I’d like to weigh in on something that no one has asked my opinion about: this idea that somehow all of our astrological signs have changed and that there are now 13, including a new one, Ophiuchus.

Sez the Huffington Post:

Your zodiac sign may not actually be your zodiac sign anymore. Astronomer Parke Kunkle says that due to changes in the Earth’s alignment the dates of many zodiac signs have changed, according to NBC. In addition, there may be a 13th Zodiac sign: Ophiuchus.

The New Dates:

Capricorn: Jan. 20 – Feb. 16
Aquarius: Feb. 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 – Aug. 10
Leo: Aug. 10 – Sept. 16
Virgo: Sept. 16 – Oct. 30
Libra: Oct. 30 – Nov. 23
Scorpio: Nov. 23 – Nov. 29
Ophiuchus: Nov. 29 – Dec. 17
Sagittarius: Dec. 17 – Jan. 20

At first I thought this was some kind of early April Fools joke – Ophiuchus? – but it got a lot of play and seems to have upset many people.

Now, as I’ve said before, I consider myself a modern, rational person who holds no truck with these foolish superstitions. Except, of course, as it pertains to my own sign, Libra, which I’ve always thought was the coolest of all signs. So I got a little irritated about this. I don’t want to be no stinking Virgo, and they’ll make me one when they pry the scales out of my cold dead hands.

Turns out the whole thing was a bunch of hoo-ha anyway:

Western astrologers use the tropical zodiac, which begins on the day of the vernal equinox and follows the seasons, not the constellations. It is true that the Earth wobbles and the constellations have shifted 23 degrees, but since Western astrology is not based on the constellations, it remains unchanged.

What Professor Kunkle is referring to is known as Eastern, or sidereal, astrology, which follows those famous constellations. For instance, Vedic astrology, the kind practiced in India and other parts of the world, is sidereal. If you consult a Vedic astrologer, then your sign indeed may have changed, but this knowledge has been around for hundreds of years. Sidereal astrologers already use these so-called “new dates.”

This story about our signs changing, as well as the “discovery” of a 13th sign Ophiuchus, is nothing new; it surfaces every few years and is recycled by the media. What’s different this time is the massive attention it has received.

So we can all let out a big sigh of relief and get back to our regular lives, such as they are.