The Signs and Accomplished People, 12 Part Series, Capricorn
chart s d oconnor chart queen elizabeth 2 arnold schwarzenegger
chart josemaria escriva de balaguer chart edison chart w disney
Capricorn is the 10th sign of the zodiac. It is a cardinal earth sign. As earth it is down to earth, realistic, and practical. As a cardinal sign, we see Capricorn as being active and a leader. Contrasting this cardinal earth sign with the other earth signs, we see Taurus as a financial expert, Virgo as the engineer, and Capricorn as a business leader.
The Capricorn symbol is a goat with a fish tail. This union of symbols makes one think of the sea and the mountain top. So Capricorn can go from sea level to the top of the mountain. This sign is associated with being at the top and the setting and achieving of goals to get to the top. At new year’s we set resolutions and this is the appropriate time because the Sun is in Capricorn, promising success. Capricorn can get up to the top and also fall off of the top. Remember Nixon? He had the Sun and 3 planets in Capricorn.
The key phrase for Capricorn is I Use. Like the mountain goat, they use every little ledge or opportunity to more upward. Capricorns are clear seeing and calculating. This is a must in business.
This sign brings on winter and it is ruled by cold Saturn, the no nonsense, serious, practical, negating, old age, declining, task master, taxing planet. So Saturn has an influence on Capricorn. Saturn and Capricorn plan for the cold, dark winter. They are a bit pessimistic because they know that they may not make it through winter.
The body part associated with this sign is he knees. Capricorn has his sights set on high things and people and will genuflect before them when necessary. And how many of us, as we age, feel it in this Saturn and Capricorn part of the body, the knees. (Bones and joints are all Saturn ruled)
The picture that I give my students is simply an individual climbing a mountain. Incidentally, Robert Griffin the 3rd of the Redskins (RG3) has 5 planets in the sign, Capricorn. And we know about his knee. “Hail to the Redskins”.
Capricorn stories are those that involve goals and possibly Satyrs. The Satyr roams the woods looking for nymphs. Our most famous satyr, Pan adds lustiness and fun to this serious sign. In Rome, Saturnalia, happened when the Sun was in Saturn ruled Capricorn. And it was the “animal house” of festivals.
The gift of Capricorn is the ability to set and achieve goals. The best of Saturn behaviors is to note a deficiency in our lives and choose to set a goal to fill the need. For example, instead of staying poor, one goes to school and moves up.
The sign opposite Capricorn is Cancer. Capricorn is how we want to be thought of downtown. Cancer is who we are at home. One is in a tailored suit, the other is in his comfy “at home” clothes. One deals with plans, the other deals with feelings. One is disciplined, the other is hungry. One is on his best behavior, the other more genuine.
It is interesting that we have festivals of light at the dark time of year. This is just what we need. In the natural chart, Capricorn is the highest sign. Our eyes are drawn upward. The looking up of Capricorn can also have a spiritual quality. The darkest time of year is associated with the highest place. Capricorn is an interesting combination of darkness, light, realism, earthiness, and the spiritual. Finally, since Capricorn is the highest sign and Saturn has the highest orbit of the visible planets, Capricorn and Saturn express the ultimate, the best, the finest of any thing.
Now lets look at what other astrologers say about Capricorn.
Allan Oken says that Capricorn is a sacred sign due to the increase of daylight that starts after the solstice and due to the choosing by cultures of this time of year to celebrate the birth of Mithra and of Christ. He notes that the knees, ruled by Capricorn, are a symbol of agility in the upward climb. He defines this sign as funny but not jolly. Capricorn is also prone to worry and depression, and needs more faith.
Capricorn is big corporations and universities. And Capricorns seek the power of the state. (Capricorn is business and government. If you want to see the color of Capricorn go into a men’s store and look at the suits.)
Capricorns tend to be detached from people’s lives. They are traditional and marry for love and prestige. They want money for power and use it; Taurus holds it.
He cites positive qualities as: prudent and self sacrificing, organized, efficient, industrious, aware of others’ needs, and having deep spiritual understanding.
Negative qualities are: miserly, demanding, unsympathetic, secretive, dictatorial, overly ambitious, opportunistic, and overly fond of prestige.
Kathleen Burt says that Capricorn is full of aughts and shoulds. She also notes that the last 4 signs of the zodiac, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces represent: universal truth, universal government, universal humanity, and universal divine love.
