“Love life not working out? Health problems? Everything going wrong?” Amisha Patel used to be skeptical of astrological services that offered claims about the future. Her parents, who immigrated to the U.S. from India, would make annual trips back to Gujarat. When they returned to their New Jersey home, they would share predictions from Hindu astrologers about the fates of their children. “I found my parents’ belief in fate unnerving and un-American,” Amisha wrote in her Modern Love essay. But in her late 20s, she began to embrace the notion of destiny. Could it be that all paths lead to the same ending? We asked Amisha where she stands now.
[theme music]
Dan Jones: From The New York Times, I'm Dan Jones.
Miya Lee: And I'm Miya Lee.
This is the Modern Love podcast.
Dan Jones: Today's essay is about faith,
and it's about horoscopes.
Miya Lee: I check my horoscope actually every morning in bed
after checking the weather.
Dan Jones: Wow, I had no idea.
Miya Lee: And while I don't put too much weight in it,
I keep coming back every single day.
Dan Jones: The essay is called 'The Heart Said Yes; the Horoscope Said No.'
Miya Lee: It's written by Amisha Patel and read by Soneela Nankani.
[music]
Soneela Nankani: Ever since I was a child,
I have known my destiny.
Not in the subtle ways that some believers in fate know,
but in the very unsubtle ways that many Hindus know.
I have what we call a janmakshar,
a premium personalized horoscope.