I'm a Virgo. And I'm good with that. Virgos are helpful, practical and quiet. They analyze everything. A lot of writers are Virgos. The kidlit world is filled with them -- Jack Prelutsky, Roald Dahl, Mildred Taylor and Karen Hesse to name a few. I even share the same birthday with Leo Tolstoy.
Virgos like to write. I'm a writer. They also have a quest for knowledge and love of research that makes them well-suited for a careers as librarians. I'm a librarian too. I fit into the Virgo mold. Oh sure, there are some traits that I don't have. My organizational skills are not what they're supposed to be. But I'm comfortable with who the stars say I am.
Until this week, when there was an announcement...
According to the Minnesota Planetarium Society, the moon's gravitational pull has changed the alignment of the stars and planets. In the past 2000 years, things have shifted. Zodiac signs are off by as much as a month. And instead of twelve signs, there are thirteen.
Now, instead of being a Virgo, I am a Leo.
A Leo??!!! There's nothing about me that's a Leo. Leos are bold, confident, and natural leaders. My younger brother, Robert, is a Leo. Or at least he was...Now he is a Cancer.
When we were growing up, someone gave us plaques with our zodiac signs on it. Each plaque listed traits associated with that sign. We had them in our rooms for years. I hung mine over my bed. Every night I read it. Virgos like to do research. They enjoy writing.
Now, I'm wondering, did I become a writer/librarian because of some astrological destiny or was it because of those words I repeated over and over again?
What if I was the one who was given the Leo plaque and the words "bold, confident, outgoing" hung over my bed? And every night, I read those words.
As soon as I heard about the astrological shift, I looked at the Leo traits and dismissed them. My reaction was not unique. The news reports were filled with people shrugging off their new identities. Even if you don't buy into astrology, everyone thinks of themselves as having certain characteristics. And not having others. In an attempt to define who we are, we often think of ourselves as a certain type of person.
Trying out new characteristics is kind of fun. It's nice to have something (like the Minnesota Planetarium Society) shake things up a bit.
Trying out new characteristics is kind of fun. It's nice to have something (like the Minnesota Planetarium Society) shake things up a bit.
Maybe I will be a Leo today. And "outgoing and confident" will be part of my new identity. If I repeat it over and over again, who knows what will happen?
We all know that words are powerful. Maybe they're as powerful as the planets and the stars.
7 comments:
I was a libra on the cusp, so now I'm a virgo. And I do love research.
Bold and confident sounds good to me!
Stephanie, bold and confident is the theme for the year:)
I was an Aries and now I'm a Pisces. I think there' something fishy going on. ;) My husband found out he's an Ornithopicus or whatever. Huh? I'd rather be a Jabberwock. ;)
I've often thought people grow into their names. And I've always thought words had immense power. Maybe that's why I keep messing with them.
Happy Saturday!
Agree with you about the names, Nikki. It's odd sometimes to see a tiny baby with a big name, and yet a few years later, it seems to fit them perfectly. Hope your current writing project is going along well :)
I don't believe in astrology, but I liked my Sagittarius-ness. Now I'm the new sign Ophiuchus. I don't like the change and don't agree with its traits.
Medeia, Even people who don't believe in astrology, don't seem to like the changes. Thanks for your comment. :)
Guess it all depends on which zodiac you want to follow - the tropical zodiac, or the sidereal - the one that just changed.
I'm too set in my ways to change much.
From CNN below -
That's because the tropical zodiac – which is fixed to seasons, and which Western astrology adheres to – differs from the sidereal zodiac – which is fixed to constellations and is followed more in the East, and is the type of zodiac to which the Star Tribune article ultimately refers.
codified for Western astrology by Ptolemy in the second century, he says.
In the tropical zodiac, the start of Aries is fixed to one equinox, and Libra the other.
"When we look at the astrology used in the Western world, the seasonally based astrology has not changed, was never oriented to the constellations, and stands as … has been stated for two millenniums," Jawer said.
People who put stock in astrology can ask whether they should adhere to the tropical zodiac or the sidereal zodiac. Jawer argues for the tropical.
"Astrology is geocentric. It relates life on Earth to the Earth’s environment, and seasons are the most dramatic effect, which is why we use the tropical zodiac," he said.
Two zodiacs. That's nothing new.
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