Sunday, December 28, 2014

Keywords don't always open doors - Capricorn

With Sun now in zodiac sign Capricorn, what's to say about the types of personalities associated with this sign? On the whole it gets a bad rap, probably second only to Scorpio for negative, or at least non-enthusiastic, reporting.

Capricorn, ruled by Saturn, is allocated keywords which include: serious, disciplined, careful, cautious, thrifty, cold, organised, solid, old-fashioned, conservative, business-like, and even the adjective coined from their ruler's name, "saturnine". Sounds boring, doesn't it? In real life - not necessarily!

From a 2008 post of mine:

A handful of well-known Sun in Capricorn people who seem to fly against the Capricorn keyword stereotype, (from what we know of them):
David Bowie, Jim Carrey, Rod Stewart, Janis Joplin, LL CoolJ...

I draw a blank regarding close relationships with Sun Capricorn people, but I've noticed from a few casual acquaintances whose birthdays put them amongst the Capricorn clan, that many have a wickedly dry sense of humour, its roots possibly in planets lying in neighbouring signs.

In any case, I suspect that Sun Capricorn does not embody much of the accepted stereotype unless every personal planet lines up in that sign. Sun Capricorn people are liable to have two or more personal planets in neighbouring signs Sagittarius and Aquarius, both have potential to dilute text-book Capricorn characteristics, and bring in a hint of happy-go-lucky Sagittarius flavour, or some whacky Aquarianisms. Conversely, it's quite easy to pick up Capricorn flavour in natives of those two neighbouring signs, where close personal planets are often found doing a turn in Capricorn.

I'd expect to see more typical Capricorn traits in a person with Saturn rising in Capricorn, the ruler rising in its own sign. That's when Capricorn is going to be more easily seen in public, even if that person's natal Sun and Moon are nowhere near the sign of the seagoat. It's unwise to place too much confidence in Sun signs, they are an easy label, a convenient rule of thumb, a fun grouping, but they are liable to be terribly misleading.

(Sir) Anthony Hopkins has Sun and ascendant in Capricorn - perhaps slightly more stereotypical than those people mentioned above. He comes over as fairly serious and disciplined, a little old fashioned. But even here, his Moon in Sagittarius and Jupiter in Aquarius tend to "mix it up and make it nice", added to which, Capricorn's ruler Saturn lay in Pisces as he was born, lightening its heavy influence quite a lot.



















Graham Chapman (of Monty Python - shirtless in the photo), with Sun and ascendant in Capricorn, Moon in Taurus, Saturn in Taurus sounds like someone Earthy and sensible - heading closer to the stereotype - but Venus and Mars lay in Sagittarius, which kind of knocks it all smartly on the head.



(Sir)Sean Connery (aka the original James Bond) is the nearest I can find to matching a typical Capricorn stereotype, yet his Sun and Moon are in Virgo, an Earth sign which doesn't tend to smother Capricorn completely. He has Capricorn rising with Saturn in first house very close to the ascending degree. Saturn is his dominant planet and Capricorn shares sign dominance with Virgo. The ususal culprits for messing up Capricorn's serious reputation, Sagittarius and Aquarius, don't get a look in in Connery's chart, by the way.

Hopkins and Connery both happen to have been knighted by Queen Elizabeth II - that in itself is rather Capricornian! However, Hopkins is unimpressed and says he only accepted it to make his (then) wife happy! Connery describes it as one of the proudest days of his life. He had been denied the honour for several years due to his passionate Scottish nationalism, and support for Scottish Independence. I'm with Hopkins on this!

7 comments:

Sonny G said...


Now, thats the kind of reading I need:)

someone telling me jupiter is canoodling with neptune in whatever house - does'nt mean a dang thing to me.
when you look at a chart Annie and Mike too, ya'll see things as an overall picture as well as the important things to watch for or take advantage of at any given time.

please tell me where I can get a reading from someone who sees a chart like ya'll do and will give it to me the same way.
astro.com gave me a free chart for my birthday and I've read it 3 times. I can honestly say I don't know a bit more now that when I received it lol..
if its ok I'd like to post the link to it, here and if ya'll could take a look at it and see if you find any important information for me, I would really appreciate it.

I'll wait for your ok, Annie.

Twilight said...

