Sagittarius, the Archer in the year 2001

Year of Contradictions

The year begins for the Archer with strong contradictory influences at work and the idea of contradiction sets a compelling theme for your journey in the twelve months to come.

This theme is best seen through the legend of the centaur, the mythical creature symbolized by the sign of Sagittarius. The ancient Greeks knew the centaur as a wild and intractable creature, half human, half horse, that was notorious for excesses of eating, drinking and fighting. But this same creature was also renowned for philosophical wisdom, skill at arms and healing.

Chiron, greatest of the centaurs was the teacher and master at arms who trained many of the Greek heroes and made weapons for the legendary Hercules. The centaur is a living contradiction and it is in these contradictory opposites that we find the essence of the nature of Sagittarius, a paradoxical combination of boisterous enthusiasm and disciplined study that both loves life and advances the frontiers of knowledge and human endeavour.

Sagittarius symbolizes the power of fusion and integration, bringing together the opposites of human and animal, physical and mental, earthly and divine that exist within us all. This year will call on you for those powers of fusion you possess and test you strenuously in doing so.

Martian Fog at the Lunar Eclipse

Energy could be low and feelings mixed or uncertain as you welcome in the New Year while Mars in Scorpio in your solar twelfth house squares Neptune in Aquarius in your solar third house. Such an aspect can make everything a little foggy and unclear. You might be moody and restless. The year may have ended on a note of tiredness and frustration. You may even feel under attack, or at the very least, under pressure. Try to avoid any Sagittarian excesses in the realms of either personal indulgence or expenditure of energy just to compensate for how you’re feeling.

Are you struggling for an ideal of life that just does not seem attainable? Desire could easily overwhelm you at this point and take you down a path that will only increase your difficulties. Enjoy the time with friends; take heart from their easy and simple companionship. Don’t go chasing what cannot be caught.

A lunar eclipse in your solar eighth house on January 10th will bring home to you the consequences of any excesses or foolish behaviour. It may also adversely affect the lives and fortunes of family members or people with whom you have close financial ties. Just wait a little as the year begins for the pressure will begin to ease as two of the giants of the Heavens make their move for 2001.

Giants' Dance

Last year in May, Jupiter, your ruler, and Saturn, the taskmaster, met in Taurus in your solar sixth house. Their meeting was to urge you on in new ventures or directions or to sound the death knell of your current occupation or work practices. Year 2000 called the centaur to change. As 2001 begins, these two giants sum up the contradictory influences that lie before you. Now that the faster moving Jupiter has crossed in front of Saturn, the pathways before you can open up to those new and exciting vistas you fiery centaurs love so much. But, to get there, you still must follow the behest of Saturn.

Love versus Discipline  

Jupiter, gigantic heavenly monarch and ruler for Sagittarius, brings contradiction in the domain of work and profession and their evolution this year. Jupiter is the giver of growth and expansion. He blesses his domain with generosity, optimism and the workings of the higher mind. However, Jupiter can just as easily bring carelessness and wasted effort, cursing his flock of centaurs with indulgence, bragging and exaggeration.

Blaze of Ardour  

As 2001 begins, Jupiter hovers in the sign of Gemini in your solar seventh house, that of partners and cooperation in relationships. He is still in retrograde (reverse motion), holding a square (tension, conflict & intense encounters) to Venus in Aquarius in your solar third house. Thus there will be a desire to push forwards, expand and grow in all matters touching communications, business and speculation through cooperative relationships. You will feel hopeful and enthusiastic, perhaps too much so. You will be ready to make light of the obstacles and feel that you can find the friends or connections that will help move ahead. This is the enthusiasm of the centaur at its most delightful but also most dangerous because it is easy for you to race ahead under this influence with little or no planning, believing that you can carry all before you in a blaze of optimistic ardour.

The other part of this working contradiction comes from Saturn. Where Jupiter is big, bold and brash, Saturn is structured, purposeful and sober. Where Jupiter favours the belly laugh, Saturn loves the dry quip. Saturn is in the practical sign of Taurus and in your solar sixth house as the year begins. He is also still in retrograde motion. And, like Jupiter, he also makes a square to Venus in your solar third house. Here, in this square, we have contraction, attention to detail, solitude, limited resources that require astute management and a realistic attitude that focuses simply on what can be achieved. This placement may cause you to hold back, to limit your social contacts because of work commitments and to budget very carefully (Sagittarius? And then you woke up!). It may also put constraints on you and your enthusiasm because of health matters and low energy levels. Remember that when the centaur is faced by the daunting prospect of limitation or even failure, it becomes easy for you to drift, to lose concentration, to do a dozen other things rather than face up to what needs attention.

