being straightforward, blunt, honest, gaslighting women into being out of touch with their own feelings because maybe those feelings are proscribed by the system, so that some circuitous other outlet is desperately clung to instead. Well then, is the solution to mislead an oppressed populace into another set of restrictive chains? Or is it to break those chains entirely? That’s a rhetorical question.
there’s a whole spiritual framework which I do not know about that makes it ok in the way that religion is ok
If the problem is the historical baggage and the irrationality of the belief, then organised religion is a billion times more guilty than astrology could ever be, and you frankly need to address that.
People marched to do genocide under the sign of the cross, cultures were destroyed in the name of the Lord, God, whatever name he has been called, has been invoked to justify every possible crime, every possible prejudice, every possible irrationality, and you deliberately ignore that while condemning being a bit silly.
Now, some people talk about recovering astrology from whiteness and colonialism. That is still nonmaterial and I suspect it’s still magical thinking, so I question the worth in recovering it. But I will grant that perhaps there’s a whole spiritual framework which I do not know about that makes it ok in the way that religion is ok. So, before I get into criticisms of that, I will grant two carveouts: First, if you are part of a colonized culture and that branch of astrology is part of your people’s efforts to reconnect with spirituality or reclaim something, I’m butting out of it and leaving you to it without criticizing you. Second, if you’re living outside the west and your culture has some astrological beliefs, I’m staying out of it and you can have internal struggles with each other over it. Although in one case I maybe could throw my hat in if I wanted to, I just really don’t want to.
But that’s not who I mostly see talking about it. I see mostly white people (where I live) shifting the goalposts from “ok the complicated western astrology model is kinda bunk, fine, but what about other cultures?” And then they’ll delve into astrology from other cultures in a way that looks gross, culturally appropriative, and fetishistic. The vibe it gives off is: “I still want to feel like I have a spiritual connection to the stars, and also I am grappling with the realization that The West sucks, so if I draw my astrological practice from a non-western culture I’ll be accessing an older, wiser, more enlightened civilization’s knowledge of the magic of the stars and then I can continue to have this nonmaterial belief in the stars.” It’s weird, like they’re invoking other cultures’ beliefs to justify clinging to their own and give theirs an air of legitimacy while also making it seem problematic for anyone to criticize the ideas because then we’re “anti-decolonization” and “enforcing the problematic western hegemonies inherent in Science”.
And that’s some bullshit. That’s just shifting the goalposts and co-opting revolutionary language for ill purposes. How different is it from the syncretic new age shit of the last 100 years? None, it’s just a different iteration
Also gonna just drop this quick exchange from a year ago with someone who has apparently since been banned for downplaying SA:
That person:
Edit: Spoilering that person's comment because it was so sexist it got removed for sexism.
Me:
With an additional: I think it’s sexist to call astrology something that is inherently for women. If it is disproportionately taken up by women (I know the meme is that it is, I don’t know if the actual stats reflect that) then that does not make it ok or good, it means we need to look at what the fuck is wrong with our society that women or more broadly non-men feel the need to turn to fake shit to express feelings, emotions, and personality instead of just speaking honestly and directly? There’s a pretty clear answer: the rampant sexist oppressive machinery of the patriarchy has to do with that, punishing women for being straightforward, blunt, honest, gaslighting women into being out of touch with their own feelings because maybe those feelings are proscribed by the system, so that some circuitous other outlet is desperately clung to instead. Well then, is the solution to mislead an oppressed populace into another set of restrictive chains? Or is it to break those chains entirely? That’s a rhetorical question.
astrology is the opium of the women
If the problem is the historical baggage and the irrationality of the belief, then organised religion is a billion times more guilty than astrology could ever be, and you frankly need to address that. People marched to do genocide under the sign of the cross, cultures were destroyed in the name of the Lord, God, whatever name he has been called, has been invoked to justify every possible crime, every possible prejudice, every possible irrationality, and you deliberately ignore that while condemning being a bit silly.