Element: Fire Modality:
Mutable Ruling Planet: Jupiter
Personality Traits: Jovial,
Optimistic, Frank, Scrupulous, Sense of Humor
General Compatibility: Aries, Leo
Color:
Deep Blue, Purple
Gemstones: Turquoise, Amethyst,
Azurite, Purple Fluorite
Foods: Lamb, Veal, Asparagus,
Cucumber, Soybeans
I was not born to be forced.
I will breathe after my own fashion....
if a plant cannot live according to its nature,
it dies; and so a man.
—HENRY DAVID THOREAU
Sagittarius, the ninth sign of the zodiac and
last of the fire signs, is ruled by the planet Jupiter. This sign is
symbolized by the Centaur with his bow and arrow poised to the
heavens, and Sagittarians characteristically, are the very picture of
that symbolism. Like brave stallions, they'll charge gallantly toward
new vistas and bold challenges, forever seeking what is beyond the
omnipresent horizon. Armed with the arrows of non-conformism,
forthright honesty and a high-spirited optimism, these individuals
never fail to hit their mark. Their targets are the ideals of truth,
freedom, and righteousness, and the sights on their bows are forever
aimed high. Much like the symbol of their sign, half man and half
horse, the Sagittarian combines physical adroitness with intellectual
refinement, and as much as these two aspects of personality seem to
contradict one another, he manages to bring them to a compelling
blend of unity. He is the fighter for social causes, the knight
errant, who is willing to work tirelessly for that which he believes
in, employing his fiery enthusiasm and abundant physical energy to
the task. He is the newspaper editor, the politician, the publisher,
preacher, or social activist wrestling with the social, political or
moral issues of the day, and he tries to unify the incongruities of
the human experience under the Jupiterian principles of truth and righteousness.
Of course, not all the Sagittarians you meet will remind you of Don
Quixote, Frederick Nietzche, or even the editor of your local
newspaper, but every Jupiter native will seem to have a definite
philosophy of life. Whether home-grown truisms, moral ethics or deep
philosophical concepts, the Sagittarian has a set of values by which
he sincerely tries to live, and which by the way, he'll gladly share.
Discover it for yourself next time you're at a party or social
gathering where your Sagittarian friend is bound to make an
appearance. Ask him what he thinks about abortion, racial prejudice
or the upcoming elections, and you may find you've opened the
Sagittarian Pandora's box. In fact, you'd better get a second helping
of hors d'oeuvre and a full glass of punch before you ask, because
your Sagittarian friend might keep you occupied for a time, and
you'll look pretty silly holding one of those decorator toothpicks
and an empty punch glass all the while. Not that you'd mind really,
the Sagittarian's point of view can be pretty fascinating, filled
with whimsical interjections and an occasional joke or two. His
easy-going manner and down-home style never fail to draw a crowd, and
his occasional smatterings of philosophical wisdom inextricably bound
up in witty repartee will hold your interest until long after the
hors d'oeuvre are gone.
All this talk about philosophy may give you an impression of
Sagittarians as some sort of intellectual high-brows, methodically
codifying people's behavior into rules or ethics by which they are
supposed to live, but nothing could be further from the truth.
There's no getting around their tendency to philosophize, but Jupiter
natives will rarely try to force their values on you. "Live and
let live," is one of their typical mottos, and they'll respect
your philosophy so long as you respect theirs. Every once in a while,
you'll meet a Jupiter native with conflicting aspects to his sun or
natal Jupiter, who will try to impose his philosophy on you, but this
is not generally the case. The typical native is as easy-going and
down-to-earth as anyone you'd ever want to meet. Because of his
appealing frankness and cheerful good humor, he'll probably win you
over to his philosophy anyway without your realizing it. Just think
of the home-grown humor and folksy style evidenced in the works of
Sagittarian Mark Twain, or the ingratiating rapport Jupiterian Sammy
Davis had with his audiences, and you'll easily understand these
natives' ability to relate to every man.
It's fairly easy to recognize December-born once you know what to
look for. The shape of the head will be somewhat longer in proportion
to its width, and the forehead will be rather high and wide. The
hairline is often receded and well back from the temples. The nose
will be of average length or longer, pointing straight down from the
brow, with a bridge that is fairly high. The lips will be mobile and
expressive and may tend to fullness, and the chin will often be
pointed, accenting a certain nobility of appearance. In many female
Sag's, you'll easily be reminded of the sweet expression of a deer or
fox. In the males, the facial characteristics will be marked by a
certain look of pensiveness. In both sexes, there is an air of
openness and frankness in the features, suggesting a mind that is
alert and open to new ideas. The eyes will seem to shine and twinkle
so merrily, you'll be reminded of 'good ole St. Nick' or the fairy
godmother. The general expression suggests the cheerfulness and
naivete of youth somehow inexpressibly combined with the wisdom of
old age. As for the rest of the body, Sag's will tend to be taller
than average with a well-knit or athletic-looking frame. The limbs
will seem admirably suited for active pursuits of all kinds, and
there will be a certain gracefulness characterized by long, sweeping
and grandiose, though sometimes careless, movements.
