I recently reblogged a post about personality types and astro placements, and I want to throw in my fifty cents. the take that itself is very catchy, but it’s also superficial. If we’re going to mix astrology with typology, then we have to talk about cognition, not archetypal vibes

How cognition actually works

NT types are defined by two functions: a dominant intuitive perceiver (Ni or Ne) and a thinking judge (Te or Ti). in cognitive science terms, these functions map closer to information-processing styles than to personality tropes. NT cognition is pattern based, predictive, and abstraction driven. NT women are not NT because they “look Uranian” or “act Plutonian,” but because their brain prefers conceptual modeling over emotional or sensory prioritization.

Look at positions that correlate with perceptual speed, cognitive detachment, and high abstraction tolerance.

Ne (extraverted intuition) dominant functions:

Mercury-Uranus aspects: divergent thinking, unconventional logic, rapid ideation. this parallels Ne and Ti pattern-breaking.

Mercury Opposite Saturn or Mercury in earth signs: structured cognition, linear systems-building, this parallels Te and Ni organization.

Pluto in hard aspect to personal planets: depth-processing and cognitive intensity, similar to Ni’s tunnel-focus or Ti’s internal excavation.

Uranus or Aquarius influence: non-conformity in mental models, not just behavior.

Air dominance or a strong 11th/9th house: abstraction, conceptual distance, macro-perspective.

Ni (introverted intuition) dominant functions:

• Mercury Conjunct Saturn often shows someone who thinks in long term actions and prefers one clear direction over scattered options.

• Mercury-Pluto can give that tunnel-vision “let me get to the bottom of this” intensity that feels Ni-like.

• Strong 8H or 9H placements often push the mind toward big-picture meaning, future trajectory, or long-range insight.

Fixed sign dominance in thinking placements (Mercury or Moon): sustained focus and resistance to distraction, paralleling Ni’s linear concentration.

• Saturn/Uranus combined influence: strategic innovation with restraint, similar to Ni’s futuristic but controlled internal vision.

Ti (introverted thinking) dominant functions:

• Mercury-Pluto aspects: internal analysis, deconstruction, and precision-focused logic. this matches Ti’s need to refine systems until they are internally flawless.

• Mercury Trine Saturn or strong 3H placements: structural reasoning and principle-based thinking, aligned with Ti’s rule-building and logical consistency.

• Air Mercury (especially Gemini/Aquarius): conceptual detachment and classification of ideas, echoing Ti’s objectivity and technical breakdowns.

• Sparse water influence in personal planets: low emotional interference in decision-making, reflecting Ti’s filtration of feelings out of logic chains.

Te (extraverted thinking) dominant functions:

• Mercury Square Saturn or Saturn on an angle (1H/10H): execution-oriented thinking, system enforcement, and goal management, mirroring Te’s structured output and efficiency.

• Mars-Saturn or Mars-Mercury aspects: direct, task-focused decision-making and measurable logic, aligned with Te’s results-driven judgment.

• Strong 10H/6H emphasis: productivity, strategy, and external organization, paralleling Te’s priority on implementation and order.

• Cardinal sign influence (especially on Mercury or MC): initiation, structure, deadlines, and direction, matching Te’s need to act, enforce, and systematize.

. ܁₊ ⊹ . ܁ ⟡ ܁ . ⊹ ₊ ܁. . ܁₊ ⊹ . ܁⟡ .

that’s it for now, brainiacs! charts don’t create cognition, but they mirror the way you process the world. take what fits, stalk your own aspects, and blame Mercury later, like i dooo

✦ reblogs are very welcome to manifest clearer thinking

✦ inbox open for chart nerd debates

Cognitive techniques are strategies used in cognitive therapy to help you identify and change negative thoughts and beliefs. These techniques should be practiced regularly so that they become habits.

Cognitive Restructuring: This involves identifying and challenging negative or irrational thoughts and replacing them with more positive or rational beliefs.

Thought Stopping: When you notice a negative thought entering your mind, you can mentally shout "Stop!" This interrupts the thought process and gives you a chance to replace the negative thought with a positive one.

Mindfulness and Meditation: These practices help you become more aware of your thoughts and feelings in the present moment. When you observe your thoughts without judgment, you gain insight into negative patterns and choose to let them go.

Journaling: Writing down your thoughts can help you process and analyze them. With time you can identify patterns and work on changing negative thought cycles.

Positive Affirmations: Repeating positive statements can help counteract negative self talk and reinforce positive beliefs about yourself.

Evidence Collection: When faced with a negative belief, ask yourself, "What evidence do I have that supports or refutes this thought?" This can help you see things in a more balanced way.

Decatastrophizing: If you tend to imagine the worst scenario, ask yourself how likely it is to happen and what other possible outcomes there might be. This can help you view situations more realistically.

Labeling: Instead of saying "I am a failure," label the thought as "a negative thought about my abilities."

Distraction: Engaging in an activity or hobby can divert your attention from negative thoughts and give your mind a break.

Scheduling Worry Time: Instead of ruminating on worries throughout the day, set aside a specific time to process them. This can prevent constant worry and allow you to focus on other tasks.

Challenging Cognitive Distortions: Recognize and challenge cognitive distortions like black-and-white thinking, overgeneralization, and personalization.

