Astrology

Hey baby, what's your sign?

Being born on the 24th of November, Locke's a Sagittarius, if the stars are the same from Narshe as they are here. It may be useful to note that he's awfully close to being a Scorpio- which is a deeply emotional, passionate sign. My book calls them the "original Byronic lovers" but I'd think that would have to be Byron, and he's at the cusp of Capricorn and Aquarius. Anyway, I think Sagittarius suits Locke more than Scorpio and possibly more than any other sign, and here's what my neat little divination book has to say about that.

Sagittarius

Element: Fire
Ruling Planet: Jupiter

November 22 - December 20
Quality: Mutable
Gender: Masculine

The symbol of Saggitarius is the centaur- half man, half-horse, with bow and arrow poised- which is an apt condesation of the Sagittarian character: mind and instinct racing forward in the chase for an elusive prize. Sagittarians love a challange, and their fiery enthusiasm will precipitate a whirlwind of activity, but what is most interesting about them is that their goals are usually ethereal rather than material. In this, we see the influence of their ruling planet, Jupiter, the guardian of growth, but also of abstract and philisophical ideals. Saggitarius is on an inspired quest, not a business trip.

Notwithstanding their search for higher meaning, Sagittarians love a good time. In fact, they like to combine the two, which is why Sagittarians make great hippies. They are the most optimistic sign in the Zodiac, the most ebuillient and exciting. They move through the world in leaps and bounds, and, indeed, journes, both mental and physical, are the keynote of the Sagittarius's lofe. The downside to this exuberance is that it can easily become foolishness and irresponsibility- activity for its own sake rather than for a higher purpose. Sagittarians must learn self-control and discipline to achieve their best selves, and though it is a struggle, they will be better off if they can respect details; a Sagittarian weakness is the tedious as unimportant.

Saggitarian vibrancy and humor make the sign an extremely atractive one; they are prennially popular. But prospective partners must realize that Sagittarians have to have the freedom to roam and explore. It's a bad idea to try and pin them down, and they have no patience for jealous or posessive lovers. It's not that Sagittarius is averse to commitment; he just has a fairly unconventional definition of the term, Sagittarius himself should guard against (most) frivolous sexual escapades- the dissipate the spiritual and philosophical integrity that the sign must maintain for real happiness.

Intellectually, Sagittarians are quick. They assimilate infrmation well and use it with pananche, but in their careers, they are often felled by their intolerance of repetition and deatal. Few professions offer variety, excitement, and higher moral purpose at the same time. Not everyone can be an emergency room doctor, and Sagittarians will be happier when they learn to take care and be thorough. Sagittarians are horrible with money; finance is, to them, anther meaningless detail. They are thus often impoverished.

I think that Locke's a bit more grounded than this profile would make him seem, but there is an awful lot of truth to it. To me, Locke seems like Mr. Commitment- he's a to death and beyond kind of man, but that's because he stretches his love into a quest to the point that it's not really love at all. Also, there's a little bit of greed in what we're calling treasure hunting.

The Legend

The Archer, as the constellation is called, commemorates one of the more heroic figures of the zodiac. This mythical figure is Chiron, the kindest and gentlest of the Centaurs. Centaurs were half man, half horse. Although many of them were stupid and violent, Chiron was known for his wisdom, his caring nature and his ability to teach. He was immortal; his father was Kronos and his mother was a daughter of the sea god Oceanus. Chiron tutored the young Greek heroes Achilles and Jason, among others. He was renowned among the Greeks, although he lived by himself in a cave in the countryside.

Heracles shot him with an arrow by accident. The hero had been trying to wipe out the other vicious centaurs which were plaguing the countryside. He had no intention of shooting Chiron, and was extremely remorseful. Although Chiron used his medical skills on the wound, it was incurable. Heracles' arrows were tipped with the deadly venom of the Lernean Hydra, which killed any victim it touched. But the centaur was an immortal, which changed the situation. Chiron was in terrible agony, but he could not die, although he wanted to. Prometheus the Titan saw his plight and managed to help him. It is not clear what exchange Prometheus and Chiron made, but the Titan made Chiron mortal, and enabled him to leave the Earth and go up to the heavens.

This Chiron story could be a kind of anology for the relationship between Locke and his old girlfriend. Rachel was hurt by an accident, which, as he is a Final Fantasy character, Locke blamed himself for. She was unable to fully recover, and Locke had her put in a comatose state while he looked for ways to cure her. She couldn't die, but she couldn't live either. None of his attempts to cure her worked. Eventually, Locke had to let her go, so that he could achieve a kind of rebirth. I have another section on this whole Rachel thing, but the story of Chiron has some interesting parallels, does it not?