CKM is brimming with diversity and uniqueness. From various cultural backgrounds to music tastes, there seems to be no end to how different students at McClatchy are. This even extends to Astrological signs as well, from Capricorn to Sagittarius, everyone can claim a spot on the Wheel of Astrology. But, which sign is the most common? Least? And, come to think of it, how did Astrology even begin?
Astrology isn’t just daily Horoscopes and seeing if your crushes sign matches with yours, it has a history deeply rooted in both Western and Eastern culture. Astrology, at it’s core, is finding one’s meaning through the stars, moon, sun, and any other Astronomical object. Historians date the practice of Astrology as far back as 3000 B.C, with the most prominent ancient civilization to use the practice being the Babylonians. The Greeks later adopted Astrology as a way of reading about one’s self and future, a.k.a, Horoscopes. The signs correspond with various Babylonian/Greek myths and constellations, such as Gemini rooting from the myth of Castor and Pollux.
Beginning in the 17th century, the New Age of science started to discard astrology as a form of pseudo-science and religion. It’s popularity wouldn’t come back until the 20th century, when newspapers started to adopt Horoscopes as a column. In 1930, N.H Taylor, a British Astrologer popularized them following a series of oddly accurate readings, some of which include the reading of Princess Margaret, and the prediction of the crashing of the R101 British Aircraft. Many readers craved what the next telling would be, and more importantly, if he could predict their futures. Because of this sudden interest, the first main Horoscope column was born, called, What the Stars Foretell. It didn’t take long for Taylor to use the Ancient Zodiac to apply to modern age readers, to the wheel and apply dates to specific signs, depending on the constellations during that time of year. This sense of individuality further interested readers and has continued to remain popular amongst American media today.
Despite its popularity, the debate on the credibility of Astrology still runs hot, so we decided to gauge everyone’s signs, and their opinion as to whether they believed in it. Out of a sample of 61 randomly chosen students, these were our findings:
What is your sign?
Capricorn: 6 9.8%
Aquarius: 5 8.2%
Pisces: 3 4.9%
Aries: 3 4.9%
Taurus: 5 8.2%
Gemini: 6 9.8%
Cancer: 5 8.2%
Leo: 2 3.3%
Virgo: 6 9.8%
Libra: 6 9.8%
Scorpio: 10 16.4%
Sagittarius: 4 6.5%
Total: 61
Do you Believe in Astrology?
Yes: 27 44%
Sort Of: 21 34%
No: 13 22%
By far the most common sign was Scorpio, with the least being Leo. Most people we interviewed said they believed in Astrology.
Astrology, whether you believe in it or not, continues to be a prominent staple in American culture and is heavily reflected in CKMs culture today.