Today the astrology world was rocked when an astronomer from the Minnesota Planetarium Society published findings that the moon’s gravitational pull on Earth has shifted the planet’s axis in such a way that the sun passes through thirteen constellations, instead of twelve. Each astrological sign has shifted a few days, and is determined by the sun’s location throughout the year. The newly added thirteenth astrological sign, Ophiuchus, lands on November 29 through December 17. In other words, I am no longer a Sagittarius.
According to Greek mythology Ophiuchus, also known as Asclepius, was the son of Apollo and Coronis. When Apollo discovered his wife had been unfaithful, he killed her with an arrow but saved his son Asclepius by snatching him from Coronis’s womb as her body burned on the funeral pyre.
Apollo, clearly an unstable father, left his fetus son to a centaur, Chiron, who could raise the boy and teach him the arts of healing and hunting. Asclepius soon surpassed the centaur in his healing abilities, becoming so skilled in medicine that not only could he save lives; he could raise the dead. Zeus, king of all the gods, became so enraged when Asclepius managed this feat since it was power reserved for the gods. Zeus killed Asclepius with his thunderbolt.
I refuse to recognize my newly adopted zodiac sign. Sagittarius is identified as the powerful centaur Chiron, the one who taught Asclepius. It’s a fire sign, and one of four mutable signs. It’s also ruled by the best planet: Jupiter. No one knows anything about Ophiuchus, besides the few characteristics that describe them as healers, nerds and favorites. And there's the fact that Ophichus messed up the entire zodiac calendar. The symbol representing Ophiuchus is a staff covered in snakes. Anyone who follows astrology would agree the trade off from Sagittarius to Ophiuchus is not a good one.
