Capricorn 2008 – Pragmatic Determined Earth Spirits

by Robert Wilkinson

January features the Sun in Capricorn, and during January 2009 we also began the year with Jupiter in this Cardinal Earth sign, as well as Mars the entire month and Mercury the last 10 days of the month. This shows that we've had a Capricorn emphasis in our Sag and Pisces areas, as well as Aries and Scorpio, with our Gemini and Virgo areas joining the end of the month. This would indicate that we've been organizing or reorganizing at least half of our lives and affairs, preparing a structure for the larger step coming in February.

First, a mea culpa that this is so late this year. The Sun enters Aquarius tomorrow, January 19, at 2:41 pm PST, 10:41 pm GMT. I promise not to wait so long to give you the year's article on Aquarius. While Jupiter set Capricorn energies into motion the past 12 months, this year it offers the same expansions to Aquarius. More on that in February. And now, we turn the spotlight to the sign of Capricorn!

Capricorn spotlights our ability to claim and exercise power in the public realm and our ability to assert our personal authority within some social structure or the world at large. This self-starting practical sign represents the power of initiating a form of self interest, enlightened and otherwise. These are the energies we use in our lives to organize our time, energy, and resources with an eye to forms of personal fulfillment, and the ability to use time productively to achieve our intention.

Capricorn is the ultimate plodder, patiently persevering with an eye to the long-term payoff. Wherever it falls in a chart is where you may find and claim your power, authorship, mature experience and responsibility.

This sign inaugurates Winter, which began at the Solstice on December 21 2008, 4:04 am PST, 12:04 pm GMT. The light force was at its yearly minimum, teaching us how to conserve energy and concentrate on what we need to learn.

According to Rudhyar, the power of the collective grows in strength until the Winter Solstice, after which it begins to wane. Now individuality and free will begin to become stronger, and the days will gradually get longer, until the Summer Solstice on June 20, 2009, at 10:46 pm PDT (June 21 for Central Daylight Time and points east), the longest day of the year.

Capricorn is the dutiful mature executive. It is one of the "parent" signs, and very practical and pragmatic. Mythologically, this sign of the Sea-Goat is the Wisdom-Innocence of the Elder as they are instinctive, child-like, and self-interested, yet without thought of ulterior reward.

Capricorn, when freed of the chains of socialized expectations, limited value judgments, perceptual blocks, the desire to over-control things, and fear of being thought improper, show their world how to accept responsibility easily and naturally, being the administrator of some form of Divine service to their society. When their mighty determination and perseverance are leashed by their Higher Self, great works are created.

Think Rod Serling, whose compelling voice and profound writing abilities created the legendary “Twilight Zone,” changing television forever. Arguably the most famous Capricorn of all, Elvis Presley, electrified the world and opened a door that changed us all for all time. Other Capricorn superstars of their times were Isaac Newton, the mathematician-astrologer and one of the greatest scientists of the past 500 years along with Dr. Benjamin Franklin, the scientist, statesman, inventor, and genius whose features still grace our $100 dollar bill.

In the political realm where they most naturally rise to the top (and often have spectacular falls!), we have 4 very ruthless men who ruled their worlds with iron fists. We begin with Chairman Mao Tse-tung, the founder of Red China, and proceed to Richard Nixon, the felonious “unindicted co-conspirator” who resigned the Presidency in disgrace. Then there's Capricorn Josef Stalin, the Soviet premier who murdered 30 million of his people, finish the quartet with J. Edgar Hoover, the FBI chief with absolute power who violated the civil and human rights of tens of millions of American citizens.

Other notable political figures include Nobel Prize Laureate and martyred Middle East leader Anwar Sadat, banker and would-be kingmaker Alexander Hamilton, Presidents Millard Fillmore and Andrew Johnson, and such diverse figures as Benedict Arnold, Joan of Arc, George Marshall, Walter Mondale, Konrad Adenauer, and Barry Goldwater.

Others who made their mark in the political history of our world were Woodrow Wilson, who created the League of Nations only to have his Congress reject it, Robert E. Lee, the man who saved the United States from endless guerrilla warfare, Muhammad Ali, the greatest boxer of all time who chose the path of nonviolence and spirituality rather than war, and the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the Prophet who showed us how to “keep our eyes on the prize.”

A special nod goes out to two very special First Ladies. Lady Bird Johnson beautified America when she was here, and left a wildflower research center as her legacy that has impacted the whole world for decades. And Michelle Obama is the first African-American First Lady, and looks to make a significant impact on America in her own way, given her intelligence and practical analytical skills.

Three great spiritual Capricorns who made a difference in their world were the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, founder of Transcendental Meditation; Vivekananda, the 19th century Indian force majure of the Counsel of World Religions and disciple of Ramakrishna, a spiritually realized being beyond our comprehension; and Paramahansa Yogananda, the Indian sage who gave the world a blend of the best of East and West, a master of Kriya Yoga (Yoga of Light) and author of many spiritual works including his famous “Autobiography of A Yogi,” a story for the ages of levitating masters, living saints, and the power of Yogic self-realization.

