Welcome to the Astrology Food for Thought Blog

This blog presents my interpretation of astrological symbolism as it pertains to the unfolding of individual lives and the events occurring in our world. I welcome you to present your own views and to challenge my thinking. Although I attempt to rely on accurate sources of information, I encourage you to do your own fact-checking, since any resource may at times be flawed.



Sunday, December 30, 2012

CAPRICORN THE CLIMBER




Preface

If your birthday does not fall during the Capricorn timeframe for the year you were born, this DOES NOT mean that you do not experience the energy of Capricorn, because somewhere in your natal birth chart, it is present. All twelve signs of the zodiac are expressed in your being, although some signs, and therefore their corresponding energies, may be more emphasized than others.
The Sun sign is about your essence, your vitality (what makes you feel alive), and your self-image. Whatever your Sun sign, you are on a life-long journey to discover and fully embrace this sign’s energy. You may be tested in life to experience the meaning of your Sun sign’s energy.

The Sun began its transit of the sign of Capricorn on December 21, 2012 at 3:11 am PST. 

Capricorns Speak

Betty White
Capricorn and Actress/Animal Rights Activist
















“I'm having the time of my life and the fact that I'm still working -- how lucky can you get? I'm 90 years old and still able to work as much as I do. That's a privilege.”


Muhammad Ali
Capricorn and Former Professional Boxer/Philanthropist


















“I hated every minute of training, but I said, 'Don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion'.”


Christine Lagarde
Capricorn and Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund


















“Perhaps the greatest roadblock will be the huge legacy of public debt, which now averages almost 110 percent of GDP for the advanced economies—the highest level since World War II. This leaves governments highly exposed to subtle shifts in confidence. It also ties their hands, especially as they seek to build the infrastructure of the 21st century while respecting social promises. The needs of rapidly aging populations will add to these pressures. One lesson is clear from history—reducing public debt is incredibly difficult without growth. High debt, in turn, makes it harder to get growth. The road ahead of us is narrow and long.”


Kahlil Gibran
Capricorn and Author of The Prophet (and other works)














“And an astronomer said, ‘Master, what of Time?’

       And he answered:
      You would measure time the measureless and the immeasurable.
      You would adjust your conduct and even direct the course of your spirit according to hours and seasons.
      Of time you would make a stream upon whose bank you would sit and watch its flowing.
      Yet the timeless in you is aware of life's timelessness,
      And knows that yesterday is but today's memory and tomorrow is today's dream.
      And that that which sings and contemplates in you is still dwelling within the bounds of that first moment which scattered the stars into space.
      Who among you does not feel that his power to love is boundless?
      And yet who does not feel that very love, though boundless, encompassed within the centre of his being, and moving not fromm love thought to love thought, nor from love deeds to other love deeds?
      And is not time even as love is, undivided and placeless?
      But if in you thought you must measure time into seasons, let each season encircle all the other seasons,
      And let today embrace the past with remembrance and the future with longing.



Joan Baez
Capricorn and Singer/Songwriter

"Action is the antidote to despair."




Robert Bly
Capricorn and Writer/Leader of the Men's Mythopoetic Movement

“Every noon as the clock hands arrive at twelve,
I want to tie the two arms together,
And walk out of the bank carrying time in bags.”


Capricorn Symbolism and Rulerships

The glyph of Capricorn








The glyph of Capricorn, shown above, resembles the angularity of a goat’s horn at the top and a curving tail at the bottom. The sign is represented by the mountain goat (as shown in the medieval painting preceding the article) or the sea goat. Astrologer Deborah Houlding explains that the sea goat symbolism may represent the “cross of matter,” where the psyche (equated with the impressionable ocean) is forced to meet the challenges of the material world (as in the earthy, concrete mountains) in a quest for individualization.[1] Astrologer Caroline Casey distinguishes between the domesticated goat and the wild goat, proposing that these two states of being reflect a dual nature in the Capricorn personality. The domesticated goat reflects the side of Capricorn that assumes a preordained role established by an external authority, resulting in living a life in accordance with duty. This type of Capricorn may feel responsible and law-abiding, but may feel a deep gloom. On the other hand, the wild goat lives in an environment of freedom, and it establishes its own path, leading to a more joyful existence.[2]

