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Minding the Interior
In the point of rest at the center of our being,
we encounter a world where all things are at rest in the same way.
Then a tree becomes a mystery, a cloud a revelation,
each [person] a cosmos of whose riches we can only catch glimpses.
The life of simplicity is simple,
but it opens to us a book in which we never get beyond the first syllable.
~ Dag Hammarskjöld in MARKINGS
Greetings from the still, quiet center of Capricorn’s domain, issuing from the point of longest night—at Winter Solstice, when the seed of yin light is planted in the deep dark, initiating Light’s return. A seed of light which, this month, we may not quite yet feel here in earth’s northern hemisphere. Both weather-wise and otherwise, January can feel a long ordeal, a journey through thick time, which one must patiently endure before the gears of the start their motion.
Fittingly, patience is one of the primary qualities that Capricorn, and its ruler Saturn, apprentices us to. When we submit to the task, waiting with attentive openness for the dormant to arise, keeping the inward gaze which this yin sign invites, we will have met this Elder/Teacher energy with all of ourselves, and, with grace, reap its rewards come spring.
Considering the meaning of January, derived form Janus, offers an interesting way into the complexity of this archetype. While modern astrology talks much about Capricorn’s association with patriarchal structures, in ancient times—as indicated by its totem, the mythical goat-fish, the sign was embraced for its qualities of the feminine elements of both Earth and Water. In this vein, Janus was an Ancient Roman god of doorways and beginnings who, presiding over transitions, was often depicted with two bearded heads facing opposite directions—hence the phrase, Janus-faced, which points to the capricious (like Capricorn) or contradictory nature of the god.
As a sign of dual-nature, Capricorn presides over both the heights of worldly realms, striving with ambition and grounded know-how for the metaphorical mountaintop, while also having access to the deepest mystical knowing— being connected to the vast intuitive waters within. Whether societal or spiritual seeker, in its noblest sense the mountain that the Capricorn goat ascends is founded on a deep self-respect, with a ‘mountain mind’ unshakeable in pursuit of its goals.
While known for its leadership qualities, as a humble earth sign, Capricorn is at its best ‘salt of the earth’, extremely hard working, not afraid to roll up its sleeves and participate. Often a solitary journeyer, however, Capricorn, and its ruler Saturn, can invite the trials of loneliness (it’s lonely at the top!). But as astrologer Daniel Giamario points out, genuine personal evolution and soul growth happens within the individual, not the collective. This is why inner work is so vital in these times, as true change in the collective begins with each of us.
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Out With the Old?
There has been much talk about Pluto’s transition from Capricorn, through which it’s been transiting since 2008, into Aquarius, where it will return once again on January 21, having spent a few months there already in early 2023. These past 15 years have marked the exposure of the evils and moral depravity of governing institutional structures of all stripes, and in many cases initiated their decline. Certainly, even if they are still in some sense ‘standing’, we now see the shoddy values and principles upon which they rest. In its lowest manifestation, Capricorn does not hesitate to throw its inherent nobility and integrity aside, adopting a code of deceit and callousness in order to achieve its greed-based “success.” How on earth could one ‘get ahead’ if one practiced goodness, reasons the corporate-political mogul of our times. (Can’t help but note that mogul refers both to a rich and powerful person, as well as to a small hard pile of snow on the side of a ski mountain, pointing to both the corporate and earthy realms of the Capricorn’s goat, with the uber successful, particularly in sports, now referred to as G.O.A.T. – Greatest Of All Time. Clearly the old world value of quiet humility has faded.) But with Pluto here in Capricorn we have been seeing the exposure and toppling of the old structures—the calcified, the no longer relevant, or the egregiously corrupt. Pluto’s time in idealistic Aquarius will likely bring even more sweeping changes across the collective. Whereas Capricorn’s means are in building enduring structures, laws, and rules, Aquarius the revolutionary is keen to break these down, to level the playing field, championing values of freedom and equality, particularly for the marginalized and dispossessed. (The French Revolution, which sloganized these values, took place in the latter part of a Pluto run through Aquarius.) Case in point to the toppling of the old: those on the far left, as well the far right, no longer necessarily believe in the beacon of democracy. Right in time for this archetypal season’s theme of old structures crumbling, Netflix put up a 6th and final season of The Crown. In its final episode, which concludes with Queen Elizabeth’s contemplation of her death, and points to the question of the monarchy’s ensuing viability, Prince Philip utters these apposite words: The system makes no sense anymore to those outside it, nor to those of us inside it. All human things are