Past Articles

AR 66 Lord of the Rings Enters the Realm of the Celestial Virgin

AR 65 The Asteroids

AR 64 Chiron, Wise Centaur or Rogue Comet?

AR 63 Astrology and the Hero's Journey

AR 62 Aquarius Ascending

AR 61 Dwarfing Pluto

AR 60 Jupiter in Sagittarius

AR 59 Neptune in Aquarius

AR 58 Mercury, Messenger of the Gods

AR 57 Moon Signs

AR 56 Chinese Astrology

AR 55 Circular Logic

AR 54 Jupiter in Scorpio

AR 53 The Lion in Winter

AR 52 As Above, So Below

AR 51 The Ancient Quest

AR 50 Astrology and Alchemy

AR 49 Star of Wonder

AR 48 Jupiter in Libra

AR 47 Once in a Blue Moon

AR 46 Sedna Enters the Arena

AR 45 Royal Stars of Persia

AR 44 Ancient Formulas for Immortality

AR 43 Twelve Gates of Heaven

AR 42 Jupiter in Virgo

AR 41 Geometry of the Spheres

AR 40 Saturn in Cancer, June, 2003 to July, 2005

AR 39 The Poles of the Zodiac

AR 38
Uranus In
Pisces
2003-2011

AR 37
Twelfth Planet, Plutinos or
Planet X

AR 36
Eclipses – Promise or Peril?

AR35
Solar Fire

AR34
The Lunar Mansions of Vedic Astrology

AR 33
Children of the Gods

AR 32
Wheels Within Wheels

AR 31
Horoscopes of Destiny

AR 30
Zodicac of Dendera

AR 29
A Star Is Born

AR 28
Age of Aquarius

AR 27
Persia's Royal Stars of Ancients

AR 23
The Lore of a Shaman

"Men's courses will foreshadow certain ends, to which if persevered in, they must lead. But if the courses be departed from, the ends will change. Say it is thus with what you show me spirit?" - Ebenezer Scrooge, A CHRISTMAS CAROL, Charles Dickens

Capricorn is the tenth sign of the zodiac and is ruled by the ringed planet Saturn. Capricorn is depicted as a Seagoat, with the head and body of a mountain goat and the tail of a fish or dolphin. The fish tail represents all of the memories and instincts contained in the vast reservoir of human evolution that the Seagoat carries with her. Capricorn is a sign of extremes, and like Scorpio, the best and worst of human nature can be expressed here. Capricorns channel their ambition into worldly pursuits and climb the mountain in search of fame, fortune and illusory security, longing to be master of all they survey.

Capricorns are ambitious and filled with energy which the ordinary person directs toward worldly achievement and recognition in an orderly and responsible manner. Capricorns are well suited to authority and this sign generally has a strong sense of duty and integrity. Qualities of Capricorn include a healthy dose of practicality and a desire for security along with the ability to concentrate. The Seagoat is disciplined and cautious as she makes her climb, knowing the limits. Strength and a sense of purpose guides the long ascent to the mountain top.

But later on in the Soul's journey Capricorn represents the point in our spiritual development, and the symbolic stage of the zodiac, where the focus turns inward. From this point of reversal the solitary climber makes the ascent into the clear cold heights of the spiritual mountain of illumination. Therefore, Capricorn is said to be the sign of the Initiate, and in the case of the spiritual disciple the considerable force of aspiration turns away from outer achievement and is directed toward the symbolic mountain of spiritual dominion.

British astrologer Ronald Davison has suggested that Capricorn represents "matter organized for use in its most perfect form, the final crystallization of the material universe." This is of course the spiritual symbolism of the highest expression of the sign.

