Etched into the shell of a souvenir crab was one word: cancer. When my babysitter handed it to me after returning from a trip to Florida, I thought to myself, quite panicked, is she telling me she has cancer?

She explained that it was my astrological sign and not the disease. Being the superstitious and anxious third grader I was, I hid the gift. I was terrified that just being in its presence would somehow give me cancer and I wasn’t willing to take any chances.

Today, I find myself fawning over little dishes with cancer engraved in them and necklaces which feature its constellation. When I look up on a clear night, I search for the collection of stars that represent my astrological sign. And of course, I avidly read my horoscope.

What changed my mind about astrology’s virtues, I don’t remember. And I wouldn’t go as far to say that I couldn’t imagine my life without it but it definitely is a welcome presence in my life.

Often times when I begin my week, I am extremely worried about what is to come. I am stressing about every little thing that I know I have to deal with and equally anxious about the unexpected obstacles that might pop up. When I’m feeling extremely frazzled, reading my horoscope calms me down and gives me perspective on what I should focus on. I tend to internalize many of the things I struggle with and work hard to deal with them on my own. But as I’ve gotten more into astrology, I’ve found it nice to have a guiding voice that I can listen to.

I like getting advice but when it comes from somebody extremely close to me it can seem like an attack. But a horoscope is impartial and based solely on the astrological makeup of the universe when you were born. The only thing close to this idea is the priest’s homily, or take on each week’s readings for those who have no clue what I’m talking about. However, I sometimes find it difficult to connect what is occurring in my life with writings from hundreds of years ago. Astrology is both present and past, personal and universal.

Most of the time what I read is pretty accurate and I can find what is written somewhere in my life at the moment. I have heard of some psychological effect from friends who’ve taken one of our school’s psych courses that says people will basically believe whatever information is given to them and relate to it even if it is extremely vague. This may be true but I don’t really care. Why would I ignore something that makes me feel more connected internally and at peace? Because not every horoscope I read is entirely spot on, I take each with a grain of salt. I’m not letting it dictate all of my choices and decisions, but I’m feeling especially unsure about something I let it guide my conscious.

If you are feeling extremely lost, unsettled or overwhelmed, I urge you to check out your horoscope. You don’t have to read it every single day, check all of your favorite fashion and lifestyle brands, magazines and websites for their weekly and monthly horoscopes or have an astrology Twitter account’s tweet notifications on. Just because I do all of these things, does not mean in any way that I consider myself an astrological expert. It’s too complex and mystic for me to fully wrap my head around.

For anybody who needs occasional or daily guidance, wants to feel some sort of greater connection or are just curious, start with a simple google search. Even the greatest skeptics may find something they like written in the stars.