Why do people with same zodiac sign lead different lives?

Original question: If astrology is true why do people with the same zodiac sign have different kinds of lives? Why people with same zodiac sign lead different lives

A question I answered on Quora

Two answers to this question:

1. Your question makes the assumption that you can limit astrology to comparing single zodiac signs in a like for like scenario.

It doesn’t work like that. It is too simplistic and the stuff of a popular misrepresentation of astrology.

If you want to make a comparison between people in, for example what careers they have followed, you will need to know their place, year and time of birth.

In other words it requires their birthcharts to be accurately drawn up and then compared – not just their “zodiac sign” which places them in one of 12 groups of people – and there are certainly more than 12 lifestyles we can choose from.

2. Following this procedure, as a means of comparison, I would expect better results. But even that isn’t necessarily that reliable…

As you may know, identical twins (who would have the same birthcharts) often display remarkable similiarities in their choice of work, partners, holidays, where they live.

And this can happen even after they have been separated at birth or as children and given up for adoption – see for example twins on Wikipedia. Why people with same zodiac sign lead different lives

However, even if twins didn’t show any sign of similarity in their behaviour and direction; for me this would not discount the validity of astrology.

The reason being is that I see astrology as providing the timing of a situation into which a soul/spirit or essence (whatever you prefer to call it) enters into. The birthchart in others words does not display the will or soul of a given person. It displays their sybolical situation. Why people with same zodiac sign lead different lives

How the individual soul may handle their situation can, of course, vary from another soul with an identical situation.

Also bear in mind

A person, a horse, a ship could all be born at the same time and place, and thereby each have the same birthchart. What makes the human being different is being human, their level of consciousness, their will. It is not the given birthchart that causes anything – rather a symbolical situation.

I hope this helps.

Associated links:

Is modern astrology just another pseudoscience?
Astrology Reports from Some Inspiration
What is an Holistic Spiritual worldview?