Jane Goodall: The animal protector: Sagittarius and Artemis
Jane Goodall was a primatologist, ethologist, and anthropologist. She was well-known for her sixty year study of chimpanzee social and family interactions in Gombe Stream National Park, Tanzania. She was the founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and the programme and has worked extensively on conservation and animal welfare issues. She served on the board of the Nonhuman Rights Project since its founding in 1996. In April 2002, she was named a UN Messenger of Peace and is an honorary member of the World Future Council
Jane’s research showed that behaviour that was believed to be uniquely human was shared by chimpanzees. They have strong mother and child and sibling bonds, show compassion, comfort others when mourning and will adopt orphan chimps. She also observed behaviours such as hugs, kisses, pats on the back, and even tickling, what we consider “human” actions. Goodall insists that these gestures are evidence of
“the close, supportive, affectionate bonds that develop between family members and other individuals within a community, which can persist throughout a life span of more than 50 years.”
Although she has a strong Sun Mars conjunction in Aries, Jane has her Moon conjunct her Ascendant in Sagittarius showing the area of life she chose to express her unique talents. Being an Aries, she was a trail blazer, opening up the way for women to work in the field in primatology. Aries has courage and determination and is happy to take risks and upset the status quo. For her first trip to Gombe, her mother had to go with her, as the authorities wouldn’t let a woman be alone there, (hats off to her mother for supporting her). Her passion for animals is seen in any films of her, but she had the scientific discipline to report negatives, meat-eating and warmongering behaviour of the apes.
Goodall wrote in 1993:
‘When, in the early 1960s, I brazenly used such words as ‘childhood’, ‘adolescence’, ‘motivation’, ‘excitement’, and ‘mood’ I was much criticised. Even worse was my crime of suggesting that chimpanzees had ‘personalities’. I was ascribing human characteristics to nonhuman animals and was thus guilty of that worst of ethological sins -anthropomorphism.’
Rather than numbering the chimps, as was the custom, Jane gave them names, which allowed her to develop a close bonds with them and to become, it is believed, the only human ever accepted into chimpanzee society. Jane was the lowest-ranking member of the troop for twenty two months, until Frodo, an aggressive chimp, attacked her. When he became the alpha male, Jane was forced to leave the troop.
Artemis, is Lady of the Wild things, lives in the borderlands and wildernesses. I give Artemis to Sagittarius in my book Goddess Astrology. She fits the sign so well. There is a wildness about Sagittarius, they operate on a large scale and love to roam, as well as put on their glad-rags and dance. The origin of her name suggests Artemis was a pre-Hellenic goddess. It is believed that a precursor of Artemis was worshiped in Minoan Crete as the goddess of mountains and hunting.
Freedom is the word for Artemis, when Zeus offers her cities, she declines saying she does not visit them much. Her home is in the remote mountaintops of Greece. She is described as a virgin goddess, but perhaps unmarried might be a better way to put it. She wishes to be free, and she wishes all beings to be free. She both hunts animals and protects their young. As a hunter she has a keen eye and a sharp point, she goes for the kill. From the beginning she is dedicated to nature. Artemis does, however, know how to have fun. There is a Greek saying, ‘where has Artemis not danced?’ Sagittarius is known for their love of music, dance, socialising and play.
The ruler of her MC is Venus in quirky, unusual Aquarius, it is conjunct Saturn exalted in its own sign. This combination shows great intelligence (Saturn) as well as a future orientated person (Aquarius). Jane was not simply a trailblazer, but had the academic gravitas to back up her findings. Note also, that Venus is the ruler of her 5th house of children, much of her later campaigning as to inspire the next generation to carry on her work.
Artemis had acolytes called the Bears, young girls who spent time in her sanctuaries, which were always in liminal places. These girls ran wild in the forests and were taught, well we don’t know what they learnt, maybe to respect nature, maybe to hunt. Male Classicists said they were taught how to be good wives and mothers, but maybe that was wishful thing on their behalf. They were initiated into Women’s Mysteries is all we know.
Roots and Shoots works with young people worldwide, it began in 1991 when a group of sixteen local teenagers met with Goodall at her home in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. They brought to her their concerns over pollution in the city, deforestation in the mountains and the welfare of both wild and domestic animals. Jane attended their meetings but the group was run by the young people. Their first project concerned the welfare of chickens in villages and in the markets. Jane’s model for youth led activism, helped by resources and leaders from Roots and Leaves has now grown into a worldwide movement of over ten thousand groups in over one hundred countries.
