Capricorns...
The Sea-goat symbolizes worldly ambition (the earthly goat) as fueled by spiritual resource (the fishy bit). It is a totem of the Goddess Rhea as the Great Mother of land and sea, who separated nature into solid (*ambrosia) and liquid (nectar). She nourished divinity (Zeus) with these foods of the Gods just as Capricorn is often seen as a source of spiritual sustenance. To the ancients goats were a symbol of atonement for sins.
Capricorn Woman - the sleeper
Capricorn woman is a class act. The most self-composed, least showy lady in the zodiac, she is an understated elegant character, largely unimpressed by "externals" such as fame, high finances, or family pedigree. Self-respect is of prime importance-largely unswayed by others' opinions of her, she focuses on cultivating a quality of life distinguished by moral courage and a quest for spiritual knowledge. On this score, reputation is paramount to her, determined as she is to be valued as a person of substance. Life, the way she sees it, is a long, hard road that requires pacing and careful negotiation. No frivolous risk-taker, Capricorn lives in infamy for being purposeful, even premeditated. Circumspection, however, is the particular key to her success- she never ventures what she's unsure to gain. Instead, she deliberately takes signature baby steps toward success, avoiding shortcuts that might bring about a meteoric rise in either her professional or personal pursuits. Cap believes nothing worth achieving comes easily; that is, not without the proverbial other shoe eventually dropping. She takes a similar attitude to love and sex, rarely if ever rushing into relationships, but rather letting bonds blossom over time. She is drawn to a man with creative intelligence and a strong inner life, appealing to a guy's need for a meaningful long-haul relationship. Cap is the consummate significant other -- one look in her eyes and it's clear she won't be trifled with. Her same-sex relationships tend to be less loaded: Notoriously attracted to younger women, she easily maintains a casual but erotically charged bond.
The age of wisdom. It is said that Capricorn girl is born old and gets younger as she ages. Still, all her life she embodies the serious-mindedness of a society elder-- cautious, instructive, sometimes restrictive and admonishing. She is reserved and conservative in the strictest sense of the word, pacing herself in whatever pursuit she undertakes.
Sign + Mind
Capricorn is ruled by the planet Saturn, which represents, among other attributes, the astrological Principle of Containment, and the concepts of reserve, resource, and recuperation, ideals that have particular meaning when discussing the female of the sign. Capricorn literally means "goat horn," the mythical horn of plenty, that of the she-goat Amaltheia (the Goddess Rhea in her totem-animal form), who nourished baby Zeus, her son, after rescuing him from the clutches of her husband, Cronus (Roman: Saturn). Cronus, having devoured all his children to ward off a prophecy that he would be overthrown by his off-spring, was duped into swallowing a stone wrapped in swaddling clothes that the Goddess disguised as her child. As scholars have noted, Rhea, the anagrammatic crone-aspect of the Queen-Goddess Hera, was originally called Rhea-Cronus, herself possessing such powers as are now attributed to her consort, who survives to this day as Old Father Time. Rhea, as her myth suggests, is a preserver Goddess, and Capricorn woman comes to personify this archetype in all her stodgy, methodical glory. Like Rhea anticipating Zeus' maturity, the Goat girl bides her time, waiting for the right moment to launch her secret grand plans. Rhea's smuggling away of Zeus on the surface signifies Capricorn woman's need to safeguard and, moreover, sustain the creative life she's been given. She perceives what certain Native American tribes refer to as the "long body" of her life: living not just in the now, but for the future and all time. Ironically, however, because she considers the whole of her life in every little thing she does, pacing herself appropriately, Capricorn woman probably lives more consciously in the present than any other individual in the zodiac.
Nearly the inverse of the Jupiter glyph, the sigil of Saturn portrays material, earthly concerns weighing on the evolving spirit. Restriction is the order of the day and struggle is a pressurized means or path to perfection. Structure is paramount along with patience and discipline.
The zodiacal quadrants correspond to metaphysical planes of existence--physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual. The Fourth Quadrant concerns one's relationship with the eternal. Capricorn woman is focused on achieving a spiritually meaningful existence via her actions in life. She wants to do the best she can with what she has--her motto is "I use" -- treating her physical body as a container of soulful energy.
Saturn's energy manifests as a correction, like that which occurs after a wild rise in the stock market; and indeed Cap woman embodies this sense of recovery and re-pooling of resources. In her, we find one who is unwilling to squander time and energy. She is not restrictive in personality for restriction's sake, but rather, as the horn of plenty incarnate, she contains such bounties as she perceives to be her birthright-intelligence, health, and an overall ability to contribute to the betterment of the world--wanting to preserve these personal resources. Like Rhea, Cap woman often has the last laugh, in the same sense that the tortoise has it all over the hare. While many people press to achieve the external trappings of success, ill prepared for the lumps existence inevitably doles out, Cap generally has the wherewithal to meet challenges face-on, tackling them before continuing forward, and thus is the life contestant left standing when so many others have faltered. Time is on this Saturn-ruled lady's side, and hindsight being twenty-twenty, she is the proverbial sleeper, one who eventually rises to importance after a long period of obscurity. By example, she teaches us the ultimate virtue of her 10th House attribute of patience, that rushing through life only makes one old before one's time. A want for more, more, more, she instinctively understands, only creates more want. Whereas in needing less, less quickly, the Capricorn preserves the reservoir of "plenty" she feels she already contains. She saves her energy, and it shows. She looks well-preserved far into her golden years. Indeed, she seems to get younger as she grows older, as if she were living backwards.
The earth element connotes materiality and substance. The cardinal quality signifies a call to action and initiative. Together the cardinal-earth combination particular to Capricorn is best described as a mountain, a symbol of preservation, Cap woman strives for self-sustainability and the edification of her spirit as a valuable natural resource.
