We’re drawing toward the end of November, which means that now, the signs of the zodiac start to get all mixed up.
Since ancient times, human beings have known that the Sun, Moon and planets seem to follow a specific path around the Earth, which we can imagine as a circle. Six thousand years ago, the Babylonians divided this circle into 12 equal parts, creating the constellation regions of the zodiac. Now when you look into the sky, you can see that none of these constellations are equal in size, which is why, in the 20th century astronomers got together and divided up the zodiac again, adjusting it according to their understanding. This included knowing that not only are the Moon and planets moving, but so is the Earth! And as it moves, it wobbles. This wobble is slow and imperceptible to us in the course of one human life. Still, after thousands of years, this wobble causes the Earth’s orientation to the stars to gradually shift. So the astronomers adjusted for differences in size and shift, leaving behind the harmony of the Babylonian system.
Every year at this time, the Sun enters the region of Scorpio, but only for a few days before it then moves into the foot region of the constellation Ophiucus. Ophiucus appears as though standing on the back of the Scorpion, which is the region of the underworld. The ruler of the underworld led a charge against Ophiucus because he was such a great healer that he could bring the dead back to life. This meant the king of the underworld was losing all the fruits of his kingdom!
I like to think that the reason Ophiucus is hidden there in the zodiac is because his story has to do with the forces of new life and resurrection, and in the 21st century, we simply don’t have intellectually satisfying ways to describe this kind of mystery. Nonetheless, there he stands, like a promise, guarding the passageway into the underworld, where the Sun passes every year at this time, supporting the seasonal tradition of celebrating loved ones who have walked on from this life.