The mysterious 13th Zodiac sign, Ophiuchus, could potentially destabilize everything we thought we knew about Astrology. Read on to find out what this mysterious sign is all about, why it was left out, and why it may throw everything you thought you knew about Astrology off-kilter.
What’s Ophiuchus?
Astrology, as we know it today, can trace its origins 2,500 years ago. Its intellectual authors were the Ancient Babylonians. This ancient culture studied the constellations in the sky for years and eventually decided to divide the year into 12 different stages. There is a cadastre that divides the firmament into “plots” that help astronomers identify the positions of the stars, planets, and objects in the celestial sphere.
The name these plots receive is constellations. There are several constellations that aren’t as well known as, say, the Taurus or Gemini constellations. This is so because the 12 constellations associated with the Zodiac signs correspond with the line in which the Earth moves during its 365-day rotation.
Originally, these were tracked to understand the passing of the season and calculate the best time for harvest. However, over time, the mythology around these 12 constellations, especially myths harking back from Ancient Greece, became popular.
However, there aren’t just 12 constellations. The Babylons identified 13, the extra one being Ophiuchus. However, because it made the sign of Scorpio shorter in duration, among other things it threw off balance, they decided to dispense with it. Ophiuchus means “serpent bearer” or “snake charmer”, and those born between November 30th and December 18th could potentially call themselves Ophiuchus natives. A fascinating way in which the imagery of forgotten Ophiuchus appeared in pop culture was when Taylor Swift, pop icon born on December 13th, used snake imagery during her reputation era.
Wondering what an Ophiuchus native may be like? The myth around Ophiuchus is that of Asclepius, a doctor who could turn the venom of snakes into healing potions. Ophiuchus isn’t unlike Scorpio in that way. They recognize that the antidote for the poison of snakes must contain the poison itself, and seek to enchant the dangerous creatures to later use said poison in favor of humanity.
Why is My Zodiac No Longer What I Think It Was?
Some people are quick to point to Ophiuchus as the one who’s to blame for the Zodiac signs looking different than what we once thought. The fact that the 13th Zodiac sign is there does account for the shortening of Scorpio season to only a few days.
However, the real reason all Zodiac signs are nowadays mismatched in the sky and the traditional dates we have been taught have nothing to do with Ophiuchus. Due to Earth’s axial procession, there is a lag of around a quarter of an hour each year. Over time, the delay has accumulated. Now, the Sun enters Aries almost a month after the date it was originally supposed to. Therefore, these would be the dates for each horoscope season:
Capricorn: Between January 19th and February 15th
Aquarius: Between February 16th and March 11th
Pisces: Between March 12th and April 18th
Aries: Between April 19th and May 13th
Taurus: Between May 14th and June 19th
Gemini: Between June 20th and July 20th
Cancer: Between July 21st and August 9th
Leo: Between August 10th and September 15th
Virgo: Between September 16th and October 30th
Libra: Between October 31st and November 22nd
Scorpio: Between November 23rd and November 29th
Ophiuchus: Between November 30th and December 17th
Sagittarius: Between December 18th and January 16th
Who Are the Astrologers that Think I Should Keep my Zodiac Sign As It Is?
For those of you who have used Astrology as a tool for self-knowledge, this may be a hard pill to swallow. Reconciling with the fact that you’re no longer a selfless, service-oriented Virgo but a dramatic, attention-seeking Leo can be difficult for some. However, don’t fret. A lot of astrologers are on your side.
Several schools in Astrology are based on Jungian psychology. Among many significant concepts, Jung spoke of archetypes and archetypal force. Archetypes are images that are present in the collective subconscious that have an assigned meaning that everyone in a given society understand. This would be the case for Zodiac signs. Even for people who don’t place that much stock on Astrology, the fact that someone is a Scorpio or a Gemini holds some sort of meaning. Archetypal force means that the more an image or archetype is visible in society and has different embodiments, the stronger it becomes.
Therefore, years of media representation and the subject being present as a possible topic of conversation, with plenty of books to back the theory up, lends archetypal force to everything the archetype of each Zodiac sign holds, including the dates. It doesn’t matter if they no longer correspond with the actual circuit of the Sun along the constellations.
This means you can all collectively breathe a sign of relief – according to Jungian astrologers, at least, your Zodiac sign is still what you think it is.
What do you think? Are you an Ophiuchus native or would you rather follow the Jungian path and keep things as you have always thought they were? Tell us in the comments!
