Ophiuchus is the Zodiac sign depicting a man holding a large snake, which symbolizes the Dark Rift of the Milky Way Galaxy, a feature so important in Maya astrology, representing the "road to the underworld." The Ophiuchus constellation is located between Libra and Saggitarius, at exactly the point in which the Galactic Plane and the plane of our solar system's orbit cross each other.
At an astronomical level, the Earth and its Solar System have been crossing the Galactic Equator since 1998, in a process which will be complete by around 2016. This is the basis for much of the 2012 hype and even the "Photon Belt" iterations of early 1990s New Agery.
The Solar System revolves around the galactic Center in a see-saw-like motion, which some astrophysicists have theorized puts Earth at greater risk of extraterrestrial impact, during these times, as we pass through the Galactic Arms, which are more densely-packed with asteroids and plasmas.
The effects of this passage have been noted in the Earth's magnetosphere and the Sun's heliosphere, which encapsulates the entire solar system; both of which protect us from the harmful radiation of cosmic rays and both of which have shrunken or at times become torn, leaving the daylight side of the Earth completely naked to bombardment by solar radiation. Even the most conservative geophysicist whom I asked what this could cause suggested that we will see a spike in cancers and mutations arising from this astrophysical passage.
"Mutation" is a word that has come to be associated with the nightmarish genetic damage that has been the byproduct of nuclear fallout and radiation poisoning. But the word "mutation" simply means "change" in Latin - as it does in the strictest sense, in the science of genetics. Change is constant and change can certainly be good. It remains to be seen if the effects of cosmic radiation will prove beneficial for the human race and for life on Earth.
And it remains to be seen if this emerging 13th sign of Ophiuchus will gain traction in the hoary world of astrology.
At an astronomical level, the Earth and its Solar System have been crossing the Galactic Equator since 1998, in a process which will be complete by around 2016. This is the basis for much of the 2012 hype and even the "Photon Belt" iterations of early 1990s New Agery.
The Solar System revolves around the galactic Center in a see-saw-like motion, which some astrophysicists have theorized puts Earth at greater risk of extraterrestrial impact, during these times, as we pass through the Galactic Arms, which are more densely-packed with asteroids and plasmas.
The effects of this passage have been noted in the Earth's magnetosphere and the Sun's heliosphere, which encapsulates the entire solar system; both of which protect us from the harmful radiation of cosmic rays and both of which have shrunken or at times become torn, leaving the daylight side of the Earth completely naked to bombardment by solar radiation. Even the most conservative geophysicist whom I asked what this could cause suggested that we will see a spike in cancers and mutations arising from this astrophysical passage.
"Mutation" is a word that has come to be associated with the nightmarish genetic damage that has been the byproduct of nuclear fallout and radiation poisoning. But the word "mutation" simply means "change" in Latin - as it does in the strictest sense, in the science of genetics. Change is constant and change can certainly be good. It remains to be seen if the effects of cosmic radiation will prove beneficial for the human race and for life on Earth.
And it remains to be seen if this emerging 13th sign of Ophiuchus will gain traction in the hoary world of astrology.
