Set your life on fire. Seek those who fan your flames
— Jalal ad-Din Muhammad ar-Rumi
Sagittarius is a mutable fire sign characterized by impulsive and quick action with multiple objectives and changeable priorities.
Me too, Sagittarius, me too.
Mercury is my planetary timelord this year (by annual profections from the Ascendant) and has been in Sagittarius for two months, fueled by a whole sign opposition with Jupiter. Multiple objectives and changing priorities?
Check.
Although I don’t practice Evolutionary Astrology, I love Steven Forrest's Elemental Series of books. In The Book of Fire, Forrest teaches that Sagittarius includes the archetypes of the philosopher, the scholar, and the voyager. Planets here need to have new experiences, experiment, and explore.
Like the other mutable signs, Sagittarius detests boredom. In my experience, when the Mercurial signs get bored (Gemini & Virgo), they often find ways to amuse themselves in place. When Jupiterian signs (Sagittarius & Pisces) are bored, they leave the scene. I’ve jokingly told my clients in the dating scene that Sagittarius and Pisces are the signs most likely to “ghost” you. When things are unpleasant, dull, or heavy, the archer gallops away while the fish turns tail and swims.
It’s a stereotype, of course, and there are always exceptions. While they may be tough to pin down, a Sagittarius is usually loyal and trustworthy once committed. Demetra George shares several desirable character traits from ancient astrological authors, including good, just, great-souled, generous, versatile, notable, and kingly. Like Libra, George says Sagittarius can lose and re-acquire possessions and cares about reputation.
The Archer of Sagittarius is a centaur, half-man and half-horse. It depicts the union of animal instinct and human intellect and implies strength and speed. In Bosschart’s painting, the arrow in the archer’s bow is set aflame by Zeus’s thunderbolt. It’s not an ordinary fire; it is a Divine fire.
The idea of union is carried into card 14, Art, in the Thoth Deck. This card mirrors the union and duality themes from card 6, The Lovers, associated with Gemini.
On card 14, the central figure is gender-amorphous, the united King and Queen who married on card 6. They have become a single entity mixing fire and water into an alchemical vessel. The red lion and white eagle from card 6 appear again but have changed colors. The lion is now white, and the eagle is red.
Where Gemini separated and compared, Sagittarius blends and unites.
The Art card (Temperance in the Rider-Waite deck) is an alchemical card with actions like blending, adjusting, tempering, and refining. It is considered to be a middle path between extremes: tension and resolution, aspiration and aim.
The 8, 9, and 10 of Wands represent the three decans of Sagittarius, which are ruled by Mercury, the Sun, and Saturn, respectively.
The 8 of Wands (Swiftness) is a beautiful, cheerful, and energetic card. In Decan 1, you can feel the Mercurial speed of planets. It is usually interpreted as good news, swift arrivals, and completions. Things are moving along as intended.
Decan 2 is Strength, the 9 of Wands. The Sun is a triplicity ruler of Sagittarius and also rules this decan, so it has a lot of influence here. Planets in this decan take on solar courage and stability, adding persistence and resilience in facing challenges.
Saturn-ruled Decan 3 is the 10 of Wands, labeled Oppression. Saturn’s role is to set limits, which feels like restriction and denial. There is now a wall after speeding through the first decan and persevering through the second. Maybe it’s reaching the end of a journey, realizing one’s human limitations, or dealing with the confines of material reality.
Either way, this sobering card prepares a planet for the discipline and work that starts in Capricorn I.
It’s not the Destination, It's the journey.
―Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance: An Excerpt from Collected Essays, First Series
Thanks for exploring the twelve zodiac signs (and 36 decans) with me through 12 Holy Nights.
Warmest wishes for a peaceful and prosperous 2025. If you’d like personal guidance in planning your year based on planetary cycles, you can book a consultation with me at Astrology With Denise. I’m physically based in New Orleans and available virtually everywhere.
XOXO,
Denise