Capricorn is the only cardinal-earth sign of the zodiac, the cardinal quality signifying initiative, and what is essential, and the earth element representing substance. The ultimate symbol of the cardinal-earth combination is a mountain, the rocky firmament, the very emblem of eternity and prudential preservation, the natural container of river valleys and especially lakes, where water is protected and pure. Aptly, Capricorn's symbol is not simply the mountain-climbing goat, but a Sea-goad, the sign's glyph traditionally being read two ways-- as the horned animal with a fish tail, or a mountain with a lake. Since Capricorn is a feminine (negative-polarity) sign, the female native embodies the quality-element combination of her sign: Cap woman is therefore like a mountain, a looming, solitary figure who cannot help but appear iconic to those she encounters. Ancient cultures associated mountains with the "great mother" goddesses, from whom all the Gods are born, and the significance of the goat as Rhea's totem, for instance, is an "all-giving" animal providing nurturing meat and milk and protective clothing. The original aegis was a goatskin, from which the modern definition of preservation stems. Indeed, the whole of Aegean civilization was based on the goat, the form of which ancient culture Gods took. Capricorn woman personifies this fundamental energy, a living, breathing representation of the Great or Great-mother Goddess. Fittingly, the sign of Capricorn is associated with the age group 63-70, which manifests in the Goat lady in myriad ways.
Like Cap man, but in less obvious, superficial ways, Cap woman is something of a throwback to the past, old-fashioned in her values, hobbies, and interests and, like a little old lady, meticulous and exacting in her daily habits. A self-styled loner, she easily becomes cranky in a crowd of more than a few others. Even when in a relationship, she carves out a solitary lifestyle, sequestering herself from her mate for most of any given day. The age group associated with her sign is also evidenced in her signature pared-down mode of existence. A neatnik minimalist of the first order, Capricorn eschews the accumulation of "stuff." She may even embody that elderly spirit of taking up one's begging bowl and renouncing much in the way of material goods. Indeed, spiritual communion is often as much a part of her life as it is for the aged, whose thoughts become naturally more focused on the ever-after. Death, too, could easily become Capricorn females constant preoccupation, but being acutely aware of her mortality is what helps her to appreciate being alive. As the zodiac's soaring alp, we see in her personage all that the mountain has come to represent down through the millenia-- for it is atop these mounds of cardinal-earth where one is meant to commune with God. It is indeed, as in the case of Mt. Olympus, Mt. Sinai, and any number of other hilltop dwellings where the immortal deities reside. It is where Moses received his rather Saturn-esque tablets of restrictive shalt-nots and from whence Jesus delivered his sermons. Such spiritual understanding--the concept of life as a "gift" isn't lost on Capricorn woman- is only had at the acme where our earthly abode meets the sky. And our Capricorn mountain mama is thus in a perpetual summit meeting with such lofty powers-that-be. This lends new meaning to Capricorn's rule over the 10th Astrological House of, among other attributes, people in high places.
Females in feminine (earth, water) signs are aligned with the gender polarity of their sign and thus embody the quality-element combination of the sign. The cardinal-earth status of Capricorn determines that she be like a mountain herself, a tower of self-preservation and a rather insurmountable character. People are drawn to her, like Moses to the mount, as a dispenser of revelatory rules to live by.
The 10th House, as Capricorn's motto "I use" would suggest, is one concerned with status, achievement, and a need to establish oneself through honorable means-- rising to the occasion, usefulness, responsibility, hard work, and self-discipline. Not one ever to rely on luck, the way her predecessor Sag female does, Cap woman is instead steeped in active faith, something that manifests in her life in a number of ways. First, she typically adheres to a belief in a benevolent spiritual power that sustains her through life's ups and downs, keeping her more levelheaded than most individuals when encountering either extreme hardship or boon. As well, she physically acts, as much as any layperson might, like one leading a religious life, ridding herself of excess, particularly a glut of ego, and naturally seeking to conserve the soulful aspect of herself. In short, she uses her life to gain spiritual strength, a living testament to the adage that "what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger," and she thus eschews shortcuts and easy ways, happily working her fingers to the Capricorn-rules bones to get what she wants out of life-- not just the resulting fruits of labors, but the spiritual awareness and conditioning that comes with the process. In so doing, the Sea-goat gal builds a metaphorical muscle for survival that most people simply never develop. Water is symbolic in astrology for feelings, intuition, and the loving contents of the soul; and the watery aspect of the sign's totem represents a reservoir of ever-purifying emotional well-being as well as "age-old" spiritual wisdom that is conserved by taking a slower pace toward achieving life goals, nonetheless providing more lasting sustenance for survival. The zodiac's little Sherpa, Capricorn often has more than her fair share of emotional baggage, if not outright pain and hurt, which she totes around. But unlike Cap man, who views such aspects of his life as a literal drag, Cap lady finds a way to use her suffering as a springboard for any number of positive employments, from creative inspiration to spiritual enlightenment. Nothing is lost on the pragmatic Capricorn -- she has a knack for turning what others might see as drudgery into a dedicated practice. Truth be told, she's not always a bundle of sunshine; many people find their Capricorn friends, colleagues, or spouses rather dour. In a sense, the whole of her life is one long, dark night of the soul. But it makes her deep. And it nurtures in her a spirit of compassion.
The Principle of Containment. Structure is a means of conservation just as a reservoir of water, with restricted entry, keeps the resource pure, guarding against waste. Capricorn shifts the focus in life from quantity (a Sagittarius concern) to quality. The horn of plenty is a container of bounty, just as Capricorn woman's reserve and conservatism ensure she will, in time, meet with her own bountiful lot in life.
