November 23rd through December 21st
How to Recognize SAGITTARIUS
The SAGITTARIUS Man
The SAGITTARIUS Woman
The SAGITTARIUS Child
The SAGITTARIUS Boss
The SAGITTARIUS Employee
How to Recognize SAGITTARIUS
'I should see the garden far better ... If I could get to the top of that hill:
and here's at path that leads straight to it- at least; no, it doesn't do that... But I suppose it will at last. But how curiously it twists!... Well then, I'll try the other way."
I would say that finding an example of this Sun sign is as easy as rolling off a log, except that it isn't true. It's much easier than rolling off a log. Pick any party and look at the center of the liveliest group. See that fellow sitting there happily with his rather large foot stuck in his mouth? He's a Sagittarian who has just gone out on a verbal limb, but he doesn't know it yet. When he does, he'll look slightly be-wildered-and the group around him will be looking daggers.
The archer will walk up to you, give you a hearty slap on the back and a wide, friendly grin. Then he'll greet you with a remark like, "How the heck do you manage to look so young when you're as old as you are?" Or "Say, that turtleneck sweater sure is flattering. You should wear them all the time. Hides your double chin." After one of these cheery openers, he'll still be wearing his bright grin, but your own smile may start to droop a little. It will take him a while to figure out just what he said that set you back on your heels, and even longer to understand why. Then he'll try to explain. Keep your cool. It gets worse.
Golly, didn't you understand what he meant? He thinks it's fabulous to look only twenty-five years old when you're really thirty-eight (which is six years older than you actually are). As for the double chin, lots of people your age have a little flab in the neck region. The only time you can see it is from the side. You know, when you
turn your head. Just don't have any pictures taken in profile.
After he's carefully explained his verbal goofs and got you feeling all better again, he'll go on his merry way, whistling a tune from the latest Broadway show. When you cut him dead the next time you meet, he'll be heartbroken -and puzzled. There's no use getting angry or embarrassed. Sagittarius is completely free of malice. He blurts out his shockingly direct speech in total innocence. The fact that he usually adds insult to injury when he tries to fix it also escapes him. Don't judge him too harshly. He means well. Not that he needs your sympathy-or mine. Under his tactless manner is an extremely clever mind and high standards. His unique combination of wit, intelligence and fiery drive usually brings the archer straight to the winner's circle. What really gets you is that both male and female Sagittarians are oblivious to their own blunt speech. They are truly convinced that they are the most diplomatic souls in the world. They're always saying, "Why, I wouldn't hurt anyone's feelings for anything. I'm very careful about that." And they honestly believe it. In fact, everything they do is done honestly. Pretense and deception in any form appalls them.
Their physical characteristics aren't hard to learn. Look for a fairly large, well-shaped skull and a high, broad forehead. The features will be open and cheerful, inviting friendship and the exchange of ideas, and the movements will normally be rapid (though you'll find a few who move slowly and deliberately). They will often make wide, sweeping gestures, which may be dramatic and vigorous, but possibly not very graceful. Sagittarius can wave his arms to make a point, and upset the ketchup. Hell stride purposefully forward, head high, and trip over the curbstone. His brief case may snap open at the same time, scattering his papers all over the street.
Jupiter eyes are as bright and alert as a sparrow's, and they sparkle and twinkle with refreshing humor. The archers are either very tall and athletic looking or shorter than average, with strong, sturdy bodies. The tall ones will remind you of thoroughbred horses or spirited colts. In youth especially, many of them have a stray lock of hair which keeps falling over the forehead, like a horse's mane. They'll flip it back with a toss of the head or a quick, unconscious movement of the hand-a habit that may last long after a new hairstyle has been adopted in maturity or after bald-ness has set in.
Sagittarians are normally restless. They hate to sit or stand still. The archer is physically conspicuous, if only through his obvious confidence and his disregard for con- f ventional behavior. He walks as if he's really go "g somewhere. There's no halting or hesitating. (But remember that a conflicting ascendant can slow down the gait.)
When you first meet him, Sagittarius could be perched on a horse or walking his dog. He loves animals passionately. Sagittarian Frank Sinatra once ordered his driver to stop his car when he saw an injured dog lying in the street. He was on his way to a television rehearsal, but musicians, director and camera crew had to wait
until the singer had tenderly carried the dog to a vet, was assured he would be fine in a few days, and had found the dog's owner.
Sagittarians with natal afflictions to the birth planets can have, instead, a morbid fear of animals, but it doesn't happen often. Ordinarily, people born under Jupiter's influence fear nothing. The typical Sagittarian is attracted to danger-in sports and in his job or his hobby. An element j of risk excites and challenges the archers. They love speed. I Fast cars, planes-even roller coasters draw them magnetically. Daredevil test pilots are often Sagittarians. The average Jupiter person enjoys nothing more than a hairbreadth escape of some kind-either physical or emotional. It exhilarates them. They'll take a chance on literally anything (unless a meeker sign on the ascendant dilutes Jupiter's daring).
There's a difference between the legendary bluntness of the archer and the brutal speech of the Scorpio. Scorpio tells the truth, completely conscious of its effect, but still refusing to compromise. Sagittarius is totally unaware of the effect when his direct honesty compels him to speak. Scorpio feels little compunction about the wounds his statements cause. To him, the truth is the truth, and if you can't bear to hear it, don't ask. The Jupiter person, on the other hand, is crushed and dismayed at his own lack of discretion when he discovers he's really cut you. It would be touching if it weren't so infuriating.
What is on the archer's mind and heart is almost instantly on his lips. He's as frank and earnest as a six-year-old. You can take that old advice, "If you want the truth, go to a child," and switch it to "If you want the truth, go to a Sagiittarian."
There's a woman in the publishing business in New York about whom the same thing is said. "If you want the truth, go to Kay-if you can stand it." Kay is not only an authentic archer, she also has additional Sagittarius influences in her natal chart. A Jupiter girl plus, you might say. She's warm and generous, typical of the sign, and she has lots of loyal friends who love her, also typical of the sign. They would have to be loyal, and they would have to love her to survive incidents like the time three years ago when she opened up her big heart and decided to completely outfit her secretary for the winter. The young girl was flat broke, since she had just been through a drizzly financial disaster, and she was touched to tears. Others had sympathized, but until Kay, no one had offered a concrete helping hand. Leave it to Sagittarius. (You can read that several ways.)
One fine fall day, the two of them set forth for Saks Fifth Avenue in a fever of excited female anticipation. The poor secretary was delirious with happiness-until they entered the elevator. Suddenly, the Sagittarian gave her a long, appraising look, and said quite firmly and quite loudly, "We'd better try the Fat Girl's Department first."
Blind ecstasy was instantly replaced by numb shock. The secretary's fiance had always told her she was "pleasingly plump." Now, in one flashing painful moment of Sagittarian honesty, she had become a baby blimp. To this very day, the young
girl remembers how everyone in the car turned to stare at her curiously, as she wondered if her fiance secretly thought she was grotesque. But good old Kay fixed it. Noticing the girl's discomfiture, she hastily made a joke to jolly her up. "And if we can't find anything to fit you there, we can always try the tents in the camping department." The Sagittarian howled at her own hilarity. So did the people in the elevator.
Just after Kay's warm, generous excursion with her secretary, she cheered up her boss, the publisher, who had been on doctor's orders not to drink for a year. One solid year. He had had infectious hepatitis. No liquor. Not one drop. After going for twelve long months without even wetting his lips, he was justifiably proud of his will power. Kay, just freshly back from Europe, paid him a typical Sagittarian compliment. "About your drinking," she began, and he smiled, waiting. "I hear you've been trying to stay on the wagon." Trying? After twelve months without a single drop? Trying? As he recovered his composure, she went on. "Say, you know there's a party tomorrow night for Joe's book? I thought I ought to warn you, but I never get to see you alone." Warn him? Warn him about what? The publisher forgot his chagrin under this new threat. She continued: "We were all hoping that, well, this is embarrassing-but we were all hoping that you wouldn't spoil the party." By now, the publisher was speechless. Not Sagittarius.
"What I mean is, we hope you don't mess up the evening by being a wet blanket about not drinking-and all that. Joe likes his martinis, and after all, his book is a Literary Guild selection. If you slink around like some fugitive from prohibition and make everybody miserable, just because you have this terrible disease, it will throw a damper on the whole thing. Say, can people catch it from being in the same room with you?"
The publisher somehow managed to stammer that she was safe, then gathered his injured dignity together long enough to remind her that he had hosted parties himself for authors like Edna Ferber and Ernest Hemingway without mishap. "I have always been told," he said evenly, between clenched teeth, "that my manners are impeccable." The Sagittarian, blind to her boss's near apoplexy, heartily agreed with him. "That's for sure. You're a fabulous host. No one in the publishing business can figure it out." The publisher had just barely enough breath left to ask. Figure what out? The archer's answer zinged home. "How is it that you can be such a great host and such a perfectly lousy guest? Your own parties are marvelous, but you al-ways pull such big boo-boos every time you go to somebody else's whing-ding. It's really weird."
