Last January a Minneapolis astronomy professor caused an uproar when he alleged that everyone’s sun sign had changed due to a ‘new’ 13th zodiac sign, Ophiuchus. A few weeks ago I saw evidence of this rumor still alive and well on the Internet, so I’d like to help set the record straight.
There is no 13th sign, nor is there a need for one. The 12 we already have do the job just fine.
Where does this idea of a 13th sign come from? To understand this, we have to sort out two issues: the tropical vs. sidereal zodiac, and signs vs. constellations.
The tropical zodiac is a division of the ecliptic (the apparent path of the Sun across the sky around the earth) into twelve equal parts of 30 degrees each, anchored at the equinoxes and solstices and correlating perfectly with our four seasons:
• Vernal equinox = Spring = Sun enters 0 degrees Aries;
• Summer solstice = Summer = Sun enters 0 degrees Cancer;
• Autumnal equinox = Fall = Sun enters 0 degrees Libra;
• Winter solstice = Winter = Sun enters 0 degrees Capricorn.
The sidereal zodiac is a division of the ecliptic into twelve equal parts of 30 degrees each, anchored at one or another of the fixed stars (called “fixed” because they appear not to be moving, vs. the “wandering” planets in our solar system). There are several variations of the sidereal zodiac in use, the most common being the Lahiri, which places 0 Libra at the fixed star Spica.
There is currently a difference of about 24 degree between the two zodiacs. Spica in the tropical zodiac is measured at 24 Libra.
Why the big difference? The answer is precession. Precession is an apparent drifting backward (westward) of the constellations at the rate of one degree every 72 years due to a “wobble” in the earth’s axis. There was a time, about 1800 years ago, when the two zodiacs were in sync.
To confuse things even further, some say the zodiac signs should not be evenly distributed but should correlate perfectly with the stars exactly as they appear in the sky today. That would give us some enormous signs (like Virgo) and some very small ones (like Scorpio).
So what is the difference between a constellation and a zodiac sign?
A constellation is defined as a cluster of stars in the heavens perceived as a figure or design. There are 88 constellations officially recognized by astronomers. Some of these constellations fall on the ecliptic, hence their inclusion in the zodiac. Because of precession, however, the signs as we know them and the constellations as they now appear in the sky are out of sync. Remember, though, that the tropical zodiac is perfectly in sync with the seasons which define our lives.
So what about Ophiuchus? Ophiuchus is a constellation. The stars which comprise Ophiuchus (or any other constellation) can be important for an individual if found in a significant place in the natal chart--at one of the four angles, or on a house cusp, or conjunct one of the seven planets. The alpha star of Ophiuchus, Rasalhague, lies at about 22.34 degrees of Sagitattarius at present (in the tropical zodiac).
But Ophiuchus is not a sign, nor will it ever be.
Modern astrology as it is popularly (mis)understood places way too much emphasis on “what sign you are” to begin with.
But that is a subject for a different post!
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Thursday, July 7, 2011
The Sun and Saturn in "Tangled"
My daughter recently celebrated her 11th birthday. Among her presents was the movie Tangled, an animated rendering of the Rapunzel story. As an astrologer I often see astrological symbols at play in movies and TV. To me, Tangled is all about the Sun and Saturn.
The Sun signifies the life force and all that is life-giving. Saturn signifies things that are old and dying, along with death itself. As such, the two planets do poorly in each other’s signs. The Sun is in detriment in Saturn’s sign of Aquarius, while Saturn is in detriment in the Sun’s sign of Leo. These opposing forces of light and dark, good and evil, young and old go to battle in the movie via the two main characters, Rapunzel and Gothel.
The movie opens with the story of a drop of Light falling to earth and becoming a magical sunflower, one that has the power to heal and turn old things young again. Gothel discovers the flower’s magic and hides it so that only she can use its powers; thus she is able to stay young and beautiful way beyond her years. However, one day the King’s men discover the flower while searching for a cure for the ailing Queen, who is about to give birth. The Queen drinks a remedy made from the flower and is healed. She gives birth to a daughter whose golden hair contains the flower’s magical powers. With the flower gone, Gothel resorts to stealing the baby.
Gothel keeps Rapunzel locked away in a hidden tower, posing as her mother and forbidding her to venture into the kingdom beyond. She tells Rapunzel the world isn’t safe because people will take advantage of her (!). The main storyline begins with Rapunzel celebrating her coming of age.
