The Adaptability of The Sea-Goat (a.k.a Say Something Nice About Capricorn)

Synchronicities sure are wyrd. In the narrative astrology Discord I'm in, someone spoke on Capricorn and how people tend to view this sign as one that loves to indulge in suffering and sacrifice. They asked for people on the server to say something nice about Capricorn. The synchronicities come in because I had recently read about Capricorn and its clan (Cap, Saturn, and the 10th house) in Steven Forrest's "Book of Earth". So I'd been thinking about this, especially since both my chart rulers (Jupiter and Neptune) are in Cap and I'm learning how to integrate and work with them properly. Here's what came to mind about the infamous Sea-Goat.

Capricorn is an energy I've had an interesting relationship with. It's an energy I'm drawn to in others over and over and I really admire them even if my relationships with those people haven't panned out (for reasons likely unrelated, but it's a pattern I've noticed since I'm sorting out a relationship with Cap/Saturn in my chart). It's a very strong and versatile energy. I haven't read all of KK's post yet, but the bit about water and climbing the mountain resonates with me.

What I find fascinating is that - despite Saturn's rep for being super traditional and kinda stubborn/fixed in how it does things - it rules 2 signs associated with multiple elements: water and earth (Cap) and water and air (Aqua). Water flows. It's adaptable. Cap and Aqua are like that. They know how to pivot and adjust, how to direct their energies in a sustained manner. Saturn is the God of Time and Harvest - it doesn't really make sense for it to not be adaptable. Yet that's the idea we have and this idea that suffering is inherent to Cap and Saturn is wild. Sure, suffering can happen, but that doesn't mean is necessary for things to work.

The thing about Cap is that it has to learn to balance its need to work or forget to sleep/eat/rest - which ideally happens not because Cap wants to suffer or deal with intensity, but more that it enjoys its work so much that bodily comforts slip its mind. They're in the flow state. Cap is built to overcome and they don't necessarily like short-cuts, but that comes from wanting to do the job well and with focused effort so they get lost and get to enjoy it. The issue is that Cap is so associated with society + Saturn + 10H means that it unfortunately gets conflated with modern capitalism to the point that it creates a really warped view of Cap. I even saw someone on Twitter recently argue against someone - who said that Cap, Gem, and Virgo would be good candidates for working for themselves - that Cap and Virgo are some of the most capitalistic signs out there. People reacted strongly that that isn't true considering these symbols - and all astro symbols - have been around far longer than capitalism and none of them is necessarily more likely to be capitalistic than another. It's more that some of them have qualities that have their shadows glorified in modern society and are thus associated - see the earth signs/houses/planets first and foremost, then likely some of their air clans, Mars, and maybe Leo.

Cap/Saturn/10H are all about finding your place in society and the work that society will appreciate you for. You locate your mountain and hone your skills, putting in the time, effort, and discipline to hone them so that you can be well known for the amazing work you do and find your freedom through that. You find your great work and buckle down to do it - not for difficulty but because the work is worth doing and a challenge that brings your talents to the fore. Cap is a beautiful energy that gets a bad rep and it's really unfortunate.