Sagittarius I begins on 21 November 2025 at 8:38 pm EST. Austin Coppock called this decan The Poison Arrow, which may be a reference to a myth involving Hercules, his bride Deanaira, and the centaur Nessus who kidnapped Deanaira on her wedding day. During the pursuit, Hercules shot him with a poisoned arrow. With his dying words, Nessus persuaded Deanaira into saving some of his blood as a love potion, knowing it was suffused with the poison. When Deanaira suspected Hercules of straying from her, she applied the poison to his garments — giving him a taste of his own fatal medicine. This decan lasts nine days, 21 hours and seven minutes, ending on 1 December 2025 at 5:45 pm EST.
The ancient Greeks appeared to have associated these ten days with a set of spirits called the Loimos, or spirits of disease. As the winter season began, people were more likely to face colds and fevers; in the world before antibiotics and vaccinations, encounters with disease, spirits could be deeply fatal. Injuries that cut the skin could also lead to fatal infections. Propitiating such spirits ahead of time was an important protective measure in a religious context.
It’s hard to know how this would’ve been done. Did they simply stand around and conduct what we would think of as insane and useless ceremonies? Did they harvest plants of antibiotic or antiviral properties and brew them into tonics and salves that would protect them? We know that in the early 1700s, a smallpox epidemic was halted in the British American colonies in North America, largely as a result of exposure of English colonists to the life-saving practice of inoculation brought to the Americas by enslaved people from Africa. Someone who suffered from cowpox, or chickenpox, would be invited to give up some of the pus from their own pimples. This would be carefully scraped up, and placed into an incision under the skin of an uninfected person. The inoculant would come down with chickenpox or cowpox, but would not suffer the worst fate of encountering smallpox, which was always scarring and often fatal.
Modern day vaccination, from “Vacca“ meaning cow, arose from the practice of inoculation — the byproducts of a lesser disease being used to protect against the risk of a greater and more terrible illness. Did the ancient Greeks inoculate against influenza and similar illnesses in the Hellenistic era? Did they learn this form of medicine from the Egyptians in their own time? Was it forgotten, or did it never come to Europe at all before the 1700s? It’s hard to know. But now that the season of the Loimos is upon us, I think it’s time for me to get my flu shot and Covid vaccine for the year.
The tarot card associated with this decan is the eight of wands. T Susan Chang called this card Express Delivery! and makes magical bag-tags of that card to help make sure your luggage arrives promptly. Pamela Coleman Smith showed it as eight wands flying towards the ground outside of a cottage or castle, dropping out of the sky. It is suggestive of both the battle of Agincourt scenes in Shakespeare’s play, Henry V, as well as the old joke about “ready, fire, aim!“ Sometimes we must perform actions before we are truly ready to do them. Sometimes we must make a decision and act on it before we have all the necessary information. There’s nothing wrong with such a force of action — except that sometimes you’ll get your decision wrong, and sometimes you’ll get it right. There’s no way of knowing until the thing is done. Swiftness is sometimes hard… and yet the first ten degrees of Sagittarius are where Mercury, lord of swiftly applied intellect, has their greatest power.
As the Smashmouth song Walkin’ on the Sun reminds us “So don’t delay; act now! Supplies are running out.“ There is often an external push to take action, to impel us to decisiveness by advertising and marketing realms: persuading us to acquire what we do not need. There is a parallel urgency, in choosing to overextend ourselves – overwork ourselves, to push ourselves past our limits, to bite off more than we can chew, to live beyond our means. Disease is not only physical, it can manifest as unhealthy habits and behaviors.
The Dodeks of Sagittarius I are Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces. The Sun’s journey through these four dodeks may be likened to the experience of the convert to another religion than that they were born into. After they join, first they observe the religion and find it to be beautiful in its rites and ceremonies and correct in its doctrine. Then they take to heart the teachings, absorbing and learning all they can of the faith and its traditions. Next they come to understand, sometimes to their dismay, that the religion has many of the same flaws and challenges as the religion of their birth, and that (since all religions are managed and led by human beings) it is no purer or more perfect than other religions. Finally, they find a way to make peace with both their birth religion and the religion to which they converted, blending traditions in complex ways.
