Capricorn
_I: Nothing better for knee day than Capricorn. The summary of this sign is probably embodied in the word Work, and yet it is one of the most ambiguous and strange symbols of the entire zodiac. What really is Capricorn?
_AM: Capricorn, as its word indicates, arises from the union of “Capri” (Caper = Goat) and “Cornio” (Cornus = Horn). It is the Horned Goat, in some cases drawn with a single horn, or with two, half of its body being a fish. Along with Sagittarius, it is the most mythological being of the zodiac, and its history is peculiar. We have mentioned that one of the possible origins of this sign is the Faun Pan, from Greek mythology, who, helping the gods with his music to defend themselves from the jaws of the monster Typhon, ran to hide by submerging himself in the waters of the Nile River. where Zeus turned him into half-fish so he could live underwater.
_I: Although it is very strange that a god related to games and fun turned into half-fish has incarnated an earth sign and who has little time for fun.
_AM: Mythological history has nothing to do with what this sign refers to. Its time, its period, are related to the middle of Winter, a cold time, of loneliness, of interiorization. Typhon was a monster, son of Gaea, the Earth, who embraced the mountains and dragged everything in his path, giant up to the sky, taking mountains with his hands... What does this sound like to you?
_I: Hmmm, I guess it has to do with the description of a geological process.
_AM: More like climatological. The sand storms, the north winds, the great storms that froze everything. That sudden change was monstrous. At this time, the cattle from the mountains had to go down to the rivers, get away from this change. In the Middle East, goats were the main source of meat, and of course, during the winter, they were the main food resource. The goats, in the rivers, and each group needed its male goat, who fertilized the females.
_I: The word Typhoon comes to mind that describes a hurricane… Of course, it is from the same root, it is something giant chaotic that reaches the stars and destroys everything. And it makes sense that the goats, the shepherds, come down from the high peaks to approach the rivers...
_AM: It is time to save yourself, to take refuge and to prepare everything for the next stage. You never know what can happen, and things can always get worse. You never know what will come in the next annual cycle. The Capricorn characteristic refers to hard, solitary work, to going inward, to passing the winter of the soul, to working methodically in the harshest climate, to facing discomfort. The time for the walk through the mountains is over, and the hard work of keeping the sheep alive begins.
_I: That is the time that shapes the Capricorn consciousness…
_AM: The sign describes that to obtain what one seeks, it is necessary to make efforts and face adversity.
_I: “Earning your bread by the sweat of your brow”, an old phrase but still considered necessary to refer to real work. Before it was considered that if you didn't suffer it wasn't work, that you had to make an effort to get what you want...
_AM: And isn't that what your unconscious still believes in a certain way?
_I: …Well… Yes. My Capricorn Ascendant makes me feel all the time that I don't do enough, that living well doesn't show that I do useful things. In addition to the social mandate of believing that what I do cannot be considered a real job. And it is often said: “when are you going to stop doing what you do and go to really work? Get a job like people, a normal one.” These phrases are decisive at the time of effort, of sweat.
_AM: From work. That is precisely what work represents, the concept of effort.
_I: And yes… My inner self sometimes feels like I'm not doing enough, I need to wear things that make me uncomfortable to feel like I'm actually doing something worthwhile.
_AM: When you know it's not like that...
_I: I'm grateful to have the Moon in Sagittarius... That makes me feel like I can have fun...
_AM: Everyone has a bit of self-flagella when it comes to effort. Some more, some less, but the Capricorn mandate of work resides there, in popular culture. It is the belief that things must be achieved through challenges. And, even though life and evolution are based on it, it does not mean that it should dominate our lives. Let's first analyze the tools that Capricorn gives us.
_I: The Trinity of the Earth…
_AM: Taurus in the body, Virgo in the soul and Capricorn in the spirit.
_I: First of all, how can it be that the spiritual level is what represents the unfulfilled effort?
