Astronomology 101: Ophiuchus & the 12 Houses

Earth from Space

Hello Universe!

Here we begin a series of discussions which will ultimately find themselves written into the next chapters of The Quintessential Ophiuchus to describe the relationships between the so-called 13th Zodiac Constellation and Astrology from the Astronomy point of view.

This is NOT a basic Astrology course. 

The essays provided serve as dynamic vehicles for the expression of information that is being incrementally received and made available for immediate sharing because the need for weeding the garden of misimpressions and misunderstandings is great. For one thing, who knew that underlying the myth and history of Constellation Ophiuchus was the hidden story of Goddess overpowered and entombed?

The series Ophiuchus & the 12 Houses is a bubbling of thoughts, a work in progress. Until you see this red flag disappear, please keep checking back for additions and updates.

Last edit:

• May 1, 2013 – add clarification to House-Sign-Constellation scheme
• February 5, 2013 – House of Scorpio-Ophiuchus added.

Houses, Signs & Constellations

You may have noted we are using the term “Houses” where one might expect out of habit to see the term “Signs” used.

Signs relate to the calendar divisions of the celestial sphere . Picture an orange quartered enough times to give you 12 wedge-shaped slices.

In Tropical Astrology the Signs were originally in sync with the stars for which they are named. But that is not the case anymore.

• See Signs/Constellations for an illustration.

The stars have moved on over time and no longer reside in their Tropical namesake Signs. This is confusing. For example, you’ll notice from the illustration that Alpha Scorpius (Antares) now “resides” in Tropical Zodiac Sign Sagittarius.

Sidereal Astrology is a closer match but as far as I’m aware it still does not account for the emergence of Constellation Ophiuchus. So even in this case the concept of “Signs” is scientifically and evolutionarily unsatisfying.

Astrologers’ defense of the Tropical Zodiac now that Ophiuchus has been uncloaked by the IAU¹ is that the signs were never about the stars. We don’t see how anybody can get around the stars in the Age of Aquarius so we are rending that veil and won’t be using “Signs” in that sense. We won’t be using either the Tropical or the Sidereal Zodiac.

We’ll be using the Zodiac Constellations and allow both branches of orthodox Astrology to continue on as they are out of love and in deep respect.

Dominus Vobiscum.

Letters to the Editor re Houses, Signs & Constellations

May 1, 2013.

My name is Ulises, I am a regular reader of your website, and it is a real blessing having found it. You are as far as I know based on my google research the only person writing about astrology from an objective realistic astronomical point of view. I would like to know if is possible for you to upload a diagram of the houses in relation to all 13 signs, I’m not quite sure how it works since signs are not 30 degree fixed anymore and also having 12 houses and 13 signs it kind of confuses me. I read in your blog that it’s OK to keep 12 houses for the sake of respecting sacred geometry, so I would like to see it graphically, but there is literally nothing online about it, thank you for your time Donna and many blessings, you are truly inspirational.

Greetings Ulises,

Thanks for writing. Compute your Sky Chart and find the divisions of the 12 “Houses.” That’s where they are. It’s different for everybody. Secondly, take your 2-dimensional Astrological figure and toss it out.

The Earth is a sphere enveloped in the emulsion of surrounding space — also spherical. So drawing a Sky chart with 12 divisions is tricky. And the straight lines are NOT going to match up with the Ecliptic and Equatorial coordinate sets. If they match up with one of the coordinate sets, they will not match up with any of the other coordinate sets (there are 4 total coordinate sets including Galactic and Horizonal).

The “12 House System” is now like a Roulette Wheel. It spins free of the seasonal (Tropical Zodiac) prejudice. Your personal First House is all that matters. And that is determined by where you find the Ecliptic degree of the Ascendant on your own personal Sky Chart. Once you know where your Houses are, the 13 zodiac constellations naturally fall into them wherever they lie.

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I continue to use the word “sign” sometimes as a bridge to get people to start associating the signs with the constellations. In my mind, the signs are “out”.

I realize it’s confusing. Some of the terms have a double role or meaning while I use old terminology to relate to new concepts — some of the concepts overlap. ”House” as a season or department of your life; “House” as the celestial field inside the political boundaries of the zodiac constellations. It will become clear in time.

The order of the 12 Houses (Departments) of your Life still begins with Aries, which has been the First Sign and First House (Spring) since the Vernal Equinox was fixed there in the time of Ptolemy.

As stated in my Astronomology 101 piece on the Equinoxes and Solstices, the Vernal Equinox needs to be renamed. It marks the Point of Beginning of the new Solar Year but folks in the Southern Hemisphere are falling into Autumn when we in the North are entering Spring. So current phraseology is Politically IN-correct. I’ve suggested we substitute the months — March Equinox, June Solstice, etc.

