Sagittarius Considered

 Sagittarius by Erté

In his book, Astrology published 1964, Louis MacNeice, not an astrologer, but a poet and scholar, gathered together much of interest from a variety of sources, ancient and modern. On zodiac sign Sagittarius, through which the Sun now travels, he wrote the paragraphs below, quoting from some professional astrologers, whose works may now be lesser known by the average astrology fan.

(This extract was not copied and pasted from elsewhere, but copy-typed by my own fair fingers; illustrations were added by me.)

Sagittarius the Archer
November 23 to December 21

Ruled by Jupiter, Sagittarius is accordingly an expansive sign. From ancient times it has been represented by a centaur drawing bow, which is why Ptolemy classed it as a "bicorporeal" sign, and many astrologers nowadays lay stress on this double nature. So after all it is not 100% straightforward. With its animal half and its human half, it provides a good theme for a sermon or, as Barbault puts it, gives "the best image of sublimation". It has four feet (or hooves) firmly on the ground and yet is shooting at the highest targets. On its centaur makeup Varley comments that whereas its human half signifies "the deliberation or temperate resolves of humanity", its latter half "often exhibits more of the excessive impulses and nature of a race horse, an animal most specifically described by Sagittarius." It is the latter half that may affect you if you were born roughly between December 6 and 20; it can lead to nasty accidents.

As one would expect with a ruler like Jupiter, it is a success sign. Abraham Lincoln and Cecil Rhodes were born with Sagittarius rising, and Winston Churchill had it as his Sun sign with Venus also present. (Countess Wydenbruck, however, did point out that Churchill's horoscope shows him "likely to be subordinate to others in his profession.")

As to the fire of Sagittarius, Barbault describes it as purifying fire, very different from that of either Aries or Leo, and suitable to later or middle age when the desires of the flesh are waning but the spirit can still have a burning desire for social, political, intellectual, or spiritual objects. Morrish writes "Whereas Aries represents the red, smouldering fires of creation, and Leo the yellow-golden fire of organized mentality, Sagittarius represents the blue fire at the heart of the flame. This is the hottest part of the flame." Sagittarius always wants to go further: He is born explorer and adventurer and loves the wide open spaces. Everything he does is done in a big way. In music the Sagittarius type is Beethoven.

In the Zodiacal Man Sagittarius is concerned with the thighs, which brings us back to the power of horse and horseman. Many astrologers use this horse motif literally as well as symbolically. We are told that many Sagittarians are very horsey (and for that matter doggy) people: the eccentric and dynamic Queen Christina of Sweden, who dressed like a man, was mad about horses and also had something of a "horse face". (So had Milton, who was born with Sagittarius rising.)

America's James Thurber (1894-1961) often illustrated his humorous essays with cartoons of which the best known are probably "Thurber's dogs." An affinity with animals is a key characteristic of Sagittarius (Thurber's Sun sign) - an association that perhaps originated from the idea of the sign as half-man, half-beast. We are also told that the typical Sagittarian is "as strong as a horse."





He has a very healthy appetite and in middle age has a tendency to embonpoint [plumpness, stoutness].

 Sagittarius by David Palladini

He is a very strong individual but, like Jupiter his ruler, is a good mixer and, indeed, finds himself only in communal concerns. Barbault does suggest that there is an introverted subspecies (where Saturn dominates) whose member is concerned with the "beyond" within himself, but the typical Sagittarian throws himself into things outside himself, sometimes even achieving "global vision." He has a hearty handshake, slaps his cards on the table, and tends to be euphoric. It is a little hard to recognize him in Morrish's system, where he stands for the "abstract, higher consciousness."

But then Sagittarius has to conclude the second of Morrish's four stages, the stage of "control emotion." In this sign human emotions have to emerge from animal desires (the centaur again) and these emotions, in turn, must be directed into lofty aspirations - the arrow must leave the bow. Morrish squeezes his next and third stage, the "control of wind". into the confines of one sign only, which is naturally our next sign. [Capricorn]

Astrologers mentioned:
André Barbault
John Varley
Morrish (L. Furze-Morrish?)
Countess Wydenbruck

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