Glyph:
Symbol: The Archer, sometimes the Centaur
Gender: Masculine
Element: Fire
Quality: Mutable
Sagittarians come in a variety of shapes and sizes, some are tall and raw boned, others small and thin and yet others have large chests or hips. The main distinguishing feature, like the Centaur sign, is that their top halves are often different from their bottom halves, and some have large bottoms that are out of proportion to the rest of them. Their best feature is often their hair, which is abundant, wavy and lustrous and often (in white races) a reddish blond color.
These people get bored if they have to stay in the same place for very long, so they often work in jobs that take them from place to place. They are often extremely clever with their hands and able to build or make anything. They have a great sense of humor and they are honest to the point of bluntness. Many think deeply and work out a belief system that means something to them and they are outraged by injustice.
Sagittarians are honest to the point of being blunt and tactless at times. They don't have time for lies or manipulation, so what you see is usually what you get. There is a childlike quality about these people, which can manifest itself in a refusal to accept commitment or they may display babyish behavior when they are off color or unhappy. This same childlike quality makes them great youth workers or teachers who are happy to be with children of any age, and this naturally also makes them wonderful parents. Sagittarians are wonderfully accepting, nonhostile and easy to get along with, although they are often nicer as friends than as close relatives or partners.
Sagittarians need freedom and they don't like being quizzed about where they have been or what they have been up to. Their honesty ensures that if they say that they have been in a certain place or with a particular group of people—that is the exact truth. Sagittarians have fine legal minds and they hate injustice, so this can take them into fields such as legal work or arbitration. These people enjoy talking and listening and they can happily spend a day debating with their friends. They are extremely sociable and great company at a party. They make good friends, but their tendency to take off to pastures new from time to time makes them somewhat unreliable. Some Sagittarians are world travelers who backpack their way to the wildest and most remote areas. Their curiosity about anything that is remote or hidden from normal view is legendary. This often leads many of them into work in astrology, clairvoyance, the paranormal and spiritual healing.
The worst Sagittarian fault is a tendency to grumble and to consider themselves hard done by, even when their lives are actually quite easy, but they are extremely kind and helpful, which lays them open to advantage takers. However, these subjects are also extremely broad-minded and they embrace or take an interest in people of all races, cultures and classes of society, because everything interests them. They are idealistic and they will fight for the rights of the underdog if they can. Most are interested in education and they will do all they can to pass on their own specialized forms of knowledge to others.
The most obvious career choice for any Sagittarian is teaching, and especially teaching children and young people, where their infectious sense of fun can make learning enjoyable. Their affinity with words and sense of justice can take them into the legal field, and in this arena, their sociability and fun-loving nature also stands them in good stead. Many find full or part-time work in astrology or the spiritual fields of work, and even those who are not involved are very often open to offbeat or alternative ideas.
Sagittarians are good with their hands. When this trait is allied to their preference for peripatetic jobs, many of them pursue carpentry, electrical work, building, plumbing, plastering, laying paths, and so on. They are not particularly good at paperwork or figure work, so a spouse or business partner often ends up handling this for them. Others work as free-lance editors, broadcasters or writers, which taps into their affinity with words and their need for variety, fun and freedom.
Most don't do very well at school, possibly because they find the group atmosphere and the need to accept the beliefs and opinions of others far too restricting. However, most return to study in some form or other later in life. Some take up music, sport or some other interest that becomes a career later on. Often these subjects are more attuned to the land than to office work or city life, and they enjoy working with or for the benefit of animals.
Some Sagittarians are drawn to show business and their sense of humor often takes them into the field of comedy; indeed, many of the world's top comedians come from this sign. Others are real showmen, perhaps tapping into an unusual talent and making it pay. Sports are another major arena for this sign because they are often naturals at whatever sport they decide to take up. They have enough competitive spirit to make a success of their game, but they can easily destroy their careers by strange behavior, drunkenness and a lack of self-discipline. These subjects are best when they are striving to reach the top than when they actually get there. This is the sign of the traveler and to them; it is better to travel than to arrive.
Sagittarians love to travel and to meet a variety of people. Tradition says that Sagittarians love horses and everything about the people and atmosphere of the horse world. Many love to gamble, so the world of racing suits them very well. Others are attracted to sport or to show-business. Either way, the motivation is to do something that is out of the ordinary.
