Astrology-Central

Sagittarius: Divinatory Meaning

The symbol of the Centaur with bow and arrow aimed heavenward represents his attempt to liberate himself from his lower nature and become one with the Higher Plane. His fire nature pushes him onward and upward.

The average Sag is outgoing, optimistic, friendly, extroverted. They love sports and gambling, taking chances, pushing the envelope. They are rather superficial in the first half of their lives, and freedom to move is of utmost importance. "Don’t fence me in," is their battle cry. Where a Capricorn will cling to tradition, a Sag wants to move forward. They love to travel, whether physically or in the mind.

Sagittarius is a born optimist; for him everything is always okay and always arranged in the best way possible. Sagittarians feel they can solve all problems and will do all things required of them. Sagittarians are prone to over-optimism, exaggeration, mockery, gambling and light-headedness. They are natural philosophers, teachers, educators, lovers, communicators, and friends. They like to travel, they love their freedom and space, and they are interested in world exploration as well as the study of human behavior, culture and religion. They share their knowledge with whoever seeks it. They love life and can be quite mischievous children.

Sagittarians are usually modest and are often religious, with a strong sense of morality, though they tend to overemphasize the ethical codes they follow and worship beliefs about God rather than God Himself. This means that, negatively, they regard rigid, unloving, intolerant adherence to ritual and conventional codes as more important than the truths they symbolize or embody. They sometimes pay lip service to religions and political parties in which they have ceased to believe because the outward forms satisfy them, yet they may not hesitate to switch allegiance in politics or change their system of belief if they see personal advantage to themselves in doing so.

They have both profound and widely ranging minds, equipped with foresight and good judgement, and they can be witty conversationalists. They love to initiate new projects (they make excellent researchers) and have an urge to understand conceptions that are new to them. they think rapidly, are intuitive and often original, but are better at adapting than inventing and are at their best when working with colleagues of other types of character that compliment their own. They are strong-willed and good at organizing, a combination that gives them the ability to bring any project they undertake to a successful conclusion. Their generosity can be balanced by their extreme care at handling their resources. Sagittarians are ardent, sincere and straightforward in love, normally conventional and in control of their sexual natures.

Their restlessness, if excessive, can jeopardize more than their own stability. Procrastination and lack of organization can give their nerves a hard time. They can also be quite blunt, thus wounding others with their words. On the other hand they are magnanimous in forgiving offenses and are responsible when looking after the elderly in the family. They are natural teachers and philosophers with a talent for expounding the moral principles and laws which seem to explain the universe. This gift enables them to be successful churchmen on the one hand and scientists on the other. The law and politics also suit them, as does public service, social administration, public relations and advertising. Travel and exploration naturally appeal to such restless souls.

Sagittarius has tremendous spiritual potential. As mid-life approaches, they become interested in distant horizons of the superconscious – philosophy, higher learning, the esoteric. When they lean toward spirituality they can create miracles, and that is why so many consider them lucky. Being Jupiter ruled, the Greater Benefic does give them an amount of luck. 

 KEYWORDS for Sagittarius

Medically Speaking

Sagittarius governs the hips, thighs and sacral area, and upper leg. Natives may suffer from ailments of the hips and thighs and are liable to sciatica and rheumatism. An alleged deficiency of silicon in their physiques can give them poor skin, nails and hair.

As they are often sportsmen indulging in dangerous pursuits, and overdoing things (negative Jupiter), they are prone to accidents which arise from these. The ancient astrologers mention falls from horses and hurts from them and other four-footed beasts. The taking of risks in other sports is a danger to the modern Sagittarian, and he is also liable to accidents with fire and heat.

Kabbalistic Connection

Kislev is the sign of Sagittarius. It is central column of the fire signs, ruled by Jupiter, in Hebrew “Tzedek”, and the Hebrew letters Samech and Gimel. The letter Samech created the sign of Sagittarius. Samech comes from the phrase Somech noflim (supporting the fallen). In the Zohar, the article called “the letter of Rav Hamnuna Saba (the Elder)”, it says that the Hebrew letters came before the Creator to ask that the world be created beginning with each one. When the letter Samech came before the Creator, the Creator told it to go back to its place, which is after the letter Nun, and to support the Nun from falling. That is how we get the word nes (Eng. miracle). The letter Nun created the sign of Scorpio in which the Flood happened, and after the Flood God put the rainbow in the sky as an omen that there never be a flood again.

Sagittarius in Hebrew is called Keshet, or rainbow. This is the rainbow in the sky, an omen between God and Noach a flood would never destroy the land. Keshet is represented by the centaur, the mythological half-man, half-horse figure who hunts with a bow and arrow.