Then she noticed something else weird. Her boss's face. It was turning purple. Suddenly contrite, the friendly Sagittarian immediately apologized. "Gee, I hope I didn't say the wrong thing. It won't matter how you behave anyway. Joe thinks you're really swell. He was just telling us all today that he's glad he decided to come to us even though his old agent had been against it. He can't understand why he's heard such awful things about you. I told him people were just jealous. Say, you don't look so hot. Are you sure your doctor knows what he's doing?" (There are
rumors that Kay's boss went off the wagon that night, permanently.) The Sagittarian? Oh, she's happily helping new authors get over their nervousness at the same publishing company. Fired? He wouldn't dare fire her. As I said in the beginning, everybody loves her.
Few people can resent the archer for very long, because he's so transparently free of harmful intent. You'll see this lovable, likable, intelligent idealist almost anywhere or any time. You may catch him shooting out his careless arrows from your television screen some Sunday night, leaving his guest stars numb and speechless with astonishment at his frankness. He may be your cab driver some Monday morning, the one who cheerfully explains to you why he hates stingy tippers-or you could find him serving you in a restaurant some Friday evening, earnestly advising you not to order the oysters because they're a little on the dred side.
Most archers sincerely try to cheer you up. At least, that's what they start out to do, but sometimes it falls a little short of the good intention. I once had a Sagittarius manager who tried to boost my morale by telling me how much better my hair looked than it usually did when I hadn't washed it or rolled it up for more than a week. But he's still a good friend, so you can see it's useless to get exasperated. Besides, now and then Sagittarians can come up with a dilly of a statement that sends your spirits really soaring, and makes up for all the rest. They can offer pro-foundly wise counsel, when you've had time to analyze their viewpoints. This is a fire sign, so most archers are extroverts, talkative and forward. There are a few who are painfully shy and timid, but even these are full of original ideas-and they're just as blunt. In fact, the quiet, fey Sagittarians with the reclusive, meek ways can dream the biggest dreams and aim for the highest goals. Introvert or extrovert, the archer is a promoter at heart. The rare one who doesn't say much could be planning something really spectacular to spring on an unsupecting world. His mind is busy even when his tongue is still, so you have to remember his Sun sign is always there at the bottom of his nature, lest he lull you into not being prepared for his next startling move.
Most of the time the typical Sagittarian is happy and gregarious, but his temper can fiare like a sky rocket if he's pushed around by people who abuse his natural friendliness or who get too familiar. Rebellion against authority and stuffy society is also common. Sagittarius will never run away from a fight or call for help. The women can lose their normally pleasant dispositions and let go with a barrage of unexpected plain talk that puts troublemakers right where they belong. The men will use their fists and scorn weapons. A rude, insulting person who has challenged Jupiter's good nature often find himself sprawled on the sidewalk wondering where that truck came from.
High-spirited Jupiter people can't stand to be accused of dishonesty. An unjust accusation or a slur against their integrity will make righteous indignation flame high, but after an especially fiery display of temper, the typical Sagittarian will feel remorse and try to make amends. He'll black your eye and put you in the hospital, but he'll probably shower you with flowers and sympathy the next day. The archer
usually speaks and acts first, and considers the consequences later.
Many Sagittarians seek the stage, and no one is happier giving encore after encore for an excited audience. He'll sing himself hoarse or dance his shoes off for the sheer exhilaration of performing. Show business is full of archers.
There's a strong religious streak in Jupiter men and women, especially in their youth. They're intensely interested in church affairs, but as they grow older they can become skeptical of dogma, inclined to question former faiths and search for a perfection of values. It's a rare Sagittarian who doesn't have a matched set of luggage. They love to travel, and there's usually at least one suitcase, well worn from hundreds of trips, that's kept packed and ready for instant use.
You'll always notice something child-like about the typical naive, brave, optimistic Sagittarian. He refuses to accept the seriousness of life, though some of them manage responsibility with admirable conscientiousness in later years. Still, they're never truly happy when they're burdened by it. Jupiter natures rebel against confinement, and too much of it can bring on serious illness. If the Sagittarian can survive that, and the wear and tear of scattering his energies, he'll live to be as old as Methuselah. Most archers retain their faculties, razor sharp and refined by age, to the end. Senility is almost never a problem.
His sensitive areas are the hips, lungs, liver, arms, hands, shoulders, intestines and feet. The Sagittarian love of sports and the outdoors may bring accidents through reckless over-activity. Hospitals can rarely keep him bedded down more than a few days. He gives in to sickness reluctantly, and usually recuperates with amazing swiftness. Life seldom defeats these people permanently. They believe that tomorrow will surely be better than yesterday, and today is pretty interesting. Moody spells are gone almost before the clouds have a chance to obscure the sunshine.
Every Sagittarian is something of a gambler, unless there's a cautious, conservative influence in the natal chart. Very few of them can resist throwing a couple of bills on the green felt. The sound of dice rattling in the dealer's hand attracts some Jupiter men and women like the siren song of Circe. With adverse aspects between the planets at birth, an archer can gamble away a fortune, or throw the rent money on the nose of a favorite horse. Las Vegas attracts Sagittarians like sugar attracts flies. So do the more staid gambles of the stock market and real estate. Fortunately, the majority of them keep the urge to speculate under control, but even these will risk a few dollars now and then on a fast poker game or a lottery ticket.
Both the timid and the forceful ones will take a chance on love anytime. Sagittarians plunge into romance with reckless abandon, but they often stop short suddenly when marriage is mentioned. They think it over, then go ahead and make a mistake after careful consideration. Although the archer is warm and wonderful in love relationships, he's a little tricky to catch. Symbolically he's half horse-half ' man, which obviously gives him a head start in any game of chase, if he doesn't stumble
over his own feet.
Among the most unpleasant traits of some Sagittarians are a tendency to violent temper, a love of too much food and drink, which can lead to obesity or alcoholism, mental brilliance stained by burning sarcasm, or extreme eccentricity and the inability to keep a secret. But none of these need be permanent flaws. They can be easily rooted out with Sagittarian determination. The average Jupiter man will loan you money without ever making you ashamed to ask or even obligated to repay it (barring a stingy Moon sign). The Jupiter housewife will adopt the homeless orphan or the lost animal, and always make room for one more at her table.
Sagittarians have a tendency to go off on tangents. The archer will take on a great cause with blind devotion and believe that the possibilities outweigh the shortcomings, an attitude that results from his brilliant imagination and progressive thinking. He never fails to present his case with cool, reasonable arguments, sometimes cutting the opposition to ribbons with sharp satire, and yet remaining aloof from the fray, somehow. The fire is always ready to leap forth, however, when anyone unfairly attacks his miracle or his cause of the moment. He's a formidable foe, because he aims straight when he takes the time to focus on the victim. His arrows then rarely miss their mark. They're dipped in clever wit and sharp enough to pierce the strongest armor.
Although a few December people are genuinely funny, it's a curious fact that when most of them tell a joke, the timing is slightly off and they fluff the punch line. The audience-at home or in the theater-will roar at the obvious awkwardness, and the jovial Jupiter soul will think everyone is laughing at his great sense of comedy timing. It can be hilarious.
Male or female, the archer can either behave in such a slap-dash fashion, or pretend to have such unassuming caanners when he chooses, that you may get the impression bis mind isn't too sharp or that he's timid. True, there are a few December-born people who occasionally exhibit eccentric reclusive habits, but that just gives them more Opportunity to sharpen their intelligence into genius.
Although Sagittarians have fantastic memories that tell them exactly what they said and where they were on April 14, 1939, and they remember every detail of books and inovies, they can forget where they left their coats. Most of them are constantly losing gloves, car keys, wallets-and some people are unkind enough to say they would lose •their heads if they weren't fastened on their necks.
A Sagittarian can never successfully tell a lie. No one believes him for a minute. Deceit is unnatural to the archer, and when he tries to dabble in it, the exposure is usually swift and sure. He's always better off to stick to the truth and let the chips fall where they may. Even his observant, highly aware mind won't rescue him from the results of an excursion into deception, unless he has Scorpio rising. I know a secretive archer who has such a Pluto ascendant, and therefore manages very well to play a good chess game. This kind of a Jupiter person is an exception, but be pre-
pared to meet a few.
To the Sagittarian, life is secretly a circus, and he's the clown, rolling and tumbling through purple hoops in a sky-blue suit. His face is smeared with the bright, gay colors of greasepaint, and his eyes glitter with curiosity and fun. As the music of the calliope gets louder, he stumbles and falls, then executes a perfect somersault on the back of a prancing pony. On his fingers he wears three turquoise rings; on his toes are bells that ring like the chimes in a distant church spire that disappears into the clouds. The archer happily blows a lustrous tin horn, made of the soft, malleable metal that's barely affected by moisture. Whether he's bold or backward, the true nature of this generous idealist is as merry as the Christmas holly berry. Bravely, he pins a large carnation over his big heart, and curves his bow toward the sky. When he aims straight, he shoots higher than man can see-past the stars-to the place where all dreams are really born.
