SUSAN CALMAN
Dark and passionate, our columnist considers herself a typical Scorpio, but as a new 13th sign shifts the astrology landscape, will she be forced to rethink?
Our columnist mulls over a change of star sign
Sometimes I feel like I’m two different people. On one hand, I’m the most sensible, pragmatic human being you’ll ever meet. And at the same time, I’m led by my emotions to the point of blind panic. Like the time the television stopped working and I sat in the garden (in the rain) for an hour because it felt like the only thing to do. Having given you a little insight into my mind, I now feel comfortable telling you I can honestly say Ophiuchus has completely, utterly and absolutely ruined my life. If you’re reading this and thinking I’ve suddenly and rather inexplicably taken against a little-known Roman Emperor, you’d be wrong. If you find yourself nodding along with a similar feeling of hatred, then not only are you right, we are also zodiac twins.
At first glance, the story is not particularly controversial. The star sign Ophiuchus has been around since the time of the Ancient Greeks, largely ignored by astrologers in favour of the 12 main signs, partly because the Babylonians wanted to match up the 12 months. But, recently, this astrological troublemaker has reappeared to destroy everything I love about myself (I told you I was emotional).
Born on 6 November, I have up to this point always been a Scorpio. Personality traits include ambition, intensity and a desire to control all around me. I’m the best friend you’ll ever have and the worst enemy you will ever make. Dark and mysterious, I’ve always loved that I fit so perfectly into my zodiac sign. Imagine my shock on reading that Ophiuchus was set to become the 13th zodiac sign and everything was going to change. Because now, suddenly, I was to become a Libra!
No offence to anyone who is one, but I am definitely not, thank you very much. A Libra is described as a social butterfly who makes friends easily. I have four friends. Nine if you include the cats. Libras like to make peace and are the queens of compromise. I could start a fight in an empty room.
For the 46 years I’ve been on the planet, I have been one thing, and now I’m supposed to be another. I don’t read my horoscope every day, nor plan my life around it, but I do have a certain amount of faith in who I am. And I’m not the only one. On one of my Friday night gatherings with two of my nine friends (the cats were asleep), I brought the issue up, mainly to see if I was overreacting to this turn of events.
I was heartened to know that when an Aquarius turned into a Capricorn and a Libra became a Virgo, emotions ran high; and not just because of the amount of pink gin we’d consumed.
The more I talked to friends and family, the more I realised I wasn’t the only one uncomfortable with the change. Even people who normally dismissed the idea of being led by the zodiac were indignant. Saying ‘I’m a Scorpio’ is as definitive a statement as your name or age. And what of relationships? I’m not saying my marriage is based on the compatibility of our star signs, but it was probably the second question I asked after we met. So, as I pondered my new identity, I looked at my wife from the corner of my eye and wondered if the fact we were now to become Libra/gemini would be an acceptable reason for divorce. (My wife would probably say me sitting in the rain crying because the TV was broken was more of a reason.)
I started to doubt the very fabric of my being. Should I suddenly become a Libra – a charming people person with hundreds of friends? Susan the Scorpio stays in. She plays on the Playstation and shares her dinner with her cats. She’s secretive and suspicious, and no one ever calls on her to resolve an argument.
Then I realised it doesn’t matter what anyone says, because one of the traits of me and my true star sign is to overreact in even the simplest of situations and ignore what anyone else thinks. So, I think I’ve proved my point, don’t you? Scorpio now and forever.
Libras like to make peace and are the queens of compromise. I could start a fight in an empty room