Enthusiasm versus Realism  

On January 25th Jupiter and Saturn come out of retrograde motion and begin to move forward again. Expansion starts to become possible. Money may begin to flow again or at least it will become clear what to do in order to advance your fiscal situation. But there is still a push/pull tension between these giants of the Heavens and that is certainly the mark of 2001. This year, work matters will require you to maintain this balance of expansion and contraction, of enthusiasm and realism to keep you ticking over. You will be tested quite severely at times by the demands of work and your working conditions. At other times, you will be filled with a buoyancy of spirit that will sweep all before you. The trick will be in knowing when to switch from one to the other. Expansion through partnership will be an important theme and opportunities that come through diverse business connections can really get you going. However, be discriminating as to whom you choose to work with. Later in the year, Saturn is going to have a lot to say on the matter of partnership. You may find that some old associations have to go by the wayside so that new ones can take their place. This is the year of maintaining balance (apply for a Libran passport) and being sure that quid pro quo is kept in all circumstances. If you want something to come in, then something else must go. If you want something out, then replace it with something else.

Saturn remains in Taurus until April 21st, urging you to keep your head down and focus on the ordinary tasks that keep your working life in operation. It will be important to maintain a more regimented approach while keeping plans for growth and development simmering so that you don’t lose touch with them. Treat your progress through February with some caution and prepare for changes of plans. Mercury, the messenger planet and arbiter of all matters pertaining to thought, communication, transport and movement of all kinds turns retrograde (reverse motion) in your solar third house. Communications and business might suffer from confusion, a downturn or a reversal of trend. Double check arrangements, prepare to adapt at a moment’s notice if things change (you’re good at this one) and don’t make final decisions or commitments or sign important documents during this time. Wait for a while! Put things under review and look for hidden traps or problems in the terrain you’re about to explore. There may be surprises here and unexpected turns of events. Don’t be surprised if you get a bit of equipment failure. Ride it out. It will pass. Everything does.

The Loneliness of the Long Distance Warrior  

But, while everything is passing, take careful note of the fact that warrior Mars moves out of brooding Scorpio and into your own sign, that of Sagittarius, thus making a transit of your solar first house. Energy lifts and the charge of life mounts, but remember, you’re still in the sphere of the retrograde Mercury so act with wisdom and restraint until the month is over. Late February and early March may bring overreaction and exaggerated responses. Don’t go off half-cocked. The early born centaur should take especial note. The third week of March surges with the meeting of Mars and Pluto. A ‘go for it’ week or perhaps a time to make an end and a new beginning.

While Mars is keeping company with you, take into account that the urgency of Mars and Sun together can make you more than usually accident prone (the centaur is usually a fairly reckless mover anyway). Take particular care between mid February and the first week of September for Mars makes an unusually long stay in your sign. This long stay is courtesy of a retrograde phase by Mars himself that starts on May 12th and ends on July 20th. This phase will heighten the concerns about safety but also draws attention to the idea that you need to give some attention to where you’re going, not just whether you arrive there in one piece.

Mars does not find the retrograde (reverse motion) phase very congenial. His natural ‘forward at all costs’ approach finds the more inward-looking restriction of the retrograde very limiting. There will be frustrations for you here, either on your part or on the part of those around you. Keep your temper and try to deal effectively with these strong feelings in the air. If there is conflict, work on trying to resolve it rather than allowing it to escalate. Things can get out of hand very easily under this influence so do follow the path of restraint.

Health versus Routines  

Routine is never one of the strengths of the centaur for you tend to like things that break the pattern and keep a variety of stimulations within reach. But health will demand something of a routine up until late April so make sure that you are kind to yourself here. Take remedies for what ails you. Exercise regularly. Eat well and, in fact, pay particular attention to diet, especially from a point of view of simplicity and nutrition. Excess will see you suffering more than usual. See your doctor or health practitioner if you need to and don’t underestimate the importance of any little nagging things, like colds or infections that simply won’t clear. Your optimism might tell you that they’ll just go away but they won’t. April is a turning point as regards your health. The more you do to bolster it early in the year, the better you’ll do later on. If a crisis does come late April or after, take it seriously. This does not mean that after April that you can go back to being the loose cannon you love to be. 2001 is going to ask a lot of you so you will need to be taking care of yourself all year in order to be able to meet the demands.