Famous Sagittarius Personalities
Beethoven Arthur Brisbane William Buckley, Jr. Maria Callas Andrew Carnegie Edith Cavell Winston Churchill Noel Coward Sammy Davis Joe DiMaggio Walt Disney Betty Grable Grimaldi
Mark Twain
Julie Harris Pope John XXM John Lindsay Mary Martin David Merrick John Milton Robert Moses John Osbonae Lee Remick Lillian Russell Frank Sinatra David Susskind James Thurber
The SAGITTARIUS Man
"/ hope no bones are broken?" "None to speak of," the Knight said,
as if he didn't mind breaking two or three of them. "The great art of riding, as I was saying,
is-to keep your balance properly. Like this, you know-"
He let go the bridle, and stretched out both his arms
to show Alice what he
meant, and this time he fell flat on his back,
right under the horse's feet.
I don't want to discourage you, but Sagittarius men have this odd habit. They leap on a big, white horse and go charging through the streets, waving a sword and defending causes. Then they have another idiosyncrasy. They tumble around like clowns in a circus, indiscriminately mixing with (he elephants and the bearded lady, gaily scooping up cotton candy.
He can be captured with certain maneuvers. But first you've got to get him down off that white horse, away from those elephants, and of course the bearded lady has to go. Causes and circuses don't leave much time for family life, let alone sentimental hand-holding.
You have one thing going for you right away. So many Sagittarians charge around and tumble through life that you'll have plenty to choose from. Remember the Victor Herbert refrain; "Give me some men who are stouthearted men, who will fight for the right they adore; Start me with ten, who are stout-hearted men, and I'll soon give you ten thousand morel"? It happens like that. The idealistic enthusiasm and curiosity of a Sagittarian man is contagious. Of course, sometimes his innocent exuberance can get a little out of hand. Like he'll throw you up in the air in a moment of mad, impetuous exhilaration-and forget to catch you.
There's almost always a crowd around him. That's another obstacle. You'll have to push your way through all those people to get near him. But don't get pessimistic- because this man is an optimist supreme. He's so optimistic, if his enemies mailed him a huge carton of manure, he wouldn't be offended. He'd just figure they forgot to include the horse. That kind of optimism can be dangerous. It's really just another term for blind faith. The Sagittarian man has stacks of it. Now, blind faith is fine. I'm all for it, being a fire sign myself. But it can lead to trusting with such naive belief that he frequently falls into puddles. It's easy to fall into puddles when you're running with a bow and arrow, always looking up in the sky for some high goal no one else has ever had the courage to aim for-or no one else ever had the lack of common sense to try to reach.
Trusting is great, but trusting the wrong people can slow down even a race horse. In the strict sense of the word, he's not a misty dreamer. His dreams are always scrutinized by Jupiter's intelligent logic and compelling curiosity. If they stand up under the frank investigation of a Sagittarian, they're probably as practical as they are wild, even if the world isn't quite ready for them. Once he's established that there's some hope of fulfillment, he lugs out his paint pots and colors his practical dreams with the most vivid and courageous imagination this side of the designers of the Edsel. But the fuddy duddies are always waiting to stomp on progressive ideas and strangle them before they've had the chance to prove themselves, and you know
how many fuddy duddies there are around.
His soaring imagination can cause him to fall down or go busted. But wonderfully. Lady Luck has a way of rescuing him just in time. This man is usually so lucky it's disgusting and illegal. He could go prospecting in the hills, bring back a bag of rocks, find out they're not gold, cry awhile, then discover they're uranium. If you pick up that shiny object at your feet near the subway grating, it will be a piece of tinfoil from an old chewing gum wrapper. If he picks it up, it will be a chip from the Hope Diamond Harry Winston dropped when he was hailing a cab.
Naturally, with that kind of luck, he's optimistic. There's always that day when a rock is a rock and tinfoil is tinfoil, but the typical Sagittarian recovers quickly from such crushing blows. Your Jupiter man is very much that way about love. He's lucky. When he isn't, he recovers quickly. He discriminates against dishonesty, but that's about all, which is why he has so many friends and well-wishers. He looks beyond the external appearance of people for a truer, more intrinsic value. Not that he doesn't have enemies. There are a few, but far less than the number accumulated by other Sun signs. People who have been stung by his frank remarks may glare at him and feel like strangling him, but they usually come around to realizing his harmless intent. The sin of the Sagittarian male is tactlessness and thoughtlessness, never deliberate cruelty.
You may have discovered by now that his speech is as direct as his symbolic arrow. He can say outrageous things, and if you're in love with him, he may get away with it. But yotfll have every right to take offense when a Sagittarian man who has just met you gazes at you frankly with his bright, alert eyes and remarks that you're just the kind of woman a man would choose for a mistress. Just as you're ready to clobber him, he'll get an innocent, boyish look on his face, and explain with disarming candor that what he really meant was, well, the kings and aristocracy back in the middle ages married for convenience. Their wives, therefore, were often ugly, drab creatures, with good blood lines. But their mistresses were beautiful and brilliant, the kind of girls they would have chosen to fall in love with and marry, if the rules had been different. He's been reading up on it, because he's always been curious about that particular period. You may calm down, and even feel a little smug. You'll also be impressed. How many men spend hours reading history when they don't have to do it? He might even be a genius. Just think, you could be the wife of an intellectual! Wrong. You could be the mistress of an intellectual. By the time he has you ga-ga over his brain, you won't realize that, had your reaction been agreeable to his original proposition-and make no mistake, that's what it was-he would have moved in fast, and you would be a fallen woman.
Of course, not every female would accept such a fumbling explanation of an obvious pass; but it doesn't matter. Even after his victims explode in indignation, they return. to be the Sagittarian's close friends again, when their anger cools. That should show you just how much danger you're in with this apparently harmless chap. With that candid, naive grin, he doesn't bear the faintest resemblance to a
wolf. He looks more like a Boy Scout troop leader.
But he is not a boy scout in romantic matters. It would pay to keep that in mind when he asks you to go hiking.
The Sagittarius male lives his romantic life on a surface level, but he's honest about it. (After all, if you'll brush those sentimental cobwebs out of your ears, you'll remember he did say mistress. He did not say wife. He is not a king. And these are not medieval times.) Sagittarius seeks casual relationships, and sometimes they can get so casual they're downright promiscuous. Occasionally, the shenanigans of an archer can put a Scorpio to shame, and I promise you it takes a great deal to put a Scorpio to shame.
Let's get back to his honesty. It's a safer subject. If you've learned through bitter experience how fickle other men's vows of eternal devotion can be, you'll welcome his frankness. You won't even flinch when he tells you how many affairs he's had, and what he expects of this one with you, all very clearly and logically. He won't knowingly tie a legal knot with a lie in his heart or on his lips, but somehow, he can get himself involved in a flirtation which tangles itself into a proposal (possibly from the girl, not him), and have to run like sixty to avoid the altar. Since he's a little clumsy, he may trip, and shell catch him before he gets too far away. In that event, he'll think it Over and illogically decide that, since she appealed to him in one way-either physically or mentally, no matter which-she'll eventually appeal to him the other way. He'll give in, get married, and the seeds for another Sagittarian divorce have been planted. His normally dependable reasoning powers seem to desert him when he's romantically trapped.
Women often misinterpret the attitude of a Sagittarian, and think the relationship is more serious than it really is, and this same quality also sometimes makes it appear that he seeks a dark liaison, when he's only after a light, non-physical friendship, or just a girl to pal around with. It seems the archer loses both ways. But he's lucky, and most of his messes turn out straight. He's a flirt, that can't be denied, but he's not looking for sex alone. He likes variety and mental stimulation. If a woman gets sticky when he was only diverting himself, hell try to pass the whole thing off as a joke. She may definitely miss the punch line. (Remember how unsuccessful the typical Sagittarian is with jokes.) Lots of Sagittarians get accused of making passes at every good-looking receptionist or pretty girl they see-sometimes even the little old woman who sells newspapers on the comer, or a lady policeman. Now, no man in his right mind would seriously flirt with a lady policeman-at least, not while she's on duty-so you can see that unjustified suspicion is annoying to the archer. In all fairness, most of the time, he was just being breezily friendly.
