Horror scopes

Horoscopes: empty words, false promises by Heather Keeler

‘Y

ou will benefit from a special talent, enthusiasm or passion which you could turn into income, or extra prestige. What you achieve on your weekends and spare evenings could translate into a stunning achievement on your CV, so don’t waste the opportunities ahead.’

I was flipping through a women’s magazine the other day, looking at the pictures mostly, but when I got to the end of the magazine, I found the Astrology/Horoscope page and was intrigued. Being a sceptic by nature, I have always considered these fortune tellers’ opinions to be complete rubbish. But I found myself wondering what kind of ridiculous nonsense they were selling people, so I read on.

It was, as I had suspected, some kind of drivel about a ‘new job opportunity’ coming my way, ‘being admired by everyone around me,’ and ‘a good day for love.’ I laughed it off as a joke and went on with my evening.

I’d like to say that I never thought about it again, but that wouldn’t be the truth. My mind continued to turn over the words I had read: ‘a new job opportunity … being admired … love …’ Later that week, someone mentioned the possibility of a job opening in an area of interest to me. One of my first thoughts was, ‘maybe this is what my horoscope was talking about?’

No harm done?

I have Christian friends who glance at their horoscopes to laugh at the generalised predictions, feeling no threat to their faith and no harm done. I used to agree with them. I used to think that it was possible to just read it for entertainment and not be affected. I am not sure that I agree with this anymore. Millions of people are turning to their horoscopes every day in search of hope, and are being fed empty words and false promises.

Horoscopes, or divination, are an occult practice where a person foretells future events or gains secret knowledge regarding someone’s personality and life.

I decided to do a bit of research and contacted an astrologist on the Internet who offered a free ‘assessment.’ What I discovered was disturbing and unsettling. ‘Freda’ sent me a 16-page document, explaining that if I wanted the full report it would only cost me an extra US $26.90. In this letter, she explained the desperate situation I was in and how she wanted to help me to fix my life. She promised me ‘an opportunity to open up to a better life, exactly the kind of life you dream of.’ Freda used my name to make it personal, and expressed to me that she genuinely cares for me and wants me to have the best. It was all very convincing.

A new job opportunity … being admired … love

I could understand how someone who was feeling down, hurting or tired of a hard life would be drawn in by promises of good fortune, friendship, love and happiness. Freda’s promises sounded good, and if my faith had been weaker, or she had caught me on a bad day, I may have been tempted to believe what she was telling me. As much as I felt uncomfortable, I had to admit, she made a good sales pitch.

Real-life distant dreams

Freda isn’t the first astrologer with whom I have been in contact. When I lived in Toronto, Canada, my next-door neighbour was an astrologist. I remember the first time I went to visit ‘Diamond.’ She was excited to be meeting one of her neighbours, as she was a bit of a shut-in. She led me into her kitchen and made me a cup of tea, all the time apologising about the fact she didn’t have milk or sugar because she just couldn’t afford it.

As I sat with her, she began to share with me her life story. It didn’t take long for me to realise that all the promises she was trying to sell to others about wealth, happiness and love were a distant dream to her. She was one of the most miserable, lonely, disturbed people I had ever met. I was shocked when she showed up at my doorstep one morning for prayer, but she had reached rock-bottom and didn’t know where to look. Her ‘craft’ was failing her, and its promises were coming up empty.

‘Diamond’ was looking for hope and a future in the stars, but God says, ‘I know the plans I have for you… plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’ (Jeremiah 29:11). Our future is not in the stars, but in the God who made the stars.

God says that when we call upon him and pray to him, he will listen and when we seek him with all our heart, we will find him (Jeremiah 29:12-13). But when it comes to divination, Satan’s tactic is simple: Give the people what they want - tell them what they want to hear: ‘The prophets prophesy falsely and my people love to have it so’ (Jeremiah 5:31).