How might we express Rapunzel in astrological terms? As a maiden she is Venus, but for her golden hair and its life-giving powers she is the Sun. What dignities--essential and accidental--would she have? Essentially she is as strong as can be, like the Sun in Leo which it rules. Accidentally, she is like the Sun in the 12th house: confined and under the spell of an evil force, bereft of power.
Gothel is like Saturn: Cold and hard. Saturn is not nice to begin with, but Gothel is the worst sort of Saturn because she is evil. We could say she is like Saturn in detriment in Leo. She is ruled by the Sun because she cannot live without access to Rapunzel's magic. Accidentally, Gothel is strong and in control. We would place her in one of the four angular houses (1, 4, 7, or 10) to express this accidental strength.
Every year on Rapunzel’s birthday the King and Queen hold a lantern ceremony in honor of their lost princess. One especially moving scene shows their sadness and longing as they light the first lantern. Hundreds of lanterns are then released into the night sky while the townspeople watch in reverence. This image beautifully captures the spiritual essence and meaning of the Sun.
Throughout her life Rapunzel has painted a particular sun design all over her tower walls. In a moment of sudden awareness at the crux of the film, she recognizes this as the same design that hung above her cradle as a baby—in the castle! In that instant Rapunzel realizes her true identity, and Gothel will soon be reaping what she has sown. Astrologically we could express this as Rapunzel (Sun) rising out of the 12th into the joyful 11th house while Gothel (Saturn) sets at the Descendant.
Tangled works on many levels and is a delight. Treat yourself soon if you haven’t seen it yet!
The Sun signifies the life force and all that is life-giving. Saturn signifies things that are old and dying, along with death itself. As such, the two planets do poorly in each other’s signs. The Sun is in detriment in Saturn’s sign of Aquarius, while Saturn is in detriment in the Sun’s sign of Leo. These opposing forces of light and dark, good and evil, young and old go to battle in the movie via the two main characters, Rapunzel and Gothel.
The movie opens with the story of a drop of Light falling to earth and becoming a magical sunflower, one that has the power to heal and turn old things young again. Gothel discovers the flower’s magic and hides it so that only she can use its powers; thus she is able to stay young and beautiful way beyond her years. However, one day the King’s men discover the flower while searching for a cure for the ailing Queen, who is about to give birth. The Queen drinks a remedy made from the flower and is healed. She gives birth to a daughter whose golden hair contains the flower’s magical powers. With the flower gone, Gothel resorts to stealing the baby.
Gothel keeps Rapunzel locked away in a hidden tower, posing as her mother and forbidding her to venture into the kingdom beyond. She tells Rapunzel the world isn’t safe because people will take advantage of her (!). The main storyline begins with Rapunzel celebrating her coming of age.
How might we express Rapunzel in astrological terms? As a maiden she is Venus, but for her golden hair and its life-giving powers she is the Sun. What dignities--essential and accidental--would she have? Essentially she is as strong as can be, like the Sun in Leo which it rules. Accidentally, she is like the Sun in the 12th house: confined and under the spell of an evil force, bereft of power.
Gothel is like Saturn: Cold and hard. Saturn is not nice to begin with, but Gothel is the worst sort of Saturn because she is evil. We could say she is like Saturn in detriment in Leo. She is ruled by the Sun because she cannot live without access to Rapunzel's magic. Accidentally, Gothel is strong and in control. We would place her in one of the four angular houses (1, 4, 7, or 10) to express this accidental strength.
Every year on Rapunzel’s birthday the King and Queen hold a lantern ceremony in honor of their lost princess. One especially moving scene shows their sadness and longing as they light the first lantern. Hundreds of lanterns are then released into the night sky while the townspeople watch in reverence. This image beautifully captures the spiritual essence and meaning of the Sun.
Throughout her life Rapunzel has painted a particular sun design all over her tower walls. In a moment of sudden awareness at the crux of the film, she recognizes this as the same design that hung above her cradle as a baby—in the castle! In that instant Rapunzel realizes her true identity, and Gothel will soon be reaping what she has sown. Astrologically we could express this as Rapunzel (Sun) rising out of the 12th into the joyful 11th house while Gothel (Saturn) sets at the Descendant.
Tangled works on many levels and is a delight. Treat yourself soon if you haven’t seen it yet!
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