As the first sign of the final Fourth Quadrant of the zodiac, that which is associated with the metaphysical level of the soul, the cardinal-earthy Cap can be something of a crusader who often eventually puts the whole of her being into spiritual pursuits. She is naturally ascetic, the poster child for Saturn's principles of correction and atonement (at-one-ment), both in the sense of striving for a strong mind-body-spirit connection as well as endeavoring to form a perfect union with the essential energies of the universe. As the very least she is a Gnostic gnome -- a decidedly grounded earth dweller with an innate knowledge of spiritual workings. Joan of Arc or Therese de Lisieux couldn't be born under any other sign but Capricorn. In the former character we see embodied active, physical cardinality on the spiritual level, and in the latter, called "the little flower," we see a startling example of redemption via growing younger along the specific "be ye like little children" these in an intentional recuperation of purity and innocence in both thought and deed. One look at Cap woman is all it takes to sense her saintliness; she doesn't sin often or easily. She appears to be as solid as the rock of ages, which, for better or for worse, gives the impression that Cap is a safety zone, the proverbial life preserver, a role that she might have found herself cast into early in life.
The Capricorn girl is typically born into a strict household and at a time when her parents are experiencing growing pains in their marriage. Generally an older child in birth order, the Cap girl is heaped with responsibilities, which tend to rob her of a relaxed childhood. The Goat girl, often saddled with a sort of scullery work, may be kept down by self-absorbed parents who also count on her to offer emotional rearing to other, usually younger children. In the extreme, her mother is incapable of bonding with the Capricorn or even showing her the slightest affection; Cap's father is often an emotionally detached, though verbally opinionated, character which whom achieving closeness is difficult. Still, Cap will relate more readily to her father, often sharing at least an intellectual connectedness. If ignored, Capricorn girl may find self-destructive ways to scream for attention-- eating disorders and other such manifestations of acute perfectionism might come into play. There is a certain chaos in Capricorn's household of origin, and she finds it difficult to secure a sense of privacy, just as she seems to be lost, if not forgotten, in the shuffle of quotidian confusion. The Goat girl is extremely sensitive, and the emotional scars she forms make her seem a hardened, guarded, and somewhat defensive individual. It is the undoing of this dynamic that can be seen as her signature "growing down" as she grows up. The good news is, she generally does. In fact, Capricorn females life is primarily about lightening her load. She is rarely the materialist most astrologers make her out to be. Still, even the more monkish Sea-goats have a weakness for shopping at designer boutiques-- quality is her credo-- though material wealth is rarely an end in itself. Rather, financial abundance is a means by which Ms. "I use" might more readily achieve the peaceful, carefree lifestyle she lacked as a kid. She may drop five hundred bucks on shoes, but they'll be one of the few precious pairs she owns-- Cap is notoriously careful with all her belongings.
Growing up, Cap is typically the quintessential bookish type, often made to feel that she shouldn't or, worse, couldn't ever rely upon her looks. It's the ugly-duckling story come to life; She is the proverbial late bloomer, often not getting her first period or filing out a bra until well into her teens. And then boom---seemingly overnight, Cap blossoms into womanhood, ill-equipped to handle what she perceives as negative attention for her more eye-catching physical attributes, which she summarily begins to play down.Above all, Cap girl wants to be respected for her mind, having adopted a studious persona, primarily as a means for winning some notice and securing her emotional survival. The worlds of ideas, philosophy, and indeed all the liberal- and fine-arts discipline are endlessly fascinating to her. She slips easily into a bohemian crowd, sipping espresso, visiting museums, early on seeking out the more progressive, intellectual advanced-placement, and later, home-- dating may have been a distinct no-no -- she is often disarmingly unaware of the natural appeal she possesses, somewhat at a loss to fully express her erotic urges as they arise.
The number of eternity. Ten is the apex of all that comes before it and is the start of a new set of order, reducing to one. Most ancient number schemes were built on systems of tens, hundreds, thousands, etc. It portrays man's relationship to natural perfection as humans have ten fingers for counting. There are ten commandments.
Body + Soul
Capricorn woman seems the most untouchable of any female in the zodiac, little about her suggesting interest in inviting the attention or affections of the opposite sex. Saturn's conservative rule over the Goat girl determines that she focus on herself, in the cultivation of private inner resources, rather than in any outward concern for, or solicitation of, others. Anything but showy, Cap is an earthy and elegant creature whose prime occupation is her own contentment, intrinsically achieved through the ever-increasing proliferation of self-esteem. Not wishing to be approached by anyone on what she might deem a superficial level-- sexual advances are generally lumped into this category-- she may downplay her sometimes extraordinary good looks, wearing understated, even decidedly unsexy clothing in dark, shadowy hues-- black being not only her favorite color but the one associated with her sign-- intent upon remaining as inconspicuous as possible. With her hair generally pulled back and her infamously large, dark, almond-shaped eyes often hidden behind studious spectacles-- her ovoid peppers are prone to myopia-- there is something emphatically Marian the Librarian about our Cap lady. As in depictions in film and literature, such a Goody Two-shoes-looking character as the real-life Cap seems to be just waiting, if not fairly itching, to lose the specs, loosen the bun, and let her hair down. She chooses to realize her full sexual potential slowly, blossoming in her own good time rather than seeking to make some sort of splash and, perhaps, end up attracting flash-in-the-pan experiences. She doesn't relish the idea of being hit on, and so she stays away from the social fray, sometimes going to far in her attempt to appear off-limits as to defeminize her appearance. A list of famous Capricorn women-- including the likes of Diane Keaton, Maureen Dowd, Patti Smith, Sissy Spacek, Marlene Dietrich, Annie Lennox, Diane Sawyer, Joan of Arc, and the aptly named Marianne Faithfull-- reveals a bevy of austere beauties who choose to butch it up a bit in tailored trousers, suits, and even the odd tie. Goody-goody Goat girl Mary Tyler Moore went so far as to battle the network TV execs in the 1960s for the right to wear her trademark Capri(corn) pants on The Dick Van Dyke Show.
Spontaneity is an issue for the Capricorn, who sometimes misses opportunities due to overcaution. She might stifle her creativity by being too pragmatic, just as she might repress her sexuality. An often pathological need for control and structure might see her falling into obsessive-compulsive behavior or eating disorder.
