By Katlyn Clarke | | Contributing Writer

Astrological compatibility. Either you have your whole chart memorized or don’t even know your star sign. The endeavor is anything but simple, and it’s difficult to tell if any of the readings truly mean anything, let alone learning the different signs and succumbing to your fate from the universe.

Yet, there is a component that is fascinating — dare I say, irresistible. Like that one day when you skim through your horoscope and it’s eerily accurate. Or when you’re in the midst of a great relationship, and it turns out that you and your S.O. are an impeccable match. The stars have literally aligned. Okay, it doesn’t have to be that dramatic, but you get what I mean. Learning more about yourself and how you interact with others has the potential to improve relationships and lead to better decisions. The best part about astrology is that you don’t need to go all-in, because just knowing a little bit can go a long way. So with that being said, let’s set aside our skepticism with the stars and explore a few reasons why getting to know your signs might not be a bad idea after all.

Just a few days ago I had a late-night revelation. While chatting with my roommate right before we fell asleep, I asked her when her birthday was. The question was innocent, but when she responded, I felt like it just made sense. We didn’t know each other too well before moving in, but we decorated what I believe to be a very cute living space together, and we share similar interests. Her birthday is January 7th, which makes her a Capricorn. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that many of my closest friends are Capricorns, as well as my sister. It was no longer a surprise why I felt so comfortable and why she reminds me of a few of my other Capricorn friends. It spurred me to check the friendship compatibility between Leos and Capricorns, and hey, i.horoscope.co does not lie.

Naturally, the day after this conversation I downloaded the app Co-Star (this whole astrological thing is addicting). Previously recommended to me by a variety of individuals, Co-Star allows you to follow your friends and compare charts, whilst giving you explanations for compatibility, and horoscopes. And before you ask, yes, people at F&M are extremely astrologically in-tune! This is most likely the reason why I picked up interest so quickly, and why it’s been such a blast. While some horoscope readings are clearly ridiculous (hilariously so), others feel like someone is inside your mind. Plus, it’s interesting to see what reasoning you agree with, and what you feel is inaccurate to you. Again, you make of it what you will! And that’s where you can really have fun with it. My favorite feature of Co-Star is the daily report of incompatibility with other signs. If you’re following friends, the app will literally tell you who you should avoid on what day. Definitely unnecessary, but quite fun when you text someone saying the stars are telling you to steer away from them just because!

All jokes aside, I’ve gained insight into the personalities I’m more likely to be attracted to and why that may be. My sun is in Leo, moon in Gemini, and rising in Scorpio. Prior to this week, I wouldn’t have been able to form that sentence. So for those unfamiliar, these are three most popular signs. Your sun sign is your birth month which essentially should align with how you view yourself: identity, ego, and life perspectives. Your moon controls your feelings, emotions, and mood; your rising (or ascendant sign) is how others perceive you. When I read my descriptions, most rang true, and some explanations contained aspects of my personality or how people view me that I wouldn’t have thought of before.

While I wouldn’t make any drastic lifestyle changes based on my birth chart anytime soon, I’m glad I gave the universe a chance to show its knowledge, and myself the opportunity to discover a new way of interpreting and processing the people around me. So the next time someone brings up astrological compatibility, maybe pass up on the eye roll. Embrace the charm of what’s out of your control, and you never know, it might just be a sign.

Sophomore Katlyn Clarke is a contributing writer. Her email is kclarke@fandm.edu.