Zodiac sign

Sagittarius

Direct answer

Sagittarius is the ninth zodiac sign: mutable fire, ruled by Jupiter, associated with faith, travel, philosophy, humor, teaching, exploration, and the search for meaning.

Zodiac SignsThe Great Almanac DictionaryUpdated 2026-09-26

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At a glance

In astrology: Sagittarius is mutable fire, ruled by Jupiter, opposite Gemini, and often moves from information toward meaning.
Found in: Zodiac Signs
Related: Zodiac, Sun Sign, Moon Sign, Rising Sign

Deeper Almanac guide: Sagittarius zodiac guide. This dictionary entry is a concise definition page; the linked guide remains the long-form topic page.

The zodiac constellation figures ranged along an engraved ecliptic — Zodiac field guide · visual guide **Sagittarius**
Sagittarius is mutable fire, ruled by Jupiter.
The sign glyph and elemental field orient the archetype without reducing it to a stereotype.

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What sets Sagittarius apart

Sagittarius is pictured as an archer who is half horse, which makes it the bicorporeal sign of the fire triad, and its mutable quality sends the fire outward, toward a far target, where Aries starts it and Leo holds it. Jupiter is its only traditional ruler, as of Pisces too. Mercury is in detriment, opposite Gemini. No classical planet is exalted here; medieval Western tables put the South Node's exaltation in Sagittarius.

Sun enters: about 22 November
Quality: mutable and bicorporeal: the man-horse
Detriment: Mercury, from the opposite sign Gemini
Exaltation: none for the seven planets; the South Node in medieval Western tables
Ruler: Jupiter, who also rules Pisces; modern astrology adds no co-ruler

Often mistaken for something else: Sagitta is the small constellation of the Arrow, a separate pattern of stars.

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Sagittarius in the traditional textbooks

Sagittarius is Jupiter's day sign, and Dorotheus says Jupiter rejoices in it. Ptolemy says it enlarges and shapes the body, and that its rear parts strengthen the body while its fore parts weaken it. Abu Ma'shar gives the Tail of the Dragon its exaltation here at 3 degrees. Al-Qabisi gives the sign the thighs, where Abu Ma'shar gives the legs.

Ruler: Jupiter. Ptolemy gives it to Jupiter because it is in trine to the houses of the luminaries, airy and fruitful. Its detriment is Mercury, the ruler of Gemini, the opposite sign.
Exaltation in this sign: the Tail of the Dragon at 3 degrees. Fall in this sign: the Head of the Dragon at 3 degrees.
Triplicity (fire): Sun by day, Jupiter by night, Saturn as partner (Dorotheus).
Nature (Abu Ma'shar): hot, dry, choleric; taste bitter; masculine, diurnal; autumn to winter, double.
Ptolemy's class: bicorporeal (mutable). On the body, it enlarges the body and makes it shapely, and its rear parts strengthen it while its fore parts weaken it.
Body (Abu Ma'shar): legs (al-Qabisi: thighs).
Wind (Firmicus): the north wind.
Lands (Abu Ma'shar): Baghdad, al-Jibal, Isfahan, the fire-worshippers.

The bounds and decans of Sagittarius

The widest bound is Jupiter's, at 12 degrees, and the narrowest bounds are Mercury's and Mars's, at 4 degrees each. Jupiter, the ruler of Sagittarius, holds the bound at 1 to 12 degrees.

Here are the Egyptian bounds of Sagittarius, counted from 0 degrees of the sign:

Jupiter: 1 to 12 degrees (12 wide)
Venus: 13 to 17 degrees (5 wide)
Mercury: 18 to 21 degrees (4 wide)
Saturn: 22 to 26 degrees (5 wide)
Mars: 27 to 30 degrees (4 wide)

Laid over the three decans of Firmicus Maternus and al-Qabisi, they fall like this:

The first decan, degrees 1 to 10, belongs to Mercury. The bounds inside it: Jupiter 1 to 10.
The second decan, degrees 11 to 20, belongs to the Moon. The bounds inside it: Jupiter 11 to 12, Venus 13 to 17, Mercury 18 to 20.
The third decan, degrees 21 to 30, belongs to Saturn. The bounds inside it: Mercury at 21, Saturn 22 to 26, Mars 27 to 30.

The stars of Sagittarius, and what the sources say it symbolizes

Dorotheus says an eclipse in Sagittarius brings distress to horses. Hill reads the last quarter of the year as an old man stung by Scorpio and shot by Sagittarius, who dies at the winter solstice and rises after three days, and he names this figure Lazarus. That is his reading and is not documented history.

Ptolemy gave the stars of Sagittarius these planetary natures, in the first book of the Tetrabiblos:

the point of the arrow, Mars and the Moon
the bow and hand, Jupiter and Mars
the nebula in the face, the Sun and Mars
the waist and back, Jupiter and some Mercury
the feet, Jupiter and Saturn
the quadrangle in the tail, Venus and some Saturn

The story behind Sagittarius

Sagittarius carries archer or centaur symbolism and belongs to the mutable signs.

The spiritual meaning of Sagittarius

Engraved emblem of Sagittarius — Sagittarius

Spiritually, Sagittarius asks what truth is worth following beyond comfort.

Why Sagittarius matters

Sagittarius matters because it shows where a chart needs horizon, belief, movement, truth-seeking, and a larger story than the immediate problem.

How to read Sagittarius

Astrologers reach for Sagittarius when interpreting travel, higher learning, publishing, teaching, faith, optimism, risk, and the house where life asks for expansion.

Sagittarius in practice: an example

Sagittarius on the sixth house may need daily work that includes learning, movement, teaching, or a sense of mission.

Where readings of Sagittarius go wrong

It is a mistake to reduce Sagittarius to bluntness or escapism. Its best form is honest wisdom joined to generosity.

Sources and editorial method

This entry summarizes the tradition in the Almanac's own words; where no source is listed, it is an editorial summary rather than a primary text, and symbolic readings are named as the tradition's, not as fact.

Source: The Great Almanac Dictionary
Category: Zodiac Signs
Aliases: Sagittarius sign, Sagittarius zodiac sign
Last updated: 2026-09-26

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ZodiacThe Zodiac is the twelve-sign wheel used as astrology's core sign language. Sun SignSun Sign is the birth sign of the Sun and the most familiar doorway into astrology. Moon SignMoon Sign is the birth sign of the Moon and a key indicator of emotional patterning. Rising SignRising Sign is the sign on the eastern horizon at birth and one of the most personal chart factors. ElementElement groups the zodiac signs into fire, earth, air, and water. ModalityModality describes whether a sign initiates, stabilizes, or adapts.

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