We’ve all met one of those people–you know, the kind who posts their daily horoscope on their story or all-too-often remarks how “that’s such a gemini thing to do!” But is this habit of following astrology more than just (sometimes) annoying? Is it sinful? The Catechism of the Catholic Church says it is.
All forms of divination are to be rejected: recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring up the dead or other practices falsely supposed to “unveil” the future. Consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance, and recourse to mediums all conceal a desire for power over time, history, and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers. They contradict the honor, respect, and loving fear that we owe to God alone (CCC 2116).
The most obviously dangerous acts are those of necromancy, or attempting to communicate with the dead and predict the future usually by the invoking of demonic or Satanic aid, as well as witchcraft. Needless to say, “black magic” has always been a grievous offense against the Lord and faith and should never be toyed with in the slightest. Any deals made with evil spirits give them access to one’s soul and could result in demonic possession or other mortal injury. Occult activities like fortune telling, palm reading, tarot cards, divination, and even games like the Ouija Board are also wrong, since they treat flippantly or even deny the reality of evil spirits in this world. This is playing with fire, toying with forces beyond human understanding that cause serious harm to many souls.
More widespread and watered-down practices, such as following astrology and horoscopes, and superstitions like “knock on wood” and good-luck charms, are still a wayward road. He has determined that we are to be creatures in time; it is in our nature to experience life in time, through an unceasing chain of present moments. Trying to gain unnatural power over time and lift the veil over the future which He has placed before mankind, is both disobedient and forbidden. We must not, like Adam and Eve did, succumb to the devil’s temptations to go beyond the human means God gives us for knowledge.
Unfortunately, modern culture is swamped with information and desires of this sort. From a young age, some kids are taught that if they wear their pajamas inside out, flush an ice cube down the toilet, or put a fork under their pillow at night the next day will be a “snow day,” or a day off school. Most grow up learning not to walk under ladders and that Friday the 13th is unlucky. Today, on every person’s Snapchat profile there are tabs about your friend’s “Birthstone,” “Astrological sign,” and “Sun Stone Compatibility,” and people talk about “manifesting” your wishes. And who hasn’t cracked open a fortune cookie at the local dumpling restaurant?
Now, although nonsense, these things are small and not always evil. If such things are treated like birthday wishes when one blows out the candles, a funny way to celebrate but little trust or even hope that the wish will come true, or if horoscopes simply give vague personality tendencies only as suggestions and not false prophecies, they can possibly be done in the spirit of good fun and in good conscience.
It is when people by habit actually begin to believe that such acts can determine reality, that fate exists and overrules free will or God’s will, that such superstitions and practices turn from mostly harmless entertainment to moral danger.
Superstitions are not just occult, they have even invaded the faith life. Sooner or later one is bound to hear of novenas or prayers that “guarantee” a full indulgence or any prayer one seeks. But this, too, is of course misleading. The problem here is when one ascribes “the efficacy of prayers or of sacramental signs to their mere external performance, apart from the interior dispositions that they demand” (CCC 2111). One cannot simply say a few words with only the intention of getting exactly what it is they desire. The prayer must be authentic and the person must almost forget about their own goals in the process of totally worshiping the Lord.
Classical astrology, or the manner in which it used to be practiced in medieval times, is licit if done appropriately. For instance, looking at the positions of the heavenly bodies and the effects they may have on terrestrial events like weather or the best planting and harvesting times. So long as we are not trying to predict the future or believe that the stars control human freedom, but rather seek what is necessary only from God, we are usually not violating His law.
The bottom line is that trying to place our trust in chance events or our own placement of certain material anywhere else but in God who is the sole and true source of power in our life, will result in nothing but failure and ruin. Proverbs 3:5-6 says it best: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.”
Liana Winans is a lifelong Bostonian studying Biology as a freshman in MCAS. While not working on Torch articles or practicing pro-life apologetics, she will often be found playing basketball in the Rec, reading at the Res, playing piano, or watching old action movies. Her go-to prayer is the Divine Mercy Chaplet.
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