Mary Jo Wevers

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Sagittarius: The Quest for Greater Meaning in Life

The positive polarity of Sagittarius gives it an outwardly directed enthusiasm for exploring the world and acquiring new experiences. Goal directed and far seeing, Sagittarius is the archer, setting his aim for the stars. An idealistic philosopher, Sagittarius searches far and wide for knowledge, wisdom and a higher perspective in life.

The key phrase for Sagittarius is “I Understand.” Through Sagittarius the intellect is illuminated by the light of spirit. Sagittarius asks us to expand our view, seek higher learning, and find a broader perspective. Sagittarius knows a problem cannot be solved on the level it was created. It needs to be approached from a higher level, where we have a larger and more complete point of view. When we see the bigger picture we can find answers and possible solutions.

A seeker of truth in pursuit of knowledge, Sagittarius rules religions, philosophy, and institutions of higher learning. It rules foreign countries and languages, and traveling long distances to explore other cultures. Through these avenues Sagittarius expands its understanding of the world and uplifts its personal beliefs and philosophy of life. In its search for truth, Sagittarius covers a lot of ground!

Sagittarius loves adventure, physicality, freedom, wide open spaces, and the outdoors. The natural world and animals, especially horses and deer, are symbols of Sagittarius. It rules outdoor pursuits such as hunting, natural history and the science of ecology. Sagittarius enjoy participating in sports for the physical experience and knowledge gained.

Sagittarius’ love of wide open spaces can cause it to become claustrophobic and commitment phobic if it senses it is losing the mental, emotional and physical freedom it craves. Always on the move looking for the next new adventure beyond the horizon, Sagittarius easily becomes bored and restless. Lacking patience and focus, it misses details and lacks the staying power to see a project through to completion. It prefers to see the forest, and not the trees.

Sagittarius is friendly, direct, and values honesty. It is generous and willing to share. Fun-loving Sagittarius has a sense of humor. It inspires others to lighten up and be optimistic, and to have faith and trust in the future.

The Sagittarius love of expounding on its philosophy can lead to preaching, close-mindedness and fundamentalism if unchecked. Problematic Sagittarius can become attached to being “right”, to being an expert, or a wise person or authority. In this way Sagittarius can cut itself off from exploring other points of view, beliefs or philosophies that might expand its own world view and spiritual vision of life.

Areas of life ruled by Sagittarius include our personal beliefs and philosophy, our vision of life. Religious institutions, practices, rites and ceremonies are Sagittarian. Moral and ethical standards, the law, legal affairs, and publishing are all ruled by Sagittarius. The higher mind and the ways we acquire wisdom, such as through formal education in a college or university, are Sagittarian. Venturing beyond our home to gain new experiences and long distance travel are in the domain of Sagittarius.

Archetypes for Sagittarius include philosophers, college professors and teachers, clergy, spiritual leaders, visionaries and shamans. Travelers, gypsies and wanderers, such as the cowboy riding off into the sunset are also Sagittarius archetypes. Parts of the body ruled by Sagittarius include the hips, upper legs and thighs, the pancreas and fatty tissues. The gem for Sagittarius is turquoise. Its metal is tin. Sagittarius plants are birch trees and dandelion flowers. Its animals include deer and horses. The color for Sagittarius is royal purple.

“Truth resides in every human heart, and one has to search for it there, and to be guided by truth as one sees it. But no one has a right to coerce others to act according to his own view of truth.”
– Edmund Burke

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Saturn’s Ingress into Sagittarius

Planet_Saturn_ColorIn astrology we have planetary cycles within cycles marking the passage of time. This month just after the Winter Solstice, Saturn will exit the sign of Scorpio in the zodiac and begin its three year transit of Sagittarius. What can we expect during this period? What challenges will we face? In what areas of life will we be taken to task?

To comprehend what we have in store for us, we need to take a step back and view this cycle in the broader context of the Pluto in Capricorn cycle. In astrology Pluto represents the principles of death and rebirth, of destruction and regeneration. It wades into the deepest recesses of our psyche in order to bring up into conscious awareness our shadow material, so that we can eliminate or transform it. In this way we evolve.

Pluto has been moving through the sign of Capricorn since January 2008. It will continue to apply its disruptive and purging force in this sign until 2023. Pluto’s work is necessary before we can manifest new foundations, political and economic systems, societal organizations and infrastructures that will stand the test of time.