On a deeper level, Cap woman is a serious sort, no mere dolly who would tolerate being toyed with. As insurance against any such attempts, she cultivates a no-nonsense, sometimes severe and intimidating character that will keep feeble flirts and flatterers at bay. Indeed, Cap seems to have invented standoffishness-- it is her default demeanor to keep people from ever getting too close physically, emotionally, or otherwise. Cap man might fancy himself a VIP member of some club of his own conception, but Capricorn woman is an exclusive league of her own, and she's typically not accepting any new applicants. Only the closest of family and friends, a teensy coterie of loved ones, ever experience her highly selective offerings of affection. At her utmost, she is the epitome of self-containment, a living embodiment of her preserver Goddess(es) archetype. First and foremost she is concerned with her own survival, especially financially and spiritually.
The archetype associated with Capricorn is the "grandmother" or mother of the Gods. The classical term oegeon means "of the goat," a nod to the Titan Queen of the Gods, Rhea, in her animal-totem form. Called Rhea-Cronus, it is from her we get the word crone. She is a preservation Goddess, a symbol of diving sustenance who seeks to have her wisdom carried on for generations. In her goat form, Amaltheia ("God-nurse"), she fed Zeus from her capri corne, the horns of plenty. She separated the land from the waters and was the Mother Mountain from whose milky snow-caps came the flowing rivers. Rhea means "to stream or flow."
In a room filled with people, Cap camps out on the periphery, digging into a comfortable corner, a vantage point from which to people-watch, sometimes for hours, where she can carefully avoid the actual press of a crowd. When verged upon by someone, even in the most harmless, casual manner, her immediate reflex is to recoil, often literally pulling in her noble chin and leaning backward as if approaching luge position. Setting her face into a blank expression, she'll offer only quick, monosyllabic responses to whatever is being said, refusing to make eye contact in hopes of nipping any unnecessary interaction firmly in the bud. The Goat is especially suspicious of compliments (thought often secretly thrilled by them), wary that such comments are a precursor to a full-fledged come-on. Faced with small talk of any sort, she turns on her heel, making a hasty retreat with an economic, though ever polite excuse. She is, by all accounts, a tough nut to crack-- and she appears the part; Typically tall and aristocratic-looking, as upright in posture as she is in moral conviction, the Goat can't help but emit a haughty air. Holding her head high upon her long, slender neck, she literally looks down her prominent nose; her exotic eyes are ever watchful and defensively darting, her perfectly bowed brows arched suspiciously and crinkling under a vast dome-shaped forehead, distinguished by a high hairline that predisposes her to those stern, signature swept-back hairstyles. Though she possesses strong cheekbones, they tend to go rather unnoticed as her cheeks themselves are robust, rather than sunken, her jaw and bold chin proportionately strong. Though pointedly upturned at the tip, her nose is generally meaty, never needle-like; and she boasts a substantial soup-strainer space between it and her lips, which are full and sensuously drawn, but often absentmindedly pursed or puckered into some sort of pout or another, generally one signaling disdain. Perhaps as a nod to Capricorn's association with enduring hardship, the Goat girl often manifests physical evidence of her sign's metaphoric recuperation as actual scars, typically on her face. It's a visible reminder of having been dealt a bit of brunt in life, emotional or otherwise.
There is one sure way to penetrate Cap's defenses; Launch into a conversational topic that instantly reveals intelligence and, most of all, insight. She is entertained by her own astute running commentary and is willing to bat around others perceptions as well. One may thereby see a sudden shift in her countenance as caution turns to capricious concentration; screwing up her brow and narrowing her eyes, she'll nod and cluck her tongue in acknowledgment should something along the lines of social criticism enter into discourse. Cap is a keen observer, an eternally attentive student of life, and she cherished that quality in others. In her youth, much to the eye-rolling derision of her peers, she was that girl who sat front and center of class, pencils sharpened, hanging on the teacher's every word. As Cap matures, a certain studiousness continues to define her. At some point, it may conflict with whatever inherent creative impulses she may possess; those that beg free-form expression. Seriousness, structure, and scholarliness are fused together into a solid mountain of determination that defines the Goat girl's essential struggle; how and when to let her signature reserve slip and make room for spontaneity and serendipity. Or, when it comes to a potential sexcapade, how to move from haughtiness to naughtiness-- a transition that is particularly difficult for Capricorn to make.
Capricorn draws on the Israelite Goddess Jael, a she-goat synonymous with the biblical Deborah "Queen Bee" and the Grecian Rhea, who, in goat form, poured out nectar and ambrosia. Cap's "grand Mother" prototype is typified by Sarah, meaning "Queen or Throne." the matriarchal wise woman of Abraham's tribe. The crone figure entered into fairy tales as Mother Goose, in her Capricornian black cloak and hat, and as the ubiquitous fairy Godmother. She is Spencer's Fairy Queene and Shakespeare's Titania (Rhea the Titan) from A Midsummer's Night Dream, who steals away a young prince, just as Rhea whisked off prince Zeus.
Cap's trademark circumspection may be attributed in part of her sign's association with the age group 63-70, which also goes a long way in explaining her conservative, unadorned style and love for funerary black, glasses, cross pendants, and other such religious talismans. Likewise, snow-capped Cap tends to go gray early in life, which, combined with her alabaster skin, makes her appear older than her years in her early days. Cap women of darker extractions, too, will likewise be lighter and more porcelain-skinned than other females in their family. But as she matures, the reverse happens, such that the Cap begins to look younger and younger. As the years pass, Cap's appearance seems to alter little and, like a mountain, she appears the very symbol of self-preservation. When it comes to exercise, meditative disciplines such as stretching, yoga, Pilated, or dance-- forms that call for the proverbial mind-body-spirit connection, appeal to her most; besides, given her delicate Capricorn-ruled joints, and those fragile knees especially, the zodiac's old lady doesn't fare too well with high-impact activities. Yoga especially suits astrology's sleeper, as one tends to master it only with time.
