When the Sky Looked Back: An Astronomy Lesson

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     Used to be when we looked up at the sky, the sky looked back. Long ago, when astronomy and astrology conjoined like the Gemini twins, apparitions of all types paraded in the night. They guided our lives in their measured path across the zodiac, following each other monthly through the year, and everyone paid close attention. Life decisions were poised on the cusp of what the sky told us. Battlefield plans awaited the message. Predictions of love and fidelity. Fortunes gained and lost. The night sky sparkled with instructions.

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     Astronomy is the oldest of our sciences and was long the most important. The arrival of the secular mind removed much of its ancient mystery in the 17th century, yet there are still those hopeful souls who hover over horoscopes. Still, the art of reading the sky is largely gone. It began to erode as Copernicus, then Galileo, and finally Kepler, disenchanted us with a detached and disembodied universe.

But the night creatures persist still, and mystic belief prevails in even modern times: Teddy Roosevelt and Charles De Gaulle relied on horoscopes. Ronald Reagan attacked Libya only after consulting his astrologist. Angelina Jolie chooses movie roles using the stars. So while modern astronomy reveals a remote and ambiguous universe, astrology provides a thin curtain of satisfaction to a third of us Americans today.

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     Beware, then, of hidden hazards when hanging with believers. Libras, in their dream world, should be wary of Scorpios, whose practical persona might find a Libra a bit spacey. You Cancers and Pisces, emotional and super-sensitive, will probably satisfy a Capricorn’s search for self-esteem but may find an independent Aquarius somewhat aloof.

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     The officious Leo, absorbed and abrupt, often can’t get along with anybody, while we Sagittarius types are carefree and cheerful. Our intolerance of fakes bonds us with Virgos, however.

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     All told, these portrayals are harmless—and they’re hardly helpful. The sign you were born under is not the sign that defines you: it turns out the ancient Babylonians identified thirteen zodiacal constellations but recognized only twelve, which better fit their calendar. The one left out, Ophiuchus (Off-y-YOU-cus) lies between Sagittarius and Scorpio (Nov. 29-Dec.17), shifting all existing alignments to the left a few parsecs. This places every astrologer in peril.

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     An Ophiuchus has a great sense of humor, by the way. Somehow, it figures.

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Ron Wetherington