subject to decay, and when fate summons, even monarchs must obey… This is indeed the Capricornian plight. While it is a master builder of empire, subject as all things are to the cycles of life, empire is destined to decay. Civilizations as well. Depth psychological and visionary astrologer, Dane Rudhyar, wrote presciently about this in The Pulse of Life (1943): Civilization—the Capricornian god—must forever destroy itself while increasing its scope and its powers. Its noblest children are the very ones who will be the leaders in this destruction: the reformers and dreamers, these minds whom no achievement can ever satisfy. They will carry in their souls the signature of Aquarius. I can’t help but think of my young adult daughter, who adopted strong leftist ideals and methods as a Politics major. She indeed has a strong Aquarius signature in her chart and is dedicated to her work both as a teacher and as a teacher’s union organizer, the latter providing her her greatest meaning in these times. Of course it’s not a simple, ‘out with the old, in with the new.’ Aquarius, too, has its lower octave manifestation. Being Saturn-ruled, like Capricorn, Aquarius has strong “power over” impulses, which of course we see in spades in today’s world. So the worst-case scenario for Pluto in Aquarius is a world ever more dominated by despots, with the media and AI as primary weapons of control-–technological innovations being governed by Aquarius’ modern ruler, Uranus. Thus empowered, fearsome rulers, aka con men, may continue to lure the people into entrusting them with their will, and surrendering responsibility to them for their lives. “We’ll protect you in these harsh times!”, is the hook. See the engrossing 2018 dark comedy, Sorry To Bother You, by Boots Riley, for a shivering version of what this could look like. (My daughter assigned it to me a while back and it made an imprint!) As with all archetypal showings, however, the reality of what we can expect as we deepen into the Aquarian age transition will surely encompass a blend of both Aquarius’ light and dark sides. Sign up here for my upcoming online class exploring all aspects of Aquarius, on January 27. If you can’t attend live, you’ll be sent the class recording and extensive notes. And if you want to dig deeper into Capricorn, you can purchase the recordings and notes of that class at this link |
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Lumen Natura
Rather than dwell on the perceived dark, however, I am inclined towards the light, taking my lead from the sprouting seed, which tunes its growth towards the sun’s warmth, even if buried in the dark at first. It is not “Pollyanna” to look to what is good, beautiful, and burgeoning in a time of dying. To this end, I am keen to elevate Capricorn’s crusty reputation and find the light of hope therein, a light that springs both from its earthy practicality and its esoteric knowledge of the Mystery.
We have Claudius Ptolemy, 2nd century Egyptian mathematician, astronomer, and astrologer, to thank for condensing down the Capricorn signification to masculine means and methods, tossing out the internal, feminine, and mystical qualities inherent in the sign. But I, and astrologers like me, are determined (good Capricorn word) to re-elevate Capricorn’s spiritual meanings. Dane Rudhyar, in pointing to Capricorn’s arrival at the inception of the return of the light in the earth’s yearly orbit around the Sun, describes this sign’s essence as the initiation of the growing “Day Force,” which will peak at the Summer Solstice. He equates this Day-Force with what he calls “the Christos”, the birth of Christ calendared at this time, which marks a “descent of Spirit into matter.”
Other, pagan-leaning sources suggest that Capricorn represents the hidden seed of mystical light that is found in nature (the lumen natura), given its associations with the nature god, Pan, as well as its being the most ‘big picture’ of the grounded Earth signs, with an inherent concern for the systems of the natural world. The Ancient Greek and Hindu gods connected with Capricorn further emphasize this point, as they presided over agriculture, and the essential rains that nourished the crops. As protectors of the land, they understood and worked to protect the interconnected web of life.
‘Protector’ is a key aspect of Capricorn leadership. And as such, at its most elevated, this archetype takes responsibility for sustaining the delicate web of life on earth, using its intuitive connection to the earth’s inhabitants, elements, and cycles, along with its forward-looking, wise elder view, to make sure that Life will continue to thrive for seven generations to come.
The eyes of the future are looking back at us. And they are praying for us to see beyond our own time. ~ Terry Tempest Williams
Another view on the spiritual aspect of Capricorn is in considering the mystical path which, like Capricorn, asks to integrate a fundamental paradox: that one must remain ever steadfast and devoted to one’s focus, while letting go of all striving. (There is a Sufi saying that embodies this, “Quit this world, quit the next, and quit quitting!”) So while the masculine requires that one, in the words of 13th century Christian mystic Meister Eckhart “practice diligently and often”, the feminine aspect asks that we let go of our focus on outer appearances and reassurances, find our faith in the light that remains hidden, and even harder, persevere when faith is lost.
