The Role of Horoscopes in Formulation of Daily Life Essay

Popular culture is a phenomenon of the contemporary world, which contains the diversity of elements penetrating life of every individual. There are elements, which evoke a positive attitude, while others encourage people to be skeptical and perceive the whole set of information without seriousness. In the prospect of routine elements, which formulate the essence of popular culture, it is possible to consider different things. However, horoscopes play a significant part in formulation of daily life of the majority of individuals. It is impossible to deny this part of life, which started its existence long ago. Horoscopes formulate an essential part, which has a significant influence on human lives regardless of their priorities. There are different opinions regarding horoscopes. Some people tend to believe in predictions generated by astrologists, while others accept it as a joke or fiction.

Nevertheless, it is obvious that everybody knows about horoscopes and has a specific opinion regarding truth about each prediction based on stars. In addition, regardless of the opinion, horoscopes still formulate a part of the popular culture. It is impossible to imagine life without predictions generated by astrologists. In addition, horoscopes have a long history and had some influence on the legendary figures who tended to believe in every prediction. Moreover, the contemporary world has made this element a fashionable element for many celebrities who have their personal astrologists and continue to adjust their lives to the daily dose of horoscopes generated by another person. Horoscopes have become an essential part of the surrounding world, which are supposed to predict the nearest future and help individuals prepare for life challenges. The current paper criticizes horoscopes from different points of view and evaluates its place in the system of human relations. In addition, the paper aims to analyze the place of horoscopes in the popular culture, which shapes development of every individual in diverse ways.

Topic of Interest

The selected topic is a representation of human nature, which supports the point of believing in supernatural. Horoscopes constitute a supernatural aspect of life, which is most likely not to have any effect on human development or any other event taking place in life. However, the majority of people tend to believe that horoscopes reflect a short representation of the nearest future, which can help to prepare for life challenges. In addition, these people tend to depend on information given in a horoscope, thinking that it is a key to success and happiness. Horoscopes make many people dependent on the information they receive from newspapers, magazines, and the Internet. It is impossible to deny that those who tend to adjust to daily doses of predictions are more emotional and infantile than others. Infantilism means that it is a reflection of human nature willing to believe in fairytales. In fact, fairytales are reflected through horoscopes, which can be found in thousands of sources with different meanings on the same day. The selected topic has many points of interest as long as everybody has at least once touched up with horoscopes and thought about believing or not in facts mentioned in a short prediction.
In the prospect of predictions generated by astrology, it is possible to claim that this point has always played a role of a regulator in lives of many people. Many historical figures tended to adjust their activity to horoscopes, which were generated by their personal astrologists. In fact, it means that astrologists have played a role of an adviser and personal regulator, which can change the course of the future. Adolf Hitler was one of the most famous historical leaders who believed in the power of horoscopes and tried to act according to predictions created by his personal astrologist Louis de Wohl. De Wohl was considered to be a Hungarian “Nostradamus” and was popular among the British elite and other social layers willing to turn to his services in desire to know about the nearest future. In fact, de Wohl was one of those who believed in the power of stars able to predict further events taking place in life of every human according to his peculiarities. Hitler consulted de Wohl in order not only to predict his personal future, but also the future of the Third Reich (Winter, 2006).

It was his personal astrologist’s obligation to read information written in the stars and get involved into the political sphere in order to see the most beneficial positions of Germany. De Wohl involved himself into a psychologically-based job, which appealed to many people with desire to see the essence of future. However, it is possible to claim that horoscopes have a psychological effect on people willing to believe in the supernatural aspect of life. In addition, people have always wanted to predict the future in order to avoid mistakes and take a chance of being happy without facing difficulties. Beliefs tend to formulate an essential part of life, which create a significant part of human nature striving to secure them. These are the reasons the selected topic is appropriate for the consideration from the perspective of the pop-culture course.

