TresSugar

7 Things to Know About People Born in the Year of the Dragon

TresSugar — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 09:20:00 PST

Happy Chinese New Year! Today marks the start of the lunar new year, and as the world welcomes the Year of the Dragon, we're finding out everything we need to know about personalities born during the legendary animal's year - including those born in 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, or 2000. Curious? From a natural dominance to unwavering loyalty, here are seven compelling qualities of people born in the Year of the Dragon.

What Your Star Sign Says About Your Style

Miriam Lacey — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 06:01:54 PDT

Identical twins Tali and Ophira Edut are two of the coolest astrologers around, and their website, Astrostyle, is full of down-to-earth astrological advice. Now, one-half of the duo, Ophira, is sharing her insights into different signs' beauty personalities. So to find out whether your taste is on the mark, what colors you'll rock, and whether Virgos really are boring, just keep reading.

The Stars Point to Oscar Wins For Natalie Portman, James Franco, and The Fighter

Annie Scudder — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 01:00:19 PST

We're making our own Oscar predictions around here, but sometimes it seems like the results are less about merit and more about luck. I got on the phone with astrologer Ophira Edut - a member of the experienced and consistently accurate AstroTwin duo - to discuss the astrological factors influencing Sunday night's results. Here are her predictions!

It's all about Aries. "Jupiter the planet of luck is in Aries right now, so anything with an Aries theme, which involves heroism or a triumph over the odds, has a good shot. Aries is a fighter sign, so The Fighter and The King's Speech should do well overall."
There will be surprises. "During the Golden Globes and SAG awards, Jupiter was in Pisces, which is more like watery and dark, so all the things that won before might not win the Oscars."
Expect red on the red carpet. "This year a lot of bright colors, red or pink, will be a good look - bold, bright colors, more so than the usual pastels. Hair and even earrings are going to be big, going with the Aries theme. Makeup and hair is going to be heavy in the dos and the don'ts."
There will be fashion risks, à la Lady Gaga. "This is a great year for people to do something a little more trendy. Lady Gaga is an Aries. The egg trick was a good one. Aries was the sign of the Grammys, too. So even though she didn't win, she ended up being the most talked about person there. The Golden Globes was a Pisces energy, more watery, flowing, enchanting. This is more fierce and bold, and even a little shocking."
Anne and James will have sexual chemistry. "James Franco might surprise us by being funny and on target. Anne Hathaway is a Scorpio, and there's always a level of sexual chemistry between Scorpios and Aries. It's going to be kind of hot to see them together."
Best actress: "Natalie Portman. The stars are aligned for her. She's at a point as a Gemini to reap the rewards of her hard work."
Best actor: "James Franco. James is an Aries, so that gives him a strong chance of winning. If he doesn't because he's hosting, Colin Firth could win. It'll be a Capricorn moon that night, which is a good night for him. Capricorn is his house of fame. He'll probably make a long, memorable speech if he wins. And he's a Virgo. There are a couple of Virgos that came up strong. Colin Firth and Melissa Leo. They were just finishing a cycle of trying to reinvent themselves or be noteworthy. So for Colin, it could be a nice reward for all the hard work he did."
Best picture: "The Fighter. Now is all about Aries, which is ruled by Mars, the warrior planet."

Consulting the Stars to Conceive

Colleen Barrett — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 11:25:18 PST

Reading your horoscope is one thing, but using it to conceive takes it to a whole other level. But after the great zodiac freak-out of 2011 (which, BTW is moot) I doubt couples who've had luck with astro fertility were shaken. The method claims there are only two to three times a year when a woman can get pregnant successfully (i.e. no miscarriages), and there are plenty of couples who believe it works.

Pioneering astro fertility is British astrologer Nicola Smuts. She analyzes the alignment of Venus and Jupiter - two planets associated with fertility - with a man and woman's astrological chart, determined by the time, place, and date of births. For £150 (about $240), she says on her site, she can not only tell when you're most likely to conceive, particularly through in-vitro fertilization, but also diagnose underlying conditions inhibiting pregnancy (the quantity of eggs, condition of fallopian tubes, STDs, hormonal imbalances, and psychological conditions).

It sounds, and is, crazy, but couples who've seen her swear by the method (though I'd like to hear from ones who don't). Most have already spent thousands on fertility treatments, so what's a few more hundred?

Would you do it?

