About Scorpius [View All]

[Dover]

Yes, I spelled it right.


I was reading Skater's wonderful Hellenic Astrology website (which you will be richly rewarded for visiting - check out her latest discussion of this February's lunar eclipse) and came upon this quote:

Ophiuchus is the actual constellation which occupies the 7th through the 30th degrees of “Scorpio” in the Tropical Zodiac. Scorpius and Ophiuchus were combined into a single “sign” -Scorpio. This is why there are 12 signs in the Tropical Zodiac, the Zodiac most Western Astrologers are familiar with, rather than the 13 constellations of the Siderial Zodiac. Individuals whom are born during the first six or seven days of the traditional dates for “Scorpio” actually have their Sun in Scorpius; this means that most people who are “Scorpios” according to Western Astrology actually have their Sun in Ophiuchus, as the sun is in this constellation for 23 or 24 days of the “sign”.

http://demosathene.blogspot.com/search?q=ophiuchus

The Real Solar Zodiac Sun Signs:

Sun Sign Meaning Dates
01: Pisces the Fishes 12 Mar to 18 Apr
02: Aries the Ram 19 Apr to 13 May
03: Taurus the Bull 14 May to 19 Jun
04: Gemini the Twins 20 Jun to 20 Jul
05: Cancer the Crab 21 Jul to 9 Aug
06: Leo the Lion 10 Aug to 15 Sep
07: Virgo the Maiden 16 Sep to 30 Oct
08: Libra the Scales 31 Oct to 22 Nov
09: Scorpius the Scorpion 23 Nov to 29 Nov
10: Ophiuchus the Serpent Bearer 30 Nov to 17 Dec
11 Sagittarius the Archer 18 Dec to 18 Jan
12: Capricornus the Sea Goat 19 Jan to 15 Feb
13: Aquarius the Water Carrier 16 Feb to 11 Mar
* The Non-Zodiac Constellations

© Dr Shepherd Simpson, Astrological Historian
Historical Astrology


I and others have posted on this subject before but seeing how some of you mentioned your Scorpio Sun issues with February (Aquarius), I thought it might be timely to bring this subject up again.

From Wikipedia:..................................................................................


There exist a number of theories as to whom the figure represents.

The most recent interpretation is that the figure represents the healer Asclepius, who learned the secrets of keeping death at bay after observing one serpent bringing another healing herbs. To prevent the entire human race from becoming immortal under Asclepius' care, Zeus killed him with a bolt of lightning, but later placed his image in the heavens to honor his good works. It has also been noted that the constellation Ophiuchus is in close proximity in the sky to that of Sagittarius, which has at times been believed to represent Chiron (the mentor of Asclepius and many other Greek demigods), though Chiron was originally associated with the constellation Centaurus.

(Also of note: The great temples which were healing centers attributed to Asclepius/Asklepios were said to keep non-venomous snakes within their sanctuaries. And the figure of the demigod Asclepius is usually depicted with a single snake entwined on his knobby wooden staff which became the symbol for the physician's staff)
http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/internet/library/wdc-lib/historical/artifacts/antiqua/icons.cfm

The serpents of Greece were extensively used in Asclepian worship. Some were often placed in cradles with newborn babies. At Epidaurus, the center of the Asclepian cult, a large snake nursery was maintained which supplied not only its own needs but that of neighboring temples as well. The staff of Asclepias, which can be traced back to the magic wand of the early Egyptians and Moses, depicts a single serpent twined around it. Up until recent times, this was the symbol of the medical profession. The caduceus, which is a winged staff with two serpents entwined is a further variation of the staff of Asclepias and the symbol of Hermes-Mercury, the god of trade and the messenger of the gods. This same symbol was used by the Romans and is worn by medical personnel of the United States Army Medical Corps to indicate noncombat status in war.

http://www.planetherbs.com/articles/herbhist.html

Another possibility is that the figure represents the Trojan priest Laocoön, who was killed by a pair of sea serpents sent by the gods after he warned the Trojans not to accept the Trojan Horse. This event was also memorialized by the sculptors Agesander, Athenodoros, and Polydorus in the famous marble sculpture Laocoön and his Sons, which stands in the Vatican Museums.

A third possibility is Apollo wrestling with the Python to take control of the oracle at Delphi.

There is also the story of Phorbas, a Thessalonikan who rescued the people of the island of Rhodes from a plague of serpents and was granted a place in the sky in honor of this deed.

Yet another possibility is the biblical story of Adam, who is wrestling with the serpent on a more basic level metaphorically, as even the Hebrew Qaballa has a number of man which basically embodies the meaning of the man wrestling with the serpent as half of his natural pre-disposition.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ophiuchus



And another good site:

http://www.geocities.com/astrologyconstellations/ophiuchus.htm


Ophiuchus is represented as the Serpent Bearer overlapping the Scorpion and next to the Centaur, Sagittarius, at the top of this medieval astrology disk.