With Sagittarius the Archer as your star sign, the Sun in the zodiac brightened a fun-loving masculine sign on your birthday. The Sun in astrology stands for your inner nature, the essential character of your true self. The ninth sign of the zodiac, Sagittarius is ruled by the fortunate planet Jupiter, the lord of the gods. A mutable (fluid and changeable) sign, Sagittarius governs long-distance travel, matters of the higher mind (philosophy, religion and the law) and having a good time! It is a fire sign, so Sagittarius people are positive, forthright communicators who love travelling, although you tend to be restless and hate to take orders.

The Sun, the ruler of your inner nature, is bright in Sagittarius. It favours social status, the higher mind and travel, especially in pursuit of idealistic aims in faraway places. Sagittarians are idealists and usually much in demand socially, because you are like a breath of fresh air.

Sagittarius is a dual sign, which has (of course) both an up and a down-side. The symbols for Sagittarius are the hunter (archer) and the centaur, a mythical half-man, half-horse. These signify the search for truth and knowledge, as well as the constant pursuit of adventure and new ideas. Intellectual curiosity covers a wide range of subjects, but you do get bored and restless when surrounded by dull people or circumstances. You would rather learn on your own, through travel and experience, than endure structured classroom environments and routine work assignments. However, having broadened your knowledge and gained experience in the world on your own, you could become an excellent teacher or administrator in the very educational system you once found so restricting.

You readily adapt to change and home is where you hang your hat. This is both a strength, because it is a survival mechanism, and a weakness because it makes you vulnerable to the demands and influence of others. Frank Sagittarius does not hesitate to give an honest opinion, which can seem tactless at times - although it is rarely your intention to be cruel. You have a ready wit and appreciate the humour in even the grimmest situations.

Needless to say, you much prefer to be the boss in any situation and must constantly watch your tongue in the unhappy event that you find yourself (temporarily!!) in the position of an underling. Before you assess the practicality or worth of what you are doing, before you sort out your true emotions, and before you take time to reason things out intellectually, you have a tendency to shoot first and ask questions later. Communication-oriented Sagittarians are forever bubbling with energy and enthusiasm. Independent and hard to pin down for long, this is the sign of the bachelor, but even married Sagittarians seek to maintain some aspect of personal independence.

Jupiter, the benefic planet of fortune and good luck, endows a generous nature with a friendly, optimistic disposition. A natural politician, you like knowing everyone and going everywhere, for life is something to be enjoyed every day. Addicted to all the good things, you know how to get maximum enjoyment from them, but too much of a good thing can be problematic, and prudence is difficult for most Sagittarians to acquire. Being overly spiritual or too philosophical, for example, gets you too far out of touch with the real world. Despite heroic efforts to be prudent in one area, you can still manage to zoom into bankruptcy by overindulging elsewhere. On the other side of the ledger, your attempts to be prudent can get so far out of line that you can turn into a miser.

Enthusiastic Sagittarius has a passion for sports. Physically challenging endeavours of all kinds, including archery, jogging, hang gliding, sailing, and fishing (especially for big game fish) are favorite activities. One big challenge to overcome may be the battle of the bulge, when your fondness for food, glorious food and a good drop finally catches up with you. A natural gambler and risk-taker, you usually come out on the winning side, especially when you try your luck at horse or dog racing. You love music, art, dance, and drama and no doubt have considerable talent in these areas.

Sagittarius rules the thighs, hips, and, to some extent, the feet. Physical problems, however, are apt to be the result of unrestricted diet or an over-indulgent pursuit of other pleasures. Sagittarians are also subject to an overpowering urge to gamble, which can be ruinous for some.

Your colours are maroon, tan, navy, orange, and cobalt blue. The ancients associated the ruby with Sagittarius, while modern astrologers give this sign the turquoise. Your highly adaptable, dual personality can easily associate itself with both gems. Because Sagittarius is associated with bigness in general, flowers for this sign include the large blooms such as huge mums, hydrangeas, dahlias, and peonies.

 Relationships and sexuality:

Sagittarius, a masculine sign, is adventurous and not averse to the thrill of risk-taking. Your positive, life-affirming optimism makes you a lot of fun and great to be around. You love any new form of sexual expression that challenges and excites you. Both tolerant and eager to please, your honesty can sometimes prove too much for those who prefer a more mysterious, or veiled approach to love.

Your ancient emblem is the Centaur, a mythical creature famed for its wisdom and its unique half-man, half-horse combination of the human intellect and animal passions.

These animal passions are pretty much straightforward in their expression. You don't seek convoluted or theoretical discussions on the nature of love; you'd rather get on with it, because it is natural and you hate to thwart nature in the pursuit of self-expression...

A famous emblem for Sagittarius is the Archer, armed with the arrow of truth. Free and honest in your approach, you expect others to be likewise. Your arrow shoots for the stars, holding the blazing light of truth in an arc that illuminates the world.

Admirers should remember that your honesty can on occasions be brutally frank, especially when extolling the virtues of your actions, or recounting one of your more dubious exploits.

Sagittarius is a mutable sign; you are best involved with a steadier, stronger personality, who can understand your need for independence (and desire for variety), yet still be there for you even after you have smashed a few dinnerplates in frustration. Your frank and open motives are often misunderstood.

You are willing to experiment with all manner of relationship styles, although you hate to be tied down in any way. So long as your partner is able to keep up with your wide-ranging interests and is prepared to come up with new experiments in lovemaking (and certainly does not mind you doing the same), your relationship will be exciting and reasonably long-lasting. Mutual honesty is the key to success for the Sagittarian.

Your sexuality is lively, lusty and adventurous. You love to break new ground, in sexual encounters as in everything else and you are quite willing to go for what you want. Ruled by Jupiter, the grand leader of the gods, you are expansive and all-encompassing in your tastes and interests.

You are uninhibited, ready to make love on impulse and not impressed with delaying tactics, or feeble, wimpy attempts to win your favour.

The most important issue for you is truth and honesty. You hate intolerance in all its forms (how's that for logic...?) and you are as open about your desires and sexual needs as you are about everything else.

Guilt and shame are foreign to your sexual persona and you do not have much patience with more convoluted souls in these matters. Lusty Sagittarius lays the cards on the table (and that might be a good place to get started...!).

Most people find you disarmingly friendly and you appreciate openness in return. Sex for you is fun and can be a doorway into higher awareness. You are anything but conservative in sexual matters and you are a sucker for the new and exotic, especially things redolent of adventure and far-away places.

Admirers should take note that making plans for travel at the drop of a hat, or intimate accounts of personal experiences in foreign parts will get your juices running. This should be followed immediately by passionate sex before the urge ebbs away...