She continues with a Jungian notion that an old living father can delay a child stepping into power. The child may become Pan-like, a perennial adolescent who is free spirited and spontaneous. (Both Pan and the old living father are Capricorn.) Finally, like Virgo, Capricorn wants perfection. (Virgo is particular, Capricorn is the highest sign.)
Isabelle Hickey says that Capricorn needs unselfish love. She feels that Capricorn can be a scape goat, alienated and dumped on. She says that Capricorn is the hardest worker in the zodiac but feels inadequate. They may be too limited and too disciplined and, in the climb to the top, may overlook joy.
Zondag notes that Capricorn wants to make the world safe and wants physical security.
Allen Leo says that Capricorns, at best, are true servants of humanity. He describes them as being self conscious and knowledgeable about the state that they are in.
Negative qualities are: morose, cold, distant, gloomy, greedy, and deceptive. On the positive side they make the most of opportunity and put their ideals into concrete form. Physically, they are awkward like Cancer.
Hodgson notes that they are concerned with social standing and may end up getting respect rather than love.
Dobbins says that Capricorn is concerned with what we can do, what we can’t do, what we have to do, and the consequences of what we have already done.
Kustesky says that Capricorn gives and wants homage. And he notes the paradox of Capricorn being the highest sign, but that the Sun when here, is at it’s lowest in the sky. (Thus, Capricorn is heaven and tomb.) ( Oken adds that this high low paradox is the divine will vs. the mineral world.)
Kustesky adds that Capricorn wants a fulfilling career. And that they need respect and recognition and get them by performing in socially acceptable ways. Finally he notes that the 10th house, the Capricorn house, represents the capacity to contribute to society by defining one’s territory and building a place for oneself within it.
Marlar says that Saturn and Capricorn people should note any deficiencies in their lives and create a goal to fill it.
Sylvia Browne says that Capricorn needs: cheerful company, bright surroundings, exercise, and to banish worry.
E. Adams notes that they should learn to deal well with failures and that they are never late.
Liz Greene says that Capricorn is concerned with a long wait for redemption in a wasteland of depression.
Let’s look at some horoscopes of the famous with prominent Capricorn placements.
Sandra Day O’Connor has Saturn in Capricorn in the 1st house, a key place, a place of identity, in the horoscope. This position should give her very high standards. She was the 1st female justice on the Supreme Court and a conservative. Her father, a cattle rancher taught her frugality and self-discipline.
Queen Elizabeth 2 has Capricorn rising. The fun part is that Saturn, which rules Capricorn and as a result her, is at the top of her chart. I use her as an example of someone who is elevated astrologically and in the world. If you want a royal component, she has a Leo Moon.
Arnold Schwarzenegger has the Moon in Capricorn in the whole-sign 7th. Since he is Cancer rising, the Moon represents him. He has climbed to the top in body building, California politics, and his genre of film. He is a republican and his ex-wife (Moon) , as a Kennedy, is elevated. He is also a businessman, which is a Capricorn kind of thing. If you want an entertainment component, he has a Leo Sun right next to Saturn and Pluto. Didn’t he fall off the mountain?
Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer is the founder of Opus Dei which was featured and exaggerated in the film, “The Da Vinci Code”. Opus Dei, with its 80,000 members, is a Catholic lay organization noted for its tough disciplines. Josemaria has the Sun, Saturn, the Moon, Mercury, Jupiter, and Mars in Capricorn. Saturn next to the Sun in Capricorn is very serious and their conjunction is exact. There is a move to make him a saint. Saints are at the top of the mountain.
Thomas Edison had the Moon and Mars in Capricorn. Some think of him as the man of the millennium. He was full of theoretical ideas and has Mercury, the Sun, and Neptune in Aquarius, an idea sign. But his Capricorn is his love of work in his work shop, his love of mining, and his pursuit of his goals.
Walt Disney has the fantasy planet, Neptune at the top, the public part of his chart. He has the Sun with Uranus, showing that he created something new. But that which stands out is Mars, Saturn, Jupiter, and Venus in Capricorn in the wholesign 5th house. This structure emphasizes business, setting and achieving goals, focus on children, and creativity. He created his own world. (See photos in images.)
It is interesting to note that all of these people being presented as Capricorn examples, with the exception of Edison, have a very prominent Saturn. Saturn may bring difficulties, but its discipline and hard work will get you where you want to go.