This way Aries can be the Universal sign of “Spring” because it is no longer BOUND to a specific place on the Zodiac Belt — it spins free now — and we are no longer seasonally at odds with the Southern Hemisphere. We are one planet. It’s just plain wrong to declare Gemini and Cancer the Summer Signs when it’s snowing in the South.

Definition of a Zodiac Constellation

Zodiac Constellations as defined contain stars on both sides of the Ecliptic Plane.

Ethnicity of Context

Because the history & myth underpinnings of Astrology and Constellation Ophiuchus are what they are (Western), we couch our Astrological analogies and allegories in those terms. But you who live in other locales should feel free to use whatever equivalent Names and Creation Myth stories you can relate to so long as they remain true to the vital threads that go into the making of the quintessential Ophiuchus tapestry.

Readership & Intention

The provided material assumes the reader knows some Astrology and Astronomy basics. Having said that, probably the less one thinks one knows the better.

We are all waking up to the deceptions and tyrannies that have resulted in the loss of our memories and access to the ancient wisdom that once kept this planet and her species of life thriving. We cannot afford to stop with the inquisitions of government and leave our metaphysical tools unchecked. Those who learned or knew how to suppress our spiritual and metaphysical gifts and powers to co-opt this world for their own base purposes certainly used these tools against us.

That’s if you believe the stories that are making the rounds of the Internet. And why not?

Even if that is not what really happened, common sense and judiciousness demands that after 2,000 years we take an inventory of every tool we use to practice “healing” and “psychology” on another human soul. Do you want the responsibility of messing somebody up for life even accidentally?

Not me.

Take the concepts I share and go through them for yourselves. This writer doesn’t claim to be the Alpha & Omega of wisdom and knowledge in any field on this planet let alone Astrology and Astronomy — simply a carrier of (what one hopes is good) information, novel questions, and a symbiotic ideology calibrated to refresh “Astrology”, vitalize “Astronomy” to facilitate their remarriage, and help us deal with real world issues in real time.

This is one of the mechanisms by which the Healing & Wisdom frequencies being introduced on the Zodiac through Constellation Ophiuchus are being actualized and enervated.

In other words, by becoming involved in this Learning Curve work you are becoming a Carrier of the Ophidian Current which you will dispense dynamically as the Divine Healer’s “antidote” energy becomes an infusion or “upgrade” to your Light.

It activates and is interactive with 12-strand DNA.

 Ophiuchus Concepts – Summary & Application Articles

• See Ophiuchus tips for Astrologers ~ unearthing Ophiuchus

• See Ophiuchus Tips for Astrologers ~ Ophiuchus CliffsNotes

• See Ophiuchus ~ the Astrological Attributes (Part 1: Foundation)

• And see Ophiuchus ~ the Astrological Attributes (Part 2. Not)

12 Houses of the Aquarian Zodiac

The Ophiuchus Interface

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I’ve toyed with a number of terms to describe the Zodiac of stars: Natural Zodiac, Common Sense Zodiac and Aquarian Zodiac. For now, as you see I’m dubbing it the “Aquarian” Zodiac to bring our thoughts forward into the Aquarian Age, an age of science, space travel, and altruistic humanity built on a foundation of brotherly-sisterly Love.

Why 12 and not 13? To preserve the symmetry of Sacred Geometry.

Yes, this presents us with an ironic paradox and somewhat of a dichotomy. But those who have studied enough occult worlds and systems of magic and mysticism will fully appreciate the idea that if the world you’re living in is too well-ordered and balanced, it may be rational but it’s probably not realistic — and it’s probably not in motion.

Don’t Worry. There’s a place for everything in the new system including the House of Ophiuchus.

The Table below will be filled in dynamically as we take the journey together in Your Daily Ophiuchus Horoscopes over on the Startistics web site. In the Oph ‘Scopes we have placed Ophiuchus at the center of our Astrology conversations to discover what relationships, connections and alliances we can discern.

Please note, Ophiuchus isn’t here to win any popularity contests. Healing & Wisdom are not options at this point. It’s coming and that’s the way of it.

The pages at the other ends of the web links in the Table below are NOT Orthodox Astrology. We’re on a Healing & Wisdom Mission and all metaphysical systems are subject to updates, upgrades and corrections responsive to New Age Frequencies which began entering our Sphere on or around Harmonic Convergence 1987.

You are a co-light worker in this Mission. Feel free to have your own opinion. In fact, it is your job to read and think for yourself.

Please don’t forget when you’re assessing Aquarian Zodiac-based relationship potential, you need to know the Zodiac Constellations involved, not the Tropical Zodiac Sign (or the Sidereal either for that matter though Sidereal Astrology tends to be closer to the realities of the true sky).

• First Find Your Sign (Constellation in which your natal Sun appears)
• Next find the House (Constellation) in the table below. The links will lead you to separate pages for each Constellation, planetary or asteroid body for which information has been given.