The name Capricorn, or Capricornus, derives from the Latin, with “caper” meaning goat, and “cornu” signifying horns. Horns are an ancient symbol of fertility, abundance, and prosperity. In ancient mythology, the goat Cornucopia nourished Jupiter as an infant. In ancient rituals, horned animals were sacrificed to draw power from the gods, leading later societies to misinterpret these “scapegoats” as representations of evil. In the Tarot deck, Capricorn is often associated with the horned Devil card. Astrologer Bruce Nevin says that the Devil is often referred to as the “Father of Lies,” meaning the lie of separateness. He says that the Capricornian lack of fulfillment in the pursuit of earthly manifestations and concentrated power can only be addressed when those born under this sign understand earthly limitations and overcome the illusion of separation and isolation.[3]

Capricorn is ruled by the planet Saturn, which represents the principle of contraction, the opposite of Jupiter, which symbolizes expansion. Saturn is the taskmaster, from whom we learn lessons after committing ourselves to a process or path. Saturn places boundaries on our activities and thinking, and represents the concept of time, thus the planet is often synonymous with “Father Time.” The terms commitment, effort, discipline, mastery, and authority are all key words associated with Capricorn.

Capricorn is a cardinal earth sign. As such, Capricorn represents the initiatory energy of a new season, emerging at the winter solstice. As an earth sign, Capricorn is concerned with manifestation, and with the creation and maintenance of structures.

Capricorn rules the 10th House of the zodiac, at the top of the astrological chart. The tenth house involves social participation. This house oversees activities such as one’s career, public standing, political power, and one’s relationships with authorities (including those within the family, such as the mother or the father).

Capricorn’s Purpose and Personality

Sagittarius completes the public relations and sales activities of the harvest season. Now winter emerges, and Capricorn maintains the harvest’s stockpile to be consumed during the severe season of winter. While autumn displayed the horn of plenty, winter requires conservation. The most difficult weather is yet to come, but the light of day will gradually increase as the season proceeds. Whereas Sagittarian energy is externalized, Capricorn energy withdraws inward, consistent with the season’s energy.

Sagittarius utilized its exuberant energy to set lofty goals and explore diverse experiences. Capricorn now chooses those elevated sights that are most likely to bear fruit. Capricorn says, “We’ve done enough exploring–it’s time now to establish some solid structures and activities that will move us forward.” Capricorn energy is responsible for the building of cities and their infrastructures.

Being of worth to society is important to those born under the sign of the goat. They are willing to work hard to accomplish their goals, and they exhibit the patience required to persist with a process that includes defeat as well as success. Capricorns can be the quintessential “come back kids.”

Sometimes descriptions of the sign of Capricorn seem rather grim. Some perceive Capricorn’s qualities of restraint and seriousness as reflecting an austere personality. However, every Capricorn is unique in terms of sign combinations in their chart and this will affect the degree to which the sign’s qualities will be expressed. Contrary to some profiles of Capricorn that emphasize the sign’s love of solitude, I myself observe that individuals with significant Capricorn energy are often quite sociable (remember, the sign rules the 10th house), but express reserve and maturity in their interactions.

Astrologer Steven Forrest (a Sun Sign Capricorn himself) posits that Capricorn's purpose is to fuse the essential character with a suitable public identity to serve society, whether through a job, volunteer work, or civic service. This societal role must match the Capricorn individual’s value system and interests. Forrest says that Capricorn utilizes patience and self-discipline in this arduous process of finding one's proper place in the community. Furthermore, this author contends that solitude is a strategy utilized by Capricorn to learn how to be content with his or her thoughts and projects so as not to rely on the praise and approval of others. In this way, observes Forrest, solitude transforms a burden into an opportunity. He says that Capricorn's practicality keeps it focused on its intention, allowing sign natives to overcome feelings of fear, frustration, and resistance. Capricorn's iron will is among its greatest resources. [4]

When Capricorn fails to find, or loses sight of, his or her true nature and goals, sign natives can become isolated and alone. They may turn to false pursuits, pursuing success for the sake of success, acquiring money as a sign of success, or hoarding tangible items as a validation of self-worth. Hence, as this sign's symbol suggests, the Goat must find the right mountain to climb, so that it is not duty-bound, but instead is free to climb heights in alignment with its nature.

