Welcome to this special introduction to the sign of Sagittarius, also commonly known as Sag. Sag the wise, ho ho.
The plan is to first go through an overview of the sign’s reputation, and then dive deep into whether this reputation is true or not.
If you're more in the mood to watch rather than read, I've got a video version of this intro to Sagittarius. I'm looking pretty fancy with that hat on, right?
// The Reputation //
Sagittarius is known to be the most philosophical of all the signs. Sag is supposed to be curious, open and loving all kind of new experiences.
Sagi is the big traveler of the zodiac. It’s the sign that backpacks all around the world.
Sag is also optimistic, spontaneous and chill.
Their flaws is that they tend to be too optimistic or too trusting, and they can overestimate how much stuff they really do know or how much people the people around them can achieve.
So all this sounds nice.
But let’s check out if all that’s true, astrologically speaking!
In astrology, there are 3 essential things that make up the foundation of a zodiac sign. Other elements play a part too, but those 3 things are the cornerstones.
And they are: the element, mode and ruling planet.
So let’s take a look at each of those things for the sign of Sagittarius, and see if it works with its reputation.
1. The Element
There are 4 elements in astrology: fire, earth, air and water. And Sagittarius is a fire sign.
The element of a sign is what it tends towards to unconsciously and instinctively.
Fire signs naturally try or desire to express their own personal individuality. They like to affirm themselves in the world and to create new ways of showing who they are.
Of course they’re able to do other stuff. They can express other elements, like air signs are all about our cognitive thinking and expression.
Sagittarius can also think, of course, they’re even supposed to be avid learners, always desiring to expend their knowledge. But fire is what comes most easily and spontaneously to them.
And when they learn new stuff, when they’re being all airy, it’s always within the fire framework of, “I desire to expand my sense of self.”
So yeah, so far no worries with the element of fire and Sag. Perfect fit.
Let’s flesh this out a bit.
2. The Mode
There are 3 modes in astrology: cardinal, fixed and mutable. Sagittarius is mutable.
Mutable signs are all the signs that end a season, like Gemini, Virgo and Pisces. They all have this quality of I’m ending a season, meaning that they’re fluid and adaptable.
They like to nuance and make things more complex.
During Sagittarius season, in the northern hemisphere and in Spain, Japan or the Canada, it’s the end of fall but there are no more leaves on the trees. It’s cold, yet not freezing like in January and February.
We’re oscillating between things, we’re like on a bridge. Mutable signs are the bridge signs, haha that sounds cool.
So Sagittarius is fire and mutable. It’s the fire that’s spreading all around.
Fire is a pretty uncompromising element. Just look at real fire, you cannot contain it like water or earth. And unlike air, fire just burns whatever it gets in contact with.
But Sagittarius being mutable fire, their fire is softened. It’s less bright because it’s a fire that’s spreading around.
By contrast, Aries and Leo, the two other buddies of team fire have a strong fire that burns bright by itself, that stays compact.
The fire of Leo is often compared to the fire of a chimney. While the fire of Aries is the spark of a lighter.
But the mutable mode is the bridge mode. Sag’s fire is the kind of fire that’s indecisive, that keeps moving, just going with the wind.
It’s not a fire that settles for just one thing at a time.
So Sagittarius has this quality of dispersal, of desiring to scatter the expression of themselves.
And this idea of broadening and branching your energy is reinforced by the ruling planet of Sag.
3. The Ruling Planet
Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter. Jupiter is the planet of growth and stability. Jupiter is this idea of fertility, of we’re making things bigger and better.
Jupiter represents philosophy, religion and spirituality. It’s all the big and grandiose things.
It’s not the small individual ideas and blocks of faith and rituals, but the bigger structures and patterns that make certain beliefs a religion.
That’s why Jupiter represents all the big institutions such as governments or universities. Check my post on the planets in astrology to learn more about Jupiter.
So the fire of Sagittarius is already really stretched by the mutable mode, but Jupiter makes it even more wide and malleable.
That’s why Sag has the reputation of being curious, open-minded and a lover of knowledge. Because it needs to feed on new elements, that’s it natural instinct.
Jupiter pushes Sagittarius to broaden its mind in order to understand the world as a whole.
It’s by meeting new people, learning new stuff and going to different places that Sag will affirm their sense of individuality, their essential fire.
Jupiter is also what gives Sag this sense of optimism and faith, because that’s what Jupiter is about. Jupiter is the one who sees the glass as being half full.
Jupiter sees the best in others and believes that things will get better.
4. A Conclusion, sort of
The reputation of Sagittarius, that it’s an adventurous, philosophical and friendly sign, is a sound one. Astrologically speaking, it fits well within the element, mode and ruling planet.
Of course, this reputation remains kind of a stereotype. It works, but not all Sags are going to be like this.
Some Sag will indeed be the classic Sagittarius that loves to travel and meet new folks.
But others will focus their fire on the mental world, like the cliche of the professor who doesn’t leave their ivory tower but simply gulps down knowledge.
There are many, many different possible expression of the fire, the mutable and jupiterian qualities of Sag.
And they’re all valid as long as you’ve got that thirst to discover more, to widen your scope of experience for your own pleasure or for your own sense of self.
But to widen your scope of experience remains pretty subjective.
To be honest, I find the sign of Sagittarius to be a bit hard to grasp sometimes. Like, I get it, but I don’t get it as well as other signs.
To understand Sagittarius more, I like to compare it to other signs, especially to Pisces. Because Pisces is actually, in traditional astrology, nearly identical to Sag in its structure.
They’re both mutable and ruled by Jupiter.
But Pisces is a water sign. So without going too much into the details because I’ll make Pisces its very own post, Sag and Pisces can act in the same way.
They’re both adaptable and curious, and they desire to learn more about the world. But water is about emotions and bonding with people.
So when Pisces seeks new experiences, it’s with the deep, almost unconscious, desire to get closer to other people.
While Sag does it with the desire or the goal expand and affirm this sense of who I am as a unique individual.
So even though they could act the same way, they’re actually very different. In a nutshell, Sag wants to experience and understand the world, while Pisces wants to experience and understand humanity.
Pretty similar but pretty different too.
5. Final Words
If you’re a Sagittarius but you feel that this description doesn’t fit you, like at all, that’s probably because we’re never only one sign in astrology.
Were actually the whole of our birth chart, which contains the 12 signs. We’re a mix and blend of different signs that will express themselves more or less strongly in different areas of our life and during different times of our life.
A birth chart is a beautiful flower of complexity XD
If you’d like to explore your own birth chart, I’ve made a small astrology booklet that will show you how to do that. And it’s for you and it’s for free.
As a parting gift, here's a little summary of the sign of Sagittarius. Use it wisely, lol.
Have a lovely day, and I’ll be seeing you soon.
Jin