Life
What Are Ophiuchus' Dates?
Have you heard? We've been gifted by the heavens! With a new zodiac sign called Ophiuchus! OK, whilst it's not strictly new, I'm sure you still want to know what Ophiuchus' dates are. Because if you're anyway interested in the Zodiac, you'll realize that a possibility of a new sign could change up everything we currently know about astrology, and by extension... ourselves. (Cue the spooky music.) If you're worried that you went to bed a Gemini and woke up a Scorpio, then read ahead for some further information on this latest star sign phenomena.
First, it's worth noting that not everyone is convinced that Ophiuchus actually is the 13th sign. If it is, though, it's positioned between Scorpio and Sagittarius. If you're either one of these signs (like me — I'm a Scorpio), you'll probably want to know if your sign could change, or if anything is going to be overlapping. Should Ophiuchus officially join the zodiac, it will represent people born from Nov. 29 through Dec. 17.
Again, though, that's if you even recognisz this new sign within the zodiac, which many astrologers do not. It all comes down to the difference between astrology and astronomy and our failure to distinguish between the two.
Speaking to Daily Horoscope, astrologer Rick Levine revealed that the existence of Ophiuchus shouldn't even be up for debate within the world of the zodiac (sorry, guys). "Ophiuchus has nothing to do with astrology," Levine said. "It's not an astrology issue. It has to do with the stars — it's not a sign, it's a constellation."
Daily Horoscope goes onto explain that Western media have somehow linked the position of the stars with astrology, but point out that astrology was never based on constellations in the first place. It's actually linked to the four seasons — and that is constant.
Writes Daily Horoscope, "Astrology is based on the four seasons, not on constellations — and the seasons don't change. As Levine said above, there are four seasons, each with a beginning, middle and end, which adds up to 12 zodiac signs. There is no 13th astrological sign. Period."
It's hella confusing, especially as we're all complicit in creating that confusion; we call our zodiac signs "star signs" after all. But a little digging suggests that the astrologers are correct; until the 17th century, astronomy and astrology were believed to be basically same. But as Scientific Revolution and the Age of Reason came to be, a divide formed. Until recently it seems that line has remained quite distinct, but now the confusion surrounding Ophiuchus means we're having the debate all over again.
If you're a zodiac enthusiast, then you probably already know about this difference and aren't worried about Ophiuchus, or the dates Ophiuchus is supposed to cover. For everyone else, it's up to you to decide what you believe; you control your own destiny after all!
