Is my zodiac sign serpentine? |

Controversies eventually arise about astrology, the most recent being that the Earth’s rotation axis has changed and, with that, another constellation has arisen, called Serpentarius or Ophiuchus, which in Greek means “snake tamer”.

The information caused agitation and doubt among the astrology appreciative public, as in this case there would be people belonging to a supposed new sign. Will it be true? The answer is no. But let’s explain exactly why.

Serpent Sign? Debunk this myth

To begin to unravel this issue, it is important to understand that constellations are geometric figures formed from imaginary lines that connect certain stars in the sky. Its forms and limits were agreed upon by man.

Diverse cultures, therefore, could attribute different formats to the same constellations or even create new divisions. This means that constellations have different sizes.

For Astrology, the only constellations that mattered were those that remained as the “backdrop” of the ecliptic. But what is the ecliptic? More than two thousand years ago, Egyptian and Greek astronomers conceived that the Universe was a large sphere, which they called the Celestial Sphere.

According to this model, the Earth occupied the center of the sphere, being cut by the Celestial Equator. They observed that if the position of the Sun was marked on the Celestial Sphere at noon during a year, it would describe an inclined circumference of 23 degrees and 30 minutes in relation to the Celestial Equator. This apparent orbit of the Sun in the Celestial Sphere was then called the ecliptic.

How did the twelve signs come to be?

This plane, then, the ecliptic, was divided into 12 equal parts, which were named after the known constellations. And how was this done?

It was agreed that the first division of this immense pizza would begin on the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere – when, after winter, the day has exactly 12 hours and the night too. Astronomically this occurs when the Sun, walking on the ecliptic, crosses the Celestial Equator.

When Astrology appeared, the Constellation that was at the beginning of this pizza was Aries, and that’s how the astrological signs appeared, which are nothing more than the exact division of the ecliptic into twelve equal parts, which do not follow the sizes irregular shapes of the constellations, having only been inspired by them.

This division, therefore, is perennial in Astrology and has been made for a long time. This means that astrological signs are independent of constellations.

So, it is possible to “blend” the sky around the ecliptic as you wish, creating new constellations (that is, new designs and subdivisions), which will not have the slightest influence on the zodiacal sky, which has already been agreed upon and established a long time ago.

In any case, it is interesting to know that the 13th constellation, located next to Scorpio, and which had not been part of the path of the Sun for over two millennia, in no way challenges astrological conception itself.

From a symbolic point of view, it is as if she were a simple offshoot of Scorpio, a sign that is ruled by this animal, but which is also connected with the eagle and the snake, and the representation of Ophiuchus is precisely that of a man holding a serpent.

If the astronomical sky has already changed, why is my astrological sign the same?

Now that you understand that the signs emerged from the constellations, but NO are linked to them, as they are divisions of 30 degrees and do not even follow their actual size, you will also understand how Western Astrology works.

precession of the equinoxes

The backward movement of the earth’s axis relative to the celestial sphere places the north axis pointing to different stars over time. A complete cycle lasts about 25,800 years. At the end of it, the north axis will point to the same star again.

Due to this movement, the spring equinox (date on which day and night are the same length) happens when the Sun enters different constellations of the ecliptic. This phenomenon was called the precession of the equinoxes.

When astrology came into being, Aries was at the starting point of the zodiac in the sky. But today this point is being occupied by Pisces, almost Aquarius. This change occurred due to a movement known since antiquity as “precession of the equinoxes”.

The precession of the equinoxes causes the sign that is at the starting point of the celestial zodiac to change, every approximately 2,160 years, but always moving in the opposite order of the order of the signs (hence the name “precession”).

In this way, about two thousand years ago, Pisces began to occupy this position, which is now almost reaching Aquarius.

The meaning of the age of Aquarius

This is why it is said that we are in the transition from the age of Pisces to Aquarius, each with its own characteristics. Very briefly, we can say that the age of Pisces was marked by the development of belief systems and religions, and also by the clash between them.

The age of Aquarius, which is still showing, will bring the predominance of technology and, probably, a greater rationalism, with the appreciation of the mental plane, typical of this sign.

But where, in all this, does Western Astrology, which is the one you know, come into play?

For Western Astrology, it doesn’t matter what sign is at the beginning of the celestial zodiac, because the zodiac always begins in Aries, whose symbolism refers to beginnings.

Because it is anchored in this vision, it does not follow the precession of the equinoxes, detaching itself from the real sky. So, for her, her sign never changes.

There is an astrology, however, which considers the precession of the equinoxes, that is, the real sky and not the symbolic one, which is the Vedic, practiced in India. For this Astrology, if you were born at the beginning of Pisces, for example, it means that your true sign is the previous one, Aquarius.

If you were born, however, at the end of Pisces, you will still be a Pisces. But it is good to know that Vedic Astrology not only uses the real sky but also has a very different way of interpreting the Western charts. It is a different vision of the individual and, mainly, of his destiny.

So, the myth to dispel is that Western Astrology is wrong because it doesn’t take into account that many times a planet is not in the Constellation that it is said to be. Always remember that it is not based on the real sky, but on the original division and order of the signs. But what is the justification for this?

zodiacal perfection

Signs are much more than a set of characteristics. They are like twelve unique colors, whose order is not random at all. For example, when studying the symbology of each sign in depth, we will discover that none can be as associated with beginnings as Aries. It’s because?

Because Aries belongs to the Fire element and Cardinal rhythm. When talking about Fire and Cardinal signs, this can only be Aries, because Leo is Fire, but the rhythm is Fixed. And Sagittarius is Fire, but the rhythm is Mutable. And so it is with each of the twelve signs. There are no two signs with identical element and rhythm.

Fire is heat and also a transforming element in essence. It warms, transmutes, or destroys. Cardinal rhythm, in turn, is associated with beginnings and taking initiatives. In this way, Aries is the heat that becomes a spark, the beginning par excellence.

However, if the spark does not take hold, the fire will go out. For this reason, after Aries comes Taurus, which not by chance belongs to the Fixed rhythm, of conservation, and to the Earth element, associated with materialization. It therefore represents something that has stabilized and materialized. It is the material emergence of the Universe after the great explosion, the big bang, which is Aries.

We know that after matter arose, it began to expand, to spread out in space. Here we come to Gemini, belonging to Air, an element linked to space and Mutable rhythm, which has to do with movement. The Universe is said to be in a slow but continuous expansion.

Over time, this in turn created life, the fertility of life. And with that we continue the zodiac, a perfect system that explains life and all cycles.

Everything starts in Aries, with the frisson of beginnings, goes to Taurus, stabilizing, is negotiated and modified subtly and continuously in Gemini and so on, passing through each of the twelve signs.

Therefore, there is no mistake in keeping Aries as an eternal first sign, independent of the real sky, considering that Astrology emerged in the Northern Hemisphere and Aries was associated with spring, which is the awakening of life, strength and light, breaking through the winter gloom. Look at the Fire element of Aries here! Spring is also the beginning and invites activity, in pure resonance with the Cardinal rhythm.

Serpentarium: controversy may favor a better understanding of Astrology

Although shrouded in controversy, several of which can be clarified if the layman decides to delve deeper, the best thing about Astrology is providing self-knowledge and a broader understanding of the universe that surrounds us.

She intends to offer her own internal map, the encounter with oneself. We rarely stop to think about what a blessing it is to be able to know so much of our motives and mysteries just because we can study and understand the sky that was under us when we came into the world.

The sky reveals, shows, speaks. And we can always choose how to use the knowledge we gain from astrology.