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Every time we had to schedule an important event in our family, my mom always used to visit a Jyotish. That’s a very sweet affection of my mother, but also a bad practice and belief unknowingly inherited by her because of deep-rooted astrology influence through society, her ancestors, the media, and the newspaper. There are hardly any parents in Nepal who don’t believe in astrology. The theory behind astrology originates from a background that is associated with an extremely long history of humanity. Astrology started as a scientific thing under the domain of astrophysics in the beginning but later went on to become a pseudo-scientific concept that relied mostly on overly generic statements. The concept of astrology is based on the different movements and alignments of celestial bodies and stars and their impact and influence on human affairs, the future, and behavior. There is no scientific evidence as to how it is possible. My generation as a whole is generally cognizant of mental health. And many individuals are honestly discussing their feelings of depression, anxiety, trauma, etc. Many of these people need something to let go of, so they naively associate themselves with the ideas of astrology and spirituality. They require something that will reveal their subconscious destiny. Because of this, astrology is becoming more popular among individuals.
There is a very famous psychological term called the Barnum or Forer statement. These are overly vague statements that are made to make the statements seem like an indication directly to a person, whereas they hold the same meaning in every person's case. These are very common in astrology, as for every horoscope (Raasi), they’ll make such predictions that are logical and apply to every person’s case. Let’s explain this with an example:
(Nepali Patro, Daily Rashifal, 15th April)
The predictions made here in this horoscope are extremely vague. It is relevant and natural for every person to think of their life in a balanced way. Let's take a look at the case mentioned in, and this statement "मिहनेतले नाम, दाम र प्रतिष्ठा दिलाउनेछ। सामाजिक दायित्व हातलागी हुनेछ। तत्काल उपलब्धि प्राप्त नभए पनि सम्भावना खोजी गर्ने समय छ। रोकिएको काममा दोहोर्याएर प्रयत्न गर्नुहोला। पछि फाइदा हुने काम प्रारम्भ गर्न सकिनेछ।" These predictions apply the same in every other horoscope’s case. The general trend of making predictions in astrology is mostly a barnum statement and a confirmation bias followed by a time bias.
Astrology is considered a pseudoscience because it lacks the basic scientific methodologies of reproducibility and falsification. The major portion of predictions made by astrologers depends upon confirmation bias. Confirmation bias refers to the tendency of making statements that confirm pre-existing beliefs without considering any alternatives to those. An astrologer once told me that I was an emotionally sensitive person. This doesn’t mean he is predicting something great. Most people are emotional and sensitive. This is more like a natural prophecy than an astrological prediction.
In Nepal, we mostly follow Vedic astrology. Vedic astrology came from Rigveda, and initially, it was used to predict dates for determining special rituals and practices by studying the alignment and movement of celestial bodies and stars. But now it is less related to any scientific observation and is mostly used personally in the name of determining destiny. Based on different dates, there are 12 signs in Vedic astrology. They are Mesha, Vrishaba, Mithuna, Karkata, Simha, Kanya, Tula, Vrischika, Dhanus, Makara, Kumbha, and Meena. Astrology is a very important part of Hindu culture. Even though I don’t value the essence of astronomy in determining the destiny of a certain person based on a Rashi or kundali, I still value the history of astrology.
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