Jupiter, king of the gods

The Roman Jupiter was the earlier Greek Zeus and the Egyptian Min-Amon. King of the gods, Zeus was the authoritarian sky father who appeared in many cultures around 1,800 BCE. The Zeus/Jupiter archetype was derived from the earlier Indo-European Sanskrit Dyaus, from div, "to shine." Zeus/Jupiter was considered to be a god of light, and therefore wisdom, although his notorious escapades don't always reveal his higher attributes. According to myth, the infant Jupiter was raised on the milk of a goat whose horns continually overflowed with food and drink. This is the origin of the cornucopia, the horn of plenty, and mythically encodes the symbolism that Jupiter exudes abundance. As king of heaven Zeus/Jupiter ruled supreme over the Olympian gods, wielding his thunderbolts.

Larger than life, Jupiter's astrological presence will not be denied or swept under the carpet. He wants more and bigger of everything, and his influence is generally benevolent and generous. As ruler of wide-ranging Sagittarius Jupiter wants to look through a telescope, exploring far and wide, expanding his vast knowledge and eventually gaining wisdom through diverse experiences. Jupiter's expansive nature can be difficult to contain. His personality was captured by Charles Dickens in the timeless tale, A CHRISTMAS CAROL, as the magnanimous Ghost of Christmas Present who seems to embody the positive qualities of Jupiter.

When Jupiter moves through the signs he acts to expand, and hopefully enlighten, the area he visits. Jupiter's positive qualities include a jovial expansiveness, a sporting approach to life and an unquenchable optimism. Jupiter's glyph, which looks similar to the number 4, is composed of the crescent of the Moon elevated above the cross of matter. The crescent is also on the left or receptive side. One interpretation of this symbol is the elevation of matter through the evolution of consciousness. As Jupiter orbits the Sun every twelve years the king of the gods returns to the place he occupied at our birth, providing a cyclical infusion of growth and energy we can optimize if we are prudent.

As a god of light Jupiter is said to deal with the realm of superconsciousness and therefore is a widener of horizons. Exaggerated or used unwisely these same characteristics can become extremist in viewpoint, wasteful and disregarding of resources, and trusting too much to luck which brings misfortune. This side of Jupiter can be too fond of a good joke and fail to see when matters are serious. Because Jupiter always wants to take the larger view, there is a risk of dismissing details as insignificant, also leading to misfortune.

Jupiter in Capricorn

The mythic lord of the skies enters the cardinal and feminine earth sign Capricorn in Dec 2007 and will transit the realm of the Seagoat until he enters Aquarius in January of 2009. Because Jupiter is said to be exalted in the sign of Cancer, opposite to Capricorn, he is said to "fall" in the sign of Capricorn as Jupiter's natural expansiveness is curtailed. Of course this is not always a bad thing as it adds an ingredient of conscientiousness. Sometimes Jupiter's confidence is really not justified and he looks through rose-colored glasses, dismissing what he would rather ignore.

What is at issue with Jupiter in Capricorn is how the driving ambition of the Seagoat, fueled by force of Jupiter, is aimed and directed. On one side there can be a single-minded ambition to gain the summit at all costs, and regardless of who gets trampled in the process, while the illuminated combination can bring an achievement that is a crowning glory for all humanity. There can be enthusiasm for duty and enhanced sense of responsibility along with tremendous potential for expanded responsibility. For an enlightened mind the view from the high ground of the mountain top presents a larger and more universal perspective.

When the expansive and jovial Jupiter and contracting Capricorn combine there can be a sense of extreme restriction. Ironically, Capricorn is often described as "saturnine," or overly serious, but the ancient feast of Saturnalia, which occurred in Rome near winter solstice at the juncture of Jupiter-ruled Sagittarius and Saturn-ruled Capricorn, was a joyous festival worthy of Mardi Gras. Jupiter does not like to be limited or restrained in any way but the qualities of thriftiness and self-control which come so naturally to Capricorn can provide positive structure in which to harness and crystallize the abundance of Jupiter. Directed in a conscious and constructive way this limiting of Jupiter's largesse can shed light in focused and concentrated ways to present amazing opportunity for prosperity.

