Left With No Other Choice

There are a few things that get under my skin when it comes to dealing with people on the internet. People who insist in posting in all caps and people who rite lik dis. Other than those, that’s really it. Or at least it was until recently.

So, let me get this straight. An Astronomer makes a big discovery. Our little rock in the universe, the planet Earth, has wobbled a whopping 23 degrees since the Babylonians first began reading the skies. So this Astronomer then declares that this changes our Zodiacs because in affect the constellations have shifted from our perspective.

An Astronomer has made a declaration about Astrology.

Let’s step back into time when we were still in school and we turned our science text books to the chapter about Astronomy. Do we all remember when our science teacher glowered down at us and made certain that we understood the difference between Astronomy and Astrology? They made certain that we understood that Astrology was based off of myths and legends and that Astronomy is based off of scientific findings and fact. These are two different things and should not be confused with one another.

So why do we have an Astronomer who doesn’t understand his place in universe? I have no idea. With that said just because he’s an Astronomer doesn’t mean that he can’t have an interest in Astrology. Much like a professional football player could have an interest in all known works of Chaucer or a professional con-artist may pick up painting while serving time in prison. It’s good to have hobbies. However, before you go on television declaring that you’ve made a radical discovery you may want to cool your heels a bit and read up on what makes the Zodiac that we as Americans follow, what it is.

Because you know that the minute this rubbish was announced there was some woman standing in her Minneapolis bathroom rubbing A+D Lotion on her new Leo tattoo, still raw and healing, when she heard the Astronomer on the television in the next room make this declaration. She most likely burst into tears at the realization that she had another tattoo that just became obsolete. Much like the tattoo of Hank across her left bicep which had originally only been inked three days before she found him in bed with her cousin. These things happen.

Yes, the planet has wobbled, I am not arguing that. But we as Americans use the Western Zodiac, or the Tropical Zodiac. This particular Zodiac is actually attuned to the seasons and not to the actual constellations. Libra is affixed to one solstice and Aries to the other. A solstice happens twice a year when the sun’s apparent position in the sky reaches its northernmost or southernmost extremes. While the Earth 'wobbling' has shifted the constellations by twenty-three degrees it honestly is not enough to slide the required constellations out of the sky, especially when you realize that the dates and zodiacs determined within them are actually not being dictated by the constellations at this point, but by the solstices. This is the same Zodiac that has been in affect since the second century, used by the Greeks. Zodiacs followed by some Hindu and European believers will be affected as they use the Eastern Zodiac, which use the sidereal coordinate system.

Astrologers and Astronomers alike agree that this is old news and have been making appearances on both television and radio talk shows trying to debunk this viral misinformation, but the masses seem to be clinging to the idea of a zodiac change. Some because they didn’t care for their zodiac before hand and some because they must enjoy change or drama or just don’t know any better. It’s become some sort of bandwagon event where any uninformed individual jumps on and proclaims their new astrological identity. Facebook has an application for it now where users grant it permission to access their information and it in turn tells them what their new zodiac sign is. Honestly, it most likely is spamming your information for marketing research, but people love to use these things. Much like the ‘Click here for 300 Farm cash’ or ‘Click here to see why this girl killed herself’. It’s a bot set up to continue to spam your friends. The saddest part is I see the same people doing it over and over again.

Of course these are the same people that don’t seem to want to believe that the zodiac change panic was just that, a panic. Nothing real to be taken seriously. If you try to explain this to them, they normally cling to whatever else they’ve heard from someone else, that the Earth ‘wobbled’. Guess what? Really strong winds can make the day longer by exactly one millisecond, but I don’t feel anymore tired or robbed of sleep because of it.

Do I believe I am who I am because I was born under the sign of a Taurus? No, I do not. I did not take an interest in Astrology until I was in my twenties and by that point my personality, for the better or for the worse, was already established. I did not feel that due to my Taurean natures that I’m suppose to give in to being stubborn and unmoving about everything. In fact, I am very stubborn, but that is a trait that I’ve always had and I strive to learn to overcome. Could I be an Aries? Sure I could, but that’s because the descriptions for Zodiac signs on a whole are painfully vague. There are characteristics in all twelve of the zodiacs that I can relate to and traits that I think are the furthest from the truth.

Twelve zodiacs. That’s right, they’ve also announced the secret, illegitimate, thirteenth love child of the universe, the long lost Zodiac, Ophiuchus! The Babylonians omitted it for a reason, whether it be because it was more Feng shui to have twelve or out of superstition, I don‘t know. Suddenly an Astronomer -- remember kids, they base everything off of science and facts -- comes along and attempts to put some sort of scientific reasoning behind Astrology -- something based off of belief, myth and superstition -- and the whole world is turning its self upside down. Am I the only one that sees that this is like an Atheist trying to prove God’s existence? Are you any less a Gemini today than you were two weeks ago? How about a Cancer or a Pisces or whatever sign you believed you were up until two weeks ago? Did you even know what character traits your sign was associated with before this whole dumpster fire started? Did you even care? Why don’t we just take a nice picture of the zodiac wheel and blind fold you, spin you around and then whatever star sign you stick the donkey tail into you get to keep?

In short, before you join into the mass hysteria and begin plotting to cover your tattoos or get a brand new one, use the internet and do a little bit more research. We, as human beings, have been given the ability to come to our own conclusions. We can learn, grow and even change our minds. The majority of these online and newspaper articles regarding the supposed 'Zodiac change' are really just re-posting what they found elsewhere. Kind of like when FOX published an Onion article with the apparent belief that it was a real article (the Onion is a hilarious, tongue-in-cheek website full of obviously fake news articles). When researching information, how many times do we run across the exact same explanation, word for word, on multiple and unaffiliated websites? Copy and paste, my friends. In 1948 the Chicago Tribune reported that Dewey defeated Truman for presidency. Guess what? It was both printed in the newspaper and yet still incorrect. Truman won. Right now, this media monster is winning because we are feeding it with every Google search, tweet or status update regarding this supposed Zodiac change. We’re feeding the hysteria by not educating ourselves. I understand that some people believe that the stars chart their lives, but for most it seems the media dictates what they believe and do.

Some News Articles to Support My Case:
New Zodiac Signs 2011: Debunking a Zodiac Astrological Controversy.
No, you zodiac hasn't changed.
Zodiac: The New Zodiac Not Accurate.