refinement. Chiron, the son of Philyra and Chronos, was a highly learned and refined
centaur. A wise teacher who tutored Aesculapius, Jason, Achilles, and Hercules, Chi-
ron’s vast knowledge encompassed hunting, ethics, music, medicine, and the martial
arts. Wounded by a poison arrow, he was unable to heal himself. He gave his immor-
tality to Prometheus so that he could die and put an end to his own misery. Out of
pity, Zeus is said to have transformed Chiron into a constellation. The figure of the
kindly Chiron, however, is somewhat at odds with the image in the constellation
Sagittarius, which points its drawn bow menacingly at Scorpio. Thus, an alternative
image for Sagittarius is as an average, nondivine centaur with all the impulsive, savage
brutality normally attributed to this mythical species.
Like the worst centaurs, Sagittarians can be crude, wild wanderers, always
seeking adventure and freedom from all restraint. They can be reckless, irresponsible,
and excessively blunt. Positively, natives of the sign are humorous, entertaining, and
optimistic. Like Chiron, they prize wisdom and make inspiring teachers. All Sagittari-
ans strive upward. For the less evolved, this may mean social climbing; for the more
evolved, a striving toward higher wisdom and spiritual insight. Like all fire signs, they
are fond of physical and social activity.
The sign that the Sun was in at birth is usually the single most important influ-
ence on a native’s personality. Thus, when people say they are a certain sign, they are
almost always referring to their sun sign. There is a wealth of information available on
the characteristics of the zodiacal signs—so much that one book would not be able to
contain it all. Sun-sign astrology, which is the kind of astrology found in newspaper
columns and popular magazines, has the advantage of simplicity. But this simplicity is
purchased at the price of ignoring other astrological influences, such as one’s Moon
sign, rising sign, etc. These other influences can substantially modify a person’s basic
sun-sign traits. As a consequence, it is the rare individual who is completely typical of
her or his sign. The reader should bear this caveat in mind when perusing the follow-
ing series of sun sign interpretations.
One traditional way in which astrologers condense information is by summa-
rizing sign and planet traits in lists of words and short phrases called key words or key
phrases. The following Sagittarius key words are drawn from Manly P. Hall’s Astrologi-
cal Keywords:
Emotional key words:“Proud, zealous, energetic, hail-fellow-well-met,
buoyant, openhearted, amiable, tender, idealistic, sincere, speculative,
daring, impatient, not domestic, self-indulgent.”
Mental key words:“Jovial, progressive, philosophic, intellectual, eclec-
tic, frank, just, good-tempered, intrepid, punctilious, oratorical,
prophetic, curious, altruistic, extremely ambitious, financially inclined.”
At present, there are various astrology report programs that contain interpreta-
tions of each of the 12 sun signs. A selection of these for Sun in Sagittarius has been
excerpted below:
You are known for being idealistic, generous, sociable, cheerful and
very positive. Full of spirit, you have a huge reservoir of energy withinSagittarius
[588] THEASTROLOGYBOOK