For thousands of years people have used their zodiac signs and their horoscopes to get an idea of what the future had in store for them. And, for thousands of years, the signs- which are based on an ancient system of star alignment, location, date, and time of birth- have remained virtually unchanged. But in the recent weeks, word has spread around that this centuries old system has undergone a change. Weeks ago, Parke Kunkle reported that there should be the addition of a 13th zodiac, Ophiuchus. The rumors have been that the earth has shifted causing a new alignment of the sun and the stars, causing people to no longer have the same signs.

If this was true, the change would only affect one of the two commonly used Zodiac systems. One, the sidereal zodiac is based on where the constellations of the stars are physically located when viewed from the earth. The other system, the tropi- cal zodiac, is based on the different months and the constellations and the positions of where the stars used to be. Kunkle recently wrote an article about how the signs are changing in the sidereal zodiac due to the change in the Earth’s position over the past 3000 years. The ensuing outrage about a change in a sign which some have gone as far to tattoo on their body, is in fact a misinterpretation and distortion of the facts.

According to Mary Stevenson, Vedic Zodiac astrologist- or astrologists who study fixed zodiacs, and those who more exlusively work with the sidereal system-noth ing has changed, and never will.

“Forget about [the change],” Stevenson said. “It is just a big newspaper stunt to get people talking about astrology. Astrology is a 5,000 year old system; it won’t change.”

Around the world people have come to believe in and trust what their horoscopes tell them about their lives. One person, FHN senior Maddy Millikan, found out about the change through Facebook and was rather upset at first, as most people were.

“I was kind of upset at first,” Milikan said. “After they changed it, I was a Libra and I originally was a Scorpio and I liked being able to say,‘Oh, I’m the tough person,’ so I was kind of stubborn really. Once I found out that it didn’t apply to me I was relieved.”

Not only did Kunkle bring up ancient history but he caused quite a havoc through- out the world today. Most astrologists disagree with Kunkle and say that he is just stirring up trouble, and citing a change in a zodiac which most western astrologists don’t use. Some say that within a few months everyone will forget about this.

“You don’t have to worry about it,” Stevenson said. It’s not going to change, it’s ancient history. Why do you want to mess with that?”

Taylor Berra