Sonny ~ I know what you mean about reading one of those computer-generated interpretations of a natal chart. Computers are wonderful helpers for astrologers, but they can do only so much, they cannot ....what's the word?....amalgamate the bits and pieces into a recognisable picture. Computers, at least programs easily available to the public, aren't able to do that (as far as I know). They give you the ingredients to your particular cake, you need to mix them and cook it yourself. :-)

Astro.com (Astrodienst) is a wonderful site, but their stuff has to be computer generated, and its value is therefore limited, without a little basic astrological know-how of one's own. I don't pretend to have much of that, and am still learning - all the time.

To get a reading in a style to which you can relate, from a professional and experienced astrologer - a piece of text not coldly issued by a computer, it's necessary to find an astrologer whose style of writing appeals to you personally, and one who doesn't simply send out what a computer can churn out...So there are two important points to remember

1. Find an astrologer who writes in a style you enjoy and understand.

2. Before paying for anything ask the astrologer if what you'll get is simply computer-generated. sometimes the price will tell you this - but not always.

I hesitate to name any astrologers because the style I prefer might not be the same as your preference, though I do think I know the kind of writer you'd like - not too text-bookish, light but meaningful.

For the kind of reading you'd like, if it were me searching I'd go first to Matthew Currie - he's in the link list in the sidebar under "Oh My Stars". Read his posts for a week or two, and some of his archives, then maybe e-mail him and ask about his readings - asking if they are computer-generated only (I bet they are not).

That's my advice, Sonny. By all means post a link to your chart - mike might have some interesting highlights to point out. He's far more experienced than I in these matters.

mike said...

Natal astrology is all about establishing the ascendant and houses, isolating each planet and understanding the placement by sign and house properties, examining the aspects, then integrating the gamish. But, to get to that point, it's necessary to learn the simple basics, such as the comprehension of "Sun in Capricorn". I completely agree with you, Twilight, that it's the totality of the chart that defines the individual, and that the Sun sign is flavored by many factors, to which some factors may add or distract from the assertion or strength of that Sun sign.

I have found that an individual's Sun sign ALWAYS comes through somehow, somewhere, someway. I don't like the "guess my Sun sign" game, as it can be deceiving, but when I know an individual's Sun sign, I can always identify traits associated with that ego expression or the light that shines through. Likewise, I can typically predict how that individual might react-respond to a given circumstance.

The simple exercise of examining an individual's Sun by sign and degree, and aspects to transiting planets, can be very revealing as to how that person responds to others and their environment...and how they feel about themselves.

Sonny - YOU need to play with your chart or you'll never learn. There is so much available for free on the internet. I learned astrology in the old days, pre-internet...it wasn't that difficult then...it is so much easier now.

Twilight said...

mike ~ A person's Sun sign, once you know it, is going to be identifiable - agreed...as long as that person is well known to you, in a variety of situations (at work, socially, in crisis situation, in learning situations etc.)
Otherwise identifying Sun sign wouldn't necessarily be easy or even possible.

Astrology is like a foreign language, and an ancient one. It can be translated "literally" word for word, or in the modern spirit of those words.

The difficulty in giving written or spoken interpretation of a complete stranger's natal chart relies, I think, on deciding how much weight to give to each placement or aspect in the chart. To get to that point each astrologer probably has their own pathway. I don't always trust some of the many traditional and "technical" pathways available - I'd feel happier with an astrologer who uses some sharp insight/intuition/mild psychic ability...but that's just me - and identifying such an astrologer is almost as difficult as interpreting a natal chart! ;-/

mike (again) said...

Twilight - Yes, I've long thought that the better astrologers utilize a bit of intuitive and-or psychic ability. The same is true for most occupations, too, with the application of a sixth sense to assist. I think achievers often channel or access something outside of themselves and many acknowledge that. Quite a few inventors have stated their inventions or concepts came from dreams. Some authors and artists have stated their work came automatically without much conscious thought.

mike (again) said...

Sonny - It may be helpful for you to consider what you expect from an astrological reading. Do you want a straight natal chart interpretation, which is character analysis and how to make the most of who you are? Do you want a forecast of the year ahead (transits and-or progressions and-or solar return)? Do you want to understand your current life based on past-life karma (evolutionary astrology)? Do you have medical concerns (medical astrology). Planning to start a venture or partnership (mundane astrology)...etc!

Sonny G said...

you're right Mike.. I do need to attempt to study this myself.
I am not certain what type of astrological report I actually want/need.
************
Thanks Annie I will read at the site you suggested for a few weeks and see how it FEELS to me. :-)

thanks to you both for your insight and suggestions..