Stop Fretting the New Zodiac

Earlier this month, the Star Tribune of Minneapolis interviewed astronomy professor at the Minneapolis Community and Technical College, Parke Kunkle. Since that interview, people have been uneasily about their new sign. 

Calm down, nothing has changed! 

Kunkle explained that due to the Earth’s wobbly orbit, the constellations have shifted a strikingly 23 degrees.  Thus, according to Kunkle, the earth is no longer aligned to the stars the same way as when the signs of the Western astrology were initially introduced 5,000 years ago in Babylon. 

The story about our signs suddenly shifting and the discovery of a 13th sign, Ophiuchus, is nothing new at all. Professional Western astrologers have known about this for years. 

The following astrological branches are practiced today: Arab and Persian (Medieval and Near East), Babylonian (Ancient and Near East), Egyptian, Hellenistic, Hindu, Chinese, Vedic, Mayan, and Kabalistic. Western astrology is based on the tropical zodiac, beginning on the start of the vernal equinox, which follows the seasons, not the constellations.  Thus, Ophiuchus is irrelevant to Western astrology. 

For Kunkle, Western astrologers are not only a month off but they also neglect Ophiuchus, the 13th constellation. 

Ophiuchus (also known in its Latin form Serpentarius), Greek for serpent bearer, is a large constellation that falls along the celestial equator in the northwest center of the Milky Way.

Ophiuchus was one of the 48 constellations discovered by ancient Greek philosopher, Claudius Ptolemy.

In his interview, Professor Kunkle was not referring to Western astrology, which follows tropical conditions; he was speaking more specifically about Eastern or sidereal astrology.  Sidereal astrologers, who follow the stars’ positions, accounted for these positional fluctuations, and have been using these “new dates” for centuries.  

While Easterners have already been using these for years, Westerners seems to have experienced a state of shock for absolutely no reason at all. 

Sorry to disappoint you, but your Western sign is the same as it has always been and it is not likely to change anytime soon. 

According to the “new zodiac,” based on the constellations, here are the new dates:

 Capricorn: Jan. 20 - Feb. 16

Aquarius: Feb. 16 - March 11

Pisces: March 11- April 18

Aries: April 18 - May 13

Taurus: May 13 - June 21

Gemini: June 21 - July 20

Cancer: July 20 - Aug. 10

Leo: Aug. 10 - Sept. 16

Virgo: Sept. 16 - Oct. 30

Libra: Oct. 30 - Nov. 23

Scorpio: Nov. 23 - Nov. 29

Ophiuchus: Nov. 29 - Dec. 17

Sagittarius: Dec. 17 - Jan. 20

Sources: Star Tribune of Minneapolis, Huffington Post, AOL News