Sagittarius

SAGITTARIUS

November 23-December 21 Birthdays

Birthstone: Turquoise

Best day: Thursday

Element: Fire

Type: Mutable

Bom under tie sign of friendliness, optimism, wisdom and good nature, ruled by luck-bringing Jupiter, you are among the most fortunate people of the zodiac. Unless your own horoscope is severely afflicted, nothing can keep you from enjoying life and people and being suc­cessful in any number of fields.

As one of the Fire Signs, your forte is action, and you love exercise and outdoor activity. But your real sphere is mental activity, your talent is wisdom, and the highest expression of your nature comes from being able to use your wisdom constructively in philosophy or religion, or, especially, in helping other people to attain to the high level of understanding which is yours by birth. Sagittarius has been called die sign of die sage or counselor, and you are never reluctant in teach anyone else what you know.

You are, however, reluctant to give advice, since you yourself are extremely independent and resent advice from others. You would prefer to help people to think for themselves rather than telling them what to think or to do. Socrates, the great Greek philosopher and teacher, whose lessons were imparted in a question-and-answer method which allowed the student to find his own solu­tions, is the epitome of all the best qualities of your sign.

In your scheme of things snobbishness has no place; you are willing to accept anyone, of any race, color or creed—to use the currently popular phrase—providing he is able to interest you on a mental level or is willing to learn. You have no use for the kind of intolerance or dogmatic or conservative thinking that is not willing to explore every question to its ultimate end in unbiased honesty without dragging along a mass of preconceived notions and prejudices.

Jupiter, your ruling planet, gives you honor and hon­esty, a strong sense of responsibility, helpfulness, unself­ishness and a lighthearted, jovial nature. Always inclined to deal fairly and honestly with people, you are almost too ready to trust them and expect the same sort of treatment from them. You have to be taught that others are not necessarily as honorable and unselfish, and to like them in spite of that. An idealist yourself, you share the tendency of ah¹ idealists to become a cynic when you find that others do not measure up to your high ideals.

But even if people disappoint you, you forgive easily and you never hold a grudge. Being a Fire Sign, you are very apt to turn on the offender with fiery wrath and tell him off, but even while he is still recovering from the violence and unexpectedness of the attack from someone who is usually so good natured, you have already forgot­ten it The very act of expressing your feelings rids you of any animosity, and the next time you meet the same person you will treat him as if there had never been any disagreement between you. Holding a grudge seems to you a waste of time, since it binds you to the past and keeps you from going on to a future that to you is al­ways more exciting, more promising than what has gone before.

Your eternal optimism, insatiable curiosity and inex­haustible energy lead you onward and upward; like the archer which is the symbol of your sign, your arrows are aimed toward the sky. Sometimes in your haste to see what is around the next corner you can, like your oppo­site sign, Gemini, leave promising projects unfinished be­hind you. This is a tendency to be guarded against, un­less you are content to be a flash of brilliance that indi­cates a great future but never quite amounts to any­thing.

You have, however, greater depth of mind than Gemi­ni, and your sudden enthusiasms are more likely to re­sult in relatively minor accomplishments in many fields than no accomplishment at all. Sagittarian-born Winston Churchill—author, soldier, statesman, Sunday painter, or­ator and wit—is an example of your sign's talent for di­versity brought to its highest level; Mark Twain, whose greatest novels are a series of short incidents strung to­gether, is an example of the Sagittarian ability to show swift brilliance rather than long-range constructiveness. The best way fox a Sagittarian to succeed is to find a field that entirely absorbs him, that allows him scope for diversity and permits him to develop his questing mind while still directing his many talents more or less toward the same end.

Among these diverse talents will very likely be an ap­titude for writing. You share with your opposite sign, Gemini, a talent for expressing yourself in words, and it is interesting to note how many Sagittarians are authors as a sideline to their full-time work. Winston Churchill, of course, is one; Jonathan Swift, who wrote Gulliver's Travels while he was dean of the Anglican Church in Ireland, is another; and the list also includes die philoso­pher Spinoza, anthropologist and teacher Margaret Mead, and cartoonist Walt Disney. In a minor way one might even include Sagittarian-born Pope John XXIII, whose clarity, wit and beauty of expression in his clerical writ­ings was one of the things that endeared him even to non-Catholics.

Clarity and wit are among the strong points of Sagft-tarians, who delight in reasoning out every problem, get­ting to the bottom of things and reducing each question to its simplest terms. Listed among the "mental" signs, devoted to religion in its highest manifestation, philoso­phy, you have no patience with cloudy thinking or "in-teliectualism"; one might say that you are too intelligent to act like a "brain," since you take intelligence for grant­ed and see no reason to make a fuss about it.

Substituting wit for the forcefulness of another Fire Sign, Aries, you can be an equally dangerous antagonist, since you enjoy arguing and seem to have an intuitive knowledge of the weak points in your opponent's reason­ing. Blunt and outspoken at all times, you take a partic­ular delight in puncturing the pretensions of people who hide muddled thinking under big words even they them­selves do not fully understand. Satire is your particular medium, as it takes only a glance at such names as Jona­than Swift, Mark Twain, and Sagittarian-born humorists James Thurber and Noel Coward to realize. You do not suffer fools gladly, and you are all too apt to let them know it.

