Capricorn zodiac sign characteristics

Capricornus (The Goat), December 21st - January 18th

This is the Negative Pole of the Earth Triune and corresponds to the knees of the Grand Man.

Its colors are maroon, brown, silver and black. Its birth stones are moonstone and white onyx. Its profession is teaching and the management of large sums of money, estates or many servants. Its chief characteristics are idealism, inspiration and a great love of learning and self-improvement. Its tribe is Judah, meaning " The Praise of the Lord." Its planets are Saturn and Mars. These people always possess the charm of looking well. They are generally fine-looking, with beautiful, expressive eyes—round instead of almond-shaped —dark hair and sometimes olive complexion.

The ambition they have to carry anything they undertake to a brilliant finish has a tendency to overtax their endurance and cause acute indigestion. This in turn leads to fits of the blues, as every one knows the digestion is responsible for a great deal of the unhappiness in the world. This is a feminine sign, the women born in it being the strongest natures and having the most brilliance. The men of the sign are gentle, tender, sympathetic and unambitious, except in cases of a perverted nature, when we find them cruel, selfish, passionate and vindictive.

Capricornus is another contradictory sign. Its people are very fond of a free and lavish way of living and like to give expensive gifts and pose as Lord and Lady Bountiful. Yet they will at times be selfish and penurious to the verge of miserliness. They are a nature of extremes. When they are gay they are more hilariously jolly than any one else, and when they are miserable there is no one so melancholy. These different phases of their character are undoubtedly the causes of their differing states of meanness and generosity. They are conventional people as a rule, but in a large, free way, and they like large plans and schemes. They are splendid as organizers of public enterprises and big business schemes, and are not happy unless they have an unlimited amount of money to spend. So we find these people working to amass large fortunes and more often than not succeeding.

They make capable, quick and exact commercial agents and are very successful at doing all kinds of commission work. They are essentially travelers and form wide acquaintanceships. They have tremendous reserve power and never seem to come to the end of their capacity. Occasionally there is a lack of ambition, which tends to narrow their business ability, but when highly endowed they possess wonderful fire and force. Like Sagittarius, these people mind their own business and expect to be unmolested by others. And should any one meddle with their affairs their vengeance would be sharp, vindictive and even destructive.

At these times they are sarcastic and severe, and their judgment harsh and unmerciful. There are many good mathematicians, accountants, civil engineers and recorders in this sign. And they have the faculty for turning their artistic talents to practical use. Especially is this seen in the case of the women, who make excellent housekeepers of beautiful homes.

They depend on their heads to accomplish their success—and the working out of their mental plans occupies their time to the exclusion of much manual work. They are the natural heads of the business of the world. They seem to need wealth to expand to their greatest capabilities and are rendered very unhappy by poverty, for in spite of their occasional miserliness, they cannot seem to economize except in a spasmodic way. They are proud, independent and high-minded, and not given to manual labor except as a furtherance of one of their own plans. They have great determination, executive ability and positive convictions which amount to stubbornness when crossed. These are the proud poor, who keep up appearances till they starve. They live too much in the externals of this world, and yet they have a deep, fine inner nature, with a high ideal of love and harmony. This idealism in their nature causes them to set their friends on pedestals and predisposes them to hero worship of all kinds, and on finding that human nature is very frail and their ideals are constantly tumbling off their impossible perches, most melancholy fits of the blues follow and a conviction that " only man is vile." When these people are born on the cusp where Sagittarius joins Capricornus, they are wonderfully prophetic. So though they correspond to the knees of the Grand Man, which is an external attribute, still as Hiram Butler says, " The knees are the feet of prayer" and they possess an ideal, internal spirituality, more lofty than that of any other nature. This shows itself in a sympathetic philanthropy and love of doing good. They are Jovers of literature, art, education and are the most wonderful teachers of all the signs, being very patient with the details. Their teaching is simple, plain and easily understood, well illustrated and very pleasing. From childhood they should be taught to conquer their pride, and learn that not wealth and position, but usefulness to mankind makes the man. No matter how rich they are they should be taught the value of money, and its proper care and uses. They are secretive people and loyal friends. They are not demonstrative themselves and do not like it in others. This sign has produced many fine musicians and brilliant actors and actresses. They dislike flattery but appreciate the commendation they deserve.

Capricornus is a talkative sign, and should learn the discretion of silence. Their worship of intellect and book learning often blinds them to the greater beauties and uses of a loving tender heart, or a pure, charitable soul. They must work out their salvation by looking away from self and the contemplation of their misfortunes, and looking up to higher things than the attainment of their selfish desires and the public esteem. Capricornus natures are generally happy in the married estate. They need companionship and dislike being left alone. A very happy union is that with their Positive Pole, Taurus.

A marriage with Libra is conducive to greater intellectual activity and growth.

Genius and power go with a marriage to Virgo.

A union with Pisces tends to artistic attainments.

One with Aquarius or Cancer to the beautifying and making lovely the home.

Capricornus people are most fortunate during the two weeks in the year beginning October 14th and May 27th.

"Astrology", by M. M. Macgregor (1905)