The Symbolism of Sagittarius, Bows and Arrows
Introduction
Sagittarius is a Sign of the Zodiac.
The Greeks once called this constellation Toxeutes,
the Archer, from Toxon, bow.
According to both Allen and Manilius,
this constellation, is "under the protection of" Artemis/Diana,
the huntress often portrayed with a bow and arrow,
meaning in Greece,
the symbolism was known and consistent.
But then we have Arcandum in 1542 who wrote that
"a man born under this sign would be thrice wedded,
very fond of vegetables,
would become a matchless tailor,
and have three special illnesses,
the last at eighty years of age."
Meaning that its meaning was lost somewhere along the way.
Sagitta is the constellation of "the arrow"
- meaning the pointed projectile that is shot with a bow.
Whereas Sagittarius is the constellation of the bow or Archer
- the arrow shooter.
Sagitta is not part of Sagittarius - the constellation of Aquila
separates these two constellations.
To make things especially confusing
The Archer has his own arrows.
So Sagittarius is indeed
the constellation of the bow, arrow and archer,
but there is also a stand-alone constellation
called Sagitta which is just an arrow.
In effect, the symbolism of this Sign of the Zodiac
hinges on the Archer rather than the arrow.
And this, it is suggested, probably derives from the Latin
sagire, to "seek to know".
And ultimately a number of sources indicate
the keywords for Sagittarius are "I seek".
The Sagittarius Archetype
Ultimately Sagittarius thus symbolically describes a pointed,
direct, quick witted seeker after truth, a celestial Socrates.
Sagittarius traditionally "rules" the 9th House of the zodiac,
and this is the house the ancients refer to
as "the house of the higher mind and belief systems".
In Cratylus by Plato, Hermogenes asks Socrates
about the meaning of "doxa" and Socrates in his answer
provides a very helpful definition and demonstration
of the Sagittarius archetype at work:
"Doxa is either derived from dioxis (pursuit),
and expresses the march of the soul in the pursuit of knowledge,
or from the shooting of a bow (toxon);
the latter is more likely, and is confirmed by oiesis (thinking),
which is only oisis (moving),
and implies the movement of the soul
to the essential nature of each thing -
just as boule (counsel) has to do with shooting (bole);
and boulesthai (to wish)
combines the notion of aiming and deliberating
- all these words seem to follow doxa,
and all involve the idea of shooting, just as aboulia,
absence of counsel, on the other hand, is a mishap,
or missing, or mistaking of the mark,
or aim, or proposal, or object".
Overall, therefore Sagittarius is the archetype describing
a very quick thinker - logical, rational and philosophical
- a seeker after "the truth".
Some dates and background
Sagittarius is one of the constellations of the zodiac
and is located in the Southern celestial hemisphere.
It is one of the 48 constellations
listed by the 2nd-century astronomer Ptolemy
and remains one of the 88 modern constellations.
The Sun appears in the constellation Sagittarius
from 18th December to 18th January.
In tropical astrology, the Sun is considered to be
in the sign Sagittarius
from the 22nd of November to the 21st of December,
and in sidereal astrology,
from the 16th of December to the 14 or 15th of January.
Representations in other astrological systems
This star pattern can be traced to Assyria
- a major ancient Mesopotamian civilization
which existed from the 21st century BC to the 14th century BC
growing to an empire
from the 14th century BC to the 7th century BC.
The Sagittarian star pattern was always associated
with the ninth month, Kislivu.
India also claimed Sagittarius
for its zodiac of 3000 years ago where it was called "aśvayúj"
Wikipedia
The older name of the asterism,
found in the Atharvaveda (AVS 19.7; in the dual)
and in Panini (4.3.36), was aśvayúj, "harnessing horses".
It may be where the idea of the horse body and legs
came from in later western depictions,
although the symbolism would be entirely wrong.
The Horse in Indian astrology signified the mind
and needed "harnessing" to go where one wanted.
Their depiction furthermore was of a horse’s head.
Al Biruni, the Iranian scholar and polymath
during the Islamic Golden Age,
concluded that the constellation was the Sanskrit Dhanu, or
Dhanasu, or the Tamil Dhamsu.
In ancient Arabia, the two small groups of stars
now marking the head and the vane of the Archer's arrow
were of much note as relics of even earlier asterisms.
The westernmost of these - gamma, delta, epsilon, and eta
- were Al Na’am al Warid, the Going Ostriches;
and the easternmost, - sigma, zeta, phi, chi, and tau,
- Al Na’am al Sadirah, the Returning Ostriches,
passing to and from the celestial river - the Milky Way!
The whole constellation was the Chinese Tiger.
An early name for this Tiger was Seih Muh,
but the Jesuits, quite possibly misinterpreting the meaning,
called it Jin Ma, the Man-Horse.