Visual Imagery: Visualize a place or situation where you feel calm and happy. This can help shift your focus from negative thoughts.

space & the brain are like the two final frontiers

we know just enough to know we know nothing

there are radically new theories all. the. time. and even just in my research assistant work i've been able to meet with, talk to, and work with the people making them

it's such a philosophical science

potential to do a lot of good in fighting neurological diseases

things like BCI (brain computer interface) and OI (organoid intelligence) are soooooo new and anyone's game - motivation to study hard and be successful so i can take back my field from elon musk

machine learning is going to rapidly increase neuroscience progress i promise you. we get so caught up in AI stealing jobs but yes please steal my job of manually analyzing fMRI scans please i would much prefer to work on the science PLUS computational simulations will soon >>> animal testing to make all drug testing safer and more ethical !! we love ethical AI <3

collab with...everyone under the sun - psychologists, philosophers, ethicists, physicists, molecular biologists, chemists, drug development, machine learning, traditional computing, business, history, education, literally try to name a field we don't work with

I want to write my bachelor's thesis about fanficion and AI - specifically about fanfiction writers' attitude towards the use of generative AI in fandom spaces

The survey (and the rest of the thesis) is still v much in the making, I just want to check how many potential responders I could reach from this account

Pls reblog after voting

What I can say about the survey for now:

1. The survey will be anonymous!

2. The survey will be in English (but the rest of my thesis will not. I am however required to write an abstract in English)

3. My supervisor said it's fine if I want to focus on one fandom - In this case it will be the HP fandom. However I would like to include as many reposnes as I can, so it will probably not be a requirement to be in the HP fandom.

4. You don't need to write fanfiction to take part in the survey (but there will be a question if you read and/or write fanfics). You need to be in the fandom though

5. You need to be over 18 (most likely)

I want to keep myself anonymous as well so there is a possibility I will have to make a separate sideblog/account for it.

On today's todo list:

Draft and schedule emails

Review existing literature on my PI's current research direction

Review previous NSF GRFP applications

Look into other national fellowships (listed)

Brainstorm about personal statements + project proposals

I've unfortunately fallen off my daily journaling/work routines the last few months, and I'm working on getting myself back into good habits. Today, my main goal is to schedule all my emails to other PhD programs their declining offers of admission. I just finalized everything with my chosen program this week, and the April 15th decision deadline is looming. I feel terrible for dragging my feet on communications, but I want to make sure I send personalized emails to each professor I interviewed with. I know this is part of the process, but I still hate disappointing people.

Have you ever bought a new car, a specific pair of sneakers, or a bold red bag, only to suddenly start spotting it everywhere you look? The world didn’t overnight-populate with your exact purchase; your brain’s internal filter simply shifted its focus. In psychology, this is known as confirmation bias—our mind’s natural tendency to actively seek out, notice, and remember information that matches our existing beliefs while completely ignoring evidence to the contrary. Whether we realize it or not, our dominant assumptions act as invisible lenses, quietly editing the reality we experience every single day and laying the groundwork for how we perceive our entire lives.

To understand why this happens, we have to look at how the brain manages sensory overload. Every single second, our minds are bombarded with millions of bits of environmental data—sights, sounds, micro-expressions, and background noise. Because conscious processing has a strict bandwidth, your brain relies on a built-in sorting system (the Reticular Activating System) to filter out the "noise" and highlight what it deems important. If you subconsciously assume that people are inherently critical or untrustworthy, your brain will instantly flag a neutral glance from a stranger as proof of hostility. Conversely, if you assume the world is generally friendly, that same glance is dismissed as a simple daydream. We do not see the world as *it* is; we see it as *we* are.

This cognitive filter is precisely where science beautifully shakes hands with the Law of Assumption—the metaphysical principle that what you assume to be true will ultimately harden into your physical reality. When you consciously assume a state of success, abundance, or ease, you aren't just engaging in passive wishful thinking; you are reprogramming your cognitive filters. Suddenly, your brain becomes highly sensitive to opportunities, resources, and connections that were previously invisible to you. You begin to speak with more conviction, take calculated risks, and notice open doors because your internal system is actively hunting for evidence to prove your new assumption right.

However, to keep this perspective grounded and practical, we must draw a clear distinction: confirmation bias is not the Law of Assumption itself. While psychology explains the mechanical *how*—the neurological filtering of information—the Law of Assumption addresses the deeper, metaphysical *why* behind our lived experiences. You do not need to conflate the two to appreciate their synergy. Whether you view manifestation through a spiritual lens or a purely scientific, cognitive-behavioral one, the core truth remains unchanged: your mind is never neutral. It is always acting as an active investigator, building a solid case for whatever core story you are currently telling yourself.

This brings us to a critical, life-altering question: What evidence are you actively collecting today? If you default to autopilot, your brain will easily compile an overwhelming case file on why you are stuck, unlucky, or unappreciated, reinforcing those limiting beliefs until they feel like absolute facts. But the moment you take conscious control of your assumptions, you change the search parameters of your mind. This isn’t about toxic positivity or ignoring real-world challenges; it’s about a deliberate, strategic shift in focus. It is deciding that instead of collecting proof of your limitations, you will start actively gathering receipts of your resilience, capability, and worth.