sun signs & conjunctions...trivia
We are all familiar with the twelve signs of the Zodiac which were created about 2000 years ago. The theory being that our destiny lies in the star sign that was in the sky at the time of our birth. If you believe in it. But did you know there was or is a 13th sign.....It's true you know.
Its called Ophiuchus after a greek who could resurrect. To ancient humans, the path of the Moon through the stars was easier to observe than the Sun and therefore the zodiac was composed of lunar mansions instead of sun signs. But the Moon is erratic in its movement and touches a lot of constellations (in fact there are as many as seventeen lunar mansions). Eventually, astrologers began using the path of the Sun through the ecliptic and just twelve of the constellations as the foundation for the common zodiac. Although the Sun actually cuts through exactly thirteen constellations in its path across the sky, the constellation Ophiuchus is generally not included in the zodiac. Because the ecliptic lies in the general plane of the solar system, the Sun, Moon, and planets seem to move through the zodiacal constellations. The width of the zodiac allows for the fact that the orbits of the other bodies are inclined relative to plane of the ecliptic, and thus extend about 8º beyond it. The Sun spends approximately the same amount of time in each of these constellations. Therefore the common western zodiac is split into twelve equal 30° segments, each of which is named after the constellation of stars originally discovered in that segment of the sky. At the time when the constellations were first assigned to the zodiac each constellation had already acquired generations of lore and observation associated with it by numerous cultures. Therefore these segments of the zodiac also took on rich symbolism and characterization and are now called astrological signs.
And A very remarkable planetary/galactic configuration occurs on December 23rd and 24th 2007. The configuration on December 23 - Mars, Earth, Sun, Mercury, Jupiter, Galactic Center it becomes even more remarkable in that it will be accompanied by the Full Moon (conjunct Mars) at about 2 a.m. on December 24 when a simultaneous Venus square Neptune occurs. It is even more remarkable in that the Pluto/Sun conjunction appears exactly on the Winter Solstice, just past conjunction with the Galactic Center.
Just something for the stargazers...........
Its called Ophiuchus after a greek who could resurrect. To ancient humans, the path of the Moon through the stars was easier to observe than the Sun and therefore the zodiac was composed of lunar mansions instead of sun signs. But the Moon is erratic in its movement and touches a lot of constellations (in fact there are as many as seventeen lunar mansions). Eventually, astrologers began using the path of the Sun through the ecliptic and just twelve of the constellations as the foundation for the common zodiac. Although the Sun actually cuts through exactly thirteen constellations in its path across the sky, the constellation Ophiuchus is generally not included in the zodiac. Because the ecliptic lies in the general plane of the solar system, the Sun, Moon, and planets seem to move through the zodiacal constellations. The width of the zodiac allows for the fact that the orbits of the other bodies are inclined relative to plane of the ecliptic, and thus extend about 8º beyond it. The Sun spends approximately the same amount of time in each of these constellations. Therefore the common western zodiac is split into twelve equal 30° segments, each of which is named after the constellation of stars originally discovered in that segment of the sky. At the time when the constellations were first assigned to the zodiac each constellation had already acquired generations of lore and observation associated with it by numerous cultures. Therefore these segments of the zodiac also took on rich symbolism and characterization and are now called astrological signs.
And A very remarkable planetary/galactic configuration occurs on December 23rd and 24th 2007. The configuration on December 23 - Mars, Earth, Sun, Mercury, Jupiter, Galactic Center it becomes even more remarkable in that it will be accompanied by the Full Moon (conjunct Mars) at about 2 a.m. on December 24 when a simultaneous Venus square Neptune occurs. It is even more remarkable in that the Pluto/Sun conjunction appears exactly on the Winter Solstice, just past conjunction with the Galactic Center.
Just something for the stargazers...........