Am I an Ophiuchus? No you are not!

You might have seen a whole lot of fuss in the media and online recently about astrologers getting it all wrong and that instead of 12 zodiac signs there are in fact 13 or even 14. Instead of a Scorpio or a Libra, you may now actually be an Ophiuchus they say!

Please, please, please disregard all this nonsense. While Ophiuchus is indeed a constellation, because of the way the tropical zodiac (on which western astrology is based) is calculated there are and will always be, only 12 zodiac signs.

Please do not fall for all the current nonsense online, describing the Ophiuhcus ‘personality’ and offering Ophiuchus horoscopes and ‘readings’.  You will be wasting your time and your money.

However deep your knowledge of astrology, whether you know your chart and follow your transits or whether you just read your horoscopes in the newspaper, my advice to you is:

Do not adjust your Sun Sign! 

I repeat: Do not adjust your Sun Sign!

For an explanation of why there are 12 signs in astrology, see:

Are there really 14 signs?

Or for something a little more technical, see Rob Hand’s On The Invariance of the Tropical Zodiac 

For a snappy article on how this current hullaballoo started, see:

Why Did Your Zodiac Change? We Asked the Astronomer Who Started It All

Astrology is an ancient practice, a language of symbolism, wisdom and meaning that has been passed down over thousands of years. Many of the early astronomers such as Kepler and Galileo were also astrologers (in fact, astrology and astronomy were indistinguishable). Today’s serious astrologers have studied long and hard and recognise that their apprenticeship to their craft is never complete, there is always more to learn and to share. They are scholars and artists and scientists who have a genuine love and interest in the development of humanity and have a good understanding of astronomy. They are respectful of astronomers and are saddened that so many (but not all) astronomers dismiss astrology.

However, when I see hundreds of websites which seem to have channelled the ‘Ophiuchus personality’ overnight (one even claiming to have got the information from talking to a skull!), this does more damage to serious astrologers than a hundred astronomers putting us down. Believe in astrology or don’t, it’s up to you, but do not buy into this nonsense.

Don’t get me wrong, serious astrologers keep up to date with all the new discoveries in astronomy. It is in fact the beauty of astrology that as the world around us constantly evolves, so does our craft. For example, as and when new bodies in the solar system are discovered, astrologers take many years to research the impact and meaning of that new body in order to build up a reliable body of knowledge. They look at the discovery chart of the body, when it is named they explore the mythology around it and most importantly, they talk to real people who have those objects prominent in their charts or by transit in order to identify the themes that might be associated with it. They share and debate their findings with other astrologers. They write books and papers and give lectures. This takes many years. For example, Chiron, discovered in the 70’s is still a ‘new’ object for astrology with much still to discover.  Talking of which, astrologer Joyce Mason invites you to participate in her Chiron research project here: http://www.joycemason.com/ChironResearch.html

However, the basics will always stand, so when we see rubbish that claims that our zodiac is wrong, we must do our best to stand up for ourselves.

I hope you continue to join us on this wondrous journey.

With love, Mandi

Proud to still be a Capricorn

www.mandilockley.com