WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE ZODIAICAL SIGN SAGITTARIUS
Even without its pictured constellation, the Centaur–a creature part man, part horse–we recognize Sagittarius as a dual sign by the characters of those born with this section of the zodiac prominent in the sky. Jupiter, the ruler of Sagittarius, is a planet devoted to both religion and sports and we find that Sagittarians are usually given either more to religion than to sports or more to sports than religion. Yet the religious Sagittarian (and his philosophy is often decidedly unorthodox) is usually interested somewhat in outdoor life and recreation, while the sports-loving Sagittarian formulates a philosophy of his own to live by.
This is a fire sign and a mutable sign and is therefore enthusiastic, hasty, impulsive, energetic and rather aggressive. Unlike the other fire signs Sagittarius is not inclined to be dominating and combines the adaptability of the mutable signs with the positiveness and forcefulness of the masculine signs of the zodiac, to which groups it belongs.
Patriotism, love of freedom, generosity, charity, joviality, ambition and self- reliance are pronounced qualities of the typical natives of this sign. They are given to speaking their minds and being frank and straight to the point, with no quibbling. Their stout adherence to a worthy cause or to a friend in need gives them the best quality of Loyalty. The carefree gayety and irresponsibility of those Sagittarius who “don’t give a hang” gives the worst quality of Sportiveness on this region of heaven. The dominant idea of Sagittarius is I See.
This sign corresponds to the ninth mundane house of heaven and therefore shares somewhat with this house the rulership of the higher mind, philosophy, science and religion. True religion implies that science and religion are one and therefore the Brotherhood of Light Spiritual Text on this sign states that “True Religion is the Discernment of the Divine Plan and a Conscious Cooperation in its Fulfillment.” In a similar way this thought is expressed in The Sacred Tarot thus: “Remember, then, son of earth, that the empire of the world belongs to them who possess the sovereignty of spirit, that is to say, the light which makes clear the mysteries of life. If the Conqueror (Sagittarius) should appear in the prophetic signs of thy horoscope it signifies that in breaking through obstacles thou wilt crush thy enemies; and all thy wishes will be realized if thou attack the future with audacity, armed in the consciousness of thy right.”
The lighter shades of purple and such herbs as agrimony, wood betony, mallow and featherfew come under the astral jurisdiction of this sign. The official talisman of Sagittarius is the red garnet or carbuncle, and such stones as turquoise and stones with a mixture of red and green come under the sponsorship of this sign.
The Jupiter, or first decanate of Sagittarius, is either the most religious or the most sports-loving section of the sign. This adherence to either spirituality or the chiefly pleasurable pursuits of the material world is implied by the keyword Devotion. Those born with this decanate prominent find a close kinship with the forces of nature, either in her spiritual or material aspects. They are often the deepest philosophers of the whole zodiac. Self-reliance is especially important to those born here as they seem to fare poorly through following the advice of others. When freed of orthodoxy and worldly restraint this section of the sky becomes highly spiritual and it seems easier for those of this decanate to effect a transmutation of animal nature into divine nature than those born elsewhere. This ability to associate with the Divine Plan and discern the right way to assist in its fulfillment through inspiration alone is suggested by the seven-stringed harp, the constellation of Lyra which portrays this decanate in the canopy of space.
The second decanate of Sagittarius has the sub-rulership, through Aries, of the planet Mars. The travel instincts of this sign are thus accentuated by the activity of the first sign of the zodiac. Alertness and restlessness mark the minds and intuitions of those born here. The usual executive ability of Sagittarius is most pronounced in this middle decanate. Aquila–an Eagle–constellates this decanate and symbolizes the transmutation of the passions of Mars into highly constructive endeavor. It is the decanate of Exploration.
The last decanate enthrones, through the sub-influence of Leo, the imperial father-of-planets himself. Authority and dignity in synthesizing observations, and imparting the resultant facts to others, is the special proclivity of those born with this decanate outstanding. As this section of the sky lies next to Saturn’s sign so do those born here have the ability to make practical religion, bringing it down to earth as a concrete guide for all to follow. The attainment of spiritual power, made so much easier by this decanate, becomes of value to all mankind when properly made use of. It is thus the decanate of Illumination. It is constellated by an arrow–Sagitta–to indicate the higher mind ready to pierce the falsehoods and soul-binding doctrines of atheism and materialism
To express the sign Sagittarius in brief form the ancients used the arrow from the bow of the centaur.
