The 'New' Zodiac

Okay, don't panic. Many people are talking about how our zodiac signs have changed virtually overnight. But, that's simply not true. If your a Pisces, like me, you remain a Pisces. Well, that is if you follow Western astrology. 

There are different astrological charts being used today. It is believed the Babylonians developed the first astrological and astronomical charts around the 2nd millennium B.C. They created the 12 houses of the zodiac which represent different areas of our lives. This chart gave birth to different systems of piecing together a horoscope.

Western astrology is based on the Tropical zodiac. This system is based on the Earth's position to the sun. What that means is our signs are based on the seasons not the star constellations. There are 12 houses, more commonly called signs. The start of the House of Aries is fixed to the spring equinox and the other signs follow in order of procession. 

But, it's the stars that have changed, not the seasons, due to the gravitational pull of the moon which has made the Earth wobble on its axis.  Our perspective of the stars is no longer the same since those first charts were drawn in ancient Babylonia.

Star astrologists work by the sidereal zodiac, which is more popular in Eastern cultures. They use astrological charts based on the constellations in the sky. Because the constellations are continuously changing due to the tilt of the Earth, the dates for this zodiac change, too. These are the astrologists that are most effected by the inclusion of the 13th sign called Ophiuchus, pronounced (Ooh-FEE-yew-kus), and known as the Serpent Bearer. This sign was discarded by the Babylonians because they wanted an even number for an equal-house zodiac. Tradition has basically stayed the same even though astronomers and astrologists knew of Ophiuchus's placement. 

Tropical Zodiac		Sidereal Zodiac		Updated Sidereal
Aries	Mar 21-Apr 20	Apr 15-May 15		Apr 18-May 13
Taurus	Apr 21-May 21	May 16-June 15		May 13-June 21
Gemini	May 22-June 21	June 16-July 16		June 21-July 20
Cancer	June 22-July 23	July 16-Aug15		July 20-Aug 10
Leo	July 24-Aug 23	Aug 16-Sept 15		Aug 10-Sept 16
Virgo	Aug 24-Sept 23	Sept 16-Oct 15		Sept 16-Oct 30
Libra	Sept 24-Oct 23	Oct 16-Nov 15		Oct 30-Nov 23
Scorpio	Oct 24-Nov 22	Nov 16-Dec 15		Nov 23-Nov 29
Ophiuchus				Nov 29-Dec 17
Sagittarius	Nov 23-Dec 21	Dec 16-Jan 14		Dec 17-Jan 20
Capricorn	Dec 22-Jan 20	Jan 15-Feb 14		Jan 20-Feb 16
Aquarius	Jan 21-Feb 19	Feb 14-Mar 14		Feb 16-Mar 11
Pisces	Feb 20-Mar 20	Mar 15-Apr 14		Mar 11-Apr 18

This information is as accurate as I can make it from my research. The sidereal dates are always changing and I had some difficulty in locating dates to compare with the current set without doing the mathematical calculations myself. The set I used here are from charts I found from 2002. I wanted to demonstrate the difference in the movement of the star constellations. Any mistakes made are my own.