Sagittarius, the Archer, is depicted as a centaur, half-human, half-horse. The ancient Greeks revered the centaurs as wise demi-gods, skilled in archery as well as in the healing arts.
The horse signifies their instinctual, intuitive nature. Centaurs are wild and free and seem to possess a ‘sixth sense’ that guides them. The human part signifies their intellect and purpose-driven, goal-oriented nature. The archer aims high, even if there is little chance of hitting the mark: it is better to aim high and miss than never to try at all.
In mythology, the Archer is associated with Artemis’ vengeance scheme. Artemis was a formidable huntress in her own right. One day, Orion, who is also a hunter, inadvertently laid eyes upon her naked body while she was bathing. So angry was the Goddess that she punished Orion by sending the Scorpion to kill him with his deadly sting.
But the Scorpion was punished in return. Chiron, the wise centaur killed the Scorpion with an arrow aimed straight at its heart, which is marked by the fixed star Antares.
As a sun-sign Sagittarius is often depicted as a jovial, happy-go-lucky character who takes aim at anything, just to try his luck. Their love-life has Jupiterian flair, as they often find it hard to settle down when there are so many hearts to conquer – or at least to charm!
By the same token, Sagittarius is not the most persistent sign when it comes to seeing things through. Once the arrow has left the bow, the Archer tends to be more interested in finding another target than to see one thing through to their conclusion. Routines quickly become old hats that are just boring. (Why bother, when new adventures are beckoning at every turn?
Above all, Sagittarius is known for its openness towards novelty and its sense of optimism. …after all, you only fail, when you stop trying!
