Saturday, January 15, 2011

Ophiucus, the 13th Zodiac

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/OphiuchusCC.jpg
Ophiucus; constellation
On my Facebook Wall and Yahoo page, an interesting story popped up when I logged in today. It seems the year 2011 did not only bring the year of the rabbit but it also brought a twist in our planet’s position resulting in a 13th zodiac sign.


But before we can label it as the 13th zodiac, let us first determine the two types of Zodiac; The Sidereal Zodiac and The Tropical Zodiac. The Sidereal Zodiac uses interpretations based on the sky constellations meanwhile the Tropical Zodiac uses interpretations based on the seasons in which the sun rises or sets. Only the Sidereal Zodiac recognizes Ophiucus.

Ophiucus is somewhere between Aquilla, Serpens and Hercules if you know your stars right. It is a constellation that depicts a man holding a serpent.
Orphiucus


According to a Greek mythology, Ophiucus is the son of Apollo who was a very good healer. He was said to have skills that can revive the dead. Of course, the god of death, Hades didn’t want someone getting the dead souls in his care disappearing and convinced Zeus to kill Ophiucus. Zeus recognized his talents as a healer though and placed him in the sky. Ophiucus also means “The Snake Holder”.


Actually, Ophiucus is not that strange to us. We see the symbol in pharmacies, hospitals, nursing uniforms and doctor's lab coats. If you don't get it yet, its the Rod of Asclepius.

 For those born who are currently worried about their zodiac signs, the change is only applicable for this year and it also depends on what kind of zodiac you follow. Whether Tropical or Sidereal.

And here are the changes for this year;
  • Capricorn: January 20 - February 16
  • Aquarius: February 16 - March 11
  • Pisces: March 11 - April 18
  • Aries: April 18 - May 13
  • Taurus: May 13 - June 21
  • Gemini: June 21 - July 20
  • Cancer: July 20 - August 10
  • Leo: August 10 - September 16
  • Virgo: September 16 - October 30
  • Libra: October 30 - November 23
  • Scorpio: November 23 - November 29
  • Ophiuchus: November 29 - December 17
  • Sagittarius: December 17 - January 20
I am still uncertain though if there are still 13 zodiacs next year but I hope not. Hehehe. I sure would be annoyed to not find my zodiac in the news paper. :)



Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rod_of_Asclepius

10 comments:

  1. hehe...it will only be this year that there will be 13 zods...i am not sure what year it is going to happen again...
    oh well...I am not into the zodiac thingy anymore..unlike before...hehe

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  2. Hahaha! Right on Madz. If it had been the old me writing this, I think it would have taken about 3 short bond papers. :)

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  3. funny how my zodiac switched to gemini and i looked over the profile and its still similar to me hahaha

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  4. that icon you have with a winged-rod with snakes is actually the rod of hermes, the rod of Asclepius is wingless and with only one snake. Notice how Ophiuchus' rod only has one snake.

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  5. Funny how the caduceus is still used to depict medicine despite the original error in it's use. it was a symbol for gamblers and thieves. Maybe the medical industry was trying to be more honest about their true intent.

    or... wings=cooler. whatevs.

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  6. btw, nikki. you are gorgeous.

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  7. Thats not the rod of Asclepius you moron it's the Caduceus which is the symbol for hermes, guide of the dead and protector of thieves. Do some research before you continue to attempt un-educating people online.

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  8. Thats not the rod of Asclepius, the the rod of Hermes. The Caduceus. Asclepius was a son of Apollo, God of Medicine. Hermes was God of travel and early Doctors put that symbol up to protect their medical journals they published.

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