The Horoscope Crisis: What Does the New Zodiac Mean For You?

January 13, 2011, marked the day many zodiac lovers broke into an outrage over the introduction of the 13th sign, Ophiuchus (yeah, have a good time trying to pronounce that one). The dates for the new zodiac sign are November 29-December 17.  Ophiuchus is the first of the 13 signs to be associated with an actual human being.  According to World News Insight, Ophichius is  an “interpreter of dreams, who attracts good luck and fruitful blessings. Holds lofty ideals and is a seeker of peace and harmony. Inventive in nature, with expanding qualities. Will often seek higher education and wisdom and can end up as an overseer, or supervisor of work.”

All of this may seem pretty intriguing; however, the public is not convinced. Social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter soared with comments that display a range of emotions.  No matter the type of reaction, it is apparent that the zodiac sign Ophiuchus is a real eye-catcher.

Whether you fall into the “31% of Americans who believe in astrology and read their horoscopes religiously” or the 69% that occasionally looks at their horoscope, we must all admit that it is fascinating to see what our horoscope has to say about us from time to time.  But what about those whom have passed the curiosity stage and decided to get a tattoo of their zodiac sign? We all know that tattoos are permanent, which is what we all thought about our zodiac signs, right?

While the public might be in total disbelief, astronomers are sitting back in their chairs having a ball with the “so-called” new discovery.  As stated by Parke Kunkle of the Minnesota Planetarium Society, “Astronomers have known about this [the shifting of the Earth] since 130 BC…It astounds me that this has taken off the way it has in the last day or two.” If astronomers knew about “the wobble of the Earth’s axis” hundreds of years ago, why would they wait until the 13th day of 2011 to inform the public about a 13th sign? Could this possibly be a sign itself?

CNN reporter Jason Hanna digs deeper into this zodiac uproar and interviews astronomer Jeff Jawer who points out that there are 2 distinctive ways to determine zodiac signs.  The tropical zodiac is the most common among Westerners.  This particular zodiac system is based on the 4 seasons.  Considering the fact that the seasons are set in stone, the tropical zodiac sign standards have not changed.  In other words, if you were a Taurus in 2010, 10 times out of 10 you’re still a Taurus in 2011; whereas the sidereal zodiac paints you as a curious, energetic Aries.  The reason the sidereal zodiac has shifted by a month is because it’s “fixed to constellations,” and constellations are forever-changing.

In the end, if you want to kiss the life of being an imaginative and sensitive Pisces good-bye for the life of an open-minded and tolerant Aquarius, by all means do so.  While you are trying to decide whether to remain the same or hop onto the side of new beginnings, it’s quite interesting to note the correlation of certain days with each new zodiac sign. For example, a Scorpio and an Ophiuchus both have the birthday of November 29th.  So is the person whose birthday is November 29th both signs? Or does this mean that the person gets to choose what sign he or she wants to be? Confusing, right? Well, with that being said, I will let you be the judge of that.

 
 
Check out this video for a closer insight on the zodiac shifts.