Legendary Capricorn musicial lights feature Cab Calloway, Little Richard, Marlena Dietrich, Bo Diddley, Odetta, Johnny Otis, Xavier Cugat, Phil Spector, Victor Borge, Oscar Levant, Earl “Fatha” Hines, Jean-Pierre Rampal, Ray Price, Sophie Tucker, Gene Kruppa, Ethel Merman, Eartha Kitt, Frank Zappa, Janis Joplin, Phil Everly, Syd Barrett, Del Shannon, Glenn Yarborough, John Denver, Roger Miller, Jack Jones, Aaliyah, and Robert Palmer.

In modern times we have an array of true talent: Sir George Martin, Jimmy Page, Edgar Winter, Pat Benatar, Donald Fagan, Robbie Krieger, Joan Baez, Rod Stewart, twins Maurice and Robin Gibb, Steven Stills, Annie Lenox, David Bowie, Dave Matthews, Anthony Glise, Dolly Parton, Chris Jefferson, Marianne Faithfull, Patti Smith, Michael Nesmith, Kenny Loggins, George Thorogood, Donna Summer, Shirley Bassey, Sade, Andy Summers, John Paul Jones, Mick Jones, Mary Weiss, Van Dyke Parks, Trevor Rabin, Bryan “Dexter” Holland, John Legend, Rob Zombie, Michael Stipe, Eddie Vedder, Jimmy Buffett, Jonathan Davis, A.J. McLean, Melanie Jayne Chisholm, Marilyn Manson, Paul Revere, Ron Foos, Bobby Goldsboro, Barbara Mandrell, Crystal Gayle, Ricky Martin, Charo, Kid Rock, and Paul Stanley.

In the world of film Capricorn has given us such legends as Cary Grant, Ava Gardner, Hal Roach, Mack Sennett, Oliver Hardy, Lew Ayers, Sydney Greenstreet, Ray Bolger, Paul Henreid, Tex Ritter, Tom Mix, Gwen Virdon, William Bendix, Jane Wyman, Sterling Holloway, George Dolenz, Luise Rainer, Danny Kaye, Richard Widmark, Jose Ferrer, Ray Milland, Jose Greco, Butterfly McQueen, Sal Mineo, Rod Taylor, Tippi Hedren, Patricia Neal, Russ Tamblyn, Susannah York, Alan King, Yvette Mimieux, and Federico Fellini.

Newer film luminaries of this tribe include Robert Duvall, Faye Dunaway, Ben Kingsley, Sarah Miles, Anthony Hopkins, James Earl Jones, Diane Keaton, Nicolas Cage, Samuel L. Jackson, Jon Voight, Dyan Cannon, Sissy Spacek, Denzel Washington, Val Kilmer, Jude Law, Cuba Gooding Jr., Jim Carrey, Kevin Costner, Patrick Dempsey, Orlando Bloom, Debbie Allen, Barbara Carrera, Joan Chen, Tim Matheson, Verne Troyer, Kate Bosworth, Maggie Smith, Joey Lauren Adams, Kristin Kreuk, Tia Carrere, Corey Haim, Ami Dolenz, and David Lynch.

Legendary televison Capricorns include George Burns, Steve Allen, Bob Denver, Barbara Billingsley, Mary Tyler Moore, Shari Lewis, Robert Stack, Loretta Young, Danny Thomas, Cliff Arquette, Jesse White, Lloyd Bridges, Dorothy Provine, Shelley Fabares, original Star Trekkers DeForest Kelley and Nichelle Nichols, Bert Parks, Betty White, Jack Lord, Guy Madison, Andy Kaufman, Dabney Coleman, and George Reeves.

More contemporary stars feature Jean Stapleton, Ted Danson, Tracey Ullman, Vic Tayback, Harry Shearer, John Amos, John Walsh, Matt Frewer, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Susan Lucci, Pamela Sue Martin, Larry Storch, Arte Johnson, Richard Moll, Victoria Principal, Shawn Wayans, Bill Maher, David Caruso, Alan Beckwith, Amanda Peet, Kim Coles, Jason Bateman, Paul McCrane, Taye Diggs, Gabrielle Carteris, Danica McKellar, Bonnie Hellman, Pamela Sue Martin, and Mason Gamble.

A special nod goes out to three female television journalists of this tribe, Diane Sawyer, Cokie Roberts, and Katie Couric, along with one of the all time legends, Andy Rooney.

In the literary world we find Daniel Webster, Charles Perrault, Rudyard Kipling, Carl Sandburg, Jack London, Edgar Allen Poe, Carlos Castaneda, Kahlil Gibran, JRR Tolkien, AA Milne, Anne Bronte, Henry Miller, JD Salinger, Horatio Alger, Maurice Sendak, Mary Higgins Clark, Sam Levenson, Isaac Asimov, Susan Perabo, and Stephen Hawking, while in the art world we find Henri Matisse, Paul Cezanne, and legendary illustrators Johnny Gruelle and Charles Addams.

