Sagittarius

saj-ih-TAIR-ee-uhs

greek: Τοξότης (Toxotes) · latin: Sagittarius · sanskrit: Dhanu

Definition

Sagittarius is the ninth sign of the zodiac, covering 240 to 270 degrees of the ecliptic — the circle the Sun appears to travel over a year. It is a mutable (also called double-bodied) fire sign, falling where autumn turns to winter in the Northern Hemisphere. In the traditional system of dignities — the strengths a planet picks up from its sign — Jupiter rules Sagittarius, while Mercury is in detriment (out of place) here. No traditional planet is exalted, or especially strong, in Sagittarius.

In Tradition

Astrologers in the Western tradition link Sagittarius with expansion, the search for meaning, and the pull toward distant horizons — geographical, intellectual, or philosophical. Because Jupiter rules it, Sagittarius traditionally carries a feeling of faith, growth, and the quest for truth.

In Practice

A planet in Sagittarius tends to express itself with adaptability and a sense of two sides at once, because the mutable mode carries transitional, shifting energy. The house — the life area — that has Sagittarius on its cusp is read as the part of life where exploration and the search for a wider view come forward. Hellenistic practice groups Sagittarius among the double-bodied signs (in Greek, disoma), tied to duality, transition, and effects that come in pairs. Within the fire triplicity — the trio of fire signs, Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius — Sagittarius is the mutable expression of fire. When Jupiter transits, or passes through, Sagittarius (the sign it rules), astrologers read it as a stretch when expansive themes stand out. They also watch the Gemini-Sagittarius axis, the pair of opposite signs, for the balance between gathering facts and pulling them into meaning.

Historical Origin

Sagittarius appears as one of the twelve zodiacal signs in the earliest Hellenistic texts. Hellenistic sources place Sagittarius among the double-bodied signs (in Greek, disoma), tied to duality and to doubled results at the end of a season. Jupiter's rulership of Sagittarius is recorded in the traditional dignity scheme. In medical astrology, the body region matched to Sagittarius is the thighs and hips.

Definition

In Tradition

In Practice

Historical Origin

Further Reading