If you're a smart girl, who uses her head for something besides an object to poke under a hair dryer-and you'd better be, because these men insist on intelligence in a woman-you'll have caught on by now. Don't be jealous. Don't be suspicious. Give him lots of rope if you want to hang him eventually. Don't question him, weep, nag or threaten to leave him. Smother him with freedom. Imagine how refreshing that
would be to him. If you take life in the same spirit he does, and take people as you find them, you have the basic requirements of being his kind of wife-woman. As long as you're basically honest with each other, flying kites together can be a ball. Why worry about when they'll hit the ground? They look so beautiful and free, soaring up there in the sky. No, you don't have to give this man everything he wants to get him. Just be what he wants. Be wide-awake-let him direct and dominate your energies. Love sports. Go camping with him and take your St. Bernard along for a chaperone. Be generous, affectionate, enthusiastic, and don't try to keep him locked up in your pantry making fudge every night. Make it clear he can't keep you all to himself, either. Let him know you're a free spirit, just as he is. Never throw water on his fiery ideas, and keep yourself busy with other things while he's out shooting his arrows at impossible targets. That way, he'll tell you honestly some lovely night that you are just about everything he needs in a woman. Once he's gone that far, then tell him just as frankly that he's okay in your book, too, but it's time to make a decision. Point out that you like him so much you'd even consider marrying him, if he'd promise not to interfere with your freedom. Otherwise, you really don't have any more time to camp around with him. It's a shame, you're so compatible, but you've always been curious what it would be like to have children. Motherhood is a new kite you'd like to fly. Be sure to arrange for an old flame to call you on the phone in the middle of your speech. Accept the date casually, in front of your archer. When you hang up, smile brightly and remark that there's no reason why you can't still good friends. Then invite him to come along on your date, so he won't have to sit around all by himself. That should do it. (You're welcome!)
After you're married, you probably won't have in-law trouble. Many Sagittarians are shockingly disinterested in family ties. They don't accept the theory of loving blood relations unless they deserve loving. Even those who are fond of their parents and brothers or sisters manage to keep a healthy distance. They visit and show warm affection, but they never expect relatives to interfere with their private lives. Better see that your own relatives don't meddle, either.
Keep your suitcase packed. You'll be doing a lot of traveling. You'll still want to take the St. Bernard along on camping trips-not as a chaperone anymore, but be-cause your new husband loves animals. (Tell the dog it's okay now, he doesn't have to stand guard outside the tent flap.) Keep yourself busy and give him as many nights out as he needs. Never question his honesty. When he's in a temper, the archer can break down a door, or punch a hole through a wall. He's just letting off steam, but it does make a lot of work, and how many times can you call the plasterer? It's a lot easier on everyone's nerves not to accuse him of a lack of integrity in the first place. When he does something wrong, he'll almost surely tell you. That will be hard enough to take without worrying about imaginary things. Practice facing his frankness, if that tomorrow ever comes, and be prepared to know he still loves you, instead of chasing after false rumors today. Be as practical as he is about human emotions. You'll be surprised how strong love can grow in such honest soil. Truth has a way of encouraging permanence in a relationship.
You'll have to put in some hours being a Polly-put-the-kettle-on woman. Since he's
a sports fan, he'll probably expect you to watch all the big games on TV with him. But he'll also take you along to all his many social activities if you're pretty and fun and you like people. Sagittarians can't stand droopy clinging women who aren't good mixers. He'll be proud of any special talents you have, and do try to have one or two. Read lots of books, and be prepared to defend a few of his causes, especially the lost ones. -'
He may be a little extravagant, and he'll like an occasional game of chance, but the same impulse will make him pretty generous about your spending money, if he's a typical archer. He probably won't mind if you want to work to buy yourself extras.
Expect a little forthright criticism, often painfully lack-; ing in tact. You should be used to it by now. Let it pass. You'll be busy enough patching up the damage with his friends. You're supposed to understand him, remember? You gave him that, the night you forced the issue.
He'll enjoy the children more when they're older, but babies and toddlers might puzzle him a little. Sagittarius fathers usually love to take the youngsters on outdoor excursions. He may be closer to the boys and share their sports and activities, but he'll be tender with the girls. They'll find him more of a pal than a father image. The older they get, the closer they'll be to him. Now and then, his frankness may disturb them when they need privacy. Children are sensitive about their secrets, and their feelings may suffer from his curious questions and plain-spoken observations. Youthful escapades will amuse him rather than anger him, but his very tolerance might keep them in line. He'll probably be strict only if they tell a lie. It will be one of the few occasions they'll feel his displeasure. Don't ignore him for the little ones. When he wants you to fly some kites with him, drop the diaper pins and the talcum, call a sitter (not your mother) and go.
The archer thinks with both his heart and his mind. He won't always be wise. Sometimes he'll be foolishly courageous. He'll stumble and fall, then get up and try again. But you'll forgive him for almost anything, because he'll set your heart free with a very great gift-an honest love.
The SAGITTARIUS Woman
"Then it doesn't matter which way you walk," said the Cat.
"-So long as I get somewhere,"
Alice added as an explanation.
"Oh, you're sure to do that," said the Cat,
"if you only -walk long enough."
She's not always going to say the kind of things you want to hear. Most of the time, she'll curl your sideburns with her remarkable, flat statements and her embarrassing questions. But now and then she'll say something so special and splendid it will make you feel like singing.
You may need a sample. Scene: Coffee shop. You've just gotten up the courage to tell her you love her, but before you can say it, she looks at you with wide-open, guileless blue eyes-or forthright, steady brown ones- and asks you curiously, "How do you feel about being so short? Does it make you neurotic or anything?" While you're gulping, trying manfully to recover, she'll add, "You shouldn't care about it. Lots of men were short. Like Napoleon. And Fiorello LaGuardia." That's almost adding insult to injury, but before you get a chance to walk out, thinking no woman ever deserved such ungallant treatment more, shell muse dreamily, "I hate men who look like bean poles. You're perfect. I noticed when we were walking over here tonight-we measure just right together."
Sit back down. You're staying. For a long time. A friendly, frank Sagittarius girl has just wound herself around your heart with her own, peculiar brand of charm. She'll always be a little outspoken, because she sees the world exactly as it is, even while she's wearing those ridiculous, rose-tinted glasses. That, you must admit, is quite a talent. It's not everyone who can apply clear, reasonable logic to every situation, and retain the happy faculty of believing things will get better or else deciding to accept them^or what they are.
Sagittarius females are regular Pollyannas. It will cut when she tells you she wishes you would make more money, but then she'll add, "Of course, too much money can make people selfish. Maybe it's lucky that you're poor." Admittedly, it's sort of a left-handed optimism, but you'll get used to it. This girt will never lie to you. Some-times, you may wish she would. Show curiosity about how she spends the nights you're not with her, and you'll get a detailed, perfectly honest report of the letters she writes to that handsome intern she met last summer on her vacation and how many dates she turns down on the phone. She may even relate her troubles with insomnia, brought on when she lies awake at night wondering if maybe what she feels for you is friendship instead of love. You'll feel like yelling at her, "For Pete's sake, lie a little once in a while, can't you? A man has his pride." Don't yell too loud. You'll offend her, and she's not exactly noncombustible herself. Sagittarius girls have been known to fly into some pretty fiery rages.
She will probably live alone. Sagittarius girls are very • independent, and both sexes have a strange aloofness to family ties. Maybe it's because they travel so much, they don't get home often enough to get to know their families well. Even if they only
travel to the movies and girl friends' houses, they're restlessly on the go. I don't want to frighten you, but I once knew a Sagittarius woman so unaware of the nuances of family relationships that she invited her rejected beau to come along on her honeymoon with her new husband. The poor thing looked so lonesome. He said he'd pay his own way. Why are you looking at her like that? Did she do something wrong?
There's one thing you'll have to learn right away, or the relationship will never get off the ground. When you want her to do something, ask her. Don't tell her. The cave man technique went out with Tarzan and Jane, as far as she's concerned. She enjoys being protected, but she doesn't want to be ordered around. Not even her mother gets away with that. Who are you, that you should top her mother? She may have an Aries mother, and if a Mars woman can't boss her around, no male on earth is going to do it. However, there's a queer twist to her nature. Although she dislikes being bossed, especially in public, when she's testing you for firmness, be firm. Jupiter women can't stand weak, wishy-washy men. If she gets too high-spirited and her clever tongue gets too sarcastic, or she threatens some action that really incenses you, give her a light touch of the Tarzan treatment. Just enough to keep her in line. Like "You do that and I'll break your neck." She may react with surprising meekness if she thinks you're serious. A Sagittarius female has no in-tendon of giving up her individuality for any male, but she kind of likes to know you think of her as a girl.
j She may confuse you, but that's nothing to what she does | to herself. Many a Sagittarius girl mistakes friendship for | love and love for friendship. If you're one of those old-| fashioned men who prefer evasiveness and timidity in your i women, you'd better look for another Bingo partner. This young lady has bright, frank ways with men, and she's not going to play any silly games of "Guess how I feell" or "Guess what I think!" How she feels and what she thinks are identical with how she acts and what she says. Her outspoken bluntness naturally causes misunderstand-ings, and a good share of fiery battles, let alone hurt feelings, but it doesn't crush her spirit. Jupiter pride comes to the surface and rescues her in a crisis, allowing her to pass off her heartache as the biggest joke of the season. Inside, she may be weeping, but she'll employ such clever wit in answering the questions of friends about the break that they'll decide the whole affair was a harmless flirtation on her part. Little will they guess how she soaks her pillow every night, wondering what she could possibly have said that fractured everything. It might have been when she told him not to stop by her apartment the time he called from the lobby around midnight-because she was "busy talking with a man who had a few problems." Actually, the man was her brother-in-law, but with the peculiar Sagittarius twist of leaving out the core of the story, she neglected to mention that. Why should she have to explain herself? (All Sagittarians show a raging, righteous anger when their integrity is doubted.) Or it could have been when he asked her if she minded him bringing his little sister along to the movies and she blurted out, "Gosh, I hope that doesn't mean she's going to be hanging around all the time when we're married." She may have sincerely liked the young girl, but the natural Sagittarian fear of being suffocated by in-laws brought on her thoughtless and forthright statement. Now she misses his
sister as much as the man, but it's too late to explain what she meant. Besides, no one would understand.