Capricorn appears anything but sporty in the traditional sense. An explicitly hourglass figure precludes any aerodynamism in movement, as does a dense, often weighty bone structure. Though delicately shouldered, with long, skinny arms, the Goat generally possesses hefty breasts, dual horns of plenty, and a typically tiny waist, which gives way to wide hips, creating anatomical hairpin turns-- one might say she looks like a Modigliani. Long-waisted in the extreme, she is rarely leggy; and while she's happy to expose her dainty forearms, wrists, calves, and ankles, Cap tends to conceal her more solid thighs and ample behind. Similarly, the cleft between her legs is demure and understated, belied by a wispy patch of fine hair, the folds of her privates not the least bit protrusive, while her clitoris is pronounced and easily pinpointed. Despite any external attempts at androgyny, the ultra-femininity of Capricorn woman naked is indisputable. Indeed, it is monumental. Still, it typically takes some finagling to get this iconic figure of womanhood to let down her guard and simply hop into the sack.
status, usefulness, honor, the past, content, reputation, position, station/status, long-range goals, advancement, ambition, demonstrating talents, the old guard, executive office, authority, government, how we are seen, how we are assessed, influence, parental authority, favor or disfavor, business relationships, self-discipline, organization, those in high places, social rank, establishment of self, mother influence, attempts to get command, hard work, job titles, forbearance, professional honor, outside interests, volunteer work, follow-through, ties to political systems, rising to the occasion, cause and effect
Capricorn isn't the kind of woman to opt for a quick roll in the hay-- she must share at least some measure of familiarity with a man. Even if she were to opt for a rare impromptu interlude with, say, some stranger on a train, she would have had to experience an immediate intellectual and, indeed, spiritual connection, such that the whole affair smacked of kismet and not just some sort of sordid exchange. The brain is the only organ about which Cap is a size queen, and it is typically those guys who wear-glasses at whom she'll make passes. Such signs of intelligent life, whether real or imagined, pique her curiosity; but should he turn out to be an actual Rhodes scholar, then so much the better. To be sure, there is a certain vanity in Cap's selection of a man, as she believes that she herself would appeal to a "thinking man" far more than a guy with a football for a head. From youth, she has been rather gun-shy of uglier-duckling days, having found solace in a brainy, artsy crowd among spotty, bespectacled boys often manage to mature into rather smart-looking artistic types. And so, it is for the brooding would-be Arthur Millers, J.D. Salingers, or Sam Shepards of the world that she generally carries a torch-- long, lean, lanky lads with colossal cerebrums. Since youth, she is fascinated by guys with some apparent genius and the potential willingness to realize it. Even when choosing to marry, Cap rarely thinks in terms of whether a man will provide her with financial stability. This stalwart Saturn-ruled logician learns, early on, to furnish herself with any necessary material grounding-- looking older than her years, the typical Cap will have started securing paid work for herself (often disguising her age) since before her teens, often socking money away for her highly anticipated foray into living independently, far away from home. She is a firm believer in the human right, indeed the human responsibility, to soar to whatever heights that can be achieved through dedication to one's artistic or scholarly callings. The "necessities" of life (e.g. money) are thus to be used as a means of achieving such ends, not as an end in themselves.
Relationships, like everything the Capricorn undertakes, are shows of active faith. She goes on instinct, sussing out the kind of latent prodigiousness in a man that might, over time, give rise to an extraordinary life-- that is, she sees beyond the mundane, into which category she even lumps such luxuries as might make other women drool. (Expensive cars, elegant restaurants, precious jewels, and all such stereotypical shows of wealth can seem wasteful extravagances to the ascetic Cap, who prefers to invest any extra cash in items that enrich her life in more meaningful ways.) Still, sometimes her non-pecuniary expectations of a man are too lofty; or she may confuse creativity with craziness, talent with mere talk. Often, her early partners, though notoriously few and far between, simply cannot live up to the hope she heaps upon them. Indeed, there is always an element of pressure to being Cap's mate as the mountain lady becomes the embodiment of a man's own potential, if not his elusive greatness-- and the flip side; his inability to live up to such exalted aims. However, it must be said that Cap woman is often guilty of more than a little projection, or even hypocrisy-- she is a tough-lover who urges man to take on tremendous challenges, but she might not even admit to her own towering hopes and dreams. This dynamic goes a long way in explaining why the zodiac's sleeper can be such a late bloomer; Eventually she applies those same expectations to herself, usually once her partner no longer requires, or desires, her tutelage. It's a hard lesson for Cap to learn as she has been programmed since childhood to play caretaker, particularly to younger siblings. Of course there are those men who look for such mothering, and then those who see it as smothering-- ironically, the former scenario ends badly while the latter might provide the Goat with just the right kick in the pants to keep the focus squarely on herself. After all, her best match is a man who is able to achieve all she foresees for him on his own terms, which she steadily unearths and nurtures herself.
Suffice to say, Capricorn doesn't readily appeal to the good-time Charlies of the world. She is a solemn lady who looks at life and relationships as requiring hard work, that is if they're to be ultimately beneficial. Relatively speaking, she is considered something of a moral giant, and as such, most mere mortals feel lacking, even diminished, in her intimate association. Life for this Saturn-ruled creature is one long state of recovery, as she is typically plagued by compulsions, more food than drink, or a certain addiction to spending, which she is forever atoning for with signature monkish intent. Still when such so-called demons arise, she is notorious for exorcising them forthwith, healing faster than most. The rub, however, is that she expects those in her life to do likewise. Indeed, it is filling that the New Year falls during the Capricorn period as the female sign is continually locked into one Saturnian resolution or another. She exudes austerity even in her pared-down, modest appearance; so much so, at times, you might say Cap woman puts the nun in renunciation. One look at her and a man might feel daunted by this decided bastion of goodness-- looking up to her is natural, but living up to her is often nothing short of a nightmare. She is the one and only cardinal-earth sign, projecting, as Van Morrison once put it, "that look of Everest"' she is the proverbial uphill battle, worth the climb but still representing a real challenge if not a barrier to many people. She is like that private club of one, automatically discouraging the rabble-male population from crossing her chilly threshold, while hopefully inviting someone equally self-important to ring her proverbial bell.
