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"the stars in the horns of Capricorn have efficacy similar to that of Venus, and partly to that of Mars; the stars in the mouth are like Saturn and Jupiter."
- - PtolemyThe sun passes through Capricorn from late January to mid-February. In ancient times the sun was in this constellation at the winter solstice. Due to the precession of the Earth axis, the sun is now in the neighbouring constellation Sagittarius at this time of the year. The latitude on Earth on which Capricorn appears overhead of an observer is still known as the Tropic of Capricorn.
After its polar opposite, Cancer, Capricorn is the most inconspicuous constellation in the Zodiac. It is chiefly noted for the nature of its brightest star, which is actually a cluster of five suns called 'the Algedi'. The two brightest of these can be seen with the naked eye.History: Mythology, Religion and CapricornIn Greek MythologyIt is not totally clear over how Capricornus came to be. Some say that he represents the Shepherd-god Pan. Others say that he was quite a different god, Aegipan.
Pan, in one story, is the son of the Messenger of the Gods, Hermes. The story unfolds around the cosmic battle between the Titans, the elder generation of gods, and the younger gods, the compatriots of Pan, led by Zeus. In a vicious and destructive ten year war the younger gods overthrew their elders to take control of the cosmos. The very earth herself, Mother Gaia, was so outraged by the violence and destruction that she brought forth the terrible monster Typhon, a monster so powerful and uncontrollable that it could even threaten the gods with destruction.
The gods were taken by surprise by the approach of the monster. At the last minute, Pan shouted a warning and suggested that the various gods disguise themselves as various animals in order to hide from the monster. Now so terrible was the sight of Typhon that Zeus himself is said to have changed himself into the form of the ram, Aries, and remained that way for a while. The other gods also changed themselves into animal forms. Aphrodite and Eros, for example transformed themselves into the two fishes Pisces. Pan himself took to the river to hide in the form of a fish. In the Sea Goat we see the god being transformed but because of the rush, he did not succeed in completing the transformation. Only his rear was transformed. The front part of him remained in the form of a goat.
Later Zeus grappled with the monster Typhon. He was severely injured in the fight, Typhon having cut out the tendons of Zeus' hands and feet. Typhon then hid the tendons in a cave in the land of Cilicia. To guard the tendons, Typhon selected the dragon-woman Delphyne, half-serpent and half-woman. Now Delphyne wasn't a very good guard and permitted the tendons to be stolen by the gods Hermes and his son Pan. Stealing back the tendons of Zeus they returned them, making Zeus once again as fit as ever. His strength regained, Zeus unleashed all his fury and killed the monster Typhon by hurling thunderbolts at him. For Pans' role in this battle against the Titans, Zeus gave him an honored place in the sky as the constellation Capricornus.The Scapegoat from the Holy BibleIn the OT, atonement was expressed through the ritual of the Day of Atonement. For the atonement a particular part was played by two goats. In the story found in Leviticus
We find that it was the scapegoat that bore the sin of the people off into the wilderness:"But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness." - - Leviticus 16:10While the other goat, the sin offering, was taken by the high priest and slain,and its blood sprinkled upon the altar."And Aaron shall bring the bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and shall make an atonement for himself, and for his house, and shall kill the bullock of the sin offering which is for himself:"- - Leviticus 16:11And so Christ, in the New Testament, was that great atonement. He represented that great sin offering! He is the one who dies for us. Christ was both the scapegoat and the sacrificial goat.
According to some ancient myths, Capricornus was the Gate of the Gods, the portal in the sky through which the souls of mortals passed after they died. According to Christianity Christ became that portal to everlasting life."-- Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.-- All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.-- I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture." - - John 10:7-9The Astrology of Capricorn
Capricorn is the third of the earth elements and its elemental quality is cold and dry. In the seasonal North it is cold and wet, while hot and dry in the South. It is feminine whose similitude is of the nocturnal sect.
This is the nocturnal lordship for Saturn and the exaltation of Mars at 28°. It is the detriment of the Moon. The rulers of the triplicity by day are Venus followed by the Moon. By night it's rulers are the Moon followed by Venus. The co-ruler by day and night is Mars.
"Capricorn is . . . servile, enigmatical, dual-natured, very watery, semi-complete, . . . indicator of toil and trouble . . . Those so born will be . . . of different sorts, good and simple at exposition, hardworking, full of care, sleepless, fond of laughter, planners of great works, those who make bad mistakes, fickle, mischievous, liars, culpable, shameful."
- - Vettius Valens: The Anthology Book ILooking at the overall picture Valens gives us, it's clear we have a mixture of both the potential for greatness and smallness. Having known very few Capricorns I can honestly say that those I knew were a bit of an enigma, one of Valens' expressions. They are a paradox of ingeniousness and over simplicity. Aquarius, the other sign ruled by Saturn, is like but different. He is more concerned in how a social system can fit his ideals. The Capricorn is more concerned with how he can fit his own ideal.
Capricorn is also opposite of Cancer. Where a Cancer is concerned with belonging and understanding where he's coming from, the Capricorn is more interested in how to get where he's going and then what he's going to do when he gets there. He's "full of care" and worries.
Saturn, Capricorns domicile ruler, has some difficulties here. Saturn is cold and dry. So is Capricorn. The ancients gave Saturn to the diurnal sect because in order to counter act it's harsher qualities it needs warmth. Here Saturn only reinforces the intense cold and dryness. Capricorn then is slow to act, deliberate needing time to come to full understanding. Sometimes it succeeds, like when Mars is found here in its exaltation. Then it becomes deliberate action. Without a little help though it's easy for the Capricorn to slip into routines and traditions for the sake of practicality rather than fulfilment.
Capricorn can place great importance on responsibilities and duties. They can be dependable and hard working but feelings can suffer because of this as too often they may be viewed as "impractical" or "inconvenient". They are therefore sometimes regarded as loners and unsociable, cold and unfeeling. The problems arise because Capricorns are feeling. It must be remembered that it is a feminine sign and one whose triplicity rulers are of the nocturnal sect. So it is not uncommon for strong inclinations to either loneliness or the need for seclusion. When practicality and dependability have reached their limit, the Capricorn begins to question the purpose in life and then they are very prone to slip into bouts of self-recrimination and emotional fugue.
Key Words:
Conscientious, dependable, responsible, and individual
