A Portrait of Sagittarius

Sagittarius is the 9^th Sign of the Zodiac. It is a mutable fire sign. Mutable basically means it is flexible and changeable and is related to the fact that Sagittarius is the last sign of autumn and therefore indicates completion of a season, time to adapt and prepare for the change of season. The totem for Sagittarius is unique. It is a centaur which is also depicted as an archer. Some say archer, while others say centaur but it is actually both. A centaur is a mythic image which depicts a human, usually a man from the torso up, but it could be a woman as well, with the remainder of the body like that of a horse. So Sagittarius is not a man (or woman) on a horse, but a person that is half human and half animal. Implied in this archetype above all is the close relationship we share with nature in general and with the wilds of nature in particular. The archer implies a bow and arrow, however. This symbolizes technology and by extension reason and logic. In this respect, Sagittarius reminds us that while we are closely connected to nature in general and to the animal kingdom we are something else, something of a mutation. One might simply say a mutation between reason and instinct.

Sagittarius is the visionary, teacher, publisher, preacher, scholar, rights activist, lawyer, judge, metaphysician and writer and is symbolically linked to seeing the bigger picture balancing the outer cosmic with the inner spiritual source. Sagittarius sits between two power signs, Scorpio and Capricorn. This is an indication of the inner strength that Sagittarius possesses. Protected on either side yet also challenged by the pressures of the corrupting influences of power, Sagittarius must remain true to a bigger picture, adhering to high principles, upholding a strict code of ethics and respectfully acknowledging the laws.

Those persons, whose expression of Sagittarius is lower, feel they have the right to make their own laws, to bend the rules to their will and use intelligence to undermine verses uphold timeless truths with courage and virtue. The higher expression of Sagittarius is truly the spiritual teacher, philosopher, visionary and the great teacher who acts to teach and lead others by example according to spiritual, natural and social laws and the powerful principles which uphold their integrity. Not surprisingly, the ancients who projected the mythology of the Zodiac onto the heavens depicted Sagittarius as the noble archer whose arrow is aimed at the very center of the Galaxy. How the ancients knew where the Galactic Center was and that there was even a Galaxy and having a center is another question and feature of the adventurous search for knowledge, insight and truth that Sagittarius is all about.