Why Astrology Matters

A few years ago, I went to an astrologer as research for a radio show exploring strange beliefs. Vishal knew only my name, and date and place of birth, and didn’t tell me anything terribly profound until I asked him about the car I had just bought. He tapped something into his laptop. I waited.

“I see two cars in your future,” he said.

I laughed. “Does that mean I’ve bought a dud?”

“I can’t tell you that,” he said.

A fortnight later, a mechanic phoned while working on my new car. He informed me I had indeed bought a dud, and suggested I return the car, get my money back, and buy another one.

I bought a second car. Two cars. It’s just a coincidence, isn’t it?

The basic premise of astrology is the stars and the planets exert an influence over events on Earth. The stars’ and planets’ exact influence depends on their motions and relative positions, such as when they appear close together in the sky. If