Personality traits of Ophiuchus, the new zodiac sign

Below is a list of attributes associated with the Serpent Holder, Imhotep i.e Aesclepius, and subsequently associated with the 13th sign - Ophiuchus:

     * Many people are envious of the Ophiuchan as he/she progresses well throughout life.

    * A seeker of wisdom and knowledge

    * A flamboyant dressing sense, favouring bright colours.

    * Authority looks upon him/her well

    * Would make a great architect or builder

    * Number 12 is the lucky number.

    * Will have a big family but will leave home at an early age

The 13th sign of the zodiac, unlike the other 12 signs is actually associated with a real person, Imhotep. Imhotep, who lived in the 27th Century BCE in Ancient Egypt, was also known as 'Aesclepius' by the Ancient Greeks. However, the attributes are the same under either name.

Ophiuchus is a rarely used astrological sign and is not included in most versions of the Zodiac. It is also known as Serpentarius. The eponymous constellation is situated behind the sun between November 29 and December 17.

According to astrologers, Ophiuchus and some of the fixed stars in it were sometimes used in antiquity as extra-zodiacal indicators. An anonymous 4th century astrologer, often known as Anonymous of 379, seems to have associated the bright star of Ophiuchus, likely α Ophiuchi, with doctors, healers or physicians.

Based on the 1930 IAU constellation boundaries, a few 20th-century sidereal (Eastern) astrologers such as Walter Berg in The 13 Signs of the Zodiac (1995) have considered the Sun to be in the sign of Ophiuchus when it is in the constellation Ophiuchus, which is November 29 to December 17. Tropical (Western) astrologers and most sidereal astrologers do not recognize Ophiuchus as a sign, explains Dr Shepherd Simpson.