The Story of Sagittarius the Cosmic Archer
Today, 22 November 2023 we enter the zodiac territory of Sagittarius. But what does it look like in the night sky, and what's the story behind it?
Traditional associations
Date of Birth: Nov 22 to Dec 21
Ruling planet: Jupiter planet of expansion
Ninth House ruler: study, philosophy, exploration,
Element: Fire Quality: Mutable
Key phrase: I seek
Body: Thighs
Birth Stone: Topaz, Citrine, Turquoise
Lucky colour: Light Blue
Tarot cards: Trump 14 Temperance. Also the Knight of Wands and the 8, 9 and 10 Wands
Public Domain: Rider-Waite
Astronomy
Via Wiki
Sagittarius comes from the Latin word for archer. Sagittarii (Latin, plural form of sagittarius) is the Latin term for archers. The term “sagittariorum” when used in the title of an infantry or cavalry unit meant a specialized archer regiment.
The constellation of Sagittarius is close to the band of the Milky Way and is mainly visible in the southern hemisphere. In the Northern hemisphere, the constellation can be seen low on the horizon from August to October. In the Southern hemisphere, we can see Sagittarius from June to November. Star maps generally depict Sagittarius as a vaguely teapot-shaped star pattern (asterism) and this is how it got its nickname, The Teapot.
The constellation of Sagittarius is near the center of our spiral galaxy, the Milky Way. There is a massive star-forming region, the Omega Nebula, within its boundaries, and Sagittarius is also home to the bright blue, hyper-giant Pistol Star, one of the brightest stars in the Milky Way. Click to view YouTube video: The Pistol Star
Myth and mystery: Centaur-or Satyr?
Public Domain: Celestial Atlas 1822
The legend of Sagittarius probably comes from Sumeria in the first instance, and was later adopted by the Greeks. Sagittarius, said this early legend, is pointing his bow at the constellation of Scorpio, the constellation next door. He is aiming his arrow at the giant red star Antares, the Heart of The Scorpion, in vengeance for the death of the great hunter Orion, killed by the Scorpion on the orders of Demeter, the goddess of the Earth. Demeter had overheard Orion boasting to his great friend the goddess Artemis that he could kill any animal on Earth, and she didn’t like that one bit. This was hubris, and although Artemis herself was a supreme hunter, she did not kill for the sake of it.
The sorrow of Artemis was inconsolable and Zeus placed Orion in the heavens to comfort her. But he placed the Scorpion there too, as it had faithfully done its duty in obeying the order of Demeter, at great risk to itself. In most versions of the story, the Scorpion didn’t survive either, crushed by Orion who then died of its sting.
Chiron
Sagittarius is nowadays most commonly associated with the Centaur, the mythical being who is half man, half horse. Usually this centaur is identified as the most famous centaur of all, Chiron.
Chiron died after he was accidentally shot by Hercules with a poisoned arrow. Chiron, a great scholar and healer, was an immortal. He had healed countless others, but now, in his own time of greatest need, and for all his vast knowledge of medicine, he could not help himself, and nor could his desperate wife, the nymph Chariklo.
Chiron “The Wounded Healer” could not heal himself. This is a tragic, not a triumphant story. Chiron had done nothing whatsoever to “deserve” his fate, but Greek myth is always very big on its warning against hubris; that our knowledge, however great, cannot save us. Poor Chiron in his unrelenting agony, asked Zeus to grant him the merciful release of death, and was placed in the skies as the constellation of Sagittarius. Or was he? There is another constellation named after a centaur: Centaurus.
Via Wiki
There is another, little known contender for the identity of Sagittarius the Archer….
Krotos The Cultured Satyr
An alternative myth attached to Sagittarius identifies the constellation with Krotos, a satyr who lived on Mount Helicon with the Muses. Krotos was the son of the Wild God Pan and Eupheme, and his mother had nursed the Muses.
Satyrs were nature gods. Mostly they were thugs. Drunken sex maniacs. There were no lady satyrs, and the nymphs spent a lot of time running away from the blighters, unless they liked a bit of rough, but mostly they didn’t.
Krotos however, was a gentleman, a superior class of satyr altogether, renowned for being an excellent archer, hunter and all round culture vulture. And he was devoted to his foster sisters, the Muses, and their Arts.
Krotos, by Aratus, University of Leiden Library Catalogue
Krotos was credited, not only with having invented archery, but he was said to have been the first to introduce the notion of clapping to signify applause. When Krotos died, it was the Muses who asked Zeus to place him among the stars, which he did, transforming Krotos into the constellation Sagittarius.
Few would choose the goaty-archer satyr Krotos as their zodiac totem over the more glamorous Centaur, but they needn’t worry. Sagittarius as Chiron the Centaur is still, hands down, the winning story.
Astrology
Sagittarius is a bridge between elements, seasons and the worlds of Life and Death as we segue into the winter solstice.
Temperance (Art) from the Thoth Tarot
The Tarot card of Sagittarius is the mighty virtue of Temperance. Why so mighty? Moderation requires enormous force of self control. A forging and tempering of one’s will in the service of a higher cause or one’s own highest expression of destiny.
The message is all to do with the power of moderation, the art of right timing, the ability to wait and to defer gratification, and above all, the discipline of self-control, avoiding extremes and addictive behaviors. The life force flows, poured between one vessel and another. We are on the bridge between the ending of one solar year and the beginning of a new one, turning on the solstice, standing between the Death card of Scorpio and The Devil card of Capricorn.
We are most vulnerable to losing our balance in times of loss and change. Temperance keeps its line of sight on the far horizon, standing firm by shifting its weight from one foot to another, between water and the land, never losing sight of what is the depth and power of our feelings on the one hand, and the bottom line on the other hand; the realities of practical necessity.
Archetypal Personality
There is no such thing in reality as THE Sagittarius personality and the same goes for all the sun signs. Our sun sign is an archetype, a keynote, but of course, it is not and never could be the whole story.
The archetype of Sagittarius is adventurous, widely curious, optimistic, visionary and insightful. This is the Ninth House and it may confer the gift of prophetic vision. But they have a strongly rationalist streak; a contradiction expressed here by an extraordinary visionary: the science fiction writer Arthur C Clarke.
Sagittarius zodiac sign subjects need constant adventures and opportunities to learn. Freedom is of the utmost importance to them, space and plenty of room for maneuver. Likewise, they tend also to give lots of freedom to their partners. These are highly capable people, but they need flexibility, and may fail to apply themselves if bored. Like Gemini, they are prone to restlessness. Close family and friends can feel abandoned and neglected when Sagittarius goes blithely off on its travels, sharing experiences with strangers, even though Sagittarius usually comes home again.
Thank you for reading.
Back soon with the Decans of Sagittarius
This is great, Katie-Ellen, thank you.