Free at last!
Sagittarius is the last of the fire signs and the first of the universal (post-moral, transpersonal) signs. It is akin to the feeling we have after re-birth, after a peak experience. It is the joy of being born again after Scorpio’s “dark night of the soul.”
Scorpio died in order to be reborn. The Sagittarius carries the sense of being in a state of divine grace, at one with the universe. Those who have not suffered through the Scorpio initiation (the Phoenix rising up toward the sun, resurrected from its own ashes) cannot move into the Sagittarius experience, the realm of consciousness in which it is felt that no matter what the circumstances, “God is in his heaven, and all is right with the world,” – just as it is.
Aries is the joy of self-expression. Leo is the joy of creative expression, of performance and play rewarded with validation from others. Sagittarius is the joy of the distribution and dissemination of the “Word,” of the grace that creates wisdom, ethics, cultural, and philosophical values. There is a desire to give out the truth in all directions, to broadcast it everywhere, to everyone. Wisdom is learned from multiple sources. Gemini and Virgo learn in the classroom and laboratory. Sagittarius from life, the world, travels and adventures. The last mutable sign, Pisces, learns from the inner god. Gemini, Sagittarius’ opposite, wants facts and data while Sagittarius seeks the meaning and wisdom to be derived from those facts.
The centaur and the archer are symbols for this sign. The centaur is half animal (horse), and has the head, arms and upper torso of a human. There is often a split within the self between the higher and lower nature. Thus, there is a tendency toward hypocrisy that says, “Do what I say, not what I do.” This is a “sin” we often see in preachers and politicians. The task of Sagittarius is to teach truth as a living example, to “walk the talk” not just talk. The archer is the archetype of mankind’s urge to develop the higher, intuitive mind. He aims his arrow straight toward heaven; his target is truth, infinity, and immortality.
Arjuna, hero of the Bhagavad Gita best typifies the archer. He was a warrior whose chariot driver was none other than Divinity in His Incarnation as Lord Krishna.
The center of our galaxy is located at 29 Sagittarius.
Energy from this center is focussed through the sign, and through its ruler, Jupiter (teacher of the Gods), the cosmic powers of light are transmitted.
Those born under this sign are characterized by optimism, aspiration, inspiration, enthusiasm, expansiveness (sometimes physical largesse), generosity, and a “‘hale-fellow-well-met” demeanor. The truth-telling impulse can come out as “hoof-in-mouth disease.” Not a diplomatic sign like Libra and Scorpio, Sagittarius likes to tell people more than they may want to know, or are ready to hear. “I’m telling you this for your own good!” In their enthusiasm to pass on ‘the word,’ they sometimes come off sounding like, “God is speaking directly into my ear, and I’m just telling you what He’s saying!”
The goddess Artemis/Diana personifies the female Sagittarius. She may like younger men. Men are more likely to be friends than erotic lovers. She is happier with sibling type relationships. She can be very psychologically tied to her father because he is the good, wise and generous “Daddy,” just like the god Jove.
Like the other fire signs, Sagittarius enjoys the outdoors. Those strongly influenced by it tend to be athletic and benefits from foreign travel and philosophical studies. As the sign of the bachelor, natives of this sign tend to marry late, if at all. An early marriage is frequently a brief one. There is a subtle feeling that “who travels fastest, travels alone,” “don’t fence me in,” “widen my road, narrow my bed.” That is not to imply that Sagittarius is a celibate sign, its natives enjoy the physical side of love as much as the other fire signs, are just as passionate. They simply do not like to be tied down. As one Sun-Mars Sagittarius lady remarked, “I hate that word ‘commitment;’ it sounds too much like being committed to jail!”
A few archetypal Sagittarius characters are Santa Claus, Don Quixote, the gypsy, C.C. Rider and Jimminy Cricket. “Let your conscience by your guide,” is its motto
About the author:
Eleanor Buckwalter has studied, practiced and taught astrology in Los Altos, CA for more than twenty-five years, including three years with the late Richard Idemon, a psychological astrologer. Her primary astrological focus of interest is parent-child relationships and family dynamics.
Last updated on May 5, 2017 at 6:41 pm. Word Count: 775
