Element: Earth
Mode: Cardinal
Gender: Feminine
Modern Ruler: Saturn
Anatomy & Illnesses: The knees. The knees enable us to bend, and once Capricorn has achieved its goals, it ideally adopts a humble stance by bending at the knees (e.g. through a curtsy or bow).
Glyph
Capricorn’s glyph represents the sea goat, with the V-shape symbolising its horns and the S-shape its fish tail. The sea goat illustrates human cultural achievement rising from the depths of the cosmic ocean. This glyph is also seen to represent the cornucopia, a symbol of food and abundance from ancient times. Also known as the Horn of Plenty, or harvest cone, the cornucopia is said to have the power to give whatever is desired to whomever possesses it.
Astronomy
Capricorn, not a bright constellation, resembles a triangle between the larger constellations of Aquarius and Sagittarius. The brightest stars in Capricorn are Al Giedi prima and secundi, which operate as a double star, each star being a true binary. In both northern and southern hemispheres, Capricorn is best seen at midnight in the midheaven when the Sun is in Cancer during June and July.
Theme/Quality
- Capricorn grounds the ideas and visions of Sagittarius and puts them on display.
- Capricorn starts at the time of the winter solstice (in the northern hemisphere), the longest and darkest night, and is associated with the rebirth of the Sun (the solar hero) after the solstice.
- Capricorn seeks to find a place in society, to achieve accomplishment, authority and recognition.
- Capricorn represents the father figure, establishments, administration and bureaucracy, and the experience of conforming.
- Capricorn is about mastering the gifts acquired from Taurus and the skills developed in Virgo (the preceding earth zodiac signs) and offering these resources to the world in order to achieve recognition.
- The image of the cornucopia, “the horn of abundance”, associated with Capricorn represents reaping the rewards of hard work and gaining prosperity.
- Capricorn, which is opposite Cancer, represents the establishment of self in the outer world, whereas Cancer needs to remain safe in its inner and familial world.
Traits
Ambitious, serious, conservative, responsible, cautious, prudent, masterful, accomplished, sure-footed, self-sufficient, disciplined, reliable, conservative, rigid, fearful, miserly, materialistic, narrow.
Glyph
The glyph for Saturn is made of the cross of matter on top of a downward-pointing crescent of receptivity. Together these indicate the importance of heritage and past experience as pathways to maturity, structure and stability. The glyph also resembles the shape of Chronus’ sickle. Chronus is the Lord of Time and destroyer of creation. In addition, the glyph depicts carrying a cross or bearing the cross of mortality.
Astronomy
Until the invention of the telescope and the discovery of Uranus, Saturn the ‘Lord with the Rings’, was the most distant visible planet. Saturn is memorable-looking and clearly identifiable because of its unique rings. The themes of boundaries and restrictions relate to Saturn, which the rings emphasise. The aspect of the rings changes as they rotate, so that once every 14 years the rings are edge-on and almost invisible. Saturn is very low in density and has 17 satellites, with the largest being Titan.
Diameter: 120,000 km
Mean distance from Sun: 1430 million km
Rotation: 11 hours
Orbital period around sun: 29.46 years
Atmosphere: Hydrogen, helium
Energy/Archetype
- The energy of Saturn is slow, enduring, commanding, restricting, binding, contracting.
- Saturn is Cold and Dry, inward moving and melancholic.
- Saturn is known as the Lord of Time, the great chronocrator, the hard taskmaster, the great malefic, and the guard of boundaries, limits or structure.
- Saturn represents necessity, the material world, the old world, connecting with the past, aging, autonomy, aloneness, death.
- Saturn is about things that take time, self discipline, self sufficiency, being our own boss and following our own rules.
- Saturn is conditional with love, being concerned with social consciousness, rules and traditions.
Astrological Cycle
Saturn takes 29.50 years to move around an astrological chart. The important times of the cycle are when Saturn returns at 29.5 years, at age 59, and at 88 years. Saturn oppositions, when Saturn is opposite its birth place, are also significant. The first is at approximately 15 years, the second at approximately 45 years and the third at approximately 75 years.
Traits
Disciplined, structured, patient, controlled, duty-bound, organized, conservative, focused, wise, orthodox, traditional, responsible, ambitious.
Shadow Depressed, anxious, restrictive, cold, limited, oppressive.
Rulership
Saturday, lead, death, age, black, miners, forms and structures, buildings, authority figures.
In the body
Bones, being the structure of who we are. Skin, being the boundary of our physical bodies. Teeth, the spleen, and hardenings in the body, such as stone formations, or hardenings of the digestive or arterial systems.
General & Natal
Career & Vocation. Positions of authority. Public persona. Aims and Goals. The Conditional Parent.
Mundane
The executive branch of government. Executives and bosses. The Law. National honour and reputation. Nobility. Famous people.
Horary
Querent’s mother. The judge or magistrate in a trial. One’s work. One’s boss or supervisor.
Important C*I*A Note about the Zones
Here at the CIA we respect and acknowledge astrology as a vast and diverse subject. It’s important to note that the signs, houses and planets have evolved out of separate meanings and symbolism, even though we group them together in our zones (eg. Zone 1 as Aries, Mars & 1st house). The 12 zones were devised to sort complex information into accessible categories. We wish to celebrate all the different facets of astrology on this website and in no way intend to limit or dismiss the rich history and philosophy of astrology. We encourage you to use the zones as an entry point into astrology and into our site, but not to regard the correlations between signs, planets and houses as absolute.