Sagittarians are not money minded. Their values are spiritual rather than material. Some can be successful in their work, but many just do what they can to make a living and leave it at that. Many Sagittarians achieve success in sport or show business, and this brings in a great deal of money. In this case, the first thing they do with it is to help their families out, keeping a little back for themselves for a rainy day. They need a secure base even if their job takes them traveling, so they will save for a home and also to educate their children.
Sagittarians may get around with their jobs but they need a nice home to come back to. Many love the countryside or the sea, so given the chance they will live out of town rather than in the center of things. They also need somewhere to keep their vehicles, as they often have more than one. These subjects vary between being extremely tidy or totally uncaring about their homes, so there is no standard style of housework. Most can cook very well when they are in the mood to do so and they do like to eat well.
Once again, it is hard to categorize these subjects. Some are real relaters whose homes are filled with relatives, friends and pets, while others need to be free to roam the world. Either way, they need to be able to take off in a fishing boat or to visit friends in other parts of the country if the mood takes them. Even when marriage was the norm Sagittarians often preferred to remain single, and some can jump from one partner to another at will. Others need the security of a normal relationship, while others are perfectly happy with their own company in addition to a few friends dropping in every now and again. If they want to meet a new partner, their cheerful, humorous and friendly manner ensures that this is easy for them. They can be extremely cutting, sarcastic and even domineering and dictatorial at times, and their occasional bouts of argumentative nature and unpleasantness can be the cause of marriage breakdowns. Some find it very hard to show affection, and they forget to be romantic or to do those little things that show their partner that they are loved. These people prefer to do something practical for their partner, such as making a nice meal or putting up shelves.
Sagittarians can go through periods of total celibacy, but when they are in the mood for sex, their drive is quite high. Some find it hard to commit to others and they can be quite promiscuous, others will make a relationship and then be unfaithful when the mood takes them. Yet others are perfectly faithful. There are no set rules where this sign is concerned. When they do decide to explore, there are no boundaries; they will try anything that is new and different.
Sagittarians worry about their health and their conversation often revolves around this. They do suffer from a variety of irritating ailments, but they still manage to live full and fruitful lives. Their traditional weak spots are the hips and thighs, but many have digestive problems possibly as a result of stress. Some Sagittarians develop mental problems after a period of intense stress.
Many Sagittarians grow up in a religious atmosphere, often among people who have particularly rigid beliefs. They then question this and look around for something more meaningful to themselves.
Sagittarians often find luck, love and work in a country other than that which they were born in. Alternatively, their parents are immigrants, which means that they grow up with two cultures and at least two languages. These people love to travel and to meet people from different backgrounds to themselves. They are curious about other lifestyles, religions and outlooks and they don't have preconceived notions about people of a different race, religion, culture or standard of living. Everything interests them.
Sagittarians can be far more eccentric than even the wildest of any of the other signs.
The first decan is also Sagittarius, but the second is Aries and the third is Leo. Read through the brief descriptions below and then turn to the chapters on Aries and Leo.
The pure Sagittarian spirit of honesty, love of freedom and the tendency to question accepted rules that are laid down by others is at its strongest here. These people march to their own drumbeat and search for their own destiny, wherever it takes them. They will either settle into teaching, religious, philosophical or legal work or take off and make a life and a career out of something that is truly different.
The Aries influence introduces competitiveness and a talent for sports and games, so this is where the sportsmen and women tend to be found. This adds courage but also a tendency to argue or even to bully others when the opportunity arises. However, the idealism of Aries often takes the Sagittarian into humanitarian work or something that improves the planet. Many of these are excellent craft workers or engineers.
The Leo love of drama and of being center stage can lead to a career in show business, sports, or the media. This type wants to live on a grand scale and the normal mundane existence of ordinary people bores them. Sometimes this need for drama is played out in the wider world as a career, at other times it leads the Sagittarian to explore philosophy, spirituality and astrology, so that even if their way of life is fairly normal, their inner world is exciting.
The first dwaad is also Sagittarius, so no change here. For all other dwaads, read the chapter on the sign in question and also the brief descriptions given below to see what adjustments are made to the original sign.