Other famous Capricorns who rose to the top of their game were pioneering astronomer Johannes Kepler, Louis Pasteur, Albert Schweitzer, Louis Braille, inventors Charles Babbage and Charles Goodyear, Howard Hughes, Ari Onassis, Simon Wiesenthal, Betsy Ross, Dr. Daniel Hale Williams, Madame C.J. Walker, Vidal Sassoon, Clara Barton, Robert Ripley, Kit Carson, Paul Revere (the original!), Jeff Bezos, and Conrad Hilton. We also find two of the most infamous figures in history, Al Capone and Rasputin.

Notable sports figures include Connie Mack, Tiger Woods, Sandy Koufax, Dizzy Dean, Rickey Henderson, Ozzie Smith, A.J. Foyt, Andre Michelin, and George Foreman, as well as stage entertainers Sally Rand, Gypsy Rose Lee, Galina Ulanova, Alvin Alley, the Amazing Kreskin, and radio personality Howard Stern.

Finally, happy birthday to the states of Alaska, Connecticut, Georgia, Iowa, New Mexico, Texas, and Utah, and the nations of Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Lithuania, India, Thrace, the Vatican, and the Orkney Islands.

Happy B as well to the cities of Huntsville and Mobile, Prescott, New London, Tallahassee, Key West, Atlanta, Savannah, most cities in Iowa, Detroit, New York City, Fargo, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Toledo, Tulsa, Chatanooga, Austin, Arlington, Newport News, Virginia Beach, Seattle, along with Brandenburg, Brussels, Port Said, and the areas of Punjab, Saxony, and Hesse.

© Copyright 2009 Robert Wilkinson

Comments

[finder for Astrology chart]

Thanks for telling all this, but please can you tell me how would be 2009 for arise.

(Robert here - In this realm we ask the proprietor for permission to link to a commercial site BEFORE we offer the link to the readers here. That's why your link is deleted. Friends of the site get the plug. Random spammers don't.)

[Damien]

Not the easiest of paths to be incarnate Cap but one that is probably providing my soul with growth experience and parameters that many others aren't receiving.

[Robert]

Hi Damien - Just remember that every Capricorn goes through Aquarius to become Pisces. It may not be easy, but in my experience I'm not sure that any sign necessarily has it easier than any other. Each Sun sign has its challenges to move barrenness to fruitfulness.

[holy woman]

Hello Robert,

I enjoy your insights very much. I am a 0 degree Cap: I have been having my inner circuitry rebuilt: Pluto conj Sun as well as Saturn conj. Pluto,Mars,Uranus in 12th! When will I be "bionic"?
;) Seriously, will relief come soon? I am pretty tired of being a solitary and productive and spiritual all the time. Being powerful and deep is wonderful and I don''t take the gifts of these transits lightly. But I need fun and human, earthly, company before I lose my mind! If you can delete my birthdate and location from the post that would be much appreciated.

Cheers,
AB

[Robert]

Hi Holy Woman AB - I will do it this once, but I usually will not delete birth info from comments, since it's easier for you not to post it. You're going to forever be "solitary, productive, and spiritual all the time," across many lives of service, so you should work on being "pretty tired," since that's the illusion here. Perhaps you need a different form of these things that you can truly enjoy, or you need to do personality integration techniques so one part of your being is not discontent with Dharma. A Spiritual Being surely can have fun and find good company as they do their Being. It's all a matter of finding the right point of view, and persevering in that point of view until the thought form brings forth the object of focus. Just remember that since all forms pass away, don't get too attached in trying to manipulate reality beyond a certain point. You have a great aptitude for recognition and authority in your world; accept the blessing, accept the responsibility, and accept the power to be a force for good in your world. At 44, we are required to get a new vision, and learn as much as we can from "the quest."

[holy woman]

oh, man. the universe keeps saying some version of what you are saying above, so i should probably quit trying different divining techniques to try to get a differnt answers, and just get with the program wholeheartedly.;-) and yes, even if you've done a critical mass of personal coognitive work i suppose some periodic cleanup is probably in order, so that, as you say "some part of your being is not discontent with dharma". or it may just be that necessary little bit of friction that makes it a bit interesting when dharma is writ so plainly.

in any case, thanks so much and my apologies for troubling you with the birth date thing.

[Robert]

Hi Holy Woman - Well, when our "dream" is confirmed by multiple vectors, then yes, it's telling us something important. There's never a point at which the work of self-realization is entirely done, since even if we're adept at all levels of the personal, there are still the interpersonal and transpersonal levels to master. And of course, the grit is what makes the pearl. And of course, you're welcome and it's nyet problem with the date thang.