Back in 2003, daughter Megan and her dad (me) co-authored, Star Power: Astrology for Teens. The book eventually went out of print and now we’re returning it to life through the magic of e-books. As I’m re-reading it, I’m amazed by the changes in technology that have taken place over the past 13 years. We wrote about the digital world and how it was different for kids than when their parents were teens. But now even our technological references are outdated. I mean how many people use Palm Pilots today. There was no iPad or smart phones.
From the astrological perspective, Pluto was downgraded to a dwarf planet by the International Astronomy Union in 2006. Truthfully, that doesn’t matter for astrologers. Pluto, after all, hasn’t changed, only its definition.
So I’ve updated the material and really enjoyed reading it over, especially Megan’s sections, which were labeled: From the Teen Viewpoint. Here’s one of them.
From the Teen Viewpoint
Astrology in School? No Such Thing!
When I was younger, I thought my parents could speak a second language. That’s because sometimes when they talked they used strange words and nothing they said made any sense to me. As I got a little older, they started telling me about how the stars affect our lives, and that’s when I discovered that the other language is called astrology.
In elementary school, I noticed that the teachers never said anything about astrology. In middle school, it was the same way. It wasn’t one of the subjects and it didn’t even seem to be part of any of the regular subjects. Even though all my friends seem to know what sign they were born under, they certainly didn’t learn that from any of our teachers. I figured the teachers didn’t know anything about astrology, so that’s why they didn’t talk about it.
But my dad says that’s not the reason they don’t talk about it. “So why don’t they?” I asked.
“Go ask one of the science teachers in your school about astrology. Pick the friendliest one you know, the one who likes to talk a lot to the kids.”
I knew just the teacher. I had him in sixth grade. I told him I was helping my dad with a book about astrology for teens and I wanted to know what he thought about the subject. I promised I would include what he said right here.
“That’s fascinating,” he said. “I’ll get back to you.”
But you know what, he never did. I reminded him a couple of times, but he just put me off. So I told my dad I didn’t have any answer.
“The answer is in his silence. Teachers in public schools have to watch what they say. My guess is that he thinks astrology falls into the realm of belief and religion. He won’t say anything, because whatever he says could get him in trouble.”
“Why?”
“There are a lot of rules, regulations, restrictions, and limitations that teachers must follow. One of those is not to say or teach anything that offends someone’s religious beliefs.”
“But astrology isn’t a religion.”
“True, but when astronomy was separated from it and became the science of the stars and planets, astrology was ignored because it seemed to give the stars too much influence over our lives. It didn’t seem to fit into science.”
“Then why are people still interested in astrology?”
“Because people are interested in seeing patterns in their lives and the deeper you look into astrology the more patterns you find and the more meaningful they become.”
“But if it’s meaningful, then why don’t scientists see that?”
“Some of them do. Cary Mullis, a Nobel Prize winner in physics, wrote a chapter on why astrology works for him in one of his books. Carl Jung, one of the most renowned psychoanalysts of the last century, used astrology as a valuable tool.”
“But it’s still not in school.”
“Things are changing. The schools eventually will catch up. Meanwhile, there’s a lot of information available about astrology and we’ll cover some of the basics.”
We can only hope things will change. Having a daughter as a teacher, I can assure you the system does everything in their power to muzzle any creative energy for teaching, but is often unsuccessful. Some use it anyway.
There are always rogues and rebels!
And schools have still not caught up. At least not here. Good question to ask.
Thanks for writing this. In ancient times the astrologers were the astronomers – one and the same. I often think that back in those days when there was no power other than fire, the sun, moon and the stars, those people had a lot of time to observe in ways people today cannot begin to imagine. No cells phones, no television, Just you me and the stars. That must have involved one hell of a lot of observing.
I have received the same reaction concerning the I Ching in that some people insist that it is a religion and therefore something their religious does not allow. It doesn’t matter if I tell them it is the oldest book ever complied and that it is a philosophy. Dim wits.