Dates to Watch
For most of the days of this decan, the planets Saturn, Jupiter, and Mercury will be forming a close-to-loose Grand Water Trine between the signs of Scorpio (Mercury), Pisces (Saturn), and Cancer (Jupiter). This trine is likely to bring on complex emotional states as restrictions and limitations bite into relevant house topics and you find temporary solutions to them. For me, it’s been a leaky furnace that has needed constant, hourly tending since this most recent Saturday, with buckets and a mop. The plumbers are supposed to come today to fix it.
On Friday 21 November (just before this decan begins) the Sun and Uranus will form an opposition, Scorpio to Taurus. It’s a day likely to be filled with surprising encounters and conversations that go off their usual rails — not necessarily in a bad way, but be alert to the unexpected.
On Monday 24 November Venus and Mercury meet in conjunction. This is one of astrology’s more frequent conjunctions, and it often has an intellectual and aesthetic component: intellectual appreciation of music or poetry, art or dance. It can sometimes result in expressions of love which are intellectual and abstract, and reveal patterns of behavior that are worthy of notice. Since Venus is a uniting and connecting force and Mercury is expressive and communicative, this meeting is usually favorable for both business and romantic connections.
On Sunday 30 November Venus opposes Uranus retrograde. While this can sometimes signal the start of a new but unstable relationship, it more often indicates a push or desire for unusual entertainments or a breakup in recreational routines. Break from your usual habits and take a friend out to lunch; talk about what excites you, but off the record.
House Delineations
In this section, search for the themes you want to understand, such as family or housemates or money or career, to understand how these may play out.
The First House of self and self-presentation is cancer ruled by the new Moon in Sagittarius in the sixth house. Jupiter is present, but retrograde. For successful self-care, check in with yourself regularly, and mix business with pleasure often. Dress well, but also for your own comfort and happiness. Keep a daily mood journal — write your emotional state as a one-word entry when you get up, and a 1-sentence entry at the end of the day, describing what you’re happy for — and reread your notes on what you are grateful for over the next week.
The Second House of money and possessions is leo, ruled by the sun in Sagittarius in the sixth house forming a trine. It will be easy to make snap decisions about what to spend money on for daily happiness and comfort, but hold some reserves for an upcoming financial hit. The winter holidays won’t necessarily require austerities, but now is the time to institute some regulations around who you will give presents to, and how much they will cost you. You are allowed to break those rules — but remember that upcoming challenge to your wallet!
The Third House of extended family and intimate friends is Virgo, ruled by sextile Mercury retrograde in Scorpio. The south node is present. For your most intimate friends, you will likely have a bright thought, “I can just make presents for them!” Recognize that the thought will count, but that the results are not likely to be what you expect them to be; completing such projects in the available time is unlikely to succeed, especially if you want to achieve a high level of quality. You are much more likely to succeed with holiday greeting cards, especially if they include a review of past actions this year— and especially if that letter includes an airing of some (but not all!) of the dirty laundry and secret hardships that you have faced. Offer people both the jewels of success of your previous year, as well as the bearings on which those pivots have succeeded.
The Fourth House of home, household, and parents is Libra, ruled by inconjunct Venus in exile in Virgo. There is a surprising amount of contentment to be found at your Thanksgiving table this year, but it may not be that that table is found under your own roof. Remember that a little intoxication can successfully serve as appropriate social lubrication. If you intend to re-distribute some family heirlooms, this might be a good season in which to do it. Recognize that a certain amount of political talk at the dinner table is probably unavoidable, but be prepared to turn conversation in other directions if things get heated.
The Fifth House of pleasures and pastimes is Scorpio, ruled by inconjunct Mars in Sagittarius. Detrimented Venus [in her own term], and Mercury retrograde, are present. Although diminished in power here, Venus is expected to function as triplicity ruler — it is worth identifying what it is that makes the holidays into holy days for you, and doing your best to transform official family, gatherings into your own sacred meals. Whatever dish that you are preparing to make, try to make it with love, even if you know that people you dislike are likely to eat it. View your hobbies with similar transformative power: make beauty, even if a darkness of hardship underlies it.