Contemporary Interest in Horoscopes

Today, horoscopes continue to penetrate lives of millions of people. It is obvious that political figures, celebrities, elite layers of the society, and public persons continue to believe in predictions, which can help to look into the future and change the course of events if problems are likely to occur. In the discussion of the topic, it is necessary to mention that the contemporary pop-culture has many elements, which are interesting to the young generation. It is possible to see the tendency of the youth, which includes many individuals turning to the skeptical side in terms of perception of horoscopes. The selected topic cannot leave anyone indifferent as long as it generates opposite points of view and encourages thinking on the truth of facts reflected in horoscopes.

However, it is possible to support the point that the contemporary world does not depend on horoscopes as much as it used to in the past. The number of such individuals is not that big, but there is a rising tendency supporting the point that horoscopes are not that important in prediction of life. It is an entertaining element, which might be helpful in thinking about the future. In addition, it does not give any guarantee that horoscopes reflect true facts, which will occur no matter what happens. The contemporary society with a significant number of the youth tends to believe a supernatural side of predictions. People start to perceive it as tips for further activity.
In the light of the pop-culture course, horoscopes and their essence need to be paid special attention as long as they are reflecting the human nature of the contemporary stage of human development. It is an element, which is generated according to peculiarities of the nation.

However, it is supposed to be equal for every individual born in the same period. Numerous magazines and newspapers contain different facts reflected in horoscopes, which are supposed to be the same and push people to the right decision. It is obvious that this topic requires special consideration as long as it starts to turn to the ridiculous and does not contain any concrete information about the nearest future. There are many people joking that they could easily write a hundred of different horoscopes for the same period. People choose what to believe in and what steps to take towards actions in the nearest future. Horoscopes, in turn, have started to reflect peculiarities of nations where astrologists are supposed to give predictions according to the stars. In addition, it has already become a ridiculous side of life as long as people start to consider astrologists as a profession, which needs special skills in order to read information based on the location of planets. In fact, thinking of horoscopes from the skeptical perspective puts many life essentials at doubt, which does not have any logical explanation. For example, horoscopes do not have any specific information, while people tend to believe that the chain of predictions has a direct connection to them. These are the reasons explaining importance of taking the selected topic into account and discussing it with peers during the popular culture class.

Theories of Popular Culture

In the prospect of popular culture, it is possible to consider three different theories, which have a significant meaning in astrology and horoscopes in general. The theory of mass society, the theory of culture industry, and the theory of progressive evolution formulate the essence of understanding the relation between popular culture and horoscopes.

Firstly, the theory of mass society focuses on decision-making having a significant effect on centralization of all ideas. Horoscopes tend to be a reflection of generalizing all aspects of the nearest future, thus having a mass effect on the society and decisions it makes as soon as it receives information from outside sources.

Secondly, the theory of culture industry has a relation to the consumer capitalism, through the lens of which it is possible to see the essence of horoscopes. Consumer capitalism requires taking into account manipulation of consumer demand, which generates further representation of the future in horoscopes. For example, it is possible to see the essence of consumerism in the decision-making process based on predictions. In addition, continuous adherence to information presented in horoscopes creates additional demand promoting further generation of astrological predictions.

Finally, the theory of progressive evolution points out continuous changes and inclusion of every individual in the process of the generations’ development. Horoscopes, in this aspect, obtain the role of tips helping to change and implement these changes in life.

American Values

Americans are considered to be the most informal nation, which tends to adhere to casualty in everything, starting from peer communication and ending with workplace relations with a boss. There are many values penetrating lives of Americans, which outline the most important aspects of human nature. Horoscopes cross the line between different values and the current discussion helps to understand the role of horoscopes in the light of American core values penetrating lives of millions of people.

First, it is important to mention that Americans are practical enough to consider only those aspects of life, which are truly significant. It means that Americans tend to value those things, which can help to achieve goals in the future. In this aspect, there is another core value reflecting the desire to build plans and aspire to success. Planning and practical aspects of routine life help to see the role and place of horoscopes helping to build any plan based on predictions (Mulligan, 2008). For example, almost every American considers horoscopes before deciding about a life-changing event (signing a contract, getting married, moving to another city, etc.).