Impasses like this are impossible for her to fathom, for all her logical mental processes, and often lead the Jupiter girl into a never-never land of romance, not knowing where the fire might flame up, or why, and afraid of being burned when it does. Then she'll play it too cool and be unable to take anyone seriously, least of all herself. She'll flirt openly, but without any intention of making it a lasting or a forever thing, and gain the reputation of a cold heartless female. A fire sign is never cold or heartless, but then there are a lot of astrologically ignorant men out there who don't know that. If such a state of affairs should happen to lead to spinsterhood, she certainly won't be a dry and bitter old maid. She'll still clown with life and have a barrel of fun. She'll have a dozen interests to replace a man-and enjoy every one of them.
Of course, you're not interested in a Sagittarian spinster. You plan to make one your wife someday. (At least, I hope you have honorable intentions. This poor girl has enough problems without you setting out to seduce her.) Let's stop dwelling on promiscuity, and think about marriage. Like the male Sagittarian, she's a little skittish about wedlock. You'll need to use some bright, colorful pieces of tinsel as bait to get her pinned down (to accepting your proposal, that is). She's breezy and unconventional in her relationships with men. Since she considers herself your equal, she may copy your mannerisms, as well as wear your sweater. If she also likes sports and camping, as lots of Sagittarian females do, you may have trouble distinguishing her from the boys. But she's not the same. For one thing, your sweater looks different on her. Not that Jupiter women are offensively masculine by nature. They can be the softest, most feminine women you ever squeezed. It's just that she pals around with so many men you get used to seeing her in the crowd-everywhere but in the . steam room and the gym. Since she's so scrupulously honest and aboveboard, she may be a little careless of her reputation and contemptuous of the hypocrisy demanded by society. If you question her about it, she'll be plain-spoken. She'll probably t«U you that waltzing in at midnight doesn't indicate promiscuity any more than coming home at a more conventional hour indicates innocence. She knows her morals are above reproach, and that's all that matters. Naturally she's dead wrong. What other people think matters very much to a female reputation. But try to understand her attitude. Don't think she's fast and loose just because she laughs at a few jokes, usually without the slightest idea of what they're all about (the subtlety of the double-entendre often escapes Sagittarius). So- she stays up to watch the sunrise from the George Washington Bridge (or from the top of a silo, if you live in the country)-that doesn't mean she's the wildest girl in town.
The truth is, she's a trusting child at heart. Her outlook is so naive it makes her vulnerable to wolves, con artists and phonies (though oddly enough, not in other areas, just in romance). Forget about how cleverly she argues and how startlingly logical she can be. All that has nothing to do with her heart. Her mind isn't under discussion. It's bright and intelligent, and well able to take care of itself in any
emergency. But her heart is defenseless. It falls down and gets bruised quite often.
That's another thing. She's slightly clumsy. At times when the Sagittarius girl strides down the street like a thoroughbred horse, you'll think she's the most graceful woman you've ever watched-until she stumbles on a crack in the sidewalk, awkwardly grabs the awning over the fruit stand to catch her balance and upsets two crates of oranges. The owner may swear a little, but hell soon shrug his shoulders, tell her to skip it, and hand her some grapes. The sunny Sagittarian disposition can melt the hardest hearts. Now and then, this girl will remind you of a clumsy puppy dog, wagging its friendly tail, and walking all over your feet. But then friendly puppy dogs do get lots of people to love them and feed them. Of course, dogs are a little cheaper to feed. The typical Jupiter girl has a large appetite. She likes good food and wine, nice clothes, and when she travels, she likes to go first class. Sagittarians are extravagant by nature (unless the Moon is in Capricorn or there's a Virgo ascendant). Money for the sake of money doesn't interest them, and it takes quite a bit of training to teach most of them the meaning of a dollar bill. Check her ascendant carefully before you loan her your credit card.
The Sagittarian girl you're involved with may be in show business, because lots of them are drawn by the lure of the footlights. If so, start out on the right foot by expecting her to put her career first, until she tires of it. The sweet sound of applause and the thrill of the encore will ring in her ears with more conviction than all the romantic phrases you can conjure up. Never force her to choose between pleasing you and the excitement of pleasing whole gobs of people at once with her sunshine personality. After a while she'll grow disgusted with the hypocrisy and artificial glitter she finds all around her in the world of show business, and she'll come running home to try domesticity with someone who is real. You. Someone who believes honesty is beautiful and deception is ugly. You again. Leaving a career won't remove the wings from her heels forever. They were fastened there at birth. The travel bug will always be nearby to give her a case of wandering fever. Vacation with her when you can; otherwise let her go off to ride the carousel herself, and trust her. She loves you, not the clowns and organ grinders she likes to pass the time with.
Because of her casual attitude toward romance and her shyness of marriage, you may think she's lacking in sentiment. You are so mistaken. She'll cry rivers at sad movies and read poetry with wet eyes. She's probably saved every note you ever wrote her, scraps of the flowers you bought her in the rain, and the tickets from the hockey game where she met you.
As for her talent as a homemaker, be brave. And be patient. Sagittarius girls are acutely bored by the confinement of dusting and mopping. No sooner does she make a bed than it gets unmade. Gosh, you'd think the darned thing would stay neat for a few days anyway, it was such a drag tucking in those sheets at the corners. She'll hate it all with a purple passion. When she has a home of her own, however, she'll probably swallow her distaste. She'll prefer that you get her a maid if you can possibly afford one. If not, she'll doggedly keep it shining Her mother will never
believe it. That sloppy child waxing the coffee table? Impossible. Pride and the eternal Sagittarius logic does it. She needs to be surrounded with beauty and cleanliness to be true to herself. The message reaches her that, if she doesn't wipe up the linoleum, no one else will. If she was forced by circumstances to do a lot of chores in childhood, she may rebel at first, but she'll eventually reason it out, and settle down to sweeping the comers with a minimum of resentment.
Her cooking? Well-you can never tell. Maybe you'd iust better eat out on weekends. If she manages decent 'neals through the week, you can't expect her to keep a per-fect record on Saturdays and Sundays, too. Most Sagit-tarian women aren't exactly ecstatic in the kitchen (unless there's a Taurus, Cancer or Capricorn ascendant). But she can whip up a mean, fancy dessert when she's trying to cheer you out of the blues. Her own moods can be terrors, but they're rare, and they last so briefly you'll hardly notice them. When she's really hurt, her tongue can be bitterly sarcastic. But she'll forget what she said almost before she's finished the sentence, and she won't understand why you want to dwell on it. This is not the woman for a brooding, melancholy man. Gloom and pessimism, | can actually make her physically ill.
| Her children will probably adore her. Shell be their | buddy, and have a circus playing with them. Once she's lover her initial fear of responsibility, she'll cope with § diapers and daily baths like a crisp, efficient nurse. Almost | everything she does she does well, with grace, when she | finally decides to learn it. Just like the big people, the little | ones will get a good dose of her cheerful optimism and | outspoken remarks. If they survive her blunt truthfulness, | they'll grow up thinking she's the greatest big sister a | kid ever had. She'll read them funny stories with happy | endings, and take them on sudden, impulsive picnics in | the woods to look for the three bears. (She half believes 8 they're hiding there herself.) Her youngsters will probably be well-dressed, but not fussily so, and bright-mannered. If they pick up a few unconventional tricks from her, like making footprint curtains by spreading monk's cloth on the floor, stepping barefoot into yellow paint and walking across the material-at least you won't be raising a houseful of conformists. Her honesty will mark their characters. If they don't find those three bears after a careful search under all the fir trees, she'll probably tell them to forget it-it's a phony. But she will have looked first. The child who wrote the editor of the New York Sun to ask if there was really a Santa Claus just had to have a Sagittarius Sun sign. Moon or ascendant. She probably raised her own children by the frank, yet idealistic answer of "Yes, Vir-ginia . . ." The Jupiter mother may have to watch a tendency to be lax in discipline, except when she's tired or angry. That's the wrong time for spankings.
