Capricorn Traits

Capricorn, the Goat, is the tenth sign of the Zo­di­ac. The sun enters it on or around December 22, at the winter solstice. Capri­corn belongs to the ele­ment earth, its quality is cardinal and its charge is negative. Its Ruler is Saturn, and Mars exalts in it. Its motto is: "I use."

     In the horo­scope chart, Capricorn brings ambition and a constructive drive to planets or Houses therein.

Your Capricorn Star Sign Traits

Those who have Capri­corn as their star sign are born when the sun was in Capricorn, normally De­cember 22 - January 20 (it differs slightly from year to year, be­cause of the leap years). There­fore, it is also - more accurately - called the sun sign.

     The sun in your horoscope is your natural self - what you are when you relax, when other planets in your horoscope are not active. It's your basic drive, a character you have as an ingredient - more or less evident in all you do and all you are.

     The sun is the most important point in your horoscope chart, but of course it's not the only thing that describes your personality. You need to look at all the components of your birth chart, to get a correct astrological description of your­self.

Getting Things Done

If your star sign is Capricorn, you are a person with a drive, with the energy to reach results whatever you do. You want to drag things to com­pletion. You have the ability to accomplish concrete results, even when the initial ideas may have seemed vague or even unrealistic. The result might not be all that was imagined in the beginning, but it is there, and it is real.

     You have ambition and the perseverence to realize most of your goals. What you start you want to finish, although that often means a lot of hard work. For you, the satisfaction is in the completion.

     Your world view is fundamentally materialistic. What exists is what you can touch and do something with. That's where you focus. The stuff that dreams are made of rarely dazzles you. Others might find that a bit tedious, but they have to admire the results you're able to get in the world as you know it.

     You don't mind company in the great projects you want to undertake, but you have to lead them. That's usually the case, even if it's not always evident in titles. Whatever the circumstances, you're usually in charge when something needs to be done.

Three Different Capricorn

A Zodiac sign doesn't give exactly the same influ­ence all through its 30°. Its first third has something of a cardinal quality, whatever the quality of the sign as a whole is, its second third is slightly more fixed in quality, and the last third is more mutable.

     If you were born at the end of December, the sun is in the beginning of Capricorn. That means you're very ambitious indeed, and you complete whatever you begin, no matter how much of an effort it takes. You can be quite demanding to others, too. Since this part of the sign is the cardinal one and Carpicorn's quality is cardinal, people born with the sun here are the most typical Capricorn, its traits showing strongly and clearly.

     If you were born in the beginning of January, the sun is in the middle of Capricorn. Then you have great perseverance. You know that in the long run, anything can be accom­plished, so you're in no hurry - but your goals are set.

     If you were born in the middle of January, the sun is at the end of Capricorn. Then you have a ten­dency to be impatient and take on tasks that may be too much even for you. Occasionally - actually quite regularly - you push yourself too much. You're also frustrated at times, because you don't always get the leading role you're convinced that you deserve.

Traits of Your Father

The sun in the horoscope also represents your father (the mother is represented by the moon). That means your Zodiac sign traits reveal something about the characteristics of your relationship with your father.

     If you have the sun in Capricorn, your relation to your father is one of mutually high demands. You ex­pect a lot of each other. There is respect, but also intolerance if the demands are not met. There can also be some rivalry about authority. Your father demands to be obeyed, and it happens that you do the same. When your aims are not the same, there can be a noisy and lasting battle of wills, but when you agree on some­thing to accomplish together, you can be very efficient and cooperate wonderfully to reach results. It is when you do things together that you enjoy each other's company the most.

Traits of the Planets in Capricorn

When another planet or other point of the horo­scope is in Capricorn, it's also affected by the Zodiac sign, get­ting some of its traits. Here are those astrological points, what they stand for in the horoscope, and how they are affected by Capricorn:


Sun   basic drive - Capricorn brings an ambition to accomplish great things.

Moon   longing - Capricorn brings a need to get things done and to be in control.

Mercury   curiosity - Capricorn brings a sharp mind focused on solving problems.

Venus   affection - Capricorn brings a capacity to easily get things done, and technical skills.

Mars   aggression - Capricorn brings an unbending will and strong perseverance, as well as lots of stub­born­ness.

Jupiter   luck - Capricorn brings success in con­structive and concrete matters, the ability to accomplish great things.

Saturn   duty - Capricorn brings a grim and focused mind, seet on duty and on doing what must be done.

Uranus   contemplation - Capricorn brings a com­petence to analyze complex situations and reach wise decisions.

Neptune   fantasy - Capricorn brings dreams and visions of a concrete nature, many of them possible and rewarding to realize.

Pluto   catharsis - Capricorn brings ability to handle crisis and to excel where others fail.

Ascendant, AC   attitude - Capricorn brings an atti­tude of authority, demanding the respect of others.

Medium Coeli, MC   self-image - Capricorn brings a sense of being able to do just about anything, and the inclination to try.

Traits of the Houses Capricorn

In the astrological Houses, the Zodiac signs also bring their character traits, influencing the environments de­scribed by the Houses. Here are the twelve Houses of the horoscope, what they stand for, and how Capricorn affects them:

1. Identity - Capricorn makes you seem competent and worthy of respect.
2. Resources - Capricorn makes you in control of your material situ­ation.
3. Communication - Capricorn makes you accom­plish great things with your friends, and your studies are focused.
4. Home - Capricorn makes your home your castle, and your family well organized.
5. Pastime - Capricorn makes you enjoy to have plans and get lots done, in your free time.
6. Work - Capricorn makes your work ambitious and constructive.
7. Partners - Capricorn makes your relations fixed and committed.
8. Unknown - Capricorn makes you able to keep control even when the unexpected happens, and in life-crisises.
9. Travel - Capricorn makes you plan your travel and reluctant to return.
10. Career - Capricorn makes you ambitious and capable to have a successful career.
11. Ideals - Capricorn makes you work hard to make the world a better place, never just talking about it.
12. Shortcomings - Capricorn makes it difficult for you to keep your goals and to reach lasting results.

Generalizations

Of course, all of the above is very general, mainly to give you an idea of how the Zodiac sign traits affect the horoscope. You need to study your horoscope chart carefully, to make a deeper and more nuanced inter­pretation.

Capricorn, illustration from a 1482 edition of a book by Hyginus.
© Stefan Stenudd