There are 13 constellations... and a Coming One!

There are thirteen constellations in the sky, not twelve. Western astrologers use twelve signs of the Zodiac instead of thirteen, because in Western astrology a sign, and a constellation, are not the same thing.

In Western astrology the position of the star, even of an entire constellation is irrelevant. All that matters to Western astrologers is the position of the Sun, Moon, and planets along the ecliptic, that is, the longitude. Not even the latitude of a celestial body matters, and is not even looked at in most cases. It is almost as if the rest of the heavens below and above the ecliptic plane were little more than fancy background. The real Action Hero is the ecliptic plane, and the astronomical background may have value only when speaking of Astrological Ages.

What makes astrologers even more resistant to change, however, is that most of the proponents clamouring for change are professional astronomers who usually don't know a thing about real astrology, and who often don't even possess a healthy respect for practitioners of the art and science of astrology. You can change someone if you have a respect for them; it is quite a different matter changing someone whom you don't respect, particularly if that special someone has a healthy respect for him- or herself.

A Bucksfanian astrologer, however, cannot deny a basic fact: there are at least 13 constellations traced by the ecliptic, the 13th constellation being Ophiuchus, and the constellation of Orion practically touches the ecliptic!

Actually things get even more complicated when we consider the actual motion of the Sun through the constellations. According to astronomical data I've seen, the Sun enters the constellation of Orion between the 18th and 20th of June; it enters the constellation of Sextans on the 3rd of September; it enters Ophiuchus on the 29th of November; and finally, it enters Cetus on the 27th of March. A similar argument can be put forward for the Moon and the planets as well.

The figure below puts the traditional astrological map of the Zodiac in parallel with the ecliptic, and the astronomical map of the Zodiac:


Astro-Astronomical Maps


The figure above clearly shows the ecliptic passing through the 12 constellations, as well as through Ophiuchus, and the ecliptic will also include Orion in a century or so. Clearly there are 14 constellations one could consider, and while that is not the same thing as 14 signs, having 14 signs, and starting them with Aries, and the vernal equinox, is clearly enriching to astrology, and still tropical astrology at its finest! The chart below shows the fourteen constellations along the ecliptic. This chart shows the movement of the vernal equinox counterclockwise along the path as seen from Earth. Thirteen of the constellations are on the ecliptic. Only Orion is off the ecliptic, and is beyond the circle, or below the ecliptic plane:


The 14 constellations along the ecliptic

The chart above is abundant visual justification for Bucksfanian astrology and its 14 signs! Let us now mention how Bucksfanian astrology relates to the so-called "pearly gates," that is, how Bucksfanian astrology relates to the New Jerusalem mentioned in the Holy Bible:


Gates of Heaven + 2
Astrological Age Begins
Capricorn
 I Use
Aquarius
 I Know
Pisces I Believe
Aries
 I Am
Taurus I Have
Orion
 I Save
Gemini I Think
Cancer I Feel
Leo I Will
Virgo I Analyse
Libra
 I Balance
Scorpio I Desire
Ophiuchus
 I Create
Sagittarius I See


While most of these pearly gates are nothing new to traditional astrologers, who probably know of them even outside their biblical astrology associations, one cannot help but notice the pearly gates associated with Orion and Ophiuchus. The Son of Man in the Gospels can be traced to the constellation Orion which represents Jesus' Spirit. Daniel 7:13-14 describes Jesus quite well:

I saw in the night visions, and behold, there came with the clouds of the sky one like a son of man, and he came even to the ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. There was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations, and languages should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

Daniel's description of the Son of Man fits the pattern of stars in the constellation Orion! Orion is the most brilliant of all the constellations, and contains 78 stars. Even the Son of Man has the same dominating presence. In the book of Revelation the Lamb refers to Jesus as well, but despite the mention of the Twelve Gates of the great celestial city (the traditional pearly gates), the Lamb is not Aries as one might think, or even Capricorn, but actually Orion, while the "glory of God," also mentioned, refers to the constellation of Ophiuchus.

Revelation 22:1-3 makes a connection between Ophiuchus and Orion, just as a connection between the two exists even in Greek mythology:

He showed me a river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street. On this side of the river and on that was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruits, yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. There will be no curse any more. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants serve him.

The "river of water of life, clear as crystal," is the Milky Way, which runs under the feet of Ophiuchus and over the outstretched arm of Orion! Orion is the sacrificed "Lamb," who will come again to sit at the right hand of the Father after he has passed through the valley of death (the Parousia or Second Coming).

The connection between the sign of Orion and the coming redeemer is therefore quite strong, and Ophiuchus speaks of a much greater physician than even Jesus himself. Notice also the prophecy in the verses above, that both the throne of God (the sign of Ophiuchus) and the Lamb (the sign of Orion) shall be in it (the tree of life), shall become part of the Zodiac itself!

What was the "curse" the Bible mentions, the curse that shall no longer be? Well, Jesus once said that "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." (Matthew 8:20) This will not be true forever, for the constellation of the Son of Man, Orion, will eventually become part of the tree of life, the Zodiac itself! And if you ever wondered why Jesus said that the Son of Man was even "Lord of the Sabbath," (Mark 2:27-28) keep in mind that Orion's position is above the Sun at the summer solstice, not below it, so the Son of Man will know on which day the true Sabbath falls, because Orion is even Lord of the Sabbath (Sun)!

So you see, there are truly thirteen constellations (and signs) of the Zodiac, not twelve, and the last and fourteenth constellation is the Coming One: Orion the Hunter, the Mighty Man of all ages!