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Ophiuchus and its galactic and Universal connections

Ophiuchus constellation map

Johannes Keppler Drawing
The cusp to Sagittarius in this drawing is located much more into Sagittarius than it's in modern astronomy and  astrology.

Kepler drawing of Ophiuchus

As Ophiuchus does actually cross the ecliptic, as every other zodiacal constellation does, I add it here under signs. 

Ophiuchus Alpha-Star is called Rasalhague (sometimes written Ras Al Haugue) with a magnitude of 2.07. The name comes from Arabic and means  "the head of the serpent collector". The constellations "Serpens caput"  and "Serpens cauda" are just left and right to Ophiuchus in modern astronomy. In ancient Babylonia the whole area was drawn/seen a bit differently and was called the "sitting god" or "serpent-god" (with snakes as legs). In Greek the constellation was associated with Apollo, struggling with a snake. Another "version" is, it to be associated with Asclepius (similar as Imhotep in Egypt), both were about medicine and travels.

Another beautiful part of the heavens with many star-clusters, nebulas and galaxies... 



Rasalhague is pretty north of the ecliptic and also just on the cusp with sid. Sagittarius. Even so he embodies the essence of Ophiuchus, close conjunctions of most of our bodies with him are not so common. 

Ophiuchus stands for gaining wisdom through "lived knowledge" and of course stands for "healing" - not only on the physical but also on the mental and spiritual planes. To integrate our shadows/fears (symbolized by the serpent) and to stand in the own truth/power and overcoming victim-consciousness (standing firmly "on the ecliptic" - I mean the ecliptic as the kind of "common path" or maybe "highway" here). 



Planetary points in Scorpio/Ophiuchus: 

Southnode:  Ceres 26°, Uranus 19°30',  and Venus 22° 

Aphelion:   Mercury 23°    

M62 cluster between Scorpio and Ophiuchu

M62 - Messier 62 is located between Scorpio and Ophiuchus and lays south of the ecliptic.     
When globular clusters form, they tend to be somewhat denser towards the center. The more massive the cluster, the denser the center is likely to be. With a mass with almost a million times that of the Sun, Messier 62 is one of the densest of them all. With so many stars at the center, interactions and mergers occur regularly. Huge stars form and run out of fuel quickly, exploding violently and their remains collapse to form white dwarfs, neutron stars and even black holes!  (Credit picture and text:  ESA/Hubble & NASA, S. Anderson et al)    

modern constellation map created with: https://www.fourmilab.ch/yoursky/
References: Nick Anthony Fiorenza - lunar planner.com 
                      Ian Ridpath's star Tales  and Constellation guide.com  
                      Pdf-link to chapter 6 of "the constellations of ancient Egypt" by: 

                      Belmonte_Shaltout pdf        
 

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