Sagittarius 1 - 5
Hopefulness
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Maturity expresses itself by how willing and capable we are at processing the lessons within our mistakes and struggles (1). We do need to learn how to avoid being overwhelmed by the elements, of Nature and of life (2), choosing the optimal path with a hopeful expectation (3), being open to kindness and helpfulness (4), then looking for and seeing the light within the darkness (5).
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Sagittarius 6 - 10
Training
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Our participation in communal activity (6) helps us to become more receptive to the stirring of subtle emotions (7) and learn how to identify our authentic sense of self and awaken hidden energies (8). We do so by engaging fully in training (9) and listening to criticism and clues (10).
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Sagittarius 11 - 15
Evolution
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A major lesson is to notice and identify the truth written in facts (11), and we also have to be prepared to announcing our willingness to evolve and speak of our discoveries about what that evolution actually means (12). We must face up to our past imperfections (13), reclaim and embody established teachings that pass the test of time (14) and distinguish clearly between what may be, from what must be (15).
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Sagittarius 16 - 20
Discipline
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The most challenging aspects of life can be existentially threatening unless we develop mastery of alertness (16). Such mastery grows through the remembrance of sacredness (17), and by limiting our exposure to excitement (18), overcoming thoughtless self-gratification (19) and remembering right living as a spiritual discipline (20).
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Sagittarius 21 - 25
Expansion
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The highest levels of spiritual realisation can only be reached when receiving guidance from a true master (21). Expansion into the discovery of a deeper sense of self comes through seclusion (22), from which we learn of the importance of courageously claiming our place in the world (23), finding inner peace and radiating beauty (24) and using a refined and powerful force of imagination to build an ideal life - one that supports both our worldly and spiritual visions (25).
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Sagittarius 26 - 30
Conscience
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It may well be necessary to lose ourselves within the ideal (26). Giving some physical form to our vision (27), and beautifully marrying up the mundane and the spiritual (28), we must find a way to reconcile social expectations with personal ideals (29). This is a profound test of whether we can find balance when living as a trans-personal symbol, fully representing the ideal we have made supreme (30).
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Further Commentary on Sagittarius
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ABSTRACTION - ACTION
We are not merely passive observers of any aspect of life and we are obliged to take affirmative action to promote what we hold to be good and true. To do so successfully requires us to become more deeply aware of ourselves and others and that we each have characteristic methods and purposes, each seeing the whole game of life quite differently. It can feel overwhelming at times and we are constantly pitted against superhuman forces, the gods and Nature. Yet we have support if we would but learn how to call it up, and we have the owl’s wisdom would we but learn to trust it. HOPEFULNESS
Sagittarius 1 – 5 The journey we are embarked upon has not just begun; it is an aspect of the eternal dynamic that links the infinite past to the eternal future. The part of us that was born recently, and will die soon, is quite absorbed in the drama of this particular personality – and yet there is another part of us that knows of the bigger game, the cosmic dimension of our being – and it has its own evolutionary agenda, which differs from, and yet is complimentary to, that of the ego. Life is change – of course – yet the change is not random, purposeless and unpredictable. Although often hidden, misunderstood and even cynically refuted, the dynamic of life – that which drives the changes towards a particular direction – is evolution. Much as a turbulent river has its certain flow disguised by eddies, whirls and even tidal forces, the perpetual shuffling around is secondary to the forward-moving, uni-directional thrust towards its inevitable destination. When evolution is thwarted then revolution occurs – but it is simply a backlog of designated evolutionary change suddenly unjamming. |
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ABSTRACTION - CULTURAL IMPLICATIONS
We learn to moderate personal ambition to take others into account so that the well-being of the group can be taken to a higher level of importance than that of any specific individual, hence for example the principle of justice. Yet often more than equal to this are personal feelings and emotion, and we find we cannot reconcile ourselves to society without evolving a more mature wisdom. We find we all have the responsibility to learn and to teach the rules of our group and to find a way to deal with the force of this concept of morality that impacts so strongly on our passionate sense of individual freedom. TRAINING
Sagittarius 6 – 10 Youthfulness and maturity, idealism and realism, recklessness and caution are polarities we encounter and resolve as we progress in furtherance of our goals. We need to shape ourselves as a ready receptacle for the bounty, and over time this shaping is what perfects us. It takes both wisdom and skill to grasp opportunity and thereby take a further step towards realisation. Often there are crucial issues that test and define us, not the least of which is the overwhelming force of desire that cannot be reconciled with common sense. Yet we trust that good fortune comes to those who risk and commit – and this is the hopeful formula for an optimist: risk, commit, and trust. More often than not it results in success – and indeed always for those who positively define any failure to meet an intended outcome as a helpful training process of self-refinement. |