Youll have a lovely hostess. No one entertains as graciously as a Sagittarian woman, not even her Leo sisters, who are no slouches themselves in the social department. There's a quality about her sunny, outgoing friendliness that makes people feel deeply welcome, from the garbage man to your boss. A Sagittarian breaks the ice instantly at the stiffest affairs, though she may raise a few eyebrows, too.
As long as you let her call her soul her own, and don't make her feel tied down, your Sagittarius Pollyanna will give you a triple bonus: her loyalty, her trust and her
affection. The three are inseparable, because when she gives her love, her friendship trots right along beside it.
The Jupiter woman is an incurable idealist. And here's a secret perhaps she never told you: She fell in love with you many years ago, when she was a little girl and wished on the new Moon for someone to share her honest heart. There were lots of times when she thought she had found you and was disappointed. But when you finally came along, she knew you right away, because you were a gentle clown with a dream or two of your own who took her hand and showed her the way to the stars.
The SAGITTARIUS Child
"There is such a nice little dog near our house. A little bright-eyed terrier, you know, •with oh! such long curly brown hair! And it'll fetch things when you throw them, and it'll sit up and beg for its dinner and all sorts of things- I can't remember half of them."
In the building where I live, there's a dark-haired Irish girl who was born in December. She plays a guitar and sometimes writes songs. Once she wrote a line I thought was pretty fabulous, but she was having trouble with the rest of the lyric. She really didn't need to worry, with that opener. It was: "There you were, waving your heart at me. . . ."
Her quaint phrase sums up every Sagittarian from age one week to one hundred years. The calendar doesn't matter. They never grow up, anyway. Take a good look at your little Sagittarius girl. There she is, waving her heart at you, like a friendly sheepdog. Your little Sagittarius son waves his heart just as enthusiastically, needing desperately to be liked for his own honest self. When people don't say "hello" back to them, their tiny hearts droop in disappointment. Sagittarians are happy, playful, miniature clowns, who laugh with tears in their eyes when they're rejected. Even the infants show their sunny natures and desire for comradeship. The Jupiter baby will cry when he's left alone, but wheel his bassinet into the living room where the grownups are laughing and talking, and hell sleep contentedly, with the warm, reassuring sound of human voices in his tiny ears. His dreams will be all the sweeter for being wrapped in the cozy, familiar atmosphere of loving and happy people. Later, he may grow more removed from family ties, but when he's little, he needs the security of human smells and sights and sounds, exactly as a newborn puppy needs one of your old sweaters in his basket to snuggle up to cozily. If such close, human contact is denied the Jupiter youngster, he'll withdraw and maybe become a little sarcastic. Then hell adopt a substitute, like the dirty, torn blanket of Linus in "Peanuts." It can be a soft pinch pillow or a cuddly teddy bear, with its ears
twisted off and its nose missing, but it represents security. He'd much prefer you.
The Sagittarius boy shows his happy-go-lucky nature by wandering into the woods with a makeshift fishing pole and a can of worms, barefoot, cheerfully whistling, talking to everyone he meets, his faithful dog trotting behind him. Sagittarians are informal as youngsters, and they never, outgrow it. The little Jupiter girl may go through a tomboy stage, and you'll always be reminding her to "act like a lady" as she grows up. But these girls and boys have their own ideas of what makes "a little lady" and "a little gentleman." It starts out with honesty. Naked, unadorned, brutal honesty. They have it refined to an art and they will expect it from you-or else. Or else what? Or else they will refuse to be docile little slaves, meekly obeying every 'parental whim.
Your authority is fair game for the Sagittarian child's frank, curious investigation. He'll give in graciously if he's convinced there is logic behind your command. Parental orders must first pass the scrutiny of his inquisitive, reasonable mental processes, and if you don't come out with a good grade in his test, you will get left back. There you'll stand, waving your authority or a switch at him, and there he'll stand, waving his honesty and defiance right back at you. If you're fair and you try to be as honest as he is, the Jupiter youngster will leam to respect your rules. You'll have to be firm when you know you're right and give him a good, solid reason. When you're wrong, you'll have to admit your mistake and come right out with a straightforward confession of stupidity. Let's face it, many times parents insist on obedience to rules they make up for their own convenience, rather than for the well-being of the child. A Sagittarius moppet can smell that kind of dishonesty a mile away as his nostrils quiver like a bird dog's and his muscles quiver with anger, backed by righteous indignation. Better plan to explain all your orders and com-mands to him calmly, or be prepared to use up a lot of switches before the Jupiter obstinacy in the face of unjustified punishment will show any signs of weakening.
A phrase often used by mothers with December-born children is "curiosity killed the cat." Sagittarian curiosity never ends. The day begins with a question and they fall asleep with a question on their lips. When they're very young, just learning to talk and to explore the huge world, the questions will be, "Why is it naughty to touch the stove?" "Why does candy make my teeth fall out?" "Why do carrots make my hair curly?" "Why does Santa Claus need a letter if he's so magic?" "Why did Daddy wink at you when you were talking about a second honeymoon, •and why do you call a Moon honey?" "Why do you talk like there are two Moons when Billy says there's just One?" (Billy is the too-smart-for-his-bluejeans older Aquar-ian brother, and if you have that combination at your house, you're in real hot water!) All through lunch, nap time and supper, the questions drone on. "Why did you and Daddy say Grandpa was henpecked? Is he a chicken?" "Why did my teddy bear tell you I ate the cookies? Why doesn't he ever talk to me like he talks to you?"
You can see that most of the Jupiter youngster's questions are aimed at puncturing adult hypocrisy or grownup smugness and downright deception. It won't do you much good to get all worked up and yell, "Be still! If you say •why* once more, 111
paddle you. Don't ever say that word again." Then you'll hear the archer's clear little voice giving it to you right between the eyes: "Why not?"
Later, when he or she is older, it will be "Why do I have to come in at a certain time when you say you trust me?" (and you will trust this child, or you should). "Why does it matter what people think? Do you care more about people than you do about me?" That's a tough one. Better practice an answer to it while he's still in diapers. The Sagittarian teenager will never swallow your rules if they're based on social mores rather than on concern for his welfare. There are some good, sound, logical answers to your insistence on his observing certain social customs, of course. They involve a reputation and its precious value, but be sure you have them well-rehearsed and see that they ring true.
The ancient warning, "when children are little, they step on your feet-when they're bigger, they step on your heart," might have been written about a Sagittarian. There's no getting around it. This child is awkward, if not downright clumsy. Keep the medicine chest well stocked with iodine and band aids. Tiny Sagittarians clomp on your feet and get in the way of your dust mop, your vacuum and all your good intentions. You may have a constantly sore toe and a sore ego. But those are nothing compared to the sore heart you may have someday when the Jupiter boy or girl plants a foot on it firmly. His or her strong need for freedom includes freedom from family ties, and these children will strike out on their own extraordinarily early, sometimes neglecting to phone or write for long periods. It can cause some mighty painful stabs in the chest region. The best cure for such parental heartburn is to make sure when your Sagittarian child is little that he's learned to respect you for your sense of honor and tolerance. If you're narrow and prejudiced, you may only see him on holidays, if then. But if you refrain from judging his friends by any yard-stick other than their true value-and if you've proved you have faith in his decency and in his dreams, he'll come home to renew his love and trip over your feet to your heart's content. Otherwise, he'll stay out there somewhere with his blanket or pillow or teddy bear in the form of new friends who accept him for what he is and believe in him.
Expect romance to rear its lacy head quite early. The girls will probably not be serious; they're just trying out their femininity, if the right parental attitude precludes using dates as that security blanket. The boys may need a little special tutoring in the subject of birds and bees. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Teach these children economy. They'll spend money like it's made of paper, which they've already discovered it is. They have to leam that when they spend their allowance, it's spent. Don't plug up the holes for them. If they waste their lunch money on comic books or Mad Magazine- let them take peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to school for the rest of the week. That may sound a little harsh, but it's necessary. Someday the Diners' Club will thank you.
Both sexes will probably enjoy school. Their multiple-faceted intelligence and great
curiosity will make learning a fascinating game, if their bright interest isn't squelched by too much dull, boring routine and too much insistence on strict regulations and rigid study habits. The more progressive education becomes, the better and happier students these children will be. They're restless, and making them sit still constantly or stifling their fanciful imagination will soon kill their incentive, sadly, sometimes permanently. Sagittarian children with severe, intolerant teachers or who are victims of unimaginative teaching methods tend to want to drop out of school and go to work.
The honor system works very well with young archers. A Jupiter child will never cheat in any way, if he's trusted not to do so. Otherwise, he may figure it doesn't matter. If no one believes in him, then why try?