However, this phenomenon has an importance in the light of worries these individuals experience before taking a serious step, which will have an effect on the further course of their life. In this respect, there is another core value reflecting a desire of every American to be action-oriented. In fact, before taking any action, every American is willing to know what mistakes should be avoided in order to make plans come true. Probably, the strongest American core value, which has a relation to horoscopes, is a strong desire to change. Change takes into account changes both on personal and national levels. Horoscopes become mirrors for those who want to make a change and see what the future holds in order to prepare for life challenges and change the future in order to reach success. However, it does not put Americans into action in the present. This is a ridiculous point, which supports the desire to change the future without taking action in the present. Somehow, horoscopes have become a point of interest like a mirror reflecting the future.

Social Policy Debate: Three Groups of the Society

Astrology along with horoscopes has become one the most significant parts of social thinking, which creates different opinions and thoughts regarding this phenomenon. It is possible to distinguish three groups of the society, which have different points of view regarding the discussed topic. On the one hand, the society has learned how to live with predictions without paying much attention to them (Wei, 2009).

People continue to live reading horoscopes without taking them as a serious prediction with a life-changing nature.

On the other hand, another group of people tends to believe in every fact reflected in horoscopes, which is the most important part of life helping in the decision-making process. These people cannot live without a daily dose of horoscopes and their reflection of facts based on the planet’s position. In addition, these people tend to take advice in the horoscope seriously. Paying attention to predictions helps these people to achieve their plans as long as they believe that life gives many tips through the lens of horoscopes (Webb, 2011).

Finally, the third group stays indifferent and does not believe in any fact given in the horoscope. It does not mean that these people do not pay attention to the page in a magazine full of horoscopes. These people open the last page of the magazine in order to entertain themselves at the end of the day and see that there are no coincidences or anything mentioned in the horoscope that has taken place that day.

There are always interactions between these three groups leading to debates and controversy. Some people tend to support the idea that horoscopes formulate a reflection of the nearest future without details. However, no specific information encourages others to support the idea that horoscopes are a waste of time, which is helpless in the achievement of any plan or goal. In fact, it is impossible to support one or another group as long as astrology is vague enough to think of the most appropriate answer to the question whether horoscopes reflect true facts or not. In general, the society continues to perceive this belief circulating about horoscopes, which can help to generate plans for the nearest future. In addition, people tend to adhere to the information given in the horoscope, thinking that it can change the course of events.

Astrology has always played a significant part in shaping the world’s beliefs and cultural identities. It has always been amazing how people tend to believe in the diversity of things, which their minds create. Astrology is not the only element of human lives, which creates the diversity of peculiarities of human development. However, this is the part, which makes life full of mythical and fantastic ideas. The paper has reflected my opinion, which considers horoscopes along with their meanings as fiction or fairytales formulating a creative part of life.

Historical facts, which are supposed to give a positive meaning to horoscopes, only support the point that there will always be individuals believing in horoscopes and their meanings. However, it is impossible neither to support nor oppose existence of horoscopes and truth of facts, which horoscopes offer. In fact, many generations will continue going through the essence of horoscopes during their lives. It means that astrology has given horoscopes as a gift, which can entertain the humanity and give it a chance to look into the nearest future. However, there is a strong point supporting the idea that reading horoscopes can become a programming of further events taking place in life. Many people believe that thoughts become material if an individual continues thinking about the same things for a long time. In general, it is possible to claim that horoscopes are a reflection of uncertainty, which can be created by any individual without looking at the stars.

Finally, it is a matter of time proving the truth of facts reflected in horoscopes. In general, it is possible to claim that there are many coincidences, which can be considered as predictions. People should take care of the present instead of taking a look into the future willing to know what waits for them tomorrow.