Sagittarius in Classical Astrology

Sagittarius, the Archer, is the ninth sign of the Zo­di­ac. The sun enters it on or around November 22, when autumn appro­aches winter. Sagittarius belongs to the ele­ment fire, its quality is mutable and its charge is positive. Its Ruler is Jupiter, and Uranus exalts in it. Its motto is: "I see." In the horo­scope chart, Sagittarius brings a distanced and unattached charac­ter to planets or Houses therein.

Your Zodiac Sign

Those who have Sagittarius as their star sign are born when the sun was in Sagittarius, normally November 22 - December 21 (it differs slightly from year to year, be­cause of the leap years). Therefore, it is also - more correctly - called the sun sign.
     The sun in your horoscope is your natural self - what you are when you relax, when other planets in your horoscope are not active. It is your basic drive, a character you have as an ingredient - more or less evident in all you do and all you are. It is the most important point in your complete horoscope chart, but of course it is not the only thing that describes your personality. You need to look at all the components of your birth chart, to get a correct astrological description of your­self.
     If your sun sign is Sagittarius, you are a person with great integrity, going your own way, rarely following others - nor do you want others to follow you. You do your own thing. Freedom is a key word for Sagittarius. You need to be independent, even though that might lead to limited resources and other difficulties. To you, freedom is a wealth surpassing that of money. Like the archer, you aim far. Your goals are distant, some would say unobtainable, but thereby they are also interesting, not to say spectacular - certainly to you. Only things that seem to be out of reach are worth reaching for.
     A Zodiac sign does not give exactly the same influ­ence all through its 30°. Its first third has something of a cardinal quality, whatever the quality of the sign as a whole is, its second third is slightly more fixed in quality, and the last third is more mutable.
     If the sun is in the beginning of Sagittarius, you are very determined to break free of any chains, no matter how loose they are. Nothing shall hold you back, and you set your goals so far away that they are hardly visible. If the sun is in the middle of Sagittarius, you guard your integrity and indepencence against any intrusion, without making much noise about it. You are hard to catch, although you don't seem to be running. If the sun is at the end of Sagittarius, you seem always to be running away, even when no one or nothing is trying to catch you. You can throw all your riches away at an instant, if you feel that they burden you the least, and you are rarely pleased in you present situation, con­stantly searching for a change.

Your Father

The sun in the horoscope also represents your father (the mother is represented by the moon).
     If you have the sun in Sagittarius, your relation to your father is one of some alienation and distance. Neither understands the other very well, nor does anyone of you seem to strive to do so. You feel different, and have no need to reform or adapt to the other. If your father tries to control you, there can be tension and outburst. When you quarrel, it is intense but passes quickly. You don't spend much time with each other, but even at a distance you can feel connected, as long as you agree on the terms of your relation - mainly that of no rules at all. You're not obedient, and if your father accepts that, your relation can be one of mutual appreciation. You really want to admire each other - at a distance.

The Planets

When another planet or other point of the horo­scope is in Sagittarius, it is also affected by the sign, get­ting some­thing of its character. Here are those points, what they stand for, and how they are affected by Sagittarius:


    Sun   basic drive - Sagittarius brings integrity and independence.
    Moon   longing - Sagittarius brings a longing for freedom, and reluctance to attachment.
    Mercury   curiosity - Sagittarius brings an interest in the far-fetched and thoughts difficult for others to com­prehend.
    Venus   affection - Sagittarius brings delight in keeping a distance and talent for visual arts.
    Mars   aggression - Sagittarius brings energy to pursue distant goals and an unbending will.
    Jupiter   luck - Sagittarius brings opportunity to move on and on and on.
    Saturn   duty - Sagittarius brings a loyalty towards the future, and not towards the past.
    Uranus   contemplation - Sagittarius brings a visio­nary mind and thoughts that wander very far.
    Neptune   fantasy - Sagittarius brings glimpses of a distant future and of far-away places, and dreams escaping interpretation.
    Pluto   catharsis - Sagittarius brings premonition of radical future change, and a force to head for it.
    Ascendant, AC   attitude - Sagittarius brings an un­attached appearance that many find fascinating.
    Medium Coeli, MC   self-image - Sagittarius brings a will to define oneself as different from others, and a need to believe it.

The Houses

In the astrological Houses, the Zodiac signs also bring their characters, influencing the environments de­scribed by the Houses. Here are the twelve Houses, what they stand for, and how Sagittarius affects them:

1. Identity - Sagittarius makes you seem distant and rather indifferent.
2. Resources - Sagittarius makes your material situ­ation independent.
3. Communication - Sagittarius makes you unbon­ded to friends, and your studies advanced.
4. Home - Sagittarius makes your home open, with few solid attachments.
5. Pastime - Sagittarius makes you enjoy the most to simply leave what you're at.
6. Work - Sagittarius makes your work free and preparing for the future.
7. Partners - Sagittarius makes your relations non-committed, sort of distant.
8. Unknown - Sagittarius makes you mostly un­affected by things you cannot control.
9. Travel - Sagittarius makes you go to many dis­tant places, and rarely return.
10. Career - Sagittarius makes you indifferent to career, but still getting opportunities.
11. Ideals - Sagittarius makes you strive impatiently for utopia.
12. Shortcomings - Sagittarius makes it difficult for you to break free from too many obligations.

     Of course, all of the above is very general, mainly to give you an idea of how the sign works in the horoscope. You need to study your complete horoscope chart carefully, to make a deeper and more nuanced inter­pretation.

© Stefan Stenudd