Ophiuchus - The 13th Sign?

NASA recently announced the existence of a 'new' zodiac constellation - Ophiuchus. This, they declared, meant that the zodiac actually contains 13 signs, not 12, and because of this, all the Sun sign dates would have to change in order to accomodate this revolutionary information.

Astro-sceptics rubbed their hands with glee as they anticipated the demise of astrology and astrologers now that science had discovered the 'truth'. Needless to say, social media went into meltdown and myself and other astrologers were trolled mercilessly by the usual scumbags who always emerge from the shadows at such times, taking it upon themselves to dish out the retribution they think we deserve. There also seemed to be mass hysteria from horoscope fans who were distraught that they were no longer who they thought they were, with cries of, "I'm a Scorpio, I don't want to be an Ophiuchus!" or "Now we have to choose our own star sign?!" I even had friends emailing me about it: "Saw this on Facebook, what are your thoughts?" So, here's the lowdown on Ophiuchus......

Ophiuchus is a constellation associated with the figure of Asclepius, a famous healer in Greek mythology. Its name means Serpent Bearer, and is represented by the symbol of a man, or sometimes, a woman snake handler: It can also be known by its Latin name - Serpentarius. Personality traits include: passion, jealousy, secrecy, and arrogance. With the need to be dominant and a taste for vengeance. Sound familiar? Of course, it does. These are the traits of Scorpio. The 12 signs of the Zodiac were specially chosen to represent human psychology and experience. The traits of Ophiuchus have always been naturally incorporated into, and merged with, the sign of Scorpio. There is no need for it to become a separate entity. Ophiuchus belongs to the Hercules family of constellations, including Aquila, Ara, Centaurus, Corona Australis, Corvus, Crater, Crux, Cygnus, Hercules, Hydra, Lupus, Lyra, Sagitta, Scutum, Sextans, Serpens, Triangulum Australe and Vulpecula. Ophiuchus is not, never has been and never will be a sign of the zodiac.

The 13th sign argument has been going on since the 1970s. The theory didn't stand up then and it still doesn't. Forty years of getting nowhere. You'd think that the people who perpetuate this myth would have got the message by now, but no, it appears regularly every few years. If you included every constellation which happens to touch or overlap the zodiac circle (ecliptic), there would be far more than 13 signs anyway. At the last count, I estimated at least 16. The point is, just because there is a huge choice, it doesn't mean you have to include everything. Being selective is the key to making something work efficiently. For example, when painting a picture, an artist doesn't use every colour on the palette, otherwise the image would be ruined. Similarly, when cooking a meal, you don't use every ingredient in the cupboard, you choose the ones that blend together to create the best result. 

Thousands of years ago, the ancient Babylonians made the decision to align the number of signs on the zodiac circle with the period of time it took the Sun to travel around it. Astrology is a complex mathematical system within a structured pattern whose beauty lies in its balance, symmetry, and synchronicity with the 12 months of the year, the four seasons (each of which lasts for three months and contains three zodiac signs) and the four elements: Fire, Earth, Air and Water. To add other signs into this would, quite frankly, f*ck the whole thing up. Also, if Ophiuchus were to be included and the other signs had to be shifted in order to accommodate it, then sitting as it does between Scorpio and Sagittarius, it would become the 9th sign. The final, and 12th sign of the zodiac is Pisces which would continue to be the final sign, and therefore it would become sign number 13. 

Ophiuchus is a real constellation, but it is not a zodiac sign. The 12-sign system that astrologers have been using for thousands of years works brilliantly. Changing it would be a disaster. How about 25 hours in a day? Or 10 days in a week? Maybe 14 months in a year? No? Didn't think so! As the old saying goes - "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"