Family and Relationships  

March sets in motion a cycle that might have you very much concerned with children or younger people and their comings or goings. You might also have to deal with changes in your close relationships. Not unlike health matters, things here may start with something small that leads to a much larger concern. This cycle begins with Venus, the goddess of love and pleasure, turning retrograde in the sign of Aries in your solar fifth house. It may be necessary to withdraw from matters social or pleasurable for a while here. Either that or the reverse could be the case. If you’ve been working, working, working with no respite then this could be a good time to focus on pleasure and relaxation. Whichever way this goes, make sure you’re not too over-exposed to people in these next two months. Time for yourself one way or the other will be important.

Children or young people around you could be going through difficulties or changes at this time. There might be clashes or the odd display of temperament from them. They may be seeking to assert themselves and even heading for a parting of the ways. If this is the case then the best thing to do is to make any transitions that need to occur as smooth as possible. You might also find yourself at odds with friends or associates or even just out of step with the people in your circle. Such changes could start in a small way then escalate. These are all signposts on the way to something quite new for change is coming and you will need to make some strong decisions about the personnel in your personal life.

The Taskmaster and the Test  

April 21st sees taskmaster Saturn change from the sign of Taurus to that of Gemini, moving from your solar sixth house of work and day to day routines to the solar seventh house and the big issue of partnership. What’s happening with relationships? Where do you stand with partners and associates? Are you giving what’s required to those around you? Do you get the support that you need to sustain yourself and your efforts? Examine these issues and be prepared to make some hard decisions if the answers are not satisfactory. Such an examination comes at a time when the pressure will be increasing for you centaurs, especially those born up to December 7th. Once again health matters may also feature as the weight of your past efforts accumulates. Are you showing signs of wear? If you are, there may not be much time for rest. Correct management is once again the solution to the stresses. All you can do is make sure you live a little better.

The month of May brings a period of rebellion when you might wish to throw off the shackles and just run for it. Don’t! It will pass. You might also find yourself taking a new interest in spiritual, political or legal matters. Immerse yourself in whatever learning you need to do. It will contribute to your future. Could this be the year of real commitment?

The midyear is a time to either fully embrace the responsibilities and the challenges or to genuinely look to other choices and paths. With Saturn in your solar seventh house, you may have to say goodbye to some situations or to some people. Alternatively they may decide its time to say goodbye to you. Good conduct is imperative here whatever the situation. There are no backdoors and no easy solutions. The honesty of the centaur sometimes fails when it comes to facing the hard personal truths. Remember that you can run away from such things all too easily. This year you can run, as they say, but you can’t hide. Front up to whatever has to be said or done. You’re on the roller coaster now for confrontations that will come in the next few months. They may be power struggles or simply powerful confrontations.

Chiron and the Full Moon  

If your life was a drama (chuckle!), you could be excused for thinking the scriptwriter had lost the plot in June. First, retrograde Mars is dragging things backward for you, bringing a frustration that will make your back teeth ache. Then Mercury turns retrograde in Gemini, plastering the walls of your house of partnership with confusion, confusing signals and mixed messages. And just as the messenger turns, there’s a Full Moon in your sign on June 6th with Pluto causing havoc with the Sun, creating pressure. Add to this the dance of Mercury and Chiron causing everybody, including you, to change his or her mind three times a minute (that’s a lot even for a centaur). What on earth does everybody want? Why can’t anyone understand simple English, or at least the version of it that you think you’re speaking. Take things slowly here and work to make wisdom reign throughout the chaos. Ask to be heard and ask clearly that you be heard clearly. The worst of this will pass, but in the meantime, make a decision to be the one sane member of the cast in the drama of your life.