The Sixth House of daily routines, pets, and injuries is Sagittarius ruled by inconjunct but exalted Jupiter in the first house. The Sun, Mars, and the Moon are present, along with the Lunar Apogee. A rational approach to comp completing daily errands quickly, and in the morning, is likely to serve you well in upcoming days; but learning to break with routines will be important, especially as illness takes hold, or as holiday schedules, disrupt your usual plans. Expect new delights; remember to express even greater gratitude than you actually feel to anyone on your team. Health challenges have a greater opportunity to arise; take care to maintain your cordon-sanitaire where appropriate; if you haven’t gotten a flu or COVID vaccine, now would be the time.
The Seventh House of spouse, peer partners, and rivals is capricorn, ruled by sextile Saturn retrograde. A dark and seething undertow related to upcoming holiday plans may create an underappreciated difficulty in relationship matters. End of year challenges with business peers or with clients or vendors may need new negotiations or new procedural arrangements.
The Eighth House of obligation, duty and legacy is Aquarius, ruled by inconjunct Saturn retrograde in Pisces. Pluto is present. Some of your shared wealth and property is going to be at hazard during the next 10 days. Some of that is going to be connected with your “potluck” commitments to a shared holiday table; some may be stored wealth that has to be used for aggravating problems that must be solved by throwing money at them. Reserves will be important — that doesn’t mean you can’t complain about how annoying it is to use them.
The Ninth House of higher learning and long-distance travel is Pisces, ruled by Jupiter, exalted in cancer in the first house. Travel in the next 10 days is likely to be fraught with some difficulties as you return to important places of your past with mixed emotions. Memories of the last decade and a half are likely to suffuse conversations with travel companions, even as you are aware of the difficulties of moving forward by traffic and weariness. Studies, and discussions of studies are likely to be fraught with argument, originating from different perspectives of the same facts— or even falsehoods covered over by enthusiasms. Cite your sources, and ask others to cite theirs.
The Tenth House of career and professional reputation is Aries, ruled by trining Mars in Sagittarius in the sixth house. You’ll be asked to step into leading-lady or first-citizen roles in your workplace in the next ten days, but it’s worth taking note of the hardships you’ll be tasked to carry in those roles, and what new expectations you’ll have to put on your team and subordinates as a result. Compensation should be asked for but may not be forthcoming. Insist on adequate time off for subordinates; protect their downtime, and your own.
The Eleventh House of friends, associates, and allies is Taurus, ruled by opposing Venus in detriment in Scorpio in the fifth house. Uranus retrograde is present. Familiar associations may be disrupted by a last hurrah from old acquaintances in need; no service or help you offer is likely to be happily received (it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t offer, though), or accepted without critique. Recognize that anything that you write, especially memoir, is likely to take a dark turn, and that may be upsetting to your fans and readers; but you may find a new audience by delving into those dark yet creative underworld laboratories where real magic happens.
The Twelfth House of both obstacles and opportunities is Gemini, ruled by inconjunct Mercury in Virgo and hosting the Lunar Perigee with the Moon in opposition. All three triplicity rulers are inconjunct. Your thinking (particularly holding to traditional modes of thought and models of social well being) are likely to bring you trouble this week; be aware that you may find your thoughts spiraling in uncontrollable and undesirable ways. Having some methods to put a stop to perseveration, or the constant imagining of terrible scenarios, is an essential part of your holiday tool-kit this year. If you don’t have such methods yet, ask a friendly therapist for advice — or a friend who’s been in therapy a lot.
Horoscopes by Rising Sign
Decan I of any sign (usually covering the 21st of the month to the first of the following month) is free to all visitors; Decan II is only available to Patreon and Ko-Fi.com subscribers; and Decan III is available to Patreon, Ko-Fi, and MailChimp subscribers.