_AM: Well, because you are looking at the spirit with the old eyes of Pisces. Believing that the spirit is only an angelic, subtle, emotional and divine concept does nothing more than speak of your cultural, religious and Piscean preconceptions. The spirit of the Earth is what turns simple coal into crystals, diamonds, quartz. The spirit of the Earth is the one that takes atoms of different minerals and builds a complex being like the human being. The spirit of the earth is not subtle, it is dense, and its density is what creates the wonders of this world, the alchemy, the beauty of nature. It is eternal patience, the quality of taking the things around you to manifest evolution, infinite capabilities, based on gravity and ingenuity, on analysis, trial and error. Without these attributes, nothing would exist. Without facing Typhon and finding ways to get through it, to survive it, to test until you discover the best potentials, life as you know it would not have become what it is. The Earth has taken millions, billions of years to generate what you take for granted today, and its beauty is not magic, it is constancy, and in that constancy is where you find the Spirit of the Earth.
_I: Now I understand you…
_AM: Thus, the comfortable and settled body of Taurus will only find a way to transcend and transform itself if it recognizes that to achieve said transformation, it must follow the steps of its trinity, finding doctrine and order, recognizing that eternal constancy is the greatest attribute of the spirit. Hence, meditation, stability, contemplation, deep solitude, are qualities of Capricorn, who finds in doing the method of spiritual manifestation.
_I: Capricorn discovers the spirit in its action, in producing, not in closing your eyes and sitting down to meditate, is that it?
_AM: While others idealize and dream, feel and play, the spirit of Capricorn is ready to make those ideas and dreams a reality, so that others can feel and play. Without the work of this attribute you could not have other experiences. Thus, Capricorn meditation consists of finding a comfortable and solitary space where you can think about different ways to achieve something, to make those dreams possible.
_I: Nothing is achieved without perseverance…
_AM: Maybe it takes lifetimes for some, or minutes for others, that will depend on the practice you have in it.
_I: Consistency is very difficult for me…
_AM: The reason this happens is because one of the aspects of Capricorn is that he cannot enjoy his own riches. You should try harder, and leave your benefits to the rest. Thus, Capricorn is a kind of Franciscan or Jesuit monk, who works as workers or slaves giving their lives for the rest because they do not consider themselves deserving of their own benefits. This is why they fail to take the time to be consistent with those things that will produce personal well-being, but they are constant for greater well-being, since their service is evolutionary.
_I: And what happens to the negative aspects, when we are off axis?
_AM: Capricorn, being an earth sign, has a huge record of every mistake in their lives, and one of the words that defines them off their axis is Resentment. They do not want to repeat the same thing, and therefore they make blacklists of topics to reject. This restricts their relationships, leaving them increasingly alone, distant from the rest, more fond of books and projects than of people. He prefers not to have responsibilities for others other than his own, and ends up banishing anyone who interferes between his objectives and himself. Obsessive compulsive, it will not be easy to change your point of view, because self-absorbed they see no other options than their own, which means that the same perseverance they use to make their dreams possible becomes slow to make transformations. Something that for an Aquarian can take a minute to decide, for a Capricorn can take years.
_I: I understand myself much better…
_AM: Well now you recognize that Capricorn, although it may seem slow, is the one who drives your evolution, and all the tools that it has discovered in its history on Earth will be useful to you to achieve your goals. Nurture yourself with them, and you will go very far.
_I: To ascend to another level of consciousness, I must, therefore, put the force that drives my purpose.
_AM: Another of the ancient symbols for this sign was the Unicorn, the one-horned horse, who represented the spiritual ascension of said force and intention, with its third eye radiating, creating matter, doing alchemy. This mythological animal, then, represents what you have to incorporate into yourself from this constellation, remember that diamonds emerge under great pressure.
_I: I am the result of the Spiritual force of the Earth.
_AM: You are the seed of Wisdom, Love and divine material Will.