Endurance, capriciousness, eternity, posterity, restriction, reserve, religion, patience, promotion, resource, finish, qualification, inflexibility, strength, aristocracy, elegance, haughtiness, mastery, manipulation, success, society, faith, proactive, obstinacy, organization, method, distinction, certitude, thought, devotion, aspiration, assertion, melancholy, domination, convention, work, reliance, prudence, care, discretion, encouragement, loyalty, acumen, constancy
Once Capricorn sees a man she wants-- an intellectual, spiritual, as well as physical revelation-- she keeps her eyes on the prize, eventually securing subtle ways to make him do the pursuing. For no matter how sought after a man is whom she makes the target of her affections, Cap woman will always somehow turn the tables, making her own self seem the more enviable catch. She approaches sexual relationships as she does everything else: She's in it for the long haul, uncannily able to focus her attention on solid objectives, and not willing to entertain anything extraneous along the way. With her high standards in tow, she rarely stops for dillying dalliances with the men she meets en route to securing the successful match she pictures, often since childhood, in her mind's eye. It is little wonder, then, that when Cap makes her long-awaited love connection, she is eager to see it stick. For this reason, it is not unusual for Cap to marry her first boyfriend, often doing so at a relatively tender age, fueled by the feeling that she is more mature, thus ready, than most. As the embodiment of the "preserver" goddess archetype, Capricorn isolates what she perceives as good in a man and meditates, indeed prays, upon it, putting her belief fully in him, building him up to heretofore unimaginable heights. The concept of prayer is itself a quintessentially Capricornian one, as it signifies forward cardinal movement, in the form of active faith, on the spiritual level-- the only sort that might move mountains. Cap woman, putting such spiritual stock in the one she loves, becomes a man's rock, his anchor. But seeing only the good in a loved one, she may all too easily underestimate his negative qualities. She isn't so much forgiving as she is oblivious to human frailty-- she is continually wiping out her own weaknesses- often having little patience for people who are troubled or otherwise treading a slippery slope. Her holier-than-thou attitude may manifest literally in an espousal of a particular faith system, thought she is generally saved from relying on organized religion by her infamous pragmatism that dictates she remain, feet firmly planted, on the material plane.
To be fair, Cap woman avoids what she deems negative influences because she perceives herself as being overly susceptible to them. She is predisposed to Saturnian sentiments-- sudden, crushing feelings of gloom if not impending doom. (The word tragedy comes from the Greek tragoidia, meaning "goat son.") And so she consciously strives, daily, to transcend the mire in which she might otherwise wallow. This rallying of spiritual forces within her often reads as arrogance, a sense that she is "high" on herself. But in truth, she must keep herself above the status quo-- that lofty metaphoric "place" to which she was born-- to stave off falling into the kind of depression she was prone to in childhood. So men who represent a run-of-the-mill lifestyle are simply not for her-- such relationship she's sees as flat-liners, those that threaten to make her feel dead inside. In a partnership, she seeks the sublime and is thus drawn to vivid, extraordinary, often eccentric and erratic types with whom life, she imagines, will never be boring. Ironically, she is usually the one imposing relationship ground rules and regulations-- the Goddess Rhea, it must be remembered, brought "commandments" to the people in the same way as Moses did, and Cap woman mirrors this need to impose restrictions, albeit on these highly intellectual, often extraordinarily talented types-- entrepreneurs, scholars, philosophers, actors, playwrights, producers, and the like-- to whom she is invariably drawn. Still, laying down the law is really a preventative measure employed by the cautious Cap to avert potential domestic conflict-- any such disturbances smack of second-rate mediocrity, and she simply won't have it. After all, she is in search of an uncommon love experience. This also explains why the zodiac's most mindful, indeed traditional, character is famous for taking up with unconventional mates, those so seemingly unlike herself. However, such intense men who at first seemed so cool and unusual may soon become cruel and unusual, and Cap learns that living with a guy who goes too much against the societal grain is tantamount to gluttony for punishment, only repeating a childhood pattern she so desperately sought to escape.
Although there may be an element of opportunism in Cap's signature choice of a mate-- she may exploit his talent, making his management her career; otherwise, she could copy his creative lifestyle, hoping to become well-known as "the couple who..."-- it is more accurate to say that she educates herself via her relationships. Still, she rarely does so with an older, wiser mentor. Instead, she subconsciously seeks out someone her same age or slightly younger. This is the trade-off: She performs a parental role, as she did in childhood, but at the same time learns how to play, something she never quite had the chance to do, given the restraints of her early years. For this reason, Cap's partner must, above all, be a playmate. Slowly, through recreation and disport, free-form part of herself, represented by the fishy tail of Cap's Sea-goat symbol, becomes her ultimate resource to draw upon. All her stifled untapped talent that threatened to pull her down into a depression, eventually becomes her most valuable asset, the sustenance she comes to live on, and that which keeps her young, seemingly for eons. And so the story goes that Capricorn sometimes surpasses her playmate, having that much more determination and pent up inventiveness screaming to be expressed. In this way, she eventually switches roles with her partner whereby he must learn to become that rock upon which she might rely. And the once discouraged, dour duckling does indeed develop into a wonderful, wise, and often wacky swan.
The sign of Capricorn rules the bones and skeleton as a whole as well as the knees and skin. Knee trouble is typical as are skin disorders due to excess worry or the suppression of emotions. Saturn is also associated with the gallbladder and spleen.
