Here we go again, except this time it isn’t Bill Nye or astronomer Parke Kunkle from the Minnesota Planetarium Society claiming that astrologers have been using the wrong signs for ages because of the precession of the equinoxes, it’s NASA claiming that a 13th sign named Ophiuchus has been overlooked by astrologers for ages even though this constellation is clearly visible between Scorpio and Sagittarius.
If any of these scientists spent 5 minutes researching astrology, they would come to an irrefutable conclusion: There are 12 signs in the zodiac. Period.
Yes, the constellations have moved because of the precession of the zodiac. For those of you who may recall high school science (and especially for those of you who don’t), the earth’s axis is unstable and reacts to the gravitational pull of the Sun and the Moon. The shifting of the earth’s axis (it wobbles) causes a shift that in turn causes the vernal equinox to move in the opposite direction from the standard zodiac. Consequently, the constellations are no longer in the same place, and nowadays when the Sun enters the vernal equinox in the sign of Aries, it is actually in the constellation of Pisces.
With that said, the “you think you’re an Aries but you’re really a Pisces” argument appears to be a valid one. It’s not. In reality, this “scientifically based” argument is rooted in ignorance.
Those of us who practice Tropical Astrology, which is the most common form of astrology in Western culture, use and rely upon the signs of the zodiac, not the actual constellations. In Western astrology, planetary positions are measured in celestial longitude from 0° Aries, which is the point of the vernal equinox. Therefore, the SEASONS are the reference points for the zodiac signs, not the constellations. They may share the same names but that’s as far as it goes. Furthermore, with the exception of the Sun, astrological symbolism is chiefly connected to the planets, not the stars, and the positions of the planets are measured according to where they are in the signs. Although astrologers in Eastern cultures generally practice sidereal astrology, which does use the stars as reference points, they too divide the ecliptic into equal signs. This is not the same as the constellations which are unequal.
As for Ophiuchus, it was never included in the tropical zodiac. If you’d like to read about the birth of the tropical, click here to read an excellent article on the subject by astrologer Glenn Perry, Ph.D.
So as much as I might prefer to be an easygoing Sagittarius, the fact of the matter is that I’m an overachieving Capricorn, and that suits me just fine.
As for the scientists who are so hellbent on discrediting astrology that they continue to promote misinformation in an attempt to persuade the public that it’s nonsense, one has to wonder why it bothers them so much. Seriously, don’t they have better things to do with their time?
How could you have a scientific-based argument without having done research? The proof is in the pudding. This is not a new discovery. I believe in astrology, (although it may not have been accurate) but you can't deny the facts of astronomy.
No one is denying the the facts or astronomy. Astrologers know that the constellations have moved and we aren't disputing that fact.
The issue is that the astronomers failed to do any research about astrology! Western astrology uses the signs, not the constellations, and the signs are based upon the Aries Ingress. Our reference point is the season, not the constellation.
The astrologers have done their homework. It's about time the scientists do the same.
Great post, thanks for clearing things up 🙂
I linked to your post on my blog.
http://oneboyonegirlboutique.blogspot.com/2011/01/i-was-gemini-and-now-am-taurus.html