Only God can deliver a good future

Te problem occurs when there is no follow-through on these promises of wealth, fame and love. People are left feeling more alone and desperate than they were before. Astrologists are promising things that they simply can’t deliver.

The truth is, only God can follow through on his promises for good things. The Bible tells us, ‘Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows’ (James 1:17).

Psychics and those who cast astrology charts generally give out vague good news to their customers because if they gave out bad news, they would go out of business. You only have to meet an astrologer to know that the ‘news’ that they are broadcasting is false. If it were true, my neighbour Diamond would have been living a life full of friends, money and success, instead of being alone, poor and miserable.

True success and lasting happiness can only come by placing Christ first in your life. The only way to have a meaningful life is by submitting to God’s Word as blueprint for your life. God tells us not to worry about what we will eat or drink and what clothes we will wear, but to seek his kingdom and righteousness first, and then he will give us all these things. (For further reading: Matthew 6:25-34)

Our future is not in the stars, but in the God who made the stars.

At the end of her letter, Freda wrote: ‘If ever, for any reason whatsoever, the special help I am going to perform for you fails to solve your problems and to bring you into this better and RICHER life you are hoping for, you will only need to notify me for an immediate and full refund of the payment.’

I had to laugh when I read those words, ‘full refund’. God doesn’t have to offer us a full refund, because ‘no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God’ (2 Corinthians 1:20). With God, we don’t have to worry about a money-back guarantee, for we know that his word is true and he will accomplish all that he has promised us.

The next time you are tempted to turn to your horoscope for a good laugh or to find some hope for your life, I suggest you steer clear of such empty and false promises and instead pick up a copy of God’s Word, the Bible. Know that when you ‘trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not depend on your own understanding, but seek his will in all you do, he will show you which path to take’ (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Writer: Originally from the small town of Fort Frances, Canada, Heather Keeler moved to Toronto to live in Regent Park and join 614 Regent Park. After a year, she joined the first-ever Ignite Gap Year team. When the year was done, Heather stayed-on to lead two more teams. Since then, she has become engaged and moved to Wellington, New Zealand. Heather is striving to live a life of significance, learning what that means, and in the meantime, trying to have a little fun.

3 Comments to Horror scopes

1. Good piece Keeler:

   Typically the people who are most vulnerable to being enslaved by astrology are well, vulnerable. (Though there are many individuals in positions of authority who are into it). Many helping institutions in our society can make individuals feel as if they are no more than basket of needs, completely ungifted, that nothing is remarkable about them other than the extent of their deficits. They merely members of faceless groups.

   As general of the language of these predictions is it is certain to resonate with something that is special within the individual no matter how covered it is with layers of despair. The best offence against this enslavement is to develop means for vulnerable individuals to exercise their gifts. This can be dreadfully painful as results are often so small they are nearly impossible to identify. But it endure than any material gift, no matter the price.

   Andrea
Andrea614Regent on November 13th, 2007

2. This piece is very timely. All around me the forces of the mystical are battling for people’s attention. Even in our small community we face those who religiously structure their days and lives around the words in their horiscope, or from some mystic or other.

   Thank you for this witness, Heather
Jude McCoy on November 13th, 2007

3. When my 17-year-old stepdaughter came to live with us for a year, we were surprised to find out that she was very versed in the “art” of astrology and had studied under several “experts” in the field. Talk about a quick-study effort on our part!

   It provided some really good discussions, however, as we began to learn about the origins of the horoscope and how it probably started out as God’s story of the earth and it’s proposed history - and instead became twisted by the world to become a self-serving tool, taking the attention off Him. At first, she was skeptical (but very tolerant) but the more we kept exploring the signs themselves and their corresponding stories in the Scriptures, the more she was fascinated by the Bible. I think she is still drawn to it (several years later) but she has taken several Biblical Literature classes in her college studies now as a result of our many conversations.

   Interesting blog.
Martha Sheppard on November 19th, 2007

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