Sagittarians will tend to be active, and their restless natures seem
to keep them always on the go. You won't often find them sitting
around a bridge table for hours or lazily lolling on a hammock in the
backyard. The Sagittarian is more apt to be organizing activities for
the church social, practicing for an up-coming tournament with the
local bowling league, or writing an emotionally-heated letter to the
editor of the local newspaper. Like their symbolic arrow,
Sagittarians must always be moving forward and upward, setting their
sights to a new challenge almost before an old one has been met. The
Jupiterian athlete will no sooner do the 1000-meter run in two and a
half minutes than have his sights set on two minutes twenty-five
seconds as a new goal. The Sagittarian novelist may be working on
several stories at once because a more intriguing idea for a novel
captured his fancy before the old one had been completed. Because
these natives have a need for constant challenge, they will often
have many irons in the fire at once.
Sagittarians have a definite flair, especially in youth, for
athletics and outdoor recreation of all types. "The great
outdoors" is a phrase probably inspired by a December-born, for
it expresses the very Sagittarian spirit of freedom one experiences
out of doors and among Nature's creatures. Horseback-riding, camping,
hiking, canoeing, rafting, mountain-climbing, hunting, and skiing are
some activities which attract Sagittarians by the droves and which
give vent to their unbridled sense of freedom. Most of them are
Nature lovers, preferring life in the rural and mountain areas to the
hustle and bustle of city life. If you don't find them already
situated permanently in their own place secluded from the crowds,
they'll probably be weekend outdoorsmen, venturing to the 'wide open
spaces' every chance they get.
In athletics, Sagittarians will be most attracted to baseball,
basketball, soccer, gymnastics, track and field, bowling, golf, polo,
volleyball, tennis and other sports where a high degree of
refinement, grace, or skill are required. Sports such as football,
wrestling, boxing, sky diving or auto racing, where a certain amount
of physical danger is involved, do not usually appeal to them, with
the occasional exception of boxing, where fancy footwork is an asset.
As the last of the fire signs, Sagittarius represents physical
activity in its highest form. In Aries, physical movement is
characterized as sheer force; in Leo, as creative self-expression. In
Sagittarius, the qualities of both these signs are combined in a
physical expression which is more refined, where stamina,
coordination, and a strong sense of the game are brought into play.
It is a curious twist of irony that Sagittarians, who are often
accused of clumsiness, are also attributed with having the greatest
grace and physical coordination. They can be quite graceful when
engaged in purposeful activity such as sports, gymnastics, or dance.
You'll see them, like spirited colts, gracing the athletic field or
dance floor with splendid examples of physical form, many excelling
in their respective fields. In everyday activities, however, the
Sagittarian can be surprisingly less dignified. Though the Jupiterian
athlete may break the record for high jump, springing like a gazelle
to new heights, he'll stumble over his shoelaces walking onto the
field. The Sagittarian ballerina may execute pirouettes with perfect
form on stage, but stub her toe on the kitchen table at home. Where
these characteristics may seem contradictory, they somehow find a
happy coexistence in the Sagittarian personality. It is as if these
natives will perform at their best only when spurred on by their
goals and the Jupiterian ideal of excellence.
In dance, Sagittarians may well find the perfect outlet for their
senses of rhythm, timing and balance and love of physical activity.
Well developed thighs have often been regarded the trademark of a
dancer, and appropriately enough, this part of the body is ruled by
Jupiter. You'll rarely find Jupiterians who aren't light on their
feet, and whether they prefer ballet, modern, tap, jazz or square
dancing, they're likely to become the center of attention on any
dance floor. If a stranger asks you for a dance at a local
discotheque, you might do well to ask his or her Sun sign before
accepting. If it's Sagittarius, you may be made to feel as if you
have two left feet. Don't let that unassuming manner or awkward
appearance fool you. On the dance floor Sagittarians become
transformed, artfully turning their steps to a rumba or tango, or
pulsing to the sound of rock with equal finesse.
Sagittarians, as a rule, are non-conformists. They hate being bound
to rigid social confines, or pigeonholed into strict routines that
don't give them plenty of breathing room. Most of them will tend
toward outdoor occupations or professions where a wide latitude of
freedom is given them. They'll eschew the suit and tie or standard
business attire and prefer a comfortable shirt or blouse and a pair
of jeans instead. Their love of freedom is too great to compromise
for the sake of social custom or even for financial need. They'll
hearken to the beat of a different drummer, their own rhythm, as true
and unerring as the power of Jupiter itself. Even more than physical
restrictions, they'll loathe mental confinement. Try to impose a
dogmatic philosophy on them, and most Sagittarians will balk. If the
policies of the company they work for are too restrictive, they'll
have to break free. Their non-conformism in part stems from a desire
to remain idealistic in a world where others may not share their
Jupiterian dreams.
Second only to his love of freedom is the Sagittarian's fondness for
travel. The archer loves nothing more than to pack up his old set of
luggage, probably well-worn from dozens of trips, and set out either
across country or to distant lands. He's genuinely intrigued by
foreign cultures, and his fascination for the exotic may well lead
him to occupations dealing in travel, language, foreign culture,
import-export, currency exchange, archeology, zoology and others.
Many archers will succeed through correspondence, sales, or trips to
other countries before they find fortune in their own country. Where
finances don't permit it physically, Sagittarians may travel in their
minds, becoming engrossed in movies, documentaries or books about
other countries, or in studying a foreign language. More than likely
they'll have a subscription to National Geographic or a travel
magazine. They may dream about someday seeing some of the world's
great landmarks— the Taj Mahal of India, the Great Pyramids of
Egypt, the Basilica in Rome, Stonehenge or the Great Wall of China to
name a few. Finances and time permitting, and with a bit of
Jupiterian luck which is their birthright, they probably will.
—————————————————
Excerpted from The Astrology Diet,
Copyright © by Jon Stevens. All rights reserved.
Help