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The Death of the Old King and Queen
Yet another angle on the Capricornian spiritual quest involves the great psycho-spiritual alchemical work of uniting the opposites inherent in being ‘born of clay,’ yet drinking from the soul’s cup of virtues and immortal qualities. The successful alchemical opus is an integrated blend of the best of masculine and feminine: Sun and Moon, strength and flexibility, action and receptivity, doing and being. The potential for this ‘union of opposites’ rests in Capricorn’s dual nature, with masculine striving after spirit’s peaks and spires, and feminine groundedness in the knowledge of Earth and the waters of our origins.
Astrology, also concerned with the integration of opposing energies, has been closely linked with alchemy by figures such as Carl Jung—a Saturnian wise elder figure, with Saturn in his 1st House and ruling his Ascendant. In actual alchemy, Saturn represents the base metal—lead—that must be cooked until it emits a putrid aroma. This is the precursor of the release of “spirit” that forms the Philosopher’s Stone (aka the gold). Metaphorically, one could say that this process signifies the ‘stinking despair’ that the dying part must go through, before it can be transmuted. Whether an individual, or a civilization, Saturn represents the “old king and queen” who must die and be laid to rest, entombed in grief and isolation, subjected to long waiting, before the subsequent transformation is initiated from the depths. The process cannot be forced or precipitated through Will by the one going through it, but only tended to from within.
Shortly after writing the above, I encountered a reading for Epiphany, Jan. 6, in a treasured compendium of daily words of wisdom, which lands with precision on this and other Capricorn themes. D.H. Lawrence, writes
I must let things work themselves into being. One can do nothing now, forcing is disastrous. I shall not go to America until a stronger force from there pulls me across the seas. It is not a case of my will…Let me only be still, and know we can force nothing, and compel nothing, can only nourish in the darkness the unuttered buds of the new life that shall be. That is our life now: this nourishing of the germs the unknown quickens when the new life is coming into being in us and in others—only patience, only patience, and endless courage to reject false dead things and false, killing processes.”
In closing on the alchemical thread, fitting for the grieving old monarchs, the attendant qualities of isolation and grief greatly inform our time, as well as this month of Capricorn, as the old slowly withers away. These times and its inherent qualities must be tended to with great care, subtlety, and attention, not brushed aside or denied. For they are not without inner riches, Capricorn informs us. Faith in the mysterious workings of the unseen is key. Eventually, we meet up with change, who knows, maybe even the Philosopher’s Stone!
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Choosing Earth
Moving into the ‘mundane life’ quarter, where most of us spend the bulk of our time (!), Capricorn offers some sage advice (its specialty). One of my favorites, of particular importance at this time of climate collapse, is that of “voluntary simplicity.” Simple living, in awareness of the preciousness of natural resources, was instinctively practiced by indigenous cultures that lasted for hundreds of thousands of years, until ‘civilized folk’ took over and tried to ‘re-educate’ them into their own mores and religions. This included the proposition of a transcendent masculine God that is separate from and ‘lording over’ the material plane realm, replacing the natural feminine awareness that the Divine is immanent in all life and its processes, as indigenous peoples the world over—such as Aboriginals and Native Americans—have never forgotten.
Choosing Earth is an important book by futurist Duane Elgin, which I read when it first came out in the early pandemic and subsequently facilitated book groups for using a curriculum that I helped edit. The book carefully illustrates the signs of ‘climate collapse’ that Elgin had foreseen since the 1980s when working to assess the effects of climate change for the Stanford Research Institute. So as not to scare the bejesus out of us (although how can one not be, reading the insistent headlines), he care-fully refers to these as the ‘Stages of Initiation and Transformation’ (Capricorn is associated with initiatory rites of passage), and goes on to detail what he calls “Uplifts For a Transforming Future.” (Fear is ever the devil at the door in Saturn-land, one could even say the alchemical ‘lead’ we must work with, along with despair. So the work of facing our fears and funding the resolve to feel and move through them is eminent in the domain.)