Capricorn is conservative in the sense of not wasting resources while Jupiter spreads energy far and wide and can be reckless with assets and a spendthrift. Capricorn can be a stern task master, seeming to provide a continual series of lessons. The prudence of the Seagoat can be a good thing so long as the restriction is not too great. Because Jupiter always wants to take the larger view and operate on a grand scale, sometimes with an artificially inflated sense of ambition, Capricorn's sense of order and responsibility can have a positive and steadying effect.

Jupiter in Capricorn offers the possibility for prudent growth, and in the case of the stock market and economy this will not be a time for risky speculation. Capricorn prefers to conform to an accepted pattern rather than blaze new trails, so this combination will tend toward the tried and true, achieving slow growth and steady gain rather than "making a killing in the market." One of Jupiter's attributes is preservation so those who have been wise stewards will not lose what they have gained. The current crisis in the mortgage industry may find a constructive solution with the benefit of Jupiter in Capricorn.

Capricorn is said to rule gates and doors, especially the portal which leads out of earthly life, so this sign relates to the final stages of life. Therefore older people and the interests of senior citizens should come to the fore this year. Issues like Social Security, medical care and prescription drugs may appear in the news as attention will be drawn to this sector of life. The so-called Baby Boomers may prove to be a loud voice in political issues and public awareness.

Capricorn, like its ruling planet Saturn, carries a sense of karma and the ultimate accounting that always comes due. One astrological maxim is that Capricorn keeps a perfect set of books. Here we can't get away with things and often a day of reckoning comes. How this appears to an individual or collective will depend on the configuration of the specific astrological chart and what gets triggered by this transit. The next presidential election will occur while Jupiter transits Capricorn and this will influence in part how people perceive the truth and decide based on their values.

Connections

If we peer into the night sky in the direction of Sagittarius (26 Sag 51 degrees of the Tropical Zodiac, not the constellation itself), we are gazing into the Galactic Center. This is the location of the much-heralded alignment of the winter solstice sun with the center of our galaxy in 2012. Every year Earth's orbital motion causes this alignment to occur, but in 2012 the Sun will intersect the galactic plane, making a potent vertical and horizontal alignment. In the first few days of December Jupiter will conjunct this degree of Sagittarius. Imagine focusing the power of billions of stars and the colossal black hole in the brilliant heart of our galaxy and around which our solar system revolves. This might suggest that the light-bringing potential of Jupiter will be stepped up exponentially by the magnitude of the Galactic Center. At the very least I expect most people will be filled with the Christmas spirit.

By December 7th - 16th, 2007, as Jupiter passes out of Sagittarius into Capricorn, it will conjoin Pluto at 28/29 degrees of Sagittarius. This is another potent connection which symbolically brings the light of heaven into the dark regions of the underworld. Therefore many things which have been hidden may be revealed. In ancient symbolism the underworld was a place of buried treasure as well as secrets and dangers. So as individuals and groups we might experience startling revelations of long-forgotten memories, deliberately concealed truths or perhaps the discovery of unknown treasures.

The next event occurs on the 21st of December as we witness the annual rebirth of the solar king in the cycle of the year. Earth's orbiting motion will cause what seems to be a conjunction between the Sun and Pluto releasing another surge of powerful energies of transformation and redemption.

Getting the most from the transit of Jupiter through Capricorn involves forgetting false pride and letting go of an overdeveloped or self-righteous dignity and learning to enjoy the simple pleasures of life, like hiking up a mountain. It's a good time to examine our values and reassess what's really important in life. Returning for a moment to Dickens, the complete metamorphosis of Ebenezer Scrooge from ill-tempered miser to generous and compassionate human being is a perfect depiction of the best and worst of Jupiter in Capricorn. In the immortal words of Tiny Tim, "God bless us, every one," we find the highest sentiment of what is possible, pouring the abundant blessings of Jupiter upon the multitude rather than restricting the flow for the few.

Julie Gillentine
Queen of Cups, LLC
PO Box 1679 Pagosa Springs, CO 81147
Ancient Wisdom for the Modern World
http://www.queenofcups.com
970-264-7474