Prime examples of Capricorn “gone wrong” can be seen in the how the late J. Edgar Hoover, long-time head of the FBI, and the late President Richard Nixon, conducted some of their professional activities. In my mind, J. Edgar Hoover represents the difficult side of Capricorn energy. For many years he reigned as a tyrannical authoritarian figure, feared by others in power, primarily because they knew that he collected information that could damage their careers. In one of her books, astrologer Caroline Casey says Capricorn behavior can become “weird” when these sign natives become too insular. Hoover exhibited the Saturinnian tendency toward insecurity and corresponding overcompensation with overwork. As Casey theorizes, these outwardly successful people are often surrounded by “yes men” who are unable to offer this personality type the feedback necessary to curb their unhealthy idiosyncrasies.[5] Similarly, our nation’s 37th president, Richard Nixon, authorized Republican operatives to break in and wiretap the Watergate headquarters of the opposition party. His authoritarian drive and thirst for power overshadowed his Capricorn common sense. Like Hoover, Nixon lacked aides in his administration who could show him the folly of his ways.

Endnotes

[1] Houlding, Deborah (December/January 2008). Capricorn the Goatfish. The Mountain Astrologer. Issue #136, pp. 40-47.

[2] Casey, Caroline (1998). Making the Gods Work for You. New York: Harmony Books, p.48.

[3] Nevin, Bruce (1982). Astrology Inside Out. Rockport, Massachusetts: Para Research, Inc., p.80.

[4] Forrest, Steven. (1988). The Inner Sky. San Diego: ACS Publications, pp.81-85.

[5] Casey, Caroline, Op.Cit., p.48





Profile of a Prominent Capricorn

Bernardine Dohrn
Born January 12, 1942


















Best known for her figurehead role in the militant group The Weathermen, Bernardine Dohrn currently serves as a Clinical Associate Professor of Law at Northwestern University. She is married to a fellow Capricorn, Bill Ayers, also a former member of the Weathermen. American conservatives have consistently linked Chicago residents Ayers and Dohrn with President Barack Obama. A long-time child advocate, Dohrn lectures and writes about humanitarian and legal issues concerning youth within domestic and international spheres. She is the founder and a past Director of the Children and Family Justice Center, which operates within Northwestern University School of Law's Bluhm Legal Clinic. Dohrn also co-founded the Center on the Wrongful Convictions of Youth. In this arena, Dohrn conducts research and policy advocacy to reduce the incarceration and out-of-home placement of youth.

Born Bernardine Rae Ohrnstein on January 12, 1942 in Chicago, Illinois, her family moved to Whitefish Bay Wisconsin when she was eight. Bernardine was the daughter of a Jewish American father and a Christian Scientist mother with Swedish roots. (Her father changed the family surname to Dohrn). She appears to have had a rather conventional life as a high school student at Whitefish Bay High School, where she served as editor of the student newspaper, participated in the Modern Dance Club, and joined the cheerleading squad.

After high school graduation, Dohrn studied at Miami University for one year, and then transferred to the University of Chicago, where she earned her Bachelor’s in Political Science in 1963. Four years later, she completed her J.D. at this university. Soon thereafter, she accepted a position in New York with the National Lawyers Guild.

During her college years, Dohrn became active in anti-war activities and in the civil rights movement. She joined a branch of the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), known as the Revolutionary Youth Movement. The group’s manifesto, entitled "You Don't Need a Weatherman to Know Which Way the Wind Blows," spoke about the need for a classless society that would be brought about by a cadre organization leading a revolution. Dohrn identified strongly as a Communist committed to a guerilla struggle against American imperialism. In 1969, she was indicted by a grand jury on conspiracy charges to violate the anti-riot act in conjunction with anti-war activities at the Democratic Convention in Chicago in 1968. Four years later, the Seventh Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals reversed the charges.

Dohrn and her fellow Weathermen led a series of direct action activities in October 1969 against the Vietnam War called the Days of Rage. With several hundred members, the Weathermen stormed through the streets on October 8 breaking the windows of businesses and automobiles. In armed confrontation, the police injured a number of the protesters and placed many under arrest. Weathermen members regrouped and staged other protest events on the following days.