A part of it was included with Scorpio, Libra, and some of
Virgo's stars in the large zodiacal division the Azure Dragon.
In other words, we can see that the boundaries
and naming of this constellation
was neither common or constant
BUT, although it was the Persian Kaman and Nimasp;
the Turkish Yai; the Syriac Keshta and the Hebrew Kesheth;
Riccioli's Kertko, "from the Chaldaeans",
all these signified a Bow,
and in most early maps Sagittarius was illustrated
as simply a Bow and Arrow.
So the name is irrelevant, but the archetype is not
and we probably need to concentrate on the archetype
rather than its changing patterns.
Not really a centaur
One thing becomes extremely clear when one looks at its glyph,
its history and its meaning.
Its current depiction as a centaur is entirely wrong.
Cuneiform inscriptions designate Sagittarius as "the Strong One",
as the "Illuminator of the Great City", and the "Great Lord"
but illumination is wisdom and inspiration
from Constellations of Worlds website quoting Star Names:
Their Lore and Meaning, Richard H. Allen, 1889
"The general character of Centaurs is that of wild, lawless
and inhospitable beings, the slaves of their animal passions.
They are often represented drawing the car of Dionysus,
or bound and ridden by Eros,
in allusion to their drunken and amorous habits".
In effect a Sagittarian as an archetype
is almost the direct opposite of a centaur. To continue
The Centaurs had a problem with manners
(related to Latin manus, hand)
and one example shows appalling manners;
they were invited to a wedding and after getting drunk
assaulted the female guests ("laid hands upon them"),
and attempted to carry off the bride.
As such there is no reason
to even link Centaurs with Sagittarius.
The confusion may have arisen as Chiron
- who was indeed a centaur
- was the exception to all the others.
Saint Clement of Alexandria wrote of him
that he first led mortals to righteousness.
His story has been thought in some degree historic,
even by Sir Isaac Newton.
But he has his own constellation - Centaurus.
The involvement of Krotos
In Greek mythology, Krotos (Ancient Greek: )
was the son of Pan and Eupheme.
He kept company with the Muses, whom his mother had nursed.
Krotos was renowned for being both an excellent hunter
and a devoted adherent of the Muses and their arts.
And in Krotos we might have found the original
for the Sagittarian archetype.
Hyginus, Fabulae 224
Crotos (Krotos), son of Pan and Eupheme ("the well-spoken"),
was put in the sky by the Muses as Sagittarium.
Crotos was the inventor of the rhythmic beat
which accompanied music.
It was also said that:
"When he listened to the timeless performances of the muses
he expressed his delight by striking (clapping) his hands”.
As such he was the discoverer of rhythmic beating, music and dancing,
both as entertainment and as the means to obtain spiritual experience
without drugs or alcohol. [see our video Bliss and Peace]
In classical antiquity, a crotalum (Ancient Greek: krotalon)
was a kind of clapper or castanet used in religious dances
by groups in ancient Greece and elsewhere,
including the Korybantes.
The Korybantes wearing arm bands and crests
followed the Phrygian goddess Cybele
with drumming and dancing.
From the Suda and the Scholiast on Aristophanes (Nubes, 260),
the crolatum appears to have been a split reed or cane,
which clattered when shaken with the hand.
According to Eustathius (Il. XI.160),
it was made of shell and brass, as well as wood.
Clement of Alexandria forbade the use thereof to the Christians,
“because of the motions and gestures
accompanying the practice” and its effects.
And in this one move we see where dance and music,
drum beats and castanets, and spiritual experience
were removed from every Christian’s life.
Until this century.
Macrobius (Saturnalia III.14.4 8)
says that the sound of the crotalum
“made a noise somewhat like that of a crane's bill”
One of the Spanish names for "rattlesnake" is crótalo
On our website [www.allaboutheaven.org]
we have identified rhythmic beating sounds
at roughly the frequency of the pulse
to be a way of attaining spiritual experience of a positive kind
- bliss and peace, inspiration, healing and wisdom.
The philosopher Heraclitus
comments on how both the name of the bow (biós)
is associated with life (bíos),
with a different accent on the vowels,
and said "The bow has the name bios, life;
its work is death".
Thus through a form of death [annihilation]
achieved via music, dance, the beating of drums
and the sounds of rattles, we find that Sagittarius
may offer us the safest way to enlightenment.
Virgil - The Aeneid
The captive thus released, away she flies,
And beats with clapping wings the yielding skies.
His bow already bent, Eurythion stood;
And, having first invoked his brother god,
His winged shaft with eager haste he sped.
The fatal message reached her as she fled:
She leaves her life aloft; she strikes the ground,
And renders back the weapon in the wound.