Meanwhile, the creative geniuses Cap generally goes for are drawn to her as well, since at first glance she will not seem to be a competitor, in any sense. To be sure, she is a supportive energy in a man's life, never one to suggest he keep his day job. On the contrary, Cap's notorious shows of faith are contagious, and her mate might soon find himself being paid for talents he once only expressed in obscurity. She is devotedly loyal and deeply loving, expecting perhaps too little in return. Indeed, she is one of the more emotionally low-maintenance females on the astrological wheel-- strong and independent, she offers little in the way of head trips, rarely indulging in such girlish role-play as might require excess attention or the showering of gifts. She can, in fact, seem a rather businesslike mate, typically less frivolous even than most men. Capricorn woman isn't comfortable being coddled and cooed-- it's not something she ever knew as a child, and any lingering lack of confidence in her femininity only further prohibits it. Having been discouraged from embracing her sexual self as an adolescent, Cap has no real handle on the concept of feminine wiles. Flirting, especially, is not her forte. She is too essentially honest to engage in such frothy, phony behavior, often not dating until her twenties, sometimes taking as long to lose her virginity. This could explain why so many Caps date younger men, and sometimes ones who are considerably so, especially later in life-- she wants to get a taste of sexually peaking boys if only to see what she was missing. The unmarried Cap woman, and there are many of them, often take up exclusively with these callow fellows as they provide pleasure but allow her to maintain psychological control as well as her solitary lifestyle. In general, she is less intimidated by younger men, giving rise to her sexual "teacher" fantasies, particularly to the academic Cap. Besides, she just likes all that locked-in freshness the college freshman has to offer.
Younger men, dark curly wavy hair, lanky physiques, collegiate, intellectuals, tweed, flannel suits, big noses, cleft chins, spectacles, men in uniform, laborers, contractors, strangers, travelers, executives, (passive) worship, masturbating during intercourse, stripping, teasing, exhibitionism, domination, teacher/student fantasies, hands, high heels, hose, garters, lingerie, (active) seduction, delivery men, missionary, doggy style, (passive) oral, tantrism, spirituality, stoicism, hygiene, soapy smells
In sharp contrast to her astrological neighbor Sagittarius woman, the most obvious flirt on the wheel, Cap is wary of overt public displays, even when in a relationship, choosing to keep her private life exactly that. She isn't looking for intrigue from a bond, but a solid working arrangement that can serve as a back-drop for all she seeks to accomplish as an individual. Her bonds are not typically of the sizzling sort, and sex is rarely the main motivation for forming a partnership in the first place. She is a fairly conservative sexual character when it comes to her erotic regimen, viewing the intimacy that sex provides as a source of safety and comfort far more than as an acrobatic workout or psychological journey. Still, sex for our Marian the Librarian is something of a big deal, as she probably came to it relatively late in life. Freeing her libido often requires as much coaxing as it took to tap her creative spirit-- sex, the literal act of creation, and artistic expression are locked, if not blocked, into the same "place" in the Cap's emotional cloakroom. Patience on the part of her lover will therefore be the ultimate virtue. Needless to say, her sex appeal is anything but superficial, and it takes a certain kind of man to withstand the necessarily slow freeing of Cap's carnal appetite-- there is simply no rushing the Goat girl's lust. She is intent on setting the pace and must sense no hidden agenda in bed.
It might come as some surprise that Cap isn't specifically marriage-minded. The whole idea of being legally bound to another individual seems a rather specious notion to her, one that conflicts with her inherent philosophy; that we are all essentially alone-- born alone, die alone-- and should it come to any legal entanglements, she'd just as soon be left alone. The loss of control that marriage signals frightens her, particularly when she is involved with an erratic genius; she doesn't fancy being left holding the bag. Sexually, too, she doesn't adhere to a belief in "wifely duties," rarely being one who'll switch on autopilot just because her mate expect it of her. There is no coercing or even cajoling Cap into doing anything, especially in the bedroom. All a guy has to do is apply even the slightest pressure-- his hands on her head, for instance-- and all sexual bets will instantly be off. For that reason, too, anal sex tends to be a definite no-no-- the act smacks of feminine submission-- whereas doing it doggie style might satisfy that same urge in her man while hitting all the right spots for Cap as well-- not to mention allowing for free clitoral manipulation by either herself or her lover. She is not experimental by nature, preferring to stick to the same well-loved, reliable routine, even in the same order, so she knows what to look forward to next. Nowhere do we see Cap's need for control as fiercely as in the bedroom. To her credit, she doesn't require a lot of bells and whistles to make sex special, rather she prefers to achieve a certain greatness by sticking to her usual path. Sex is not a jaded affair for the Goat girl, and as cliche as it sounds, for her each time feels like the first time. This is another reason why she likes bedding those considerably younger guys-- she shares the sense of newness that is naturally felt by guys still sexually wet behind the ears. When with an older partner, an unjaded exuberance must still be a relationship keynote, particularly palpable between the sheets. Cap finds the very anticipation of sex as exciting, if not more so, than the nitty-grittiness of the act itself, and the man who needs ever increasing stimuli will not be long for her world. She will always be as wide-eyed as a schoolgirl, forming endless crushes on men, if not those barely out of boyhood, letting her mind wander through all the romantic, intriguing possibilities that could serendipitously occur.