John of Berry’s Petites Heures
France, Paris 14th Century.

As first of the outer planets, JUPITER is the planet of expansion, exploration, growth, and cooperation. In a natal chart, the aspects and position of Jupiter indicate how subjects are able to expand their horizons, set their own ethical and moral limits, and how they fit into and contribute to society. It stands for wisdom, the higher mind, prophecy, organized religions, universities, law, ceremonies, and rituals. It establishes far-ranging connections between people and ideas. It is the planet of abundance, prosperity, generosity, joviality, fortune, optimism, finance, and world commerce, but it tends to excess, over-confidence, self-righteousness, and complaisance. Jupiter rules the, blood, liver, arteries, thighs, neck, weight problems, diabetes, catarrh, auto-intoxication, biliousness, colostral.

It takes approximately 12 years for Jupiter to transit the chart (up to 30 degrees / year or one sign per year).

From the operations of Jupiter, they made for prolongation of life, an Image, in the hour of Jupiter, Jupiter being in his exaltation fortunately ascending, in a clear and white stone, whose figure was a man crowned, cloathed with garments of a Saffron Colour, riding upon an Eagle or Dragon, having in his right hand a dart, about as it were to strike it into the head of the same Eagle or Dragon. They made also another Image of Jupiter at the same convenient season, in a white and clear stone, especially in Crystall, and it was a naked man crowned, having both his hands joyned together and lifted up, as it were deprecating something, sitting in a four-footed chair, which is carried by four winged boys, and they affirm that this Image encreaseth felicity, riches, honor, and conferreth Benevolence and prosperity, and freeth from enemies; They made also another Image of Jupiter for a religious and glorious life, and advancement of fortune; whose figure was a man having the head of a Lyon [lion], or a Ram, and Eagles feet, cloathed in Saffron coloured cloathes, and he was called the son of Jupiter. 
—Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa: Of Occult Philosophy, Book II (circa 1510)

Jupiter Rules :	Sagittarius by Day Pisces at Night Fire Signs at Night
Angel :	Zadkiel
Exalted Degree :	15 Cancer
Detriment :	Gemini (Virgo)
Fall :	Capricorn
Houses ruled :	9th and 12th houses
Day Ruled :	Thursday
Persons Represented :	grandfather, teacher, guru, traveler, adventurer
	The semi-circle of the Moon rising above the cross of matter symbolizes the stage in our development where Man’s soul has risen above earthly experiences, thereby gaining a wisdom and insight of the universal laws of existence.
Classical Astrology Data at bottom

IN THE CHART

Known as the Greater Benefic, Jupiter has a positive, expansive effect. But remember, it will expand both good and bad. Jupiter rules the law and moral authority, and our attitude to these issues. It brings a strong desire for understanding and the tendency to have powerful opinions and convictions.

When favorably aspected, Jupiter shows one’s tendency to benevolence and jovial disposition. These natives are courteous, refined, law abiding, and honorable. When adversely aspected, it denotes lawlessness, self-indulgence, carelessness in meeting obligations, and gluttony which results in ill-health.

How Jupiter will manifest its energy depends on the horoscope as a whole. The Sign, House, and the Aspects to the other planets will all have a bearing on any interpretation.

In general, the Zodiac Sign Jupiter is in, shows cultural influences and social drives for expansion and improvement. It is an indicator of one’s faith and confidence, showing the areas where one will find opportunity, growth and fulfillment. It may also relate to those in authority from whom you can expect some assistance. A well placed Jupiter should not be mistaken as a sign for material prosperity. Rather, it is associated with the spiritual, philosophical and intellectual realms. An overstress on the function of Jupiter may lead to exaggeration, delusions of grandeur, and a depletion of energies through over-extension. An afflicted Jupiter can manifest as scepticism, pessimism, feelings of inadequacy, depression, and lethargy.

The Astrological House Jupiter is in shows where there will be good fortune and expansion, and where you can grow in understanding in your personal life. This area will generally be very fortunate for you.

The aspects Jupiter makes shows a psychological identity characteristic where the need for expansion, influence and understanding is paramount. These aspects show the specific personal drives where the search for wisdom is most intense.

When Jupiter is being emphasized by dynamic astrology, there are going to be changes to your worldview. What you are learning, what you are mastering, what you believe in are all areas that can be affected. Jupiter is the energy of expansiveness, whether you like it or not. It takes joy in the big picture and will influence life by the desire to expand the individual’s world. The outward effect of this can be to bring study (mental expansion) or travel (physical expansion of the worldview) into your life. If it is impossible for the world to expand due to the life circumstance, then Jupiter will simply change the life circumstance so that an expansion can occur. This may not be a joyful event.

