Causation, Correlation, Coincidence?

A Modern Reflection on Astrology’s Role in Storytelling, Science, and Self-Awareness

Exploring the Psychological and Evolutionary Roots of Astrology

In a world increasingly driven by data, logic, and scientific validation, astrology often faces scepticism. Critics dismiss it as superstition, while enthusiasts recognise something more profound: a symbolic language that, for millennia, has helped humans make sense of life’s mysteries.

Before delving deeper, it's important to distinguish three critical concepts:

Causation refers to when one event directly produces another. Correlation describes a relationship where two events occur together but without direct causality. Coincidence is when two events happen simultaneously by chance, without any causal or meaningful connection.

Astrology may not claim straightforward causation in the strict scientific sense — the planets are not "forcing" events to happen. However, astrology finds its credibility in the nuanced middle ground between correlation, pattern recognition, and symbolic interpretation. The celestial movements correlate with psychological, social, and natural cycles in ways that offer insight, much like how weather patterns are observed and predicted.

Storytelling, Symbolism, and Evolution

Storytelling is one of humanity’s oldest and most powerful tools for survival. From the earliest oral traditions, humans used stories to share vital knowledge about dangers, seasonal changes, animal migrations, and celestial events in a way that was memorable, meaningful, and emotionally resonant.

Neurological studies support this: storytelling activates multiple areas of the brain simultaneously, enhancing understanding, memory retention, and emotional connection. Authors like Brené Brown have popularised the idea that storytelling helps forge empathy and resilience, while cognitive scientists such as Jerome Bruner proposed that narrative thinking is central to human cognition, helping us not just to remember facts, but to derive meaning from them.

Similarly, mythology — the stories encoded in astrology — provided frameworks for understanding forces far bigger than the individual: fate, time, community, and the natural world.

Astrology, with its rich symbols and archetypes, offered a framework that allowed ancient people to pass on critical information: when to plant crops, when to migrate, when to prepare for seasonal hardships. It turned distant and abstract cosmic phenomena into personal and communal meaning.

Pattern Recognition and the Origins of Science

Humans are wired for pattern recognition. Spotting patterns could mean the difference between life and death for early humans — recognising animal tracks, predicting seasonal changes, or noticing the ripening of fruit.

Astrology itself evolved from careful, empirical observation of patterns over time. For example:

In ancient Egypt, priests observed the first visible rising of Sirius (the Dog Star) just before dawn, which heralded the annual flooding of the Nile — a vital event for agricultural survival.

Stonehenge in England is aligned with the summer and winter solstice, demonstrating that sophisticated astronomical observations were used to track seasonal cycles critical for farming and ritual life.

These practices and tools were not superstition but survival strategies built on observation, repetition, and meaning-making.

Archetypes and Psychological Tools

The psychological power of astrology lies in its use of archetypes — fundamental, recognisable patterns of human experience. Psychologist Carl Jung proposed that archetypes are universal, inherited potentials which shape human behaviour and dreams. Astrology organises these archetypes into a coherent system through the Zodiac signs, planets, and houses.

In the field of organisational psychology, we still use frameworks to map personality and roles, such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), Belbin Team Roles, and Insights Discovery. These tools categorise and interpret individual strengths, challenges, and team dynamics — and are widely accepted.

Astrology can be seen as one of the earliest psychometric frameworks. There is historical evidence of natal charts being drawn for the powerful, such as the documented birth chart of Henry VIII, suggesting astrology’s deep integration into decision-making at both personal and political levels.

Astrology has arguably already mapped the full spectrum of archetypes and life cycles, providing rich frameworks for navigating not just personality, but phases of growth, crisis, success, and transformation.

Art, Science, and Spirituality

While astrology today is often called an "art," it is important to remember that astrology and astronomy were essentially the same discipline until the Enlightenment period in Western Europe. Astrology requires rigorous mathematical knowledge to calculate planetary positions and predict celestial phenomena, laying the foundational stones for modern astronomy. (Fortunately, there is software that does that all for us today!)

Historically, astronomy has been both a science and a spiritual philosophy, combining empirical observation with interpretation. The division between measurable "fact" and symbolic "meaning" is a relatively modern construction.

Cycles, Hope, and Resilience

Astrology’s focus on cycles mirrors biological and natural rhythms: the seasons, menstrual cycles, sleep cycles, and tidal movements. Recognising that life unfolds in cycles rather than straight lines brings profound psychological benefit — it normalises change, loss, and renewal.

One of astrology’s greatest gifts is hope. In times of volatility, upheaval, and uncertainty, astrology offers a framework that reassures us: this too shall pass, and new beginnings will come.

Moreover, astrology invites curiosity — not just about the world and its larger patterns, but also about oneself. It is a self-awareness tool, encouraging reflection on one’s talents, challenges, dreams, and paths not yet taken.

Through astrology, we can make sense of the past, better understand the forces shaping the present, and imagine futures with greater clarity and intention, empowering us to make more aligned and conscious decisions today.

A Personal Reflection

On a personal level, astrology has been more than an intellectual interest — it has been a healing tool. It helped me make sense of some experiences from my past, offering a lens through which I could reframe pain not as random or meaningless, but as part of a larger story of growth and transformation.

Astrology illuminated parts of myself that I had always intuitively sensed but had never fully acknowledged — neglected aspects of my psychology that needed nurturing, understanding, and acceptance. In exploring my chart, I found a way to honour those parts of myself, to integrate them, and to foster deeper self-compassion.

For me, astrology embodies a bit of all three dynamics: causation, correlation, and coincidence, woven together with an undeniable thread of synchronicity that can sometimes feel uncanny in its timing and precision.

Perhaps most profoundly, astrology has taught me an empowering truth: I cannot control everything or everyone, and that's not a failure, but a freedom. Understanding the broader patterns and cycles has helped me channel my energy more wisely, make peace with uncertainty, and engage with life from a place of greater agency, acceptance, and hope.

In this way, astrology has not only been a guide to understanding the world — it has also been a bridge back to myself.