The wildest thing about Capricorn woman is her love of fantasy, and especially the idea of covert sexual activity. She invents dream lovers in her waking hours, possibly fantasizing during a masturbatory moment over the landscaper, her mechanic, or the FedEx guy. As porn-like as it may sound, she enjoys interaction with men in the service industries whose job it is to be polite while doing her bidding. She might offer such a worker a cup of coffee or enter into a jovial chat that could be considered out of character by those who know her as a discerning, somewhat terse individual. But caught unawares, Cap would surprise her closest intimates. She often has a "real" dream lover as well; that is, a figure who regularly factors into her nightly revelries and with whom she shares in a recurring sexual theme, often climaxing in actuality, which can give the flesh-and-blood mate lying next to her something of a jolt. What she experiences in her subconscious affairs is lovemaking with an insatiable and indefatigable sort, mirroring what she truly desires in her waking life. She may be rigid, but Capricorn is anything but frigid. However, because sexual requirements don't top her list for a loving partnership, it can be hit-or-miss for her in the nooky department. Eventually, as with everything, Cap will realize the importance of sexual satisfaction in her life, and if her man isn't quite cutting the mustard, she may look elsewhere for that particular brand of satisfaction. Enter the tireless twentysomething guy, as well as her need to be free of a marriage contract. Cap woman may see no conflict between satisfying her sexual needs elsewhere while still devoting her emotional self fully to a primary relationship. When it comes to love, her heart is forever in the right place; but if other parts of her aren't being used to full capacity, Cap might fill that particular hole with another more willing and able to help. Her attitude is sophisticated: Sex is an isolated experience, something she simply wants done, and done right. It might matter little that she's in love with one man who falls short of pleasing her while she employs a lover who will take her to such sexual heights as can be had, most often, via the straightforward act of intercourse. Still, she's not a big believer in unbridled passion as it seems all too precarious a "place" to go; she is, after all, most concerned with taking Saturn-ruled responsibility, if even for her own rapture. She may even try to restrain her partner's more ebullient expressions-- indeed, if any woman were to emit the librarian's cautioning shhhhing during sex, it would be our comme il faut Cap. There is a very practical application, in fact, for Cap's reasoning that it is best to contain oneself, even during sex. She finds, in so doing, a further building up of her own excitement. Chances are, given her slow-climbing nature, that the Cap woman orgasms at a higher level than most, perpetually staving off the temptation to pop her cork until such time as it is impossible to stop. Talk about your transformative experiences. By suppressing her pleasure, Cap seeks to enhance the purity of the experience. For this ability, too, she thanks her lucky stars she's a woman, as, all too often, she witnesses a man's inability to pace himself and prolong the ecstasy of the sexual act. Hastiness is what she most dislikes in people, whether it's rushing into friendships or to conclusions, and she judges men most guilty of this.
Capricorn tends to have more respect for women than she does for men. In general, she may relate better to the opposite sex, but when she happens upon a woman who transcends hackneyed societal role-playing, whether as a heroine-- musician, politician, author, artist-- or someone in her own life, Cap is completely in awe. She is often pleasantly surprised to find that so many of these strong females she emulates, those who take their place in an otherwise exclusively male world, are themselves born under her sign. Ava Gardner, Marlene Dietrich, Berthe Morisot, Simone de Beauvoir, Janis Joplin, Zora Neale Hurston, Clara Barton, Eva Le Gallienne, Patti Smith, and Dian Fossey are all such Goats who strike that particular chord in Capricorn, and it is for such strong women that she invariably forms a crush. However, when it comes to actual lesbian experiences, she tends to be attracted to pretty young girls (just as she is to pretty young boys) whom she hopes might regard her in that same exalted fashion. Still, Cap lives in a fairly black-and-white world, and one finds few bisexuals among her order. She is inherently too decisive to fence-sit in any respect, and though straight Cap can have her female crushes, and the gay Goat might fancy the occasional man, Cap doesn't let herself frolic in the gray area-- blurring is anathema to this border-conscious lady.
Younger women, tall lean curvy bodies, long dark hair, extended foreplay, vanilla, femme on femme, (passive) oral, (passive) worship, (passive) penetration, multiple vaginal orgasms, (active) breast play, sensual massage, thongs, demi-bras, boots, heels, mutual grooming, cross dressing, straight women, casual no-strings attached sex, (active) lite discipline, sober sex, after-play, intimacy, erotica.
Though she rarely casts herself in the butch role, she will nonetheless be the one wearing the pants in a same-sex relationship. Living even more for herself than her straight counterpart, she embraces her solitude, keeping herself elevated and ever so out of reach from a lover. In gay bonds, she plays a parent/teacher role to the hilt, demanding attention and obedience in equal measure. At the same time, she encourages her lover to be her own woman, to strike out solo, except, that is, when it comes to extracurricular affairs. Cap woman, regardless of sexual preference, is hard-pressed to sit down and analyze the inner workings of a partnership-- she shows love rather than professes it, and she requires a lover who is self-sufficient and confident enough to forgo such indulgences. In a brilliant stroke of narcissism, Cap woman is often attracted to younger, more exotic, even foreign, versions of herself. Even the straight Goat has her fantasies about these types of women who catch her eye; mirror images who might have enjoyed a more cultured upbringing than herself. Call it jealousy, projection, transference, whatever; but this feeling of longing for a life Cap never led is often what draws her to the callow clones who she feels benefited in ways she never did. They both intimidate and turn her on, and by taking up with such a woman, Cap gains the sense of recapturing a part of herself, the careworn, humble Rhea embracing her youthful, more imperious Hera aspect as embodied in a lover. In short, there's no use telling the gay Cap to go fuck herself, she's way ahead of you there.
Despite the mixture of love and envy Cap feels for the sultry beauties with whom she invariably bonds, she will still need to be the one catered to in bed. She yearns to be pleased soothingly and deliberately, wanting a lover to taker her time, particularly in her oral practices, as she lies back and luxuriates in sensation. he doesn't go in for any rough stuff or urgent expressions-- all must be a continual, relaxed flow. Sexy lingerie gets her juices flowing, on herself as well as a lover, and she enjoys prolonged tactile stimulation, running her fingers lightly over a lover's body, lingering in all the right places, as her lover does likewise. Dildos are de rigueur, but generally employed by her mate slowly and at the appointed time, in combination with other means toward Cap's arousal. She is rarely inclined to return the favor, however, just as she isn't overly giving with oral sex, typically willing to comply when asked but otherwise not jumping at the chance. Simply put, she'd rather someone else did it. Indeed, though Cap won't tolerate her girlfriend going behind her back for sex outside the relationship, she is happier than most to mix a third into the proceedings, particularly someone who can please her lover the way her lover pleases her. Watching, in any case, is a big turn-on for the Cap, but she particularly enjoys the sensation of holding, hugging, and kissing her partner while a third party is providing most of the entertainment. As a twosome, Cap and her lover are rather high on themselves, feeling they're the envy of the entire lesbian population. The Goat gloats over such primo-pussy status, whether it be real or imagined, and sometimes she can't help but literally rub other women's noses in it.
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