The inventive or lateral solution is the one to adopt. Don’t just throw a Band-Aid at any problem. Spend time trying to see what’s really wrong. With Chiron in your first solar house until the end of the year (he’s been there for some time now), there could be deep emotional issues at the root of any family or partnership dispute. You might find some deep-seated anger and grief from your childhood around loss of freedom or prohibition of belief or the simple need for fun and humour. Are you not only still hurt about issues like this but perhaps also blocking others in the way that you were blocked without realizing it? If you are, then institute a process of discussion and change to bring about some healing. These might have been shadows in your partnership house all along.

The Solstice and the Solar Eclipse  

A solar eclipse right on the solstice on June 21st, followed by a lunar eclipse on July 6th could send shock waves through family matters and financial dealings. Joint investments might come under pressure, especially if family money (yours or the family of someone with whom you’re associated) is involved. You might be under pressure because of late payments or high demands. Or it may simply be time to move. Take things step by step. The pressure is increasing over July and August though there’s a little luck to come if you’re prepared to act with restraint. Giant Jupiter moves into the sign of Cancer and your solar eighth house after July 13th. Here there could be room to move with new joint arrangements or inventive usage of the family funds. Reorganize your money. If it’s time to shed old partnerships because they’ve hit the ‘use by’ date then shed them. Work with money creatively, putting it into home and family or into ties that have emotional depth and meaning for you. Good fortune can come out of such arrangements if they’re made at the right time.

Just make sure you keep your appetites under firm control at this point. Jupiter in your solar eighth is not a time for excess or to ‘go for it’ without restraint. Make sure good health moderates the appetites! Some good practices around food and drink will really help with your health at this time for the pressure is still high. And don’t enter the garden of the hidden or forbidden if you’re looking for sexual fulfillment. You might find sex, but you’ll find trouble and deception as well. Stay clear and stay faithful, either to your partner or to a proper code of ethics. Careful management of your money and good joint arrangements will lead to success in the end. One caution though ... don’t let a family member gain control of your or your money if you know they don’t have your interests at heart. If you do, you’ll give up control to them.

Pluto versus Saturn: the Cosmic Confrontation  

Late July through to October marks a period of high demand. Pluto the transformer has been in the sign of Sagittarius since 1995 now, testing the centaurs born up to December 4th with the pressure towards change. This year, those born up to December 7th or 8th will feel the underworld god’s distinctive touch, especially as he is opposed by Saturn in your solar seventh house throughout this period. Power struggles, problems with authority or authoritarian figures or bodies could mark this time. If you feel you’re involved in a clash of the titans, you’re right. Personal growth is the issue and there’s no avoiding it. There will also be endings that must bring new beginnings or beginnings that will bring something else to an end. There is the inevitable to face now. But with courage, stamina and the right support, you will have the strength to carry through. You are searching for new balances. Work and relaxation, partnership and self, authority from within and external authority ... all of these will demand attention and must be given their due. You’ll come out of this the stronger for it.

Mars in Capricorn and your second solar house from September 9th can give you the fortitude and persistence you need to keep going and solve any problems. Make sure that you don’t get misled by your own feelings or hopes or those of others with whom you have close ties in the first weeks of October. The opposition of Mars and Jupiter plus the year’s third retrograde Mercury will bring miscommunications, confusion or misunderstandings with partners and unrealistic expectations. Be severe on yourself and the situation. The most realistic approach will get you through. This is not the time for boundless optimism. Just keep a positive spirit, that’s all!

The Shining Star  

With Saturn moving away from Pluto and Mars in Aquarius with revolutionary Uranus in your solar third house, your mood and the pressure may lift a little though with Jupiter retrograde, not too many advances will be made. Still, you may be more appreciative of the small mercies as this Roman candle of a year finally stops blowing it’s top for a while. Get out there and dance! Do something different, especially if it means hanging out with different folk. Take a holiday in a part of the country or the world you haven’t been to before. Early December sees you shining socially and mixing it with the best of them if you want to, though the second week might just remind you of all you have learned this year. On December 15th there is a solar eclipse on the New Moon in your sign that may upset the applecart in regard to communications, local travel and siblings. The seed of any undoing will be within you and your emotional life at home. A lunar eclipse on December 30th may push you into spending unnecessarily because of the needs of family or those close to you. Count the pennies here and say ‘no!’ if you need to. Above all, take time to reflect on the dramatic events and powerful changes that have occurred. These years are landmark ones for many centaurs, bringing you the blessing of wisdom and a personal power that you will eventually realize could have been found no other way.

Be lucky!

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