A little while ago that old chestnut about Ophiuchus being the thirteenth sign of the zodiac appeared all over the press once again.

The story seems to come around periodically in our ‘lowest common denominator’ society, which apparently seeks to deliberately trivialise (and confuse) virtually every issue, especially during the summer.

Each time the story is pitched in a different way to make it look as though it’s new, when in fact it’s old.

Let’s be clear – the twelve signs of the zodiac are the equal 30 degree divisions of the ecliptic, the apparent path of the sun around us.

Constellations are different from Zodiac signs

The signs from Aries to Pisces are not the same as the constellations, the latter, though they lie behind the path of the sun on its journey, are of unequal length – and yes, there are thirteen constellations which intrude into this path, one of which is Ophiuchus, the Serpent Bearer.

When we think about it, twelve is a natural division. For example, the planet Jupiter takes almost twelve years to return to the same position. That means he spends roughly one year in each sign. I think this is significant.

Whilst there are some astrologers who incorporate Ophiuchus into their work these days, I do not subscribe to it for the reasons outlined above. To each his own, as they say, and keep a clear mind.

The bottom line is that I think the waters are muddied enough already and nature’s symmetry truly is something to behold – and uphold.

Copyright Francis Barker 2020