Jamison Guice, Campus Carrier features editor

Western astrology uses 12 star constellations to correspond to months on the yearly calendar to represent the astrological signs. The 12 signs include Aquarius, Pisces, Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius and Capricorn. Aquarius marks the beginning of the yearly calendar, January. 

According to Western astrology, my sun sign is Capricorn, which is determined by finding the exact position of the sun when I was born. Many online websites, such as whatismysign.net, calculate the position by using the time and location of the person’s birth. So, that means that when I was born at exactly 1:00 p.m. in Rome, Georgia, the sun was behind the Capricorn constellation. 

I love looking at astrology and seeing my associated traits, likes and dislikes and even the bar of soap I would be as a Capricorn (lemon-lime sugar scrub). Astrology can range in seriousness and depth. Depending on the person, astrology can go a lot further than just knowing the zodiac sign, commonly known as the sun sign. For example, there are the moon signs, Mercury signs, Venus signs and Mars signs. Each of these is a step deeper into a person’s psyche and how they can react and deal with problems. 

As an example, my Mercury sign is Sagittarius, which means associated traits include being future-focused, empathetic and optimistic. However, there are also negative associations , which include a lack of tactfulness and restlessness, according to liveabout.com/astrology. 

Associated traits are generalizations made about the signs that are made to apply to a large group of people. The reason is because it is easier to target a large audience rather than singularities. For example, I agree with most of the generalized traits for my Mercury sign, but not all of them. 

I enjoy learning about the different aspects of my zodiac sign because it makes me feel as if I am learning more about myself, whether or not it always applies. Some people may say that astrology is fake and unimportant; however, I find astrology fascinating and fun. 

Having interests outside of academia is fun to explore because the answers can be flexible and interpretable. It is especially fun when learning about a new aspect of the zodiac signs such as trines, conjunctions and squares. 

Regardless of whether or not astrology is taken seriously, many people devote their personal time learning the ins and outs of it. Rather than demeaning it as a useless science, remember that many hobbies such as Dungeons & Dragons, World of Warcraft and fantasy football leagues all require different degrees of belief, interpretation and commitment.