Jupiter, her chart ruler, is in the 10th house of career, opposite her Sun Mars. Good humoured Jupiter tempered the often bombastic Sun Mars in Aries. Libra is persuasive and charming, and together with her Ascendant and Moon in fun-loving Sagittarius, ensured she got her own way, easily and charmingly.
Jane’s influence has inspired several generations of women to enter the field of primatology. When she began her research in the 1950s it was a male-dominated field, today there are equal numbers of men and women. Jane earned her doctorate at Cambridge in ethnology in 1965 on the Behaviour of free-living chimpanzees, using data from her first five years at the Gombe Reserve. She had no undergraduate degree, Jane became only one of eight people to be awarded a PhD in this way. Such ‘rule breaking’ is typical of an Aries Sun. They feel no need to follow the herd.
In 1977, Goodall established the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI), which supports the Gombe research, and campaigns to protect chimpanzees and their habitats. JGI has nineteen offices around the world and is celebrated for community centered conservation and development programs in Africa.
‘When legendary scientist Jane Goodall first came to Tanzania more than 35 years ago to study the chimpanzees of Gombe National Park, the vast, flourishing forest teemed with apes. Today, the park is ravaged by logging, and home to only about 40 chimps, who live confined to a few protected square miles.’1
Sagittarius has a broad reach and often has overseas connections. Prior to the virus (2020) it was said Jane traveled over three hundred days per year. Jane campaigned about climate change, has met Greta Thunberg and argued against animal testing. She is a vegetarian and promotes the diet for ethical, environmental, and health reasons. In, The Inner World of Farm Animals, Goodall writes that farm animals are,
‘…far more aware and intelligent than we ever imagined and, despite having been bred as domestic slaves, they are individual beings in their own right. As such, they deserve our respect. And our help. Who will plead for them if we are silent?’
Goodall also called out the hypocrisy of meat eaters, her Sun Mars in Aries is happy to confront and ruffle a few feathers:
“Thousands of people who say they ‘love’ animals sit down once or twice a day to enjoy the flesh of creatures who have been treated so with little respect and kindness just to make more meat.”
Sagittarius often has a bit of the guru about them. They have causes and campaigns and will fight for the underdogs.
Her easy going sanguine Sagittarius Moon and Ascendant gives her a warm, non-threatening personality and also a great sense of humour. Gary Larson drew a cartoon showing two chimpanzees grooming. One finds a blonde human hair on the other and inquires, “Conducting a little more ‘research’ with that Jane Goodall tramp?”. Jane was in Africa at the time, and the Jane Goodall Institute thought this was in bad taste and had its lawyers draft a letter to Larson and his distribution syndicate in which they described the cartoon as an “atrocity”. See it here.
When Jane saw the cartoon, she was amused and had the cartoon printed on a tee shirt and sold it to raise funds for the Institute. She wrote a preface to The Far Side Gallery 5, giving her account of the incident. Jane praised Larson’s cartoons, which often compare the behaviour of humans and animals. In 1988, when Larson visited Gombe, he was attacked by a chimpanzee named Frodo (who perhaps felt the need to protect Jane). Jane embodies the Artemisian love of animals, wild places, young people and connections across the globe, as well as a keen sense of humour and playfulness.
Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter, and Jupiter is the planet of hope.
If young people lose hope that’s the end. if you don’t hope that there is a way out and that you can make a difference then you sink into apathy and do nothing. Hope is absolutely crucial if we’re to get through this. Young people need every bit of help they can.
There is a lovely reel of Jane’s last words on Instagram via Netflix which you can see here:
Part two of my training in Astrology and Herbs will start on February 1st 2026. New students will need to know planets, signs, houses and aspects before they join. I will make available the recordings of Part 1 to buy in due course. To join the waiting list email me here for details of the course see here
Greek Island Summer School May 17th-24th: Your Horoscope: unlock the Astrology of Mind, Body and Spirit.
We will be learning how to maximise your well-being using your horoscope. Over the four days we will learn
- How your Ascendant shows your health potential and how to improve your physical well-being
- How your Moon sign shows your emotional responses and how to harness this energy
- How you think: Mercury and Saturn show mental patterns and ways to improve focus
- How the Sun shows your Vital Spirit and your spiritual journey, our gifts and challenge
- Open to all levels of experience, we will be working with your own horoscope
Info here or contact me directly here
Elisabeth Brooke 
