The Sun’s ingress to Capricorn marks the Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere which we experience as the shortest day of the year. This is where the Earth’s wobble reaches it’s farthest point before the North Pole starts tilting toward the Sun again.
Party season is still in full swing when Capricorn appears. Her arrival isn’t a total buzzkill – she turns up just before Christmas and the New Year to help us celebrate the festive period which coincides with the alignment of Sirius ‘The Dog Star’ and “The Three Kings” in Orion’s belt (on December 24th).
Once partying has concluded, Capricorn asks that we do the dreaded deed of checking our finances and returning to the grind. When the Sun is in Capricorn we get real, adopting a serious attitude and resolving to conquer our bad habits. Capricorn gives us the opportunity to wipe the slate clean and start over, in anticipation of the exciting new horizon beyond December 31st.
Capricorn’s Elevated Status
Capricorn is a dual sign: half goat, half fish. Able to inhabit both land and sea, her primary area of focus is mastery of the physical realm. This is something realistic and methodical Capricorn learns over many years in order to produce tangible results. The ocean dwelling half of Capricorn is intuitive and flexible. Able to understand structures and strategy, the added intuition gives Capricorn incredibly astute foresight and the ability to adapt. Like chess players, she’s always three moves ahead of everyone else.
The early years for Capricorn may be challenging, to say the least. Often there will be knock-backs or struggles with some kind of imposed limitation. The Saturn Return is a time when we all have to grow up; in Capricorn’s case, she will come into her own and firmly establish foothold in her life.
Goats are an incredible mountaineers. Able to scale sheer cliff faces and climb the deadliest of drops, They’re always aiming for the highest peak! The strategy involved when scaling a mountain requires concentration, commitment and extraordinary vision. I’m talking visualising goals here, not a trip to Specsavers!
Capricorn is able to see an objective, and work around it in order to get to the top. She knows she may have to recalculate the route sometimes, but this doesn’t stop her from trying. Capricorn’s mantra is: “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try and try again” and they are all too aware of how far they have to fall. Regardless, this is all very metaphorical as the challenges Capricorn faces in daily life won’t always be mountain climbing (though in come cases it will be!) but actually about achieving in some way. Perseverance is key for Capricorn, and this is how she conquers her ambitions knowing lasting success doesn’t happen overnight.
R-E-S-P-E-C-T
So why is Cappy driven to the summit? Capricorn is a Cardinal Earth Sign; Cardinality is the drive to push through to new horizons, instinctively able to percieve what the environment requires. Earth is an element which is driven to manifest inspiration, concept and emotion into a tangible end product. Capricorn seeks the respect of those around her. She wants to be an authority figure, if not working as an authority like a police officer or judge, then to be seen on the top of the pile in her chosen (or accidental) profession. Taking the easy road isn’t something Capricorn does. Usually she will opt for the tougher lesson and work all the hours to accomplish her goal. The knowledge that she has done all the hard work by herself is enormously rewarding, and her peers will admire and respect Capricorn for her achievements.
Capricorn isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty and muck in at the bottom of the career ladder. She understands the more hard work you put in at the beginning, the more your colleagues will recognise her and refer to her knowledge when facing an issue. Soon there will be an opportunity for promotion… and the climb begins!
A word of advice, Cappy: When climbing, be gracious and fair – if you lose your footing you will bump into everyone you encountered on the way back down. People remember how they have been treated; not a problem if you were considerate and kind. If you were bossy, obnoxious and rude, they may well give you a taste of your own medicine!
True Grit and Determination
Ruled by Saturn, the word “No” is something Capricorn will have been issued repeatedly, often with an explanation about how not having that cookie, or going to that party will benefit the little goat. Of course we all need boundaries growing up, but young Cappy will test these and push back, before settling for the rules.
Self-discipline and hard work is something which comes over time. Capricorn has to master these areas and may be a little work-shy and lacking in direction as a youth (often leading to depression). Productivity is required in order to feel good; if this is lacking she can feel worthless.
Capricorn buys into the system. She understands hierarchy and wants to climb up the ranks. She may not have always been that way, but develops a respect for boundaries, structures and the need for governance by laws, as she understand that rules really do help to keep her in line. This is because Capricorn really struggles when in an unboundaried environment and can fall into unproductive and negative behaviour patterns. She likes to have firm lines to work within so she knows which way is forward.
Rules, authority, respect – despite striving for the stuff your parents used to lecture you about growing up, Capricorns aren’t boring! They understand how to get through tough times, deal with challenging situations and scale the obstacles that would stump the average Joe. Often with a dry, satirical sense of humour, observational comedy tends to be a gift of Saturnian types in general and their sarcastic, dead-pan delivery can really brighten the gloomiest of days.