While Elgin does not shy away from telling it how he saw and sees it (back in the 80s he predicted the early 2020s would be when the unraveling would ‘virulently’—my word choice!— begin), the real gold of the book is in the Uplifts section. Here he helps people face what is upon us with (Capricornian) maturity and realism, inviting us to dig into the work of preparing ourselves—mind, body, and spirit— to live into the changes ahead.
Voluntary Simplicity
Following on the “Choosing” theme (again fitting for Capricorn, which is about taking responsibility for one’s life), he includes multiple sections that all begin with the word, Choosing: Aliveness, Consciousness, Communication, Maturity, Reconciliation, Community, Simplicity, and Our Future.
All of these have great merit, but for present purposes, I am plugging Simplicity. This is something we can each concretely do – scale back on the excesses of our lives, such as our acquisition and holding of material possessions, and our style of consuming natural resources (electricity, gas, water, food, plastics, textiles, etc.), in preparation and respect for a time when resources will be less abundant, as they were for centuries in the past.
I’ve been working on getting my body used to cooler temps both day and night for the past two years, turning my thermostat down a couple of degrees through time. To my surprise, this year when I arise to 58 temps indoors, I no longer cringe at the cold, but instead feel beneficially ‘braced! (A ‘clothes-on’ version of the cold water plunge?) We do need polarity sign Cancer’s qualities to navigate successfully with Capricorn, however – this is not military rule!
So for Cancerian comfort , I drink warm lemon water and hot teas, wear warm wraps over my sweaters, and cozy up with lap blankets in the evenings in winter. Part of my coming to enjoy cooler temps derives, I believe, from having conviction in my intent, in the choice I’m making. Knowing as I do of natural gas’ limited supply, the harm to the waters and habitats that fracking induces, and its rising cost.
I know, this may come off as annoying (Virgo) ‘virtue signaling’, but it is not meant so! I only mean to suggest that changing our lifestyle, while initially uncomfortable, can with time become new routine that is personally gratifying. Although it’s true that Capricorn/Saturn happily embraces “austerity measures,” such as the wild goat who navigates cold and steep inclines when scaling a peak. And I know this drill isn’t for everyone. I confess to having natal Saturn in Capricorn (conjunct Jupiter), tightly opposing my Cancer Moon, so Saturn and I walk hand-in-hand through life, for better or for worse.
Here is a short piece by stress-reduction expert, Jon Kabbat-Zin, on another aspect of simplicity—that of refining our attention to strictly the matter-at-hand, and slowing down our doings. More, and faster, are not better, as our wayward culture would have us believe. Sadly, the practice of staying with a single focus or undertaking, with deliberation, has become a rare old (Capricornian) wine in these times. We embrace the depths of this archetypal ferment, however, when we settle for needing less, allowing the richness of what is given to seep in, which in this season may look gloomily ‘mundane’ to eyes used to the exotic and adventurous. But this is Capricorn’s teaching, finding light, meaning, and beauty in the ordinary.
One thinks of Henry David Thoreau, who went to the woods at Walden Pond “to live deliberately.” While at this point living off the grid in nature may not be our inclination (or perhaps, like me, it’s ‘been there, done that’), we can choose to be deliberate in just about anything. Even about holding longer periods of silence, of which a Qi Gong teacher this week reminded me the value. Silence is a powerful practice for accessing and being with the depths of simply ‘what is’, and of course suited to this time of winter cold.
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Response-Ability
Increasingly, I return to Capricorn/Saturn’s chief medicine: that of learning to set limits and boundaries, and of taking responsibility. These are the keys to claiming our true maturity, to growing healthy relationships, and to mastering the planetary transits as well! Some transits may look like ‘lemons’, in which case we make lemonade; others offer us a positive boost, better achieved if we stand ready to take advantage by applying ourselves with dedication in the relevant area of life, often indicated by the house through which Saturn or Pluto is transiting your chart.
Speaking of: It’s always a good idea to get an astrology update at the start of the year, to see what it is we need to claim responsibility for in the year ahead. I’m booking for mid-February now, offering a 15% discount to those who have read this. Contact me to discuss!
Some of the most fruitful applications of claiming responsibility in our lives are in relationships, I find. Relevant to co-dependent dynamics, when we seek to help, rescue, or save others (a very human impulse), we in some way deny them the chance to learn to take responsibility for themselves, making them dependent on us. But if we refrain from getting overly involved, we free them to take charge of themselves. I was struck by a perfect example of this as reported in my local Sebastopol Times digital news, in a recent article about a local facility for the homeless.