Pisces and Prejudice: Astrology Gets Compared to Racism

Colleen Barrett — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 01:00:30 PST

Last week our very core was shaken when we thought our zodiac signs had changed, because the Earth's position in the universe has moved. Then we all exhaled when astrologists said they saw this coming and have been factoring in this movement all along, so we all went back to being Geminis and Scorpios, albeit with an extra dose of skepticism. But with the zodiac's credibility in retrograde, it's the perfect time to wage a star war; the perfect time to compare astrology to racism.

Now if you've ever been annoyed by someone asking your sign and only to respond by sizing you up, you're going to like this. Astrology's compared to racism because signs are determined by when and where we're born, neither of which we have control over, and then others use it to formulate opinions (prejudices) about us. Once astrology zealots know our sign, they look for behaviors - say impatience in Aries or emotional instability in Cancers - to confirm their hypothesis.

The difference, of course, is in how it's used. Since astrology hasn't waged any wars to my knowledge, I'd say it's not quite the same. But when followed excessively, is it a form of prejudice?

Trending on Très: Everything You Need to Know About the "New" Zodiac

TresSugar — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 04:00:03 PST

Technically, zodiac signs have changed, but it doesn't really matter
Words of wisdom from Golden Globe-nominated movie characters
Seven outdated love and sex euphemisms
Why vampires will be overtaken by zombies in 2011
Which is sexier - Summer or Winter?
Giada De Laurentiis says treat your man like a king, or else
Three unrealistic expectations about love from Blue Valentine
With economy's decline, abortion rates rose
Ranking the men of Big Love
What is sex in space like?
Best and worst love advice from Britney Spears songs

Why You Can Keep Reading Your Old Horoscope

Colleen Barrett — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 14:10:57 PST

Despite the new horoscope dates that freaked the Internet out yesterday, astrologists don't plan to change a thing. They already have. As I pointed out yesterday, nobody's more aware of the Earth's movement than astrologists (except maybe astronomers or astronauts?), and they have been factoring it into horoscopes all along.

So while, yes, the dates circulating yesterday are absolute fact if we're talking about when the sun passes through individual signs, astrologists use a different zodiac to write horoscopes. The tropical zodiac begins at the start of the Spring equinox, which is why Aries begins on March 20 some years and March 21 in others. From there, they measure each sign in 12 30-degree segments, so the names we use are merely out of convenience, tradition, and mythology.

The question now isn't are you still going to read your sign, but are you going to read horoscopes at all?

6 Alternatives to the Zodiac

GeekSugar — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 16:25:40 PST

While everyone was freaking out about their Zodiac sign changing earlier today, I started out on a quest to find alternatives to the personality-predicting form of astrology. I mean, it's hard to think that sign you've identified with your entire life would be different now, right? These alternatives to the Zodiac rely more on your body, numbers, and seasons than the stars. Check 'em out, as well as the corresponding apps and sites!

Did Your Zodiac Sign Change?

Colleen Barrett — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 14:17:18 PST

I warned last week you might not be reading the right horoscope - it was in the stars! Because the Earth has shifted over the 2,500 years since astrology was created, just about everyone isn't the sign they thought.

Are you going crazy? This Washington Post writer who wrote a sarcastic (I think) open letter to the Minnesota Planetarium Society - the zodiac tyrant behind this "correction" - is.

"Don't you realize how disruptive this is? . . . This is how I organize my life! I voted for McCain because he was a Virgo and they are supposed to be steady and reliable and put all their energy into their children. Now I find out he's a Leo. Leos are, frankly, jerks! . . . I have to go ponder my new flaws now and take some more job quizzes."

Even worse, the Minnesota Planetarium Society says there is a whole new sign. If you were born between Nov. 29 and Dec. 17, you're now an Ophiuchus - that's a serpent. Find out your new sign and why you shouldn't take this forecast too seriously below.

Why You Might Not Be Reading the Right Horoscope

Colleen Barrett — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 11:30:09 PST

If you're a religious horoscope reader, or even a casual one, today there's a whole new reason to think stars are mere dust.

Because the Earth moves, all signs have moved about a month since astrology was created over 2,500 years ago. So if you were born a Gemini, you might actually be a Cancer. I suppose astrologists will tell us to read the sign we were born into and the one after, but that's way too much reading, especially if you follow rising signs.

Still, 25 percent of Americans believe in astrology; if you're one, does this change your outlook?