In addition, it would seem that people with a strong natal Jupiter (or who have a large dollop of Sagittarius in the chart) find that transits from or progressions to Jupiter are too excessive, leading to obsessive, manic types of overreactions which generally leave them exhausted at the end of the period.

MEDICAL JUPITER

Medically, Jupiter rules the liver, the largest and main organ for balance and detoxification, reception of the intestinal portal circulation, and control of fat utilization. Thus, Jupiter rules fat metabolism. It rules the arterial blood, and the functions of digestive assimilation, especially in regards to the liver. Jupiter also rules the adrenals and the storage of glycogen, and thus has influence over the stamina and muscular power. The placement of Jupiter points to those herbs and dietetics that will best suit the native for detoxification and periodic cleansing of the bowels and thus the liver.

Although Jupiter by nature is benefic, it has a malefic influence when in hard aspect to the Sun, Moon or Ascendant, and in the sixth house. Most of its maladies are accentuated by indiscretions (over-doing) in diet leading to blood disorders, toxicity, and fatty accumulations.

PATHOLOGICAL TENDENCIES: Obesity, toxicity, hypertension, abdominal fullness, diseases from "high living", stroke, hemorrhagic diseases, jaundice.

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY: Liver functions, especially detoxification and glycogen storage, production of urea and bile; fat metabolism; blood and arterial system; growth hormone.

DEATH in CLASSICAL INTERPRETATION

Jupiter causes death through strangulation, pneumonia, apoplexy, spasms, headaches, and cardiac affections, and such conditions as are accompanied by irregularity of foulness of breath. … Thus, then, those who depart from life in the way described die natural deaths, whenever the lords of death happen to be in their own or in kindred natural characters, and if no planet that is able to do injury to make the end more remarkable overcomes them. They die, however, by violent and conspicuous means whenever both the evil planets dominate the destructive places, either in conjunction, or in quartile, or in opposition, or also if one of the two, or both, seize upon the sun, or the moon, or both the luminaries.
—Ptolemy Tetrabiblos (2nd century CE)

CLASSICAL ASSOCIATIONS

Mutable signs are concerned with changing things or moving onto something new because of boredom. The emphasis is on adaptability in the sense that while the fixed signs resist change, the mutable signs accept it — to the point of lacking a fixity of purpose and picking a path. These natives possess a versatility, communication ability, are accommodating, subtle, smpathetic, but also crafty, deceptive, inconstant, undependable.

These signs are the closing month of each season – a time to complete one’s work while preparing for the changes to come (new season).

Common Signes are constitutes between moveable and fixed, and retain a property or nature, pertaking both with the preceding and consequent Sign: and they are Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces. They are called By-corporeal or double bodied, because they represent two Bodies: as Gemini two Twinnes, Pisces two Fishes.

— William Lilly, Christian Astrology (1647)

Double Bodied – The others are called double bodied, and they are Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces,
for they are at the end of one element and connected with the next one."

—Avraham Ibn Eza (1092-1167 C.E), The Book of Reasons

HOUSES: The Cadent Houses (3rd, 6th, 9th, 12th) correspond to the Mutable Signs. They do not show power or stability, but are adaptable and get along with others. These are the Mental houses.

GEMINI (Mutable Air)

Keywords are communications, talking, writing, gathering info, traveling (short trips), multitasking. Indeed, Gemini is the only sign that can do two things at the same time and get away with it. If you want to locate something fast, get a Gemini to find it for you…unless, of course, something else distracts them!

VIRGO (Mutable Earth)

Keywords are details, work, details, criticism, microscopes-for-eyes, details. Virgos make great workers and fantastic critics – though sometimes nit-picking like: (Captain Kirk: "Mr. Spock, Isn’t it true that when an impulse engine is overloaded, it explodes with a force of 10 megatons?" Spock: "No captain, 10.13756 megatons.").

SAGITTARIUS (Mutable Fire)

Keywords are, philosophy, jovial, long-distance travel, religion (belief systems), higher learning, story-telling. Sagittarius Sun-Signs seem to follow the adage: Open mouth, insert foot! They tend to blurt out whatever they are thinking. Being Jupiter-ruled, the Greater Benefic, they are considered to be lucky.

PISCES (Mutable Water)

Keywords are imagination, dreams, illusions, substance abuse, dancing, other-worldly, escapism from the real world. Remember Isaac Newton, the Capricorn who said that the Universe runs like a clock? Well who else but a Pisces like Einstein would say that "space warps"? This is the only sign that can be alone in a crowded room. A spacey, far-away look is a dead giveaway that the person has strong placements in Pisces OR has the ruling planet, Neptune, strongly placed.