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ABSTRACTION - INDIVIDUAL IMPLICATIONS
Embodied perception shows that we are at the tipping point of humanity’s next big phase of evolutionary development. We have personal process to go through and we all need to clear out destructive emotional patterns. Tried and tested ways of being and thinking root us into the strengths of our ancestors, yet on the other hand we have the secret to the future within us, which we can discover by extrapolating current events and be the first to see what is coming. This ability enables us to stake our claim in the future of our race. By seeing it first we are empowered to influence what is to come. EVOLUTION
Sagittarius 11 – 15 It is absurd to think we can focus our goals with fully detailed precision – we simply cannot anticipate all the changes that come about within life’s complexity. Every activity is the expression – on one level or another – of the single evolutionary process of trial and error. Whether it is a marriage, a political alliance, employment or friendship, every interaction between people is subject to shifts in self-interest and the resultant rupturing of shared purpose and mutual benefit that leads to broken agreements. Not only that, people cannot escape misfortune and seduction forever, and some are so knocked off centre that they cannot fulfil their promises and duties. If we do not take these factors into account, then we will certainly be disappointed. In order to set a meaningful course that will lead to lasting outcomes, we have to come to terms with both darkness and light and try not to judge the one more meaningful than the other. Since our aim is always necessarily imperfect, it will inevitably create both light and dark occurrences, and we must accept responsibility for both. The words sin and repent are derived from French archery terms. If our arrow is not within the range, it is without (sans) – so we need to rethink (repenser). The overlay of guilt is a relatively modern invention; the sin & repent formula is actually a common-sense rule for trial and error techniques. |
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TRANSFERENCE - ACTION
We live in a dangerous place yet most of us in the developed world are free from the risk of being eaten by wild animals, starved or frozen to death, or dying young of an incurable disease. It would be foolish to become complacent about this, and even constant prayerful appreciation does not totally wipe out the risks that threaten us. We must take action to keep our alertness and not allow ourselves to become too soft; we need to take appropriate precautions against what might occur and even make sacrifices so that future generations can have the possibility of a good life. DISCIPLINE
Sagittarius 16 – 20 The future comprises two aspects – what must be and what may be. When we have learned the relationship between cause and effect, we know how to anticipate what must be. For example, given correct environmental circumstances, apple seeds become apple trees; the Sun rises and will always shine after the rain. Yet our relationship with what may be is an adventure that demands our special attention, exemplary acuity and a willingness to become a different version of ourselves. We simply cannot know what is next – and so we must somehow hold an attitude that protects us from danger, yet readies us for opportunity. Between where we are, and where we hope to be, lives an uncharted path – labelled on maps as ‘here be dragons’. Some people would see a sign about dragons as a dire warning – and others as an irresistible attraction. |
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TRANSFERENCE - CULTURAL IMPLICATIONS
Our evolutionary path is from lesser to greater and is made to unfold by the operation of that particular aspect of the mind that dreams, balanced by the aspect of the mind that knows what is true. The strength we need, to hold ourselves together during all the many profound changes in our life circumstances, comes from our mind’s clear certainty of who we are in essence. Yet the power to write the script of our future is the subtle and mysterious power of a creative, optimistic imagination. When we have both of these qualities and can balance them, then we are rewarded more and more as life develops. EXPANSION
Sagittarius 21 – 25 By reflecting on what has gone before, and the specific connections and alignments we have experienced, we become more certain of who we are, and of what we feel capable. This stirs us to greater self-expression, and greater dedication to make our mark on the world. There are abundant treasures available to us if we position ourselves appropriately to attract them; they draw us towards them as part of our evolutionary progression. The soul’s eternal evolutionary journey is seen by Sufis as having two polarities of expression. When disincarnate, it experiences knowledge, and when incarnated it acknowledges experience. Firmly bound by the constraints of matter, there is much more to the soul’s experience of life than corporeal sensuality. Through the hard authenticity of physicality, we get to see the true effect of our qualities – such as poise, courage, radiant well-being and optimistic imagination, amongst so many others. An ambitious push towards an outrageously idealistic vision energises our situations and catalyses events – so that we are subjected to life more deeply, more fully and more colourfully. It is not more important, or even helpful, to know what we are ‘doing’ – because the soul’s present purpose is not to experience the knowledge of what we are doing, but to acknowledge the experience of how we are being. Process matters, not product. |
