Ruler: Jupiter
Exalted: NA
Detriment: Mercury
Fall: NA
Polarity: Masculine/ Positive
Modality: Mutable
Element: Fire
Body Parts: thighs, motor muscles of the hips & thighs, sacrum, coordination of muscles, sciatic nerve, liver, pancreas
Nature: hot, dry, energetic and expansive. The questing flame.
There’s this town on the North Coast of NSW called Byron Bay. It’s famous lighthouse sits at the most easterly point on the Australian mainland, it’s east of everything…
Long associated with alternative life-stylers and the Age of Aquarius, Byron is a highly spiritual town where no single faith dominates, yet everyone believes in something- whether that be a traditional religion, something a tad more alternative, the organic food movement, freedom of speech, the environment, real estate dollars…
It’s a town where visitors range from drop-ins from the multiple occupancies out of town, to backpackers, to celebrity glitz, to creatives, to families, to festival goers (writers, folk and jazz), to the more pretentious monied types.
It’s a town where travellers from all around the world gather to party, to drink, to write, to play, to paint, to talk about experiences, and to learn from their fellow wanderers and to find their own personal faith, truth and belief.
It’s a town for travellers, for gypsies, for seekers of truth, for philosophers, for students of life, for those in search of a spiritual guru, for those who want to preach their own personal gospel, to those who want to surf all that life has to offer (and more)…
It’s a town that lives and breathes Sagittarius.
It’s also probably got more kombi vans per head of population than anywhere else in the world.
Sagittarius is the sign of the optimist, the eternal gypsy, the student of life and the preacher of faith.
The Sagittarian quest is to find meaning and truth and, in doing so, to make a difference. In order to do this, horizons must be expanded, minds must be blown, fences must be jumped over, sparks must be lit. So Sag wanders the earth- both physically through travel and metaphorically through ideas, philosophy and spirituality.
Sagittarius gathers the knowledge and understands his desires through the gathering of new experiences. So he says yes. … to everything. Say yes to learning, say yes to faith, say yes to integrity, say yes to adventure, say yes to travel, say yes to bungy jumping off a platform into the Waikato, say yes to another drink… just say yes.
Horizons have no boundaries, no beginning and no end. Sag aims for as far as he can see, but as we know, the horizon is a fluid target. For every challenge conquered, there is another in view and then another and still another. Fences and partitions are constraints to be jumped over and galloped away from. In fact, the one thing that Sagittarius fears is entrapment or restrictions being placed on his personal freedom.
But what does Sagittarius do with all of this knowledge and experience? He teaches and he preaches and he spreads the word to the masses. Unlike Saturn ruled Capricorn, Sagittarius does not teach life lessons- he talks about Life, Belief and Truth. In this way, Sagittarius is associated with the world of publishing, law and religion. Care needs to be taken to ensure publicity and teaching does not wander into arrogance and dogmatism- Sagittarius sometimes needs reminding that there is more than one true faith.
Sagittarius is honest to a degree that can be seen as tactless. This can result severe “foot in mouth” disease as Sag just says what he wants and bolts off to the next thing, leaving his victim in horrified at the truth they have just been told. Sag, is, of course, oblivious to whatever damage has been done.
Another Sag shadow is a reflection of their boundless optimism- without boundaries, sometimes you just don’t know when enough is enough- you don’t know when to stop. A Sagittarius without something to believe in, without a cause to follow or without a quest can escape into the world of Too Much- too much gambling, too much alcohol, too much partying, too much food… too much. And when you are totally convinced that you will always land on your feet? Well, that just means that sometimes you take too much risk.
In the body, Sagittarius rules the bum and the thighs. People with strong Sagittarian signatures in their chart, particularly a Sag rising, will have inherent strength in this area. All the better to leap over fences and gallop off into the sunset. As with all things astrological, though, this can also be the part of the body that suffers when you’re not being true to your Sadge calling- so get moving!
Speaking of things to jump over or off, Rotorua and Queenstown in New Zealand are also towns devoted to the pursuit of the next great adventure. If there is something to jump off, a river to rampage or a new and exciting way of pushing ones personal boundaries, the Kiwis will have identified it. But again, all of this isn’t there simply for the sake of the adrenaline rush. In pushing your own boundaries, you learn more about your own truth, about your own beliefs and your own personal strengths.
Think about that while the Sun is in Sagittarius- especially if you find yourself held back by fear and anxieties. Especially if you’re a Sadge and you find yourself questioning your beliefs, doubting your faith, and afraid to jump your personal fences. What are you saying no to, that actually needs a yes?
Look to the house in your chart with Sagittarius on the cusp. This is the area of life that will be energized for the next month. Are you having doubts in that part of life? Has your faith disappeared? Are you no longer taking (measured) risks because you’ve lost confidence?
This month, open your heart, your mind and your soul and challenge yourself. It could be something involving adrenaline or adventure, or it could be taking a chance on a rejection, learning something new, considering a new point of view, or maybe even moving your body in a new way.
Take care not to over do it, or risk more than is appropriate, but every time you push your comfort zone, you also grow your confidence…and that helps push aside the fear.