The Fire Triplicity is represented by the choleric or bilious temperament, exhibiting a rash, feverish, easily-excited or impulsive nature with sudden fevers or illness, generally acute but usually of short duration.

Fiery types are energetic, explosive and volatile. They live by enthusiasm and faith in the future, they are adventurers, leaders and innovators. Their weakness is a tendency to burn themselves out and they should make sure their physical and emotional health is not neglected. They are impatient and react badly to obstacles and delays. They are also impractical, and rely on the earth signs to carry out their requirements.

The Fire Signs themselves (Aries, Leo and Sagittarius) represent the vital spirit, the bodily heat and combustion, and all of them make for Action / Activity – be it political, military and speculative interests.

Related HOUSES : The Fire Signs naturally rule the 1st (body), 5th (soul), & 9th (spirit, mind) houses and are considered the Houses of Life or the Personal Houses.
Many planets in these houses makes the native dynamic, energetic, and philosophical.

Keywords: adventurous, ardent, arrogant, assertive, blunt, creative, egotistical, energetic, enthusiastic, exciting, explosive, forthright, honest, hot-blooded, hot-tempered, impatient, impractical, impulsive, initiating, intuitive, magnetic, masculine, optimistic, outgoing, passionate, positive, quick, spontaneous, strength, thoughtless, uncomplicated, vitalizing, volatile, warm

In Medical Astrology and Astro-Meteorology the Fire element is of the humour Choleric, being hot and dry. Planets that are such are the Sun and Mars.

ARIES: Cardinal Fire 

Aries: The sign of Aries shows (in the chart) where you can initiate action immediately, forcefully and directly. The Cardinal Signs take action and Aries has a reputation for charging right in. The placement of the sign of Aries in your horoscope shows one of the places where you tend to take initiative and plunge right in. The other place you act this way is shown by the placement of Mars, the ruling planet of Aries.

LEO: Fixed Fire

Leo: Fixed signs like to stay put and have everything else around them move. Leo is Fixed Fire and shows where you are creative, where you can really put your heart into something. Leo is ruled by the Sun, and, just as the Sun is the center of the solar system with the planets dancing around, so those with a Leo emphasis like to stay in the center of things and have everyone else dance around them. The house that has Leo on the cusp shows one place where you want to express yourself and receive praise or admiration. That can also be the place where you want to be treated royally and have others do things for you. The motto of Leo is “Nothing but the best”. It takes very hard work to be the best and Leo is the place where we don’t want to be embarrassed by failure. This means that we will either work very hard there and tend towards perfectionism, or give up the struggle, be lazy, and fool ourselves into thinking that we are above it all.

SAGITTARIUS: Mutable Fire

Sagittarius: Mutable signs are communicators. Gemini gathers facts quickly. Virgo gathers them slowly and carefully, but just as Virgo is the sign of details, Sagittarius is the sign of the Big picture. Never mind this fact or that. How does it all fit together? Sagittarius is Mutable Fire, the sign of wisdom. Its placement in your horoscope shows where and how you can understand things and make sense of it all. In your horoscope, the house with Sagittarius on the cusp is one of the places where you tend to feel optimistic, safe and secure, so you will be more adventurous in this area of your life. Since “Nothing ventured, nothing gained”, this can be a place of your biggest achievements. On the negative side, it will show the place where you can be over optimistic, charge in thinking that nothing can go wrong, and fall flat on your face. The other place in your horoscope where this will tend to be true is the house position of Jupiter, ruling planet of Sagittarius.

CLASSICAL RULERSHIPS (traditional astrology)

This set of signs is ruled by Sun by day and Jupiter by night. Given that the Aries triplicity comprises Aries, Leo and Sagittarius, we might expect that it would be ruled by Mars, Sun and Jupiter, the respective rulers of these signs. However, Mars cannot be accepted as a ruler because it is assigned to the nocturnal sect and this triplicity is diurnal. Saturn is therefore substituted for Mars and acts as a co-ruler for the triplicity both day and night. Considered hot and fiery. Aries trigon – Sun, Jupiter, Saturn Cancer trigon – Venus, Mars, Moon Libra trigon – Saturn, Mercury, Jupiter Capricorn trigon – Venus, Moon, Mars Most early astrologers used all three planets, rotating their priority by day and night, but many later ones, including Lilly, chose to use only the principal rulers. Perhaps they rejected the convoluted logic that lay behind the definition of sect, or perhaps they were confused by Ptolemy who only mentions two rulers for the Aries and Capricorn triplicities, yet mentions three rulers for the others!