I recommend reading your Sun sign, Moon sign, and Rising sign for best results. I write them with rising sign in mind, but several people have told me they find that they do better with all three.
Cancer: it may be a hard thing to say, but your next 10 days will involve quite a lot of work. At first, it’s just going to be the daily grind, and then it will be figuring out how to partner with your peers, and then it will be owning up to the responsibilities that have been given to you. For a while, you may find yourself traveling for work or for new certifications, as well. It’s not to say that there’s no fun to be had, but you may find yourself focused on private pleasures and on a few secret purchases that bring you a certain level of glee before the holidays. The advice about “don’t believe your own hype that you can make handmade presents for everyone you care about” goes double for you.
Leo: you’re in a good season for focusing on activities that bring you pleasure and happiness, and spending money in order to bring those goals about. You do need to maintain some reserves, because there’s a financial hit or two in your future; remember, especially that corporate layoffs are a pretty common thing near the end of the year or just after. If you are beholden to a big company for your paycheck, you might consider celebrating 12th night instead of Christmas this year, and focus on presents purchased in the aftermath of late December. Count on your friends to to provide holiday cheer – as long as you ask to be included; recognize that you can’t show up empty-handed, though: bring treats for the table.
Virgo: the extended family may be gathering at your place this year, and I don’t know whether it’s great aunt mod or uncle Joey that’s going to be the troublemaker at the table. Try to remember that Lady Astor once claimed that she threw such fabulous parties, particularly luncheon and dinners, by inviting at least one villain and watching the rest of the guests coalesce in happy opposition to the repulsive scoundrel. Your spouse may be in a position to face difficulties either in the kitchen or the parlor as a result of your chosen menu or guest list as well. You can’t expect to lend occasional assistance; be a loadbearing column of support.
Libra: home and family are supposed to be a source of support and joy, and figuring out how to provide yourself with that during this holiday season (in America) may be somewhat difficult. If you have children, you may find that they are less helpful than usual this year; giving them guidance and instruction about what kinds of support you will need and when will be an important task. A spouse or significant other may be drawing on familial models and archetypes; making inquiries about how they saw their parents behaving at big holiday times may be useful for understanding how to coach or direct them differently during your own big events. Finding creative solutions to bringing everyone together may require something a little more specific than “potluck” — tell people what to bring and give them recipes as need be.
Scorpio: holidays require a lot of advance planning, and you may find it necessary to Renae on some of those plans last-minute, or revise them on the fly. Have some Plan B’s worked out ahead of time; if the oven isn’t working, for example, try spatchcocked turkey parts on the grill outside; if the potatoes burn or the butter is rancid, or cousin Talia forgets the pies, figure out how to make do. The family legend is that my aunt’s dog ate the entire turkey right off of the cooling rack on Thanksgiving one year, and there was spaghetti and canned sauce instead for the big dinner that year instead. I’m not saying there will be a disaster — but have some options when things go south. You can re-orient to new plans in a pinch… and if I’m wrong, you’ll have a better time than usual.
Sagittarius: your daily plans face a host of new ambitions and goals, as a season of trials and difficulty comes to an end. Some of your long-standing plans and principles may be challenged in coming days, but you find that you are a better person for recognizing and meeting the obstacles of the present day. Creative solutions present themselves to existing problems; review past plans, even as your professional goals seem very far away. Home and family, and obligations to them, require more travel than you would like. Your generosity of time and commitment of resources will be much appreciated and honored, but you may have to watch others be enriched while you receive only praise.
Capricorn: attending to your partner, spouse, or significant other is likely to heat up a lot of your time and energy in the next 10 days. It’s important, particularly to be aware of how your substance —that is to say your resources, cash and energy —may have to be expended in service to their obligations. Your generosity will not go unrewarded, but those rewards may come informs that are not really expected or immediately desirable. You’re also likely to need to address, family difficulties, possibly involving elders, or mediating between more traditionalist elements in your family, and those who have taken the road less traveled. Your work experiences, particularly, and how you begin the process of negotiating with your team about their future plans for 2026 and a review of anyone’s efforts who is on your team in 2025, are likely to require both harshness and a rational approach to emotional overload. Sometimes it’s important to go to bat for people that you don’t admire or love. Treat it as an important learning experience.