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TRANSFERENCE - INDIVIDUAL IMPLICATIONS
In our process of becoming a responsible, creative and positive factor within our social milieu, we have to find a balance between being in alignment with the general population and being a free and genuine authority of our own life message. Society, with its collective ancestral wisdom, rewards with its approval those of us who blend art with social requirement – the beautiful and the good. As we perfect this skill we become more influential and are tasked to hold positions of central importance, and we are challenged to maintain the poise of holding increasingly strong energies without losing grace and dignity. CONSCIENCE
Sagittarius 26 – 30 Sufis speak of the democracy of the ego and the aristocracy of the soul. In other words, we have to be reasonable and compromising when operating at the level of ego, yet affirm the highest uncompromising level of nobility when expressing on a soul level. In this way, we build a testimony both to our uniqueness of character and our spiritual understandings, in such a way that the soul feels at peace and the ego clear of conscience. Having awakened the relationship between ego and soul, we seek to master every part of our lives to the greater glory of both. This can be achieved with alert expectancy, primed for either conflict or opportunity – not at all unlike the approach we have when visiting a new philosophical idea, or indeed a new country. Although prayer and worship are useful tools by which we maintain and develop the soul/ego relationship, they are just tools; they serve a greater function. The point is to bind ourselves back to the whole, to Unity, to all and everything. Of course, we can never truly unravel from it because there is actually nothing else, but we can forget to remember – and that is as isolating as separation would be. Having learned how prayer feels, we then train ourselves to replicate that feeling as often as possible, in fact whenever we remember to. It is thus that we consecrate our lives – by reoccupying a condition of worship even in mundane scenarios. |
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Sabian Life JourneyOur life experiences may be expressed as a journey from Aries 1 to Pisces 30. It is easier to arrive at the understanding of those experiences by a process of reflection, looking backwards rather than forward though the zodiac cycle. We can use the previous degree to answer the question - how? - rather than the following one to answer - why?
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SAGITTARIUS 30 "Living as a trans-personal symbol, representing an ideal"
How can I do that? we ask - and the response comes from SAGITTARIUS 29 "Reconciling social expectations with personal ideals" How can I do that? we ask - and the response comes from SAGITTARIUS 28 "Marrying up the mundane and the spiritual beautifully" How can I do that? we ask - and the response comes from SAGITTARIUS 27 "Giving some physical form to our vision" How can I do that? we ask - and the response comes from SAGITTARIUS 26 "Losing ourselves within the ideal" How can I do that? we ask - and the response comes from SAGITTARIUS 25 "Using imagination to build an ideal life" How can I do that? we ask - and the response comes from SAGITTARIUS 24 "Finding inner peace and radiating beauty" How can I do that? we ask - and the response comes from SAGITTARIUS 23 "Courageously discovering our place in life" How can I do that? we ask - and the response comes from SAGITTARIUS 22 "Discovering a deeper sense of self through seclusion" How can I do that? we ask - and the response comes from SAGITTARIUS 21 "Receiving guidance from a true master" How can I do that? we ask - and the response comes from SAGITTARIUS 20 "Right living as a spiritual principle" How can I do that? we ask - and the response comes from SAGITTARIUS 19 "Overcoming thoughtless self-gratification" How can I do that? we ask - and the response comes from SAGITTARIUS 18 "Limiting our exposure to excitement" How can I do that? we ask - and the response comes from SAGITTARIUS 17 "Remembrance of sacredness" How can I do that? we ask - and the response comes from SAGITTARIUS 16 "Mastery of alertness" How can I do that? we ask - and the response comes from SAGITTARIUS 15 "Distinguishing what may be from what must be" How can I do that? we ask - and the response comes from SAGITTARIUS 14 "Reclaiming old teachings that pass the test of time" How can I do that? we ask - and the response comes from SAGITTARIUS 13 "Facing up to our past imperfections" How can I do that? we ask - and the response comes from SAGITTARIUS 12 "Announcing our willingness to evolve" How can I do that? we ask - and the response comes from SAGITTARIUS 11 "Noticing the truth written in facts" How can I do that? we ask - and the response comes from SAGITTARIUS 10 "Listening to criticism and clues" How can I do that? we ask - and the response comes from SAGITTARIUS 9 "Engaging fully in training" How can I do that? we ask - and the response comes from SAGITTARIUS 8 "Learning how to awaken hidden energies" How can I do that? we ask - and the response comes from SAGITTARIUS 7 "Being receptive to the stirring of emotions" How can I do that? we ask - and the response comes from SAGITTARIUS 6 "Participating in communal activity" How can I do that? we ask - and the response comes from SAGITTARIUS 5 "Looking for and seeing the light within the darkness" How can I do that? we ask - and the response comes from SAGITTARIUS 4 "Being open to kindness and helpfulness" How can I do that? we ask - and the response comes from SAGITTARIUS 3 "Carefully choosing the optimal path" How can I do that? we ask - and the response comes from SAGITTARIUS 2 " Avoiding being overwhelmed by the elements" How can I do that? we ask - and the response comes from SAGITTARIUS 1 "Processing the lessons within our mistakes and struggles" |