On the whole, though, you are more friendly and even tempered than quarrelsome; you will give in rather than fight unless there is a question of real principle involved. The Mutable Signs in general are adaptable, easy to get along with and sensitive to the needs and feelings of others, and this side of your nature is usually uppermost except when you are driven to anger. Your Fire Sign quality shows itself more in enthusiasm and idealism than in aggressiveness.When yoa are excited about something you want eve­ryone else to be excited about it too, and with your gift for words you go around propagandizing everyone to arouse the same enthusiasm in them. Members of yout sign make excellent sales managers, advertising execu­tives, politicians and coaches of athletic teams. You are as likely to propagandize for an unpopular cause as for a popular one, since you have little concern for what "the neighbors" think.

Yet fanaticism is not a part of your nature; you are too well balanced, too shrewd and practical to be carried away far from what is considered by most people to be normal. It takes narrowness of vision and the ability to take oneself very seriously to become a fanatic; a Sagit-tarian never takes himself seriously, and his vision is anything but narrow. Besides, there is an inherent con­ventionality in your nature and a respect for law and order. You are able to see the world as it is, honestly and simply, not glossing over the more unpleasant parts, and to like it as it is. What you do not like you can adapt to; Sagittarians have a real talent for making the best of cir­cumstances over which they have no control.

On the other hand, there is no conservatism in your thinking, of the kind that says because a thing is so it is right Within the framework of convention you will fight to make the world a better place; you have infinite faith in the ideals of social justice and economic reform and the theory that people will behave better if they are given a chance to live above the poverty level

As a Fire—or action—Sign, you are a joiner who wiH enter wholeheartedly into any community effort that promises to better conditions for people in general. With your naive optimism and hopefulness, you never sub­scribe to the idea that "that's the way it is and nothing can be done about it." You always believe something can be done, and you are prepared to do your share. This idealism and optimism are a basic part of your na­ture and are what keep you happy. Should you lose them and pursue merely materialistic objectives you are never really satisfied, since money without the chance to use it constructively means little to you.

Jupiter rules reli­gion, and a Sagittarian's ideals are usually based on some sort of religious concept—though it may not be, and in fact quite often is not, a narrow, conventional religion. Being an action sign, you are the epitome of the idea of putting religion to work. You see no sin in missing a church service if you need the time to help someone in trouble. If a Sagittarian becomes a minister or priest, he will not be the kind who retreats into a monastery but the land who goes around fund raising for the poor.

An interest in philosophy, the spiritual and the occult are part of your nature, but mysticism is not; you are too well balanced and practical to go far off into the realm of esoteric thought. As a Mutable Sign your ideas are al­ways related to people; you want a religion or a philoso­phy that works, right now, in this world, among the people with whom you associate.

Your sign also rules long-distance travel, higher edu­cation and publishing, and you feel more comfortable working in any of these fields than in a truly commercial enterprise. Yet having said all this it may seem a contra­diction to add that Sagittarians are usually good busi­nessmen, well equipped for financial success. But Sagit­tarius is Jupiter's sign, and Jupiter is the planet of afflu­ence and luck as well as of friendliness, kindness and good will Shrewd and practical, energetic and active, lucky and clear thinking, you are well able to succeed in business for yourself or in a partnership. As an employee your adaptability, cheerfulness, intelligence and ability to work hard usually make you stand out from die crowd.

Your biggest problems as a businessman or as an em­ployee are that you think in large terms and dislilca petty details, and you are inclined to leap into things – without adequate preparation, trusting to rack to see you through. Being versatile and quick to learn, you often do manage to pull through; but you would have less trouble and would build a firmer foundation for your efforts if you learned to cultivate patience and slow constructiveness.

You have a real talent for handling money and intui­tion about when and how to take a chance. Within Um-its, it is usually profitable for you to follow your hunches, though you must avoid a tendency to make reckless snap judgments or to gamble with equal reck­lessness. Sagittarians have an affinity for horses, and that plus their gambling streak makes most of them enjoy an occasional fun at the racetrack—which is fine as long as it remains occasional and is not allowed to become a way of life.

With so many diverse talents and so much friendliness toward all mankind, it is not surprising that you are not especially dependent on family Me. Sagittarians have al­most no family loyalty as such, though they are willing to accept their relatives as friends if the relatives prove worthy of it Lake Labrans, Sagittarians get along well at home and are reluctant to break family ties, and for the same reason—you are unwilling to make a fuss or to hurt anyone's feelings unless a matter of principle is involved. But you do not cling to your mother and father or the parental nest, nor do you become very domesticated even when you marry.

Knowing this, and being guided by your usual wis­dom, you are never in a hurry to marry—so much so that Sagittarius is often called the "bachelor sign." This is especially true of Sagittarian women, who can see little virtue in giving up their independence for the dubious return of the security offered by a man who can seldom match them in shrewdness, practicality, intelligence and diversity of interests. But if either sex finds someone who truly loves and understands them, and is willing to allow them the freedom they need without jealousy or restrictions, they axe grateful and make cheerful, loyal and adaptable mates.

