Reflection: Astrology and Science
Astrology has been used for thousands of years to describe personality patterns, emotional tendencies, and ways of relating to the world. However, there is no scientific evidence that the position of the planets or zodiac signs cause someone’s personality or behavior. In controlled studies, people do not show consistent traits based solely on their zodiac sign.
Yet astrology continues to feel meaningful to many people. One reason is psychological: many astrological descriptions are broad enough to apply to a wide range of individuals. This is known as the Barnum Effect, where the mind naturally recognizes itself in statements that are open, relatable, and emotionally toned. Astrology often functions more as a language of self-reflection than as a literal explanation of personality. When someone says that a Libra values depth and peace these are not claims about cosmic forces influencing personality. They are metaphors that describe recognizable patterns in human emotional life. In this way, astrology can serve as a framework for understanding relational tendencies same as mythology.
How Birth Season Can Influence Temperament
Interestingly, there is a scientific dimension that loosely overlaps with the idea of “birth influence,” but it is not related zodiac constellations. Studies have shown that the season in which a person is born can affect certain aspects of development due to environmental and biological conditions during pregnancy and infancy.
When a baby is developing, the environment of the mother and the timing of birth can influence biology in small but meaningful ways. For example, the amount of sunlight during late pregnancy affects melatonin and serotonin, which shape mood regulation. Differences in temperature and seasonal viruses during infancy can influence the immune and stress-response system. Hormones also follow seasonal patterns, so the mother’s hormone levels at certain times of year can affect how the baby’s nervous system develops. These factors don’t determine personality, but they can gently influence baseline temperament, things like sensitivity, calmness, or energy level. So when people notice shared traits among those born in certain months, it’s not because of astrology, but because biology, light exposure, and environment during early development can shape the emotional patterns we grow up with.
“Star” Energy and Mirror
What feels like “Libra energy”—valuing depth and peace—doesn't come from the stars. It comes from the way my nervous system developed, the emotional world I grew up in, and the lessons I’ve learned through my life journey. Birth-season biology may offer a faint influence on temperament, but it is my early environment, lived experiences, and conscious choices that truly shape who I am. Astrology simply gives me a metaphorical mirror to recognize qualities that were formed through life, not constellations.