Adding intensity to Pluto’s powerful process is the relationship it has to another celestial player, Uranus, the planet of rebellion and progressive reform. Pluto and Uranus have been in a planetary configuration called a “square,” which represents two forces at cross purposes. The tension between these two planets creates conflict and explosive pressure. Because of the retrograde movement of planets, the square between Uranus and Pluto does not happen just once. Between June 2012 and March 2015 we are experiencing seven exact squares between the two planets. This has been an extraordinarily challenging, chaotic and emotionally trying time.

Against this backdrop we have a series of Saturn cycles taking place that each last about two and a half years. As the dispositor of Pluto in Capricorn, Saturn is the cosmic player that applies the deconstructive power of Pluto more specifically. Saturn is known as the Lord of Karma, who teaches us we reap what we sow. Through the Saturn principle we learn to take responsibility for what we have created in our life. It demands that we come down to earth and get real. We experience consequences for our decisions and actions and learn self-discipline. We gain wisdom over time, and mature.

Witnessing the changes in our material world wrought by Pluto generates feelings of fear, loss, and vulnerability. While Saturn has been in Scorpio we have been challenged to take responsibility for transforming our fears into courage to face our shadows. As we descend into the depths of our emotional abyss we came face to face with deprivation, trauma, anguish, termination, even death. We need to learn to contain the emotional intensity we feel with healthy boundaries and ground ourselves in the reality of the here and now. We need to assess our emotional, spiritual, and material resources and discover how to make wiser, more efficient use of them in order to move forward in life. We need to apply ourselves and do the necessary ground work.

While Saturn has been in Scorpio we very likely have felt weighed down by our heavy emotions. The chaos and suffering has been extreme, even brutal. It has been difficult for us to stay optimistic about the future. We will turn the corner this Winter Solstice as Saturn moves out of Scorpio and into Sagittarius. Being a fire sign, Sagittarius will bring more humor, lightness and buoyancy to our experience. It will help us be more hopeful, more uplifted as we work with Saturn’s principle.

Sagittarius raises us up and gives us a broader and higher perspective. It expands our horizons, broadens both our internal and external vistas. It helps us view our personal situation in the world in a greater context. When we do this we can understand our experience from different perspectives and gain new insights.

Sagittarius excites and inspires us with its spirit of adventure. It gives us the freedom to explore. It motivates us to venture out into the world and find our purpose and direction. It asks us to aim high when we set our goals. It wants us to find answers to our questions and greater meaning in life.

In Sagittarius, Saturn will turn its serious attention towards our beliefs, our philosophy of life. It will ask us to take responsibility for our view of the world. We will be taken to task to ground-truth our suppositions in reality. We will need to take responsibility for the ways our lack of connection to our inner Truth has blurred our vision, and take steps to correct them.

A belief is a fixation or attachment to one version of the truth. We need to examine what is it we choose to believe in. How have we structured our lives around these beliefs? Which beliefs, opinions and values do we need to eliminate, to let go of? The next few years will be a time for us make re-visions.

How can we reframe our worldly experiences so we can find value in them, no matter how challenging they can be? How can we envision our life in ways that changes our experience of reality? When we change our perspective, we change our experience. Sagittarius helps us feel gratitude, blessed for having opportunities to learn and expand ourselves, to connect to our own inner Truth. It gives us hope for the future as we transmute and evolve.

Saturn in Sagittarius wants us to find personal meaning and Truth that is grounded in the real world, that is practical and helps us be successful in achieving our goals. Picture an anchor dropping from a hot air balloon. That is the affect Saturn will have upon us through Sagittarius. It uses its contractive and gravitational force to condense our overly inflated ideals and bring them back to earth so they can manifest. It asks us to have integrity, to examine any unmet promises and honor our commitments. It curbs our over indulgences and wastefulness. It asks us to use self-discipline to check impatience, restlessness and procrastination.

Those of us who practice yoga are familiar with the phrase “root to rise.” This is very true for Saturn in Sagittarius. We cannot reach the heights without first being grounded in the tangible, physical world. We must establish a solid base before expanding out and up. We must mentally and emotionally ground ourselves before making decisions and moving forward toward our goals. Saturn helps us crystalize our visions with clarity and asks us to test them in reality. Being mindful of Saturn’s principles we can chart a course into the future with surety.

  “Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground.”
– Theodore Roosevelt