Horoscope

“A chance encounter will bring you wealth. Take advice from your family before going into business ventures”
“Tensions between you and your loved ones are likely. Keep calm and refrain from acting on impulse.”

Sounds familiar?

Are your days guided by these snippets of advices dished out for your signs daily? Do you fervently search for the latest prophecy when you grab hold of the papers or a glossy magazine? Will your mood be affected by whether it has been a “happy” or “sad” day prediction?

Some of us steal a glance at the latest prediction covertly out of curiosity. Some of us openly read the predictions as if our success or failure of the day depends on the forewarnings. Our interests are often piqued when we come across the horoscope section, be it the Chinese, the Western or the Tarot. Regardless of whether you are a believer of the horoscope, your smile will inevitably be wider when a lucky day is predicted.

I used to be an ardent fan of the horoscope, always wanting to know what the stars have to say about the current day, week, month or year. Be it growing maturity or increasing cynicism, nowadays I take such predictions with a pinch of salt. This does not mean that I discredit the accuracy of the predictions, but that my mood and decisions will not be driven by the predictions, ie adopt a more blasé attitude.

Sometimes, the predictions become self-fulfilling prophecy. For instance, when you read that you will have a bad day, it somehow gives the day a gloomy start. The low morale adversely affects your confidence which also leads to higher tendency of errors and misjudgment. This compounded the likelihood that something will go wrong. When things go astray, we then blame it on the bad luck as predicted by the astrologers.

Once you read the horoscope, it is almost impossible not to be affected by the predictions. The solution to ensure one’s mood is not influenced by any prediction is to avoid reading any horoscope. If you still have a dying urge to know what the stars are forecasting, read only at the end of the day, unless you have so short-term memory that you forget the minute you read it. "Wink"