- - Ptolemy
The sun passes through this constellation from late December to late January, so it is best viewed in the nights of summer time.
It was the Romans who named the constellation Sagittarius ("sagitta" is Latin for "arrow"), although several stars carry Arabic names that identify just which portion of the constellation they represent: Alpha Sagittarii is named Rukbat: (Rukbat al Rami = Archer's knee), and beta Sgr is Arkab (Tendon).
The bow is outlined by three stars: Lambda Sgr: Kaus Borealis = the northern (part of the) bow. Delta Sgr: Kaus Meridionalis = the middle (part of the) bow. Epsilon Sgr: Kaus Australis = the southern (part of the) bow. The arrow tip is gamma Sgr (Al Nasl = the point).
Sagittarius was a hunter, traceable to the Mesopotamian archer-god Nergal who was associated with the wrathful god Irra of war and fire (the Greek Ares and the Roman Mars).
In Greece the Archer, represents a centaur - half-man, half-horse, descended from Ixion, the man who dared to lust after Hera, wife of Zeus. Realising Ixion's intentions, Zeus sent a cloud, disguised as Hera, to trick him. The offspring of this union was Kentauros, who was shunned by gods and mankind alike. He moved to Thessaly and bred with the mares there, and so centaurs were born. Some, like Chiron, the wise and kindly centaur who befriended Hercules and who is represented by Centaurus, were considerate and friendly to men, but many were aggressive. Sagittarius is one of the latter, a fierce hunter with his bow and arrow always aimed at Scorpius.
Sagittarius is associated with Crotus, the son of the god Pan and the nymph Eupheme. Eupheme raised her son with the nine Muses, the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne. Crotus was both skilled at the hunt and sensitive to the arts. According to one story, Crotus begged Zeus to transport him into the stars upon his death. Another story has Crotus being memorialized because of the entreaties Muses who begged Zeus to honor the archer. He is also refered to as a Satyr, probably derived from the characteristics of the original Centaur, Hea-bani. They associated Crotus, the Satyr, part man, part goat, with a long, horse like tail, and it was often illustrated standing on two legs.
Although the true meaning of Sagittarius is Archer, this constellation is usually depicted as a combination of a horse and a man, the rear part being the horse and the front part the man. The man is always armed with a bow and an arrow. The Roman mythologers identified Sagittarius in error with the gentle and wise centaur Chiron, which has led to frequent confusion with the southern constellation Centaurus.
Sagittarius is the third of the fire elements. Its elemental quality is hot and dry. In the Northern latitudes it is cold and dry and hot and wet in the Southern. It is masculine whose similitude is of the diurnal sect.
Jupiter (Zeus) is the domicile ruler and the South Node is exalted at 3�. It is the detriment of Mercury. The ruler of its triplicity by day is the Sun followed by Jupiter. By night it's ruler is Jupiter followed by the Sun. The co-ruler by day and night is Saturn.
"Those so born are good, just, great-souled, critical, generous, fond of brothers and friends, those who diminish what they first acquired but acquire them again, those who prevail over enemies, lovers of reputation, versatile, notable, those who weave matters in a riddling fashion."
- -Vettius Valens: The Anthology Book I
I think to best understand Sagittarius we have to look at its axial counter part Gemini. While both are concerned about ?knowledge?, there are distinct differences. First let us consider that the detriment of Mercury is in Sagittarius. This, on first glance, might seem a bit contradictory because isn?t Mercury also concerned with ?knowledge?? Yes and no! Mercury?s principle is ?logos? which is not so much concerned with knowledge as it is with the interconnection of knowledge. In a computer is stored ?bits? of data. By themselves they mean nothing. They are just integers. So we have software programs that put these bits of data together to form strings of information that we can relate to and tell us something. This is ?logos?. It is the quality of putting together these bits and pieces within the realm of time, space, and matter in such a way as to make it communicable and understandable.
Mercury?s detriment in Sagittarius points to an inability or ?dysfunction? of the ?logos? principle. In simpler terms, reason and logical association are not qualified functions of Sagittarius. One of the ?keys? to this sign appears then to be the desire to overpass the limitations of time, space and matter. Anything and everything that fills this basic criteria is fair game for Sagittarius. The ?raw material? that is the foundation of religion, faith and philosophy is high in the interest of this sign. In likeness with Gemini, being a ?hot? sign, it is active and seeking in its pursuits, it is not passive. But being dry it distinguishes between "sameness" and "other". As an active participator it never stops to dwell for any length of time on its accumulations, but is in a constant journey moving from image to image and thought to thought and is often led then far from home, both figuratively and physically.
We can gain more understanding of Sagittarius by examining its ruler, Jupiter. Jupiter was given Sagittarius and Pisces as domiciles because it best understood how they functioned and because it could best function in the environment of these signs. It was a two way street. Jupiter is warm and moist and its principles of growth and expansion functions well in Sagittarius because there are no limitations by either time, space or matter. Nor are there the limitations of ?association?. Sagittarius provides freedom and the wide-open spaces that are required for growth and expansion. Attachments are a liability in Sagittarius, which is why Gemini is the detriment of Jupiter.
Sagittarius will not be limited by a three dimensional world. Nor by simply a four dimensional world. But his domain is the fifth dimension where the intangible ?other-worldliness? exists. Sagittarius is preoccupied by concepts: Law and Justice, religion and philosophy, good and evil, ethics and morals, nobility and authority. It seeks to understand what is beyond and it provides the environment for planets to do just that?.if they can.
