You have to admit that, whether you truly believe in them or not, horoscopes are fun to read. If anything, they can energize you, give a spark of hope, or encourage positive thinking. Hey, we could all use some good planetary alignment once in a while. But I think there may be something to it. Mind you, I have a science background. I'm a dreamer, yes. It comes with being a pisces. However, I have a pretty close split between left and right brained dominance, so I tend to question things from a realistic/scientific standpoint.
Having doubts about planetary influence? How about the moon? I've personally witnessed animals (particularly birds) go berserk on a full moon...every full moon...like clockwork. Plus, there's this book I bought years ago on a whim. It's called The Secret Language Of Birthdays by Gary Goldschneider and Joost Elffers. FREAKISH! You have to check it out (the link takes you to amazon). It goes beyond horoscopes to give you a personality analysis based on your exact day of birth. There may be one or two things that don't fit you, but I'll bet 99% of it does. It even worked on my family members (we had a few laughs reading it). So where do heroines and heroes come in? Well, for every birthday, it lists three main strengths and three main weaknesses. Every character needs strengths and weaknesses...along with other personality traits. There's no end to the ideas and strength/weakness pair ups you can get out of this book.
For example (opening book up randomly), if you're born on August 3rd, you're courageous, idealistic, and determined...but you're also reckless, self-destructive, and egotistical. For January 2nd, it's responsible, profound, and dedicated vs workaholic, self-inhibiting, and overdemanding. It goes on for every day of the year. Pair those key words up with the analysis it gives you, and there's no end to brainstorming characters.
Now if you want to read a horoscope and/or personality profile specific to your place and time of birth, check out www.astro.com. Go to free daily horoscopes where you can put in several birthdays for free (no registering...I think). Here you can get charts that tell you your ascendant, exact positions of the planets at your time of birth, profiles, relationship stuff etc... It's pretty cool, but don't get so caught up in it that you zap your writing time, LOL.
Other fun and accurate horoscope sites include www.cafeastrology.com, www.jessicaadams.com, and www.astrologyzone.com/forecasts/. These will give you monthly forecasts as well.
Need a different, fun way to brainstorm or dig deeper into your characters? Look to the planets.
What do you think about all this? Are you a horoscope reader? Have you ever read your birthday profile? Do you know your ascendant...or what one is? Do you know your hero or heroine's zodiac sign?
I like reading my horoscope. I'm a Scorpio, but not sure about all the other except that almost everything about a Scorpio fits me.
ReplyDeleteI like to read my birthday horoscope. And I have used astrology to help me mold a few of my minor characters.
ReplyDeleteRef: ascendant
Isn't that where you have to know the hour you were born? I'd have to find my birth certificate to know that.
I'm not into astrology, but my mom is so I know ALL about my chart. Apparently my ascendent is pisces. LOL
ReplyDeleteJust had to say - my birthday is 3rd August and this is the first time I've come to your blog!! Makes you wonder about coincidence and the part it plays in real life, particularly as its so hard to use coincidence in a book!
ReplyDeleteNina x
Hey Carol. I'm married to a Scorpio :)
ReplyDeleteHi Maria. Yep, I had to pull out my birth cert. at one point. My sis, who is mega into astrology, used my birth time to look up my chart on astro.com. She can actually analyze a chart.
LOL, Jennifer. Like I told Maria, it's my sis who is really into it. I think it's really interesting though, and I'm starting to think there has to be more than coincidence involved.
Hi Nina! Welcome! LOL about your birthday being August 3rd. And here I made sure not to use any family/friend birthdates as examples. It's fate...or stars/planets :). You're right about how coincidence is shunned in stories, yet it happens all the time in real life.
Oh, and I wanted to clarify that an individual doesn't necessarily exhibit the weaknesses listed. They're just the ones a person born on that day might have a tendency toward...but if they're a more 'evolved' (the book's terminology) individual, then they've overcome those weaknesses, just like a hero/heroine has to overcome a weakness and 'evolve' or change through a storyline.
ReplyDeleteI used to read my astro-whatever in the newspaper when I was a teen. More for amusement than anything else.
ReplyDeleteLove the idea of trying this out for characterizations. :D
Hey Rula,
ReplyDeleteWell, my sister is a practicing psychic (like, for a living) so I hear about this basically every week, lol! She will call and say "Mercury is in retrograde! Make sure you XYZ!" or "It's a tough week for the Taurus, watch your temper!" I am not sure I would go to the bank with it, but I will tell you she has been right WAY too many times for me to just discount. WAY too many. Also, as my day job, I would in Court Administration and we absolutely do see more weird thing crimes committed on full moons.
Hey Stina! I usually glance at mine for fun. I wouldn't run a country based on it, LOL. I do think the personality profiles that come with astrology add a fun, insightful angle to characterizations :)
ReplyDeleteHi Christine! I do recall you mentioning that about your sister. Very cool. My sis isn't psychic, but she always knows what the planets are up to. And I have to agree with you on things happening on full moons...or when mercury is retrograde etc...
Rula,
ReplyDeleteI'm not into horoscopes in a big way, but do believe that certain personality traits seem to be common in people who rule under the same signs. I've been lacking in the horoscope and birthday department in my characters. It's something I should pay more attention to, as it can obviously help me delve deeper into their personalities.