Mistry Lujan, the case manager at Horizon Shine, said, “I’ve been where they [the clients] are at currently; I’ve been there and I got through it. And I didn’t get through it with services of any kind, but I had the chance to actually navigate myself through it. [my emphasis] And so I love the chance to empower anybody to move forward with their life.”
This is how Saturn medicine works – we learn to empower ourselves by taking responsibility for our needs and circumstances. We don’t make others responsible for us or blame them, and we don’t spend too much time helping others do what they feasibly can do for themselves. (This is coming from someone who facilitated meditation groups at a local women’s homeless shelter for many years until the pandemic struck, so it’s not like I don’t believe in service. But we need to know what is the right amount, and the right point of entry.) We also refrain from victim stance, from attributing our challenges and misfortunes to outside agents or forces. Instead, we take action to improve things. This is how we achieve the maturity that Saturn calls us to.
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Astrology of Now
I’ve touched on Pluto’s ingress this month into Aquarius, which is emphasized by the fact that the Capricorn New Moon (where Sun-Moon are conjunct) on January 11 will be widely conjunct Pluto, adding a note of intensity and an urge towards growth and regeneration to the Capricorn themes of getting serious about our contribution to Life—to the collective as its stands or falls—and of crafting our goals to this end.
On the 20th, the Sun enters Aquarius, and the next day Pluto follows suit, conjuncting the Sun at potent 0° Aquarius. This is the same degree as the Saturn-Jupiter “Great Conjunction” in December 2020, which marked the beginning of a 140-year period of such conjunctions in Air signs, thereby the start of a major new cycle. See my post on Aquarius for more details. This emphasizes the theme of change and transformation that Pluto in Aquarius will be ushering in, and which all of us astrologers will be yammering about this year!
In addition to its wide conjunction to Pluto, the upcoming New Moon trines Uranus in Taurus and sextiles Neptune in Pisces. With all three outer planets involved, we’re off to the races with the New Year’s lunation (29+ days)! Uranus, as a helpful trine, offers to help us break free from old Saturnian restrictions and stagnation, and inform our future plans with an embrace of change, while Neptune in sextile (help close at hand) can ‘make magic’ with our intentions. Further, the New Moon is exactly squared the Moon’s Nodal Axis, with Chiron conjunct the North Node in Aries. This will bring the theme of healing old wounds to the fore, and offers an opportunity, if fully faced, to release those burdens and frameworks that no longer serve us. All in all, a pretty good outlook for the month!
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Keep It Light!
On a lighter note, a final archetypal ‘siting’ is from a Washington Post newsletter I received during this “serious business” Capricorn season (Cappy knows there’s work to be done, always!). Tagged as a Must Read, the headline was “Fun Is Dead”. It begins,
Sometime in recent history, possibly around 2004, Americans forgot to have fun, true fun, as though they’d misplaced it like a sock. Instead, fun evolved into work, sometimes more than true work, which is where we find ourselves now. Fun is often emphatic, exhausting, scheduled, pigeonholed, hyped, forced and performative. [And the article concludes] Blame it on an American culture that values work, productivity, power, wealth, status and more work over leisure.
This is a good indicator of a Capricorn culture gone awry, where it has gotten so deeply into peoples’ bones (ruled by Capricorn) that they must tirelessly strive in service to ‘the machine’, that they now know how to do nothing but. A sad predicament, but one which we can certainly remedy by making sure to include ample fun and celebration in our lives, as well as rest and downtime. Keep it Light applies as an important antidote to Capricorn excesses! But meanwhile, we do well to stick to the work of holding to the light within.
For Light
Light cannot see inside things.
That is what the dark is for:
Minding the interior,
Nurturing the draw of growth
Through places where death
In its own way turns into life.
~ John O’Donohue
I leave you with a piece to accompany the stillness of this inward time: Maenam, by electronic cellist Jami Sieber, appropriately illustrated on this YouTube link by an image of a smashed hourglass and melting castle!
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Further Meanderings
Voluntary Simplicity, by Jon Kabbat-Zin: https://www.awakin.org/v2/read/view.php?tid=2632
Choosing Earth, by Duane Elgin: https://duaneelgin.com/books/choosing-earth/
Maenam, by Jami Sieber: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=YouTube+Jami+Sieber+Maenam&t=newext&atb=v402-1&iax=videos&ia=videos&iai=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DyG-X6SW15Do
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All photos copyright Diana Badger 2024 (unless otherwise indicated)