There may be a deep and very serious interest in religion. These are the boys and girls who decide at a tender age to become a priest or a nun, minister, rabbi or mis-sionary in a foreign country. As they grow older, they'll question dogmas, perhaps change faith and church membership, searching eternally for truth. The Peace Corps invariably attracts Jupiter youngsters. They like the idea of seeing the world and the chance to put their idealism to work. A Sagittarian without a cause is like a dog without a bone to chew on. Fighting for causes develops their strength. Without a bone, the puppy may tear the couch or chair to shreds. Without a cause, the Sagittarian youngster may tear into ideas with such fervor and fanaticism that he can shred his future irreparably.
His eyes are fastened trustingly on the stars, and he may take a few spills as he trudges along, not noticing the rocks in his path. He's an independent, honest little archer. Give him lots of room to shoot and to practice drawing his bow. He needs to feel the grass under his bare feet, feel the rain on his face and bake his dreams in the strong, warm sunlight until they're well-done. There he is, waving his happy, optimistic young heart at you. Wave back at him with cheerful faith.
The SAGITTARIUS Boss
'Wo, no! the adventures first," said the Gryphon in an impatient tone:
"Explanations take such a dreadful time."
The first week on the job with a Sagittarius boss may leave you a little confused. You won't know whether to laugh or cry. The gentleman obviously is a dope.
Or is he a genius? No, he's neither-he's clearly just a rude boor. At second glance, he
has a touch of Don Quixote. But that couldn't be. Not when he insults you with such relish. Still, he does flatter you with warm sincerity. Look at him-as awkward as a three-legged colt. No, actually he's a graceful as a racehorse. What does he use, trick mirrors?
After the second week, you'll uneasily decide to stay awhile and see what happens next. By now, you're sure his mother spoiled him rotten. (Wrong. She didn't have a chance. Did what he wanted to do.) Well, he's somebody else's problem, not yours. You're leaving soon. She's welcome to the guy-his wife, that is. You've begun to feel sorry for her. (She sheds a few tears of self-pity herself at times, but she leads an exciting life.) You're sure he secretly hates you. (He's crazy about you. Just brutally honest when you make a mistake and painfully frank about your faults.) You think he's going to promote you. (Not yet. He was just a little over-enthusiastic yesterday.) He invited you to lunch this morning. Now you can find out what he's really like. (He cancelled it. He had forgotten he promised to speak at the ASPCA meeting.)
Two months later, both you and your psychiatrist feel it's time to have a serious talk with him. You make up your mind: If he listens to your complaints about his erratic and puzzling actions, and he lets you know where you stand with him and the company, you'll remain on the job. Otherwise youll quit. You will be firm. (Sorry. He just left for London.) All right, you can wait. So you'll put your cards on the table when he returns, and tell him exactly how you feel. Give him a few days to get back into the swing of things. He looks a little tired. But you're not going to let that impress you. By tomorrow he should be settled down enough to listen to reason. (You'll have to call the airport instead. He's leaving for Tokyo.) Now wait a minute! When is he going to light somewhere long enough for you to tell him what's wrong with the way he treats you?
You really want an answer? Never. Your Sagittarius boss greases the ball bearings on his skates each morning and casually glides around town, building one gargantuan promotion after another. He certainly doesn't want to stop long enough to hear you tell him his faults. He thinks he's a pretty good apple. And he is, when you stop to think about it. Often he's shy and helpless, and he needs to be understood.
But he keeps making those outrageous remarks to people. Why should he expect you to make excuses for him? Besides, a person can run out of excuses. (Call his wife. She keeps an alphabetical file of them.)
It's not fair for him to keep smiling so cheerfully while he completely ignores what you're saying and refuses to stick to a schedule. (Call his mother. She'd love to discuss it with you. Been waiting for years to find someone to sympathize with her.) What are you going to do? You simply have to do something.
You might try writing him a letter. Be sure it's logical, with no phony emotion or one-sided arguments which make him the villain and you the righteous one. He's the
righteous one. If you make a fair point, hell consider it, and try to mend his ways, but he doesn't want to spend six hours discussing it. In his opinion, there are more exciting adventures than listening to a recital of why he's wrong. Besides, he's not going to change anyway, so why waste his valuable time? Doesn't he have any virtues at all? Well, yes, he does. Stop right there. Hang on to those, and forget the rest. His mother did. His wife does. Imitate their wisdom.
You could start by checking off a list of his good points. Right away you have to admit he's seldom grumpy. Only once in a while, when somebody tries to dampen the fires of his enthusiasm, or when that stuffy accountant wants him to remember what he meant by those figures in his expense report for last month. Generally your Sagittarius boss is a rather happy-go-lucky, optimistic, cheerful fellow. That's a plus. Now, what else? He's pretty fair about sick leave and vacations. Another good point-he's generous. Lots of bosses wouldn't have understood when you lost all your money at the race track and had to borrow a month's pay in advance. All he said was that you should have asked him which horse was going to win before you picked such obvious losers. But he gave you the advance, and said you could pay it back a few dollars a week later. Another check mark to his credit.
When you impulsively broke off your engagement and then regretted it deeply, he gave you the afternoon off so you could patch it up. Before you left, he happened to remark that he thought you were the most creative employee in the firm, and his obvious sincerity picked up your droopy heart. It gave you the courage to run right straight into someone's arms with confidence, and the broken love affair was mended by nightfall. All right, so he's a pretty great morale booster. Anything more?
You kind of admire him because he's a crusader. He fights hard for what he believes is right, and it gives you a warm feeling to work for a man like that. It's sort of exciting to be around someone who defends lost causes. He's true to himself and his code, whatever it might be. That's refreshing, isn't it? Of course. Add another virtue.
But wait-what about that time you felt like a complete fool when you quoted the wrong figures at a sales meeting, and he led the laughter? Then he tried to fix it up by Saying, "That's our boy, Tom, always throwing in a monkey wrench, but we love him anyway." Don't think about those things now. We're dwelling on his good points, remember?
There's no denying a Sagittarius boss can keep you a little up in the air. It's hard to decide if he's a saint or a sinner, or a little of each. The latter is probably closer to the truth. It takes a spell to get used to the Jupiter executive. He's usualy a hail-fellow-well-met type, but the Sagittarius honesty and desire to keep everything above-board (and I mean everything) can be a shock to more sensitive natures. This man is so democratic you can't help liking him. Still, his forthright manner and brutal frankness are sometimes hard to take. The Sagittarius employer is sincere and friendly, and it's obvious he isn't the kind of man to hold a grudge or deliberately hurt anyone. He has very few inhibitions, and correcting your mistakes definitely
isn't one of them. His criticism is done in the open, usually with a bare minimum of tact. Even the gentle archers never think of the wounds they're inflicting when they cheerfully point out your flaws with deadly accuracy. True, the compliments and warm appreciation far outweigh the embarrassments, but those painful moments stand out like sore thumbs. The December-born boss honestly believes that everyone wants to hear the truth. So he tells them. When he sees that he has offended, he can be the soul of contrite regret. Then he apologizes profusely and explains, frequently making it worse.
You'll seldom know where he is at any given moment. Sagittarius can be anywhere at a minute's notice. You'll leam that he's great at spotting phonies, fake salesmen with false pitches, clients with hidden motives and employees with hidden vices. He's not so clever about his love life. If he's single, he may keep the office buzzing with his sentimental journeys and his active romantic adventures.
He probably has a host of friends of all shapes and descriptions. Bank presidents, important politicians, carnival people, newspaper reporters, ministers, doctors, lawyers, plumbers, carpenters, radio announcers, society dowagers, girl weight-lifters, gamblers, chorus girls, architects, bartenders and college professors all trip merrily over his welcome mat at all hours of the day or night. He sizes up people with his own ruler. If they measure up to his standards, he loyally defends them.
He gives orders with a rather regal air, but he's so jovial about it, and there's normally so much logic in his methods, it's hard to take offense. Tactless and sometimes foolish, he nevertheless can call on his powerful intuition and lucky hunches to pull him out of almost any jam he gets himself into. (The romantic jams may be a little stickier, and harder for him to avoid.) He's a much deeper thinker than his casual nature would lead you to believe, A Sagittarius boss can give any attorney a good argument and normally come out ahead. If he's a typical Jupiter executive, he's probably had an excellent education. Even if he hasn't you'll never guess, what with all the knowledge his inquisitive mind has picked up along the way.
He's basically kind-hearted, but he's also ambitious enough to step on a few toes occasionally. His memory sometimes fails in social situations, but rarely on facts. The archer can roll off the figures of his competitor's gross business and forget the name of his own bookkeeper, who's been with him for several years. Although he walks with a free, active stride, now and then with typical Sagittarian carelessness, he may step into the wastebasket or grind out his cigarette in the paper clips. But though his feet may stumble over the telephone cord, his mind rarely stumbles. His ideas are frequently unpopular, and aimed way over most people's square heads, but nine out of ten of them pay off.
