The Real reason you read the horoscope

Zen and My Daily Horoscope

I like to think I’m a rational person. A person who considers things carefully and tries to look at the facts as they are, not as I want them to be. Someone who believes in reason. So can anyone explain to me why I read my newspaper’s daily horoscope faithfully?

I do (sort of) believe in what the signs of the Zodiac tell me in a general way about personality types in the same way I do any other system that provides useful information about different psychological types. It’s pretty clear to me that I fit the description of a Sagittarius to a “T” and no one would ever mistake me for a Taurus. But that’s about as far as I go with that.

But, I don’t believe in the daily horoscopes and certainly not those in the newspaper for heaven’s sake. Nonetheless, I read mine every day, how inconsistent of me is that? I figure it’s those occasional days where the silly thing hits a nail so square on the head that keeps me coming back for more. Obviously, you don’t have to believe they are divine revelation to get food for thought from them.

This morning mine gave me a reminder that was pretty handy. Here is what it said:

“As with Scorpio, detachment seems counterintuitive to getting what you want. How can the key to getting what you want be not caring whether you get it? Hold your intention and desire, but let the outcome be what it will.”

See, this is one of those days where my personal circumstances needed that reminder badly. And it so happens this Zennish concept is one I struggle with often. How do you care enough to manifest something, and yet be detached enough to not care if it doesn’t? This little Grasshoppah has puzzled over this one.

Here’s what I’ve come up with. For one thing, the outcome will be what the outcome will be. I can either suffer angst over it, or accept it and move on. Angst or move on? I’ll have move on please. I’ve discovered that I can care very much about the outcome, but when it doesn’t happen, I’ve been around the block enough to trust more and more that something better is often waiting in the wings. Or, that what I want is not really what is best for me at this moment in time. Or, there is something more important to be learned in the not getting it, than there is in the getting it.

Thankfully, that sort of trust is one of the trade offs for chin hairs, reading glasses, and creepy skin. I still struggle occasionally, but I’m getting bettah.

Hmmm, we’re having Chinese for dinner. Wonder what my fortune cookie has to say …