Sagittarius season is upon us once again, bringing with it an opportunity for deeper wisdom and the possibility to recognize and focus on our spiritual goals.

The fun-loving gregarious sign of Sagittarius is associated with freedom, truth, optimism, travel, adventure, spirituality, religion and philosophy. What do all these have in common? The search for ultimate truth and freedom. The true freedom that Sagittarius seeks is liberation of the mind.

Following the journey of the soul through the 12 signs of the zodiac, after the final struggle in Scorpio the way forward becomes clear. Scorpio brought necessary purification and transformation in preparation for the experience in Sagittarius:

The Archer has to acquire and hold a steady eye, hand and stance prior to firing the arrow which, when rightly directed and correctly followed, will carry him through the portal of initiation [in Capricorn]. ~ The Tibetan, Esoteric Astrology

Last month, we saw how Scorpio was the last of the signs of challenge (or crisis) and here in Sagittarius we have the first of the signs of service. The soul is now matured and ready to fulfill divine purpose with confidence. Throughout this series we have been looking at how specific planets provide the necessary conditions for each stage of our soul’s growth and development. Three planets are important to Sagittarius: Jupiter (at personality level), the Earth (at soul level) and Mars (at hierarchical level). For our purposes here in understanding our evolution from personality-centered beings to soul-centered beings, we will be looking at Jupiter and the Earth. It is just interesting to note that once again we have the influence of Mars at a much higher level of consciousness than he would normally be associated with!

Scorpio is a sign of purification which sets the soul on a path of discipleship (discipline), so here in Sagittarius the experience is one of discipline, focus, and direction. Jupiter is a planet of expansiveness and higher mind, so his role in conditioning us at personality level is one of expanding awareness and consciousness. It is through the influence of Jupiter that one realizes there is something higher to aim for: a bigger, larger, grander picture of ourselves beyond our small, limited mind.

Jupiter invites us to expand our vision, our awareness, and our experience of ourselves. Initially the earliest inkling of self-awareness shows up as self-consciousness, as we mentioned in Leo. Jupiter’s expansive influence in Sagittarius invites us to expand our experience on all levels, so we can expand our awareness. Taken to extremes at personality level, this expansive tendency can lead to self-indulgence and leave our Sagittarian friends with an expanding waistline! However, it is important to note that although Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system, it is largely comprised of gas. The symbology here implies expansion beyond the density of physical matter. Jupiter encourages us to expand our minds.

Jupiter’s role is to create the conditions to guide us from small mind to higher mind. When we are in small mind we are limited by mental concepts and ideals. We impose limitation on ourselves by creating mental concepts and then adhering to them as though they were truth. When we know the difference between small mind (personality level) and higher mind (soul level), we see a distinction between religion and spirituality and begin to understand why both are associated with Sagittarius.

When we follow a religious path, at first we adhere closely to a creed or code of conduct. Although religious traditions are mental constructs, they have been created for the ultimate purpose of taking us beyond religion itself to experience higher spiritual truth. It is a path that someone created. The danger lies in mistaking the path itself for spiritual reality, and this is one of the pitfalls of Sagittarius.

In Part II, we’ll discuss how expanding consciousness with Jupiter increases our awareness of our connection with the Earth.

Ruth

[hr_small]

Ruth Hadikin – Soul Astrologer

To get your personal Soul Sign/Life Purpose Report (FREE with a consultation), contact Ruth via her website. You can also request a FREE mp3 download, “The Energetics of Soul Astrology.”