13 th sign, has your sign changed?

Recently an astronomer announced that the discovery of a new star Ophiuchus means that there are 13 signs of the zodiac, not 12. Ophiuchus is in fact a constellation, it’s not a zodiac sign and for this reason it has no relevance or effect on Astrology as astrologers work with zodiac signs rather than constellations. Sun signs can’t be seen in the sky whereas fixed star constellations can. They are very separate. The constellation Ophiuchus was discovered in ancient Greece and is known as the serpent bearer.

Astrology was first used thousands of years ago a tool to help man understand the workings of nature and to observe the cycle of seasons. They saw the connection between events on earth and the events in the sky and were able to predict when to expect floods or droughts depending on the movement of the Sun, Moon and planets. To this day fisherman and gardeners use Astrology to maximise their success. The ancient astrologers were also astronomers. They named the signs of the zodiac after constellations but the dates of each zodiac sign were determined by the seasons of the year. The zodiac signs connect to the four seasons of the year, each with a beginning, middle and end, marking the 12 signs. The dates of the signs are linked to the equinoxes, which astrologers use as reference points. Aries marks the spring equinox, Cancer, summer solstice, Libra autumn equinox and Capricorn the winter solstice. Every 2,000 years, like now, there is a new pole star due to the slight wobble of the earth known as the precession of equinoxes. Astrologers always knew this, which is why they use a fixed immovable method of measuring the sky rather than work with constellations, which are unreliable. The star constellations are solely the decorative backdrop against which astrologers measure the sky and create horoscopes. In front of the constellations is what is known as the Ecliptic, used in Astrology to measure the sky and create horoscopes. The Ecliptic is the apparent path of the Sun around the earth, from the viewpoint of earth. This is the line along which the sun follows through the sky, from Aries to Pisces and is divided into 12 equal mathematical divisions, which makes up the 12 zodiac signs.

You haven’t suddenly woken up as another sign, your sign is still the same and the dates haven’t changed.

2012 and Beyond

There are many prophecies related to 2012; the apocalypse, global economic meltdown, natural disasters being the popular ones. 2012 is the end of the Mayan calendar and for the ancient Maya, it was a huge celebration to make it to the end of a cycle rather than the end of the world. The unusual planetary alignment on December 21, 2012 marks the crossing of the cusp from the approximately 2,150 year- long Age of Pisces, moving into the Age of Aquarius. Aquarius rules, among other things, technology, the internet, democracy, freedom, and the equality of all mankind. At its most profound level Aquarius is the sign of the ultimate unity or “oneness” of the human race, and in particular that of men and women.