CAREER POSSIBILITIES

Ruled by expansive, commanding, honorable Jupiter, you have little patience with details or with being closely supervised. The "honor system" was made for you; if left alone on any kind of job and given the feel­ing that your employer trusts you, you will bring the full force of your great energy and enthusiasm to doing the job right If hampered or too closely supervised, you will become careless and indifferent and will devote most of your time to seeing how much you can get away with.

Therefore you operate best in a professional field where you are pretty much your own boss. Lawyer, cler­gyman, editor, publisher, writer are all good fields for you. Jupiter rules long-distance travel, and many Sagit-tarians like to work in that area, as importers, travel agents, foreign representatives of domestic companies or State Department employees.

Your sign rules higher education, and one of your greatest ambitions is to gather wisdom and pass it on helpfully to others. You make an excellent teacher, phi­losopher or instructor of any type, or an employment counselor, vocational guidance counselor or financial ad­viser. You have a real talent for using money construc­tively, but little regard for actual cash; you would be better as the administrator of a charity fund than as a bank teller.

Your sign is enthusiastic and you love to propagan­dize for anything you believe in; you make a good sales­man, advertising executive or copy writer. This talent is also helpful in politics; New York City's Mayor John Lindsay is a Sagfttarian, as was another well-remem­bered New York Qty Mayor, Fiorello LaGuardia. So are two internationally known political figures, Charles de-Gfeiifie and Spain's Francisco Franco.You have a gift for expressing yourself in words, and your sign rules publishing; countless writers are Sagitta-rian bom. Even if your work is in another field you often find your writing facility helpful—for instance in teaching, politics or law. And with your strong urge to teach people what you know, if your work is at all out of the ordinary sooner or later you will write a book "about it—or at least want to, or try to.

HEALTH

You are as lucky in health as you are in other ways; it has been found that more octogenarians are born under the sign of Sagittarius than under any other sign. You also have athletic strength and great reserve force, and there is a good possibility that you will live to a ripe old age, retaining your excellent health and alert mental powers to the end.

Your greatest health problem is that you do not econo­mize your strength and your nerves as you should. Lithe and quick in movement, given to constant, impulsive ac­tivity and restlessness both of mind and body, you may use up even your innate strength to the point where you will have a breakdown of some sort. You do not have the sturdiness of Scorpio or Taurus, you are more like a race horse, able to go short distances with force and speed, but unadapted to long-continued strain.

If you do find you are depleting your energies too much you can bring your reserve powers to bear. One of these powers is the ability to rest deeply; after a short nap or a few minutes of relaxation you are ready to go again. Your other reserve power is your love for outdoor activity, which will give you more rest, mentally and physically, than other people get from a good night's sleep. Try to use either or both of these methods fre­quently to be sure you do not overtax your strength.

Sagittarius rules the hips and thighs, and the health-, problems typical of your sign are sciatica, gout and rheumatism. Because of your tendency to scatter your energies, yoor resistance to disease is not always great nor ate yoor recuperative powers strong, so you must try not to let yourself get too worn down in the first place.

Because of your athletic activities you are also some-times subject to accidental injuries. But with your Ju­piter-inspired wisdom and temperance you do not often go in for the more dangerous sports, so the possibility of accident is not as great as with a more reckless sign such as Aries.

LOVE AND MARRIAGE

It has been mentioned that you are often not anxious to marry; and when you do choose a mate you have an unfortunate tendency to choose on the basis of reason and "suitability" alone, not taking into consideration the qualities of heart and mind necessary to keep you con­tented. This is a tendency to be avoided, as you are not very domestic at best and, being an idealist, you are eas­ily disillusioned.

It is characteristic of Sagittarius to make the best of any situation in which you find yourself, pleasant or oth­erwise. You are also loyal, and will try to hide your domestic worries and your mate's faults from the world. But you have no great patience, and sooner or later an unsuitable marriage will break up. Sagittarius is a "dou­ble" sign, so two or more marriages are common for you.

You will insist on keeping your independence after marriage and remaining in touch with your friends of both sexes; you will want to keep up with your many in­terests outside the home as well as in it The ideal ar­rangement is to have a husband or wife who shares your interests and is willing to go along with you, but if nec­essary you will go alone. All this, of course, makes a mate who is possessive, jealous or too homeloving un­thinkable for you.

An individual horoscope is necessary to determine the proper marriage partner for any particular person, but generally speaking you will find your most suitable mates in the other Fire Signs, Aries and Leo, who will understand and be willing to share your many interests and impulsive enthusiasms; or the Air Signs, Libra, Aquarius and Gemini, who can match you in mental and social activity, will find you a warm stimulating compan­ion and will not attempt to restrict your freedom.

The Water Signs, Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces, will make you feel hemmed in with emotional ties you do not want The Earth Signs will be much too practical, materialistic and conservative to suit your wide-ranging philosophical viewpoint Besides, they will not be able to understand how you can be enthusiastic about one thing today and another thing tomorrow and be com­pletely sincere about both.