There arc some shy Sagittarius bosses, but under the timid surface, Jupiter will control the personality. Even the retiring type of archer shoots his arrows toward the sky, and keeps firm grip on the bow. The extroverted ones love to talk and expound their favorite theories (plus most of their private thoughts). The introverted ones can
manage a pretty fair monologue, too, when the mood hits them, and what they have to say is usually interesting or instructive. Your Sagittarius boss loves animals, bright lights, big plans, creative thinkers, good food and drink, travel, loyalty, change and freedom. He's cool to dishonesty, cruelty, selfishness, keeping secrets from him, stinginess, pessimism, possessiveness and hypocrisy. He's usually a lot of fun to work for, and he grows on you. You kind of get the feeling if you ever left him he would somehow lose his way, in spite of his egotism and independence. He won't, but stick with him anyway. Tomorrow may always be a large question mark, but today will never be dull.
The SAGITTARIUS Employee
"Ifs by far the most confusing thing I ever heard."
"I should like to have it explained," said the Mock Turtle.
"She can't explain it," said the Gryphon hastily.
"Go on with the next verse."
Lots of employees, when you tell them how much money they can make after a year with the firm, plus the financial incentives after five years' service, show a great deal of interest. Your Sagittarius employee will not. He's far more fascinated by what you're going to pay him now-today. Tomorrow is far enough away, but next year is unthinkable and five years is forever. That's play money. He's interested in real cash. What happens later is up to the gods. He'll throw the dice and hope for the best. Usually, the gods will smile on him.
The Sagittarian is a delight to have around the office. He may knock over the filing cabinet or spill coffee on the outgoing mail once in awhile, but what's a little clumsiness when he's so cheerful and willing to help? He's not a whiner or complainer. He's a positive soul, as enthusiastic and optimistic as you were when you first joined the firm, remember? The difference is that he'll stay that way after he's retired. It's part of his nature. Some of it may rub off on you, and who knows, he may shine some light on that dark corner where you lost your illusions, so you can polish them up and try them out again.
Sagittarius never does things halfway. The only thing he's slow to make up his mind about is marriage. In everything else, he's fairly speedy. There are, of course, some archers with Taurus or Capricorn ascendants who move with more caution, but they're not slow pokes in either their emotional or mental attitudes. Normally, the
typical Sagittarian is way ahead of you, and he certainly doesn't mind brightly calling your attention to it when he is. Humility is not one of his more noticeable attributes. Some Sagittarians wear a thin veil of modesty over their fiery egos, but if you peek through it, you'll see a self-confident person, who is really quite happy with himself in general He may be a little unsure of himself in love matters on occasion, but who isn't?
Sagittarius may sometimes seem both casual and careless, but never let that lead you into the grave error of underestimating the flashing Jupiter intuition and often brilliant mental processes. There will be times when you have no idea where he's going or where he's been either. There will be other occasions when you'll wonder if he's really shy, or just biding his time for that plan he has pressure cooking in his brain. At other times, you won't have any room for doubt. Hell make so bold you'll be aghast at his forthright statements. There will be little that's small about his gestures, ideas or actions. He makes large, grand mistakes and pulls in superduper winnings against enormous odds.
The Sagittarian curiosity may get on your nerves. He'll never be satisfied with simply getting instructions. He'll want to know the why behind your orders, and the reason for your methods. If your logic appeals to him, hell praise you with his honest approval. If not, you may shrink before his equally frank appraisal of the holes in your procedures. That's before you collect your wits and become angry. Collecting your wits may be a necessary precaution in dealing with a Sagittarian, but getting angry is a shamfr. ful waste of adrenalin, because very few people can manage to stay mad at the archer. He's the kind you want to smack and kiss at the same time. Since that's impossible (the first is out if she's your secretary, and the second is out if he's your sales manager), you may as well just give
up-Most Sagittarian employees won't blush when you pay •Us them a compliment. They love applause. You may blush for them, however, when they start to boast about their talents and abilities. One of the minor Jupiter flaws is a happy willingness to promise to deliver anything-the sky is truly the limit-and then not quite following through, because the target was a little further off than he figured. Next time, hell aim straighter and deliver. The quieter, more discreet archers will, in their own mild way, also tend to bite off a wee bit more than they can chew. Still, both types will come through on top often enough to keep you fascinated.
It's the Jupiter luck that seems to hang over these people. Already fortified at birth by reliable hunches and excellent perceptions which progress toward logical con-clusions, they're right more often than they're wrong. Add a little typical Sagittarius luck, and you can see why they're frequently at the head of the parade. A friend of mine recently pointed out what he thought was an exception-a Sagittarius actress who's been trying to get a break for years. Although it now looks as if it's just around the corner, she waited so long and had to work so hard to get recognized he thought Jupiter had deserted her. But her delay in becoming a star had nothing to do with the consistent Jupiter-type good fortune. Everybody's timetable is a little jerky sometimes. Still, she gets the landlord to fix her door knobs while the water is
flooding the bedroom in another apartment; she gets to the store just in time to buy the last honey dew melon in the rack; and she finds a new pair of stockings in the refrigerator when she's torn her only pair and doesn't have a dime left until next Tuesday. She got her first really good job because the producer thought she was Sandy Dennis, and then was glad he made the mistake after he saw her act. Those kinds of things are always happening to Sagittarius people. Before the situation gets too black, the sun pops out from some unexpected source and shines on them, as if the sun wanted to reward Jupiter's pure and naive optimism.
Sometimes the Sagittarian luck works in reverse for the archer you employ. Hell fumble the biggest deal your outfit ever had the chance to close, but the day before you fire him, you'll discover that the president of the company he insulted and called a phony was just indicted for selling watered stocks. That crazy Sagittarian's blunder probably saved you from sheer disaster. Your Jupiter secretary who forgot to mail those important letters hardly has time to dry her tears at your cruel abuse before you find out that one of them contained a check made out for more money than your firm could cover at the bank that week.
There are Sagittarians who scoff at their own good fortune and like to give the impression they're real born losers. If you employ one, don't be tricked by his shrewd-ness. He may be one of those suspicious types with a Scorpio ascendant who thinks that, if he talks about it, his luck will change, but he wins at Bingo as often as the rest of the archers. Last week, he walked into a shoe store (o buy the cheapest pair of shoes they had, because he was broke. It turned out that he was the one millionth customer and he won a new pair of shoes every month for five years. He didn't tell you about that, did he? Scorpio ascendant. But Jupiter Sun sign.
Dishonesty is not one of his weaknesses. Neither is tact. You may have to patch up some office squabbles or have to make peace when your brutally frank Sagittarian sympathizes with the bookkeeper about his baldness and suggests a cure-after you've spent years pretending the poor fellow had a full head of hair to keep him happy because he's a Leo. Your gal Friday will never forget the time she was on the telephone with the firm's most important customer, and the Sagittarius member of your staff rushed up to her excitedly and shouted within an inch of the mouthpiece that the pipes were broken and the ladies' room was flooded. It can be disconcerting, but you'll get over these little character deficiencies.
The Sagittarius employee may surprise you with an occasional outburst of temper directed toward anyone from the elevator operator to yourself. (He's not prejudiced.) His fiery, righteous indignation is usually aroused when someone dares to question the honesty of his intentiona. He's the soul of integrity, even if he takes some odd, winding back roads to reach the truth. He really is. Doubting him or accusing him of false pretenses can cause him to dip his verbal arrows in flame. They'll pierce your sensitive spots as if he had been trained by Robin Hood himself. In fact, Robin is a very good nickname for him. He probably deeply sympathizes with robbing the rich to help the poor. As for his anger, it never lasts long enough to really bum, and his
arrows seldom leave scars. Just little nicks in your ego.
If he can't find an apartment, let your archer move into one of your large, roomy suitcases and pay rent. Hell much prefer living out of a suitcase to living under a roof and between four walls, if they threaten in any way to rob him of his freedom. When he comes in with his brief case covered with travel stickers, he's giving you a subtle I message that his toes are getting itchy. Take the hint and j send him on a trip. He probably needs it. Hell come back r with a full bag of orders and a lighter heart. He's a good salesman, but you may have to train him to curb his hasty enthusiasms. The Sagittarius can dash out after a challenge, and forget to wear his caution. But as impulsive as he is, when his thinking cap is securely fastened on he can beat all the pros with his sound, logical, if a bit startling ideas. Money is important to him, because he has to support himself in the style to which he would like to become accustomed. He's seldom stingy and if you are, he'll move on to more congenial surroundings.
Your Archer can cause you to throw up your hands in despair, but it won't do any good. When he sees you with your arms in the air, he'll just toss you a ball and say, "Catch!" What are you going to do? Catch. The exercise will be. good for you.
"Speak in French -when you can't think
of the, English for a thing-
Turn out your toes as you walk-and remember
Who you are!"
No comments:
Post a Comment