I am disappointed in Neil deGrasse Tyson
Did you see Neil deGrasse Tyson on Cobert this week? He is the latest in a long line of “educated” people to prove his ignorance about astrology.
I have been trying to make myself write about the beautiful new moon in Pisces, but for some reason, setting the record straight just feels really important.
(If you want to hear my thoughts on Pisces energy and the new moon, check out One Minute Astrology.)
To Tyson’s points:
There aren’t 13 signs. Western astrology is based on the Sun’s position in the sky. We anchor the zodiac to the solstices and equinoxes, which gives us the four seasons. We divide each season into 3 sections – the beginning, the middle, and the end. Three sections times four seasons equals twelve signs.
Your sun sign hasn’t changed. Astronomers like to throw the concept of procession at astrologers. The earth wobbles on its axis, so the night sky moves one degree every 72 years, if memory serves. That means that the sky 2000 years ago, when the astrological naming convention for the signs was codified, did match up with the constellations. But it doesn’t anymore. This isn’t news to astrologers. (Have you heard of the Age of Aquarius? That is happening because of procession. More on that another time.) Procession doesn’t impact our calculations because we are measuring based on the seasons, not based on the constellations.
The constellation Ophiuchus has no bearing on astrology. I am probably belaboring the point, but we can divide the sky into whatever pictures we want. The point is not the constellations. We are measuring the path of the planets through our sky and through our seasons.
Most astrologers are decent amateur astronomers. Astrologers have been observing the night sky since before humans had the mathematical skills to do astronomical calculations. We are always looking up and greatly appreciate all that astronomers are doing to help us understand our spot in the solar system. We aren’t ignoring science. We get excited when something new is discovered and we eagerly start observing and contemplating.
I know that Neil deGrasse Tyson will never care what I think. But I do hope he does his research before he spreads more misinformation. Honestly, I am not sure why he cares so much about astrology anyway.
But I am glad you do. And I hope this is helpful as these kinds of stories turn up in your feed. Denise Ulett and I did a deep dive into this topic on the Cosmic Curriculum. And if you hear other comments about astrology that leave you scratching your head, please reach out. If I don’t know the answer, I will find out.
Enjoy the New Moon on Sunday! Aries season is just around the corner, so we only have another 12 days to soak up all the liminal yumminess.
Lisa
