Sagittarius III: The Way of the Titan

By Rayner Jae Liu

“I don’t know how the Sag III article will get done, but it will get done.”

Hearing myself say those words, I laughed, realizing how quintessential that attitude is of Sagittarius III. With multiple placements in this decan, I’ve learned many lessons about its contours. I believe that like every other decan in the zodiac, this decan deserves to be treated with depth and fullness beyond what may be obvious or apparent even to the experienced student or practitioner of astrology.

Sagittarius III is heavy. Ruled by Saturn and the Sun, this decan mirrors the theme of endings found in all the third decans of the mutable signs. Many people think of this decan as one of death, fascism, and oppression, and there is truth to it. T. Susan Chang describes this decan as “The Weight of the World” and beautifully illustrates what can happen when there’s too much burden and too many sticks.¹ Still, I believe there’s more to the story. To me, this decan is gritty and glorious and, when embodied correctly, contains the seeds of the work required to create true liberation.

I can understand how my words are emblematic of what many astrologers say about Sagittarius III—and yet, I believe there’s more to add. Austin Coppock talks about how this decan points towards circumstances in which “the vehicle must be sacrificed to achieve the will.”² It’s a good starting point. Many astrologers and hermeticists also point to the decan’s association with the Ten of Wands, the card with a bundle of sticks, which is where the decan’s relationship to fascism and oppression comes in. Such a relationship merits deep reflection, particularly during this time in world history.

But fewer people point to the major arcana correspondences of Sagittarius III: Temperance and The World, which I view as being about having the serenity to achieve completion of a task and having purpose, patience, and integration in one’s efforts. To truly understand Sag III, we need to go beyond the descriptions within 36 Faces. This allows us to have a richer exploration of the decan and illustrate the potential available when we take a syncretic “yes and” approach to astrological inquiry.

Sagittarius III is more than toil, difficulty, riding until you die, or training until muscle failure. This decan is also a pressurized container in which wisdom and solar qualities are born, where sweat leads to shine, and where discipline can create not only liberation for oneself but also freedom from illusions and a genuine sense of sovereignty for the collective.

Let’s consider what happens in this decan using decanic and sign-based rulerships. Sagittarius III is ruled by Saturn and the Sun, and the sign of Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter. Saturnian, Solar, and Jupiterian themes are present within this face and point to the potential to be “larger than life.” The challenge is that if you don’t know when to stop, you will become exhausted and scattered. However, if you learn to say no, focus your vision, and embody and integrate the best of this decan, you can go from an exhausted workaholic to a focused titan who can create powerful levers for change.

In The Secret Language of Destiny, Gary Goldschneider says about Sagittarius III, “Titans like to think on a grand scale.”³ It is possible to fail in the quest if your self-assurance does not pair with substantive effort or if your excess turns into braggadocio or burnout. This only happens, however, if you’re unwilling to do the work, if you’re scattered in many directions, and if you need to be in the limelight rather than devote yourself to focused intention and action. Jupiter’s largesse, Saturn’s decanic rulership, and the solar quality of this decan, strung together and used correctly, are part of what makes the third decan of Sagittarius so titanic.

Once people with placements in this decan stop giving their power to a false sense of unworthiness, they discover the ability to live life on a grand scale. From this place, the Ten of Wands is not expanding in a million directions, toiling endlessly, or doing another low-value task. It’s about essentialism, where instead of scattering your energies in a million directions, you focus intently on that which creates true leverage. Will you work hard? Absolutely. If you don’t stay focused, if you scatter your energies, and if you don’t understand what liberates you and what oppresses you, you’ll crumble and suffer the consequences.

But if you understand what you are devoting your efforts to, you can propel yourself to mythic heights with no trappings of ego, as Saturn will have removed every bit of that by the time you’ve gotten there. This decan deals with the classical tensions between Jupiter and Saturn. As a result, to understand and master this decan, you must release all that is petty and small in your thinking while never buying into delusions of grandeur. Your ability to be mythic and ordinary is amplified when you work with single-minded focus and discipline, allowing you to operate on a larger scale.

When thinking about Sagittarius III, don’t ignore what traditional astrologers say about the heaviness of the decan. At the same time, consider thinking less about heaviness, oppression, and workaholism and more about essentialism, focus, and leverage. When you recognize that you are creating levers for something meaningful, you will begin to pole vault to greater heights and find more beast than burden within you. In the end, you’ll know you did the work. You’ll find peace and discover satisfaction knowing that through the lessons of this face, you are at once both extraordinary and ordinary.

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About the Author

Rayner Jae Liu (he / him) iis a multidisciplinary astrologer and entrepreneur specializing in personality integration, business development, and the planet Eris. He has spoken at Harvard Divinity School, the Organization for Professional Astrology, and the 6th Queer Astrology Conference on Eris and is the creator of Woman Warrior, a masterclass on Eris’ role in 21st-century activism and systems change.
Website: raynerjaeliu.com
Instagram: raynerjaeliu
YouTube: raynerjaeliu
Substack: raynerjaeliu.substack.com

1. Chang, T. S. (2019, December 12). Reading the Decans: The Weight of the World [Sagittarius III]. T. Susan Chang. https://www.tsusanchang.com/blog/2019/12/12/reading-the-decans-the-weight-of-the-world-sagittarius-iii

2. Coppock, A. (2014). 36 Faces: The History, Astrology, and Magic of the Decans. Three Hands Press.

3. Goldschneider, G. (2004). The secret language of destiny: A personology guide to finding your life purpose. Viking. This contains an affiliate link, and you can use it to support the author and independent bookstores.