Mysteries of Ophiuchus

The story of the constellation Ophiuchus was known in ancient times. As the legend goes Asclepius the healer once found an injured snake. He tended it and cared for it, and in return for his kindness the serpent licked his ears and taught him secret wisdom known only to the snakes.

With this secret knowledge Asclepius was able to brew potions that allowed him to cheat death itself, bringing humans back from the grave and granting them immortality. The gods, naturally, did not like this one little bit; immortality was their domain! So Zeus smote Asclepius with a thunderbolt, turning him into the constellation Ophiuchus the serpent-bearer and banishing him to the heavens where he hangs to this day.

The Babylonians liked grouping things in 12’s and so they taught us to divide the sky into the 12 houses of the zodiac. But Ophiuchus lies along the same path in the sky as the other constellations making up the traditional zodiac. So if you were born between November 30th and December 17th you might also lay claim to being born under the sign of Ophiuchus, the mysterious lost 13th house, heirs to the ancient healing secrets of the snakes.