Aquarius: responsibilities and obligations are not supposed to be fun. But sometimes it can be quite enjoyable to figure out a way to whine about it in a creative and deliberate manner. Sometimes you can even get paid for doing so. I don’t know how to say this as clearly as possible but this is not one of those times. Whatever issue arises in your workplace, whatever challenge appears, whatever idiocy a customer or a vendor or a client creates, no matter how limited the audience with which you share this amazing and terrible story, it will be traced back to you. And it will haunt you for some time to come. The saying goes, loose lips sink ships, and bear in mind that you may be on quite an uneven keel here yourself.
Pisces: whatever travel plans you have worked out for the next 10 days, whatever learning project that you are undertaking, whatever spiritual endeavor you are attempting, just be aware that it’s going to take longer than usual to achieve it. If this is your first time cooking a turkey, remember to include at least another 45 minutes of prep time as you read through the directions for the 11th time. Double check your oven settings and make sure that it’s actually preheating. Double check your shopping list, and remember to check your staples and pantry for ingredients that you’re sure you have on hand. This is not just about Thanksgiving. Whatever you’re doing, it’s about pulling off something big and important that’s going to raise your standing, possibly bring in a new flow of cash, and be a source of new entertainment.
Aries: there are professional choices to be made, which will help determine how you spend your time, both in the working world, and in the world of pleasures and entertainment and hobbies. You have a clear set of ambitions in both worlds, and choosing new work in either realm will force you to assert some level of authority in the other. This is almost guaranteed to cause a last burst of disruption to your finances, which may a nerve you and bring you ongoing worries. It’s likely to work out in the long run, either by learning to rein in your expenses or seek out new sources of income; the immediate aftermath is likely to be worrisome. This may require leaning on a spouse or significant other for a period of time, or taking on more delightful duties at home.. This much is true — you will have new skills that you must learn, new places you must go, in order to achieve these secret new aims.
Taurus: your personal sense of self is causing you to throw up boundaries between yourself and others for nominally spiritual reasons, but which may have more to do with physical discomfort and wariness about taking on new tasks and functions. Some such tasks are probably unavoidable; your spinal or significant other wants to go and do new things, and explore new possibilities. Your own ambitions too require feeding even as you feel complete lack of enthusiasm for craft projects or traditional hobbies. Generosity and goodwill toward family members is necessary, even though some of it may be an act — especially when it comes to a spouse’s parents or immediate family.
Gemini: while Mercury is retrograde, you may find yourself making to do lists or project plans, which you then ignore. But figuring out how to get on the horse and do the work that benefits you and your spouse or significant other, as well as your household, is the only way to get through any of the current troubles that you face. The money will be there for what you need, but you may have to sling some cash in the direction of family and friends. The itchiness that you feel, to be recognized for your previous work, and for your long-term dedication, is definitely real. But sometimes it’s important to recognize that people tend to think about what has happened most recently, or what is about to happen. Nobody will crown you with laurels for what happened last year — it’s time to figure out how you will wow ’em in the here and now.
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If you want to read some of my astrologically-oriented poetry, the largest collection is called A Full Volume of Splendor and Starlight, available through my Etsy shop, and containing poems and hymns to the planets, constellations, decan deities, and Moon Mansion angels. While not astrological, Festae contains hymns to some of the older Roman gods and spirits from the calendar created by Numa Pompilius, the second ancient King of Rome.
I use iPhemeris for my charting software, and screenshot it to make charts. I want to thank the team that develops iPhemeris for the addition of Terms and Decans to their charts. I also use Hugh Tran‘s Physis typeface to craft logos for this blog, as well.
I use Christopher Warnock‘s The Mansions of the Moon as the basis of my Moon placement delineations, and Austin Coppock‘s 36 Faces for much of my planetary delineations. Neither gentleman endorses me.
