It was a staggering day when charismatic Leos became spontaneous Cancers, harmonious Libras became modest Virgos and the adventurous Sagittarians became whatever an Ophiuchus is.
NASA announced a shift in the zodiac on Sept. 30, adding a 13th sign in Ophiuchus to the mix and leaving millions under a new chart. It’s actually pretty devastating to realize that the sign we’ve become emotionally attached to might not be our own anymore.
NASA, you ruined the pseudo-science fun I was having correlating the position of stars in the sky to my personality. Thanks for “doing the math” and giving us all an “Ophiuchus,” but at the same time —– no thanks.
In a report which can be found on the space agency’s Tumblr account, NASA shifts the blame of having introduced “Ophiuchus” in our lives to the Babylonians, who first created the zodiac.
As reported by NASA, when the Babylonians invented the 12 signs of the zodiac, the dates of birthdays aligned with specific constellations.
Although I’m no expert in knowing how my zodiac sign affects things like my day or relationships — I was interested in reading up on how being a Libra defines my personality.
I’d look up my sign’s traits and read descriptions along the lines of, “Libra’s are gentle, kind and harmonious beings,” and say, “That is so me.”
Is it funny? Slightly. Pathetic? Probably. However, I know I’m not alone in this. People across the world constantly try to figure their lives out through the 12 zodiac signs they’ve been given to work with — well, 13 now.
As reported by a study conducted by market research poll The Harris Poll, 26 percent of Americans believe in what astrologists have to say about their signs – whether it be a prediction for their future or insight into their personality.
This means a few million folk out there wake up, reach over for their phones and scroll through the web in order to find an accurate horoscope for their day. This is no joke; I’ve heard of people wearing specific colors on certain days because an astrologer advised them to.
The stars – and the meanings we’ve prescribed to them – have guided our lives, and we’ve never had reason to question our signs.
But 3,000 years later, the sky has changed and Earth’s axis doesn’t point in the same direction as it did when the Babylonians were busy trying to figure out who exactly was an Aries and who was a Taurus.
So, that leaves a gap that has never been considered before. The fix? Ophiuchus, the serpent holder of the zodiac. Ophiuchus now rests between Scorpio and Sagittarius, claiming Nov. 29 through Dec. 17 rearranging the dates associated with the prior 12 signs.
All I can say is, NASA’s researchers may not study astrology — but they sure did drop a bomb on the horoscope reading world. Horoscopes recently (and that’s before the announcement) became my go-to source for comforting relief when I couldn’t necessarily figure out what in the world was going on with me emotionally, spiritually — and even financially.
Predictions made by zodiac enthusiasts may not be definitive, but they attempt to answer difficult questions — the kind that science doesn’t — like, “What is my purpose in life?” and “Why did they cheat on me with my best friend?”
But now the zodiac community is in panic, and I am slightly intimidated to read up on any traits nowadays— I mean, what am I now? Am I still an outgoing, talkative and social Libra? No. According to the new zodiac dates, I’m a calm, collect and reserved Virgo — what the hell?
While I’m able to shrug the revelation off and say “meh” toward this astrological dilemma, many aren’t having it.
According to an article for The Guardian titled, “Panic in the zodiac,” by Alan Yuhas, the clients of astrologers are basically going crazy over NASA’s blogpost.
“All my clients are freaking out. It’s ridiculous,” Shelley Ackerman, a New York-based astrologer and member of the American Federation of Astrologers said in the aforementioned article.
“Strangers are messaging astrologers, saying, ‘Please don’t tell me I’m Cancerian,’ or ‘For God’s sake, I’m not a Virgo,’” Ackerman said. “It’s really upsetting people.”
I can sort-of relate to those panic-induced people. NASA, why must you reveal scientifically accurate astronomical information to the masses?
Arizona astrologer Salvador Russo spoke about NASA’s ground-breaking, zodiac-shiftin’ revelation in his blogpost, The Starseed Astrology blog.
“I think [the shift is] aimed at discrediting astrology to prevent people from gaining wisdom and enlightenment,” he said.
Look, all I can say is: NASA — I’m mad at you and I’m proud of you. Two different emotions coming from the two signs I’ve come to love.
That’s right, I have decided I’m both a Libra and a Virgo and I feel very sorry for anyone who ever has to say, “I’m an Ophiuchus.”