I took this test once. I think it was that Jungian one that gives a person the 4 letter designation for “who I am, how I react to life, my relationships etc. “. I have also out of curiosity looked up the information about my zodiac sign, my Chinese year sign and others. So I sit back and ask myself ,”ok if this is who and what I am, these are my defects and my gifts, why should I bother to try and improve myself in any way? I mean there it is, on paper, my nature at my genetic and astrological level. This is how it is so there is nothing I can do about it.”

After reading those words it sounds ridiculous to me. Just as it sounds to me when I hear this person I know, as they have said dozens of times since I’ve known them:

“*laugh* Well, I’m a (fill in zodiac sign) so that is why I can’t hold my tongue and I  piss people off by telling it like it is. I’m a (fill in elemental sign) to boot so I can’t help but rub people the wrong way with being too honest.”

Really, you don’t say? You poor thing, you are trapped by these things, doomed to be abrasive all of your life due to the sad fact that your parents decided to curse you by mating on a bad month. I mean hey they should be held up to ridicule for even having sex when it could have made your life one of isolation and misfortunate misunderstandings.

A lot of people believe deeply in the zodiac and the Stars and Elements of nature and psychological profiles. I’m not saying they are all mindless or doomed or any of that. But I personally refuse to believe that I can not have better or can’t change if I want it enough to work for it. 

I have also heard people over the years use the phrase all too many times; after they drain someone or hurt them in some way, or just plain act selfish , that “ oh well I’m a vampire, what do you expect” With a smile on their faces beaming at their perpetual ‘get out of hard feelings and selfish behavior free’ card.  That permanent disclaimer for their refusal to take responsibility for what they are doing.

 I am a firm believer that when you CHOOSE to blame or explain your behavior by some part of your ‘nature’, you have DECIDED to evolve in reverse.

In the news a few years ago in my city, there was uproar at a statement of ‘fact’ that was produced after doing extensive testing of many students over years of time. This was scientific research based on many hours of study, it was honed and unbiased, so what was the issue that upset many people including myself? The results proved that a certain race of people consistently had substandard test scores on every subject at every level and every age. This was not a race based test, these were just the results that came to light. The uproar came when it was suggested that the school system should ‘dumb down’ the classes so that these students could manage to keep up better.


To me, that sounded as if they were practically damning these kids, and subsequently EVERYONE of their race, to simply face the fact that they as a people were not ever going to measure up intellectually or socially, so the rest of the world was going to make an allowance for them for their whole lives. An allowance that basically said ‘you are substandard to everyone else and so we are going to make things easier on you’.  How insulting. So instead of suggesting that teachers maybe challenge these kids more, they just wanted to pigeon hole them as inadequate and shrug their shoulders, pat them on the head and allow them to give up on ever trying. Why would someone try if noone else believed it could be different for them? If not one of them would be seen as an individual, just based on their race.

Looking at that example, you may think “That is crazy! I’d never allow anyone to tell me who and what I am, what I can accomplish, what the path of my life is based on some test or data! I’m an individual; I choose to be all that I can be!”

I know that the “(fill in zodiac and elemental sign) person” would say that. YET, they are doing that to themselves every time they reaffirm to themselves that they are a certain way based on those signs and profiles. Every time they use some label to explain or blame their choices and behaviors on.

Is the very best we can be, based on what signs and dates and our nature says, or what we can accomplish with our will?

Thanks for that reply Melissa. I'm like you about sometimes looking and denying what the characteristics of a zodiac sign or other thing say about me. Though sometimes they do seem to be dead on about a few of them. Still that does not mean that I have to sit back and be resigned to it forever.

I look at Zodiacs as guidelines. They might provide some vague truth to how you are.  It is difficult not to find something that may apply to you with the astrological reports you receive, but otherwise, I will quote Linda Johnsen:

"Fate is free will." 

Even if we ended up being a certain way due to some twist of fate, there exists very few things that can be unchangeable due to fate.  Rarely is a personality -that- impossible.  Mind you, when you are used to a certain way of living, the law of continuity intervenes in your attempt to change, but otherwise, it is still possible to change yourself. 

Even if your full astrology reading is 90% accurate, it does not make a difference.  Everyone (well, almost everyone) is capable of change. 

Of course, we also heard that antisocial personality disorders are a bit more difficult...but, eh.  Those are the outliers of the statistical data. ;-)


Sincerely,
ResplendentSeraphim

I blame some things on my sign, lol. Well, we all have our own free will and should be able to control ourselves, yet I can't deny the fiery temper associated with the sign Aries. I must admit, I see I am prone to certain things in connection to that sign. For instance, Aries are impatient. I was born a month premature. I think I was destin to be an Aries rather than a Taurus. Why else would I have punched and kicked myself out of my protective womb a month too soon? lol. 

What I like to do is concentrate on the bad things my sign describes about me and try to change them. Yes, I have noticed that a lot of what is said about a Capricorn is describing me to the bone but I think it I up to me to change it and make me a better person.