Bernardine Dohrn recorded a Weathermen statement called a "declaration of a State of War" that she sent to the New York Times in May of 1970. On October 14, 1970, Federal Bureau of Investigations listed her on the 10 most wanted Fugitives, which led members to go underground, and to coin the organization name, The Weather Underground. The group conducted a campaign of militant activities protesting the U.S. war against Vietnam throughout the 1970s, which included the bombing of police stations, the U.S. Capitol building, and the Pentagon.

While on the lam, Dohrn began a personal relationship Bill Ayers(whom she later married in 1982), a co-founder of the Weathermen. Ayer’s late girlfriend, Diana Oughton, had been killed in the Greenwich Village townhouse explosion caused by a bomb the Weathermen group was constructing. The couple lived underground for most the 1970s, during which they became the parents of two children. Motivated by the concern for the well-being of their children, Dohrn and Ayers aligned themselves with the faction of the Weather Underground who favored surrendering to authorities to face legal charges. The fugitive couple came out of hiding in 1980 and turned themselves in to authorities. Dohrn pled guilty to charges of aggravated battery and bail jumping. Because many of the charges against the Weather Underground were dropped due to findings of prosecutorial misconduct related to COINTELPRO, Dohrn received only probation. Later, refusing to testify against a fellow member of the Weather Underground, she served a jail term of less than a year.

Dohrn passed the New York bar exam in 1984 and began working for the New York office of a prominent Chicago law firm, Sidley Austin LLP. The following year, the bar found her unfit for admission, citing a concern for her ability to commit to the rule of law. During the ensuing years, Dohrn floundered around for a career direction, ultimately deciding that she wanted to work on children’s issues. In 1988, she accepted employment at the office of the Cook County Public Guardian, which represents abused and neglected children. Frustrated by the blame placed unfairly on mothers who interfaced with the Public Guardian, Dohrn left the government agency to work at the American Civil Liberties Union and then the Legal Assistance Foundation. In 1991, Dohrn accepted an appointment as an adjunct professor of law at Northwestern University, where she still teaches comparative law and maintains extensive involvement in juvenile justice issues. The following year, Dohrn founded the law school’s Children and Family Justice Center, which represents parents in abuse and neglect cases and children in delinquency cases. Additionally, the Center develops policy strategies for reforming the juvenile court system.

Still devoted to the ideals that instilled her passion for action in the 1960s and 1970s, Dohrn remains committed to addressing the issues of justice, equality, and peace. However, these days, she uses different tactics. In an extensive interview with Chicago Magazine, she reflected on her past,

"I wish that I hadn't been arrogant and self-righteous," she says of herself then. "I wish nobody had gotten hurt, of course. But that doesn't change the reality of the context of the times." 

Dohrn also discussed her previous activities with a New York Times reporter,
.
"Some things are not justifiable and not logical. Lots of inappropriate things and things regretted later get said and done. That is partly a self-criticism and partly an explanation. These kinds of movements are very human."

Some Observations about the Natal Chart of Bernardine Dohrn

Note: When I share my perceptions of a chart, please keep in mind that much of this is speculation. Unless I am engaging an individual in conversation, there is no way to know whether the subject resonates with this interpretation.

The natal chart of Bernardine Dohrn is shown at the end of this section. Of the personal planets, all but one (Mars) are located in the northern hemisphere of Dohrn’s natal chart. Conversely, the social (Jupiter and Saturn) and transpersonal planets (Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto) are located in the southern hemisphere. (Remember that in an astrological chart, the northern hemisphere is the lower section of the chart, below the horizon, and the southern hemisphere is the upper portion, above the horizon). Although there may be factors that may have caused strains between the public and personal life, my guess is that Dohrn’s role as a change agent is compatible with her home environment (represented by the fourth house), the location of her Sun, which trines (harmonious flow) the Uranus/Saturn (breaking the rules) energy in the institutional sphere. Her home environment invigorates her purpose, and her husband’s Sun (Capricorn Bill Ayers) is located in her fourth house – a good placement for a husband!

As we know from Dohrn’s biography, her fugitive life and legal difficulties took a toll on her family life, particularly with respect to creating a workable life for her children. The Uranus/Saturn conjunction (breaking the rules) squaring (tension) her Venus (role as a woman OR values) in the fifth house of children reflects this dilemma. The Moon (mothering, nurturing) in her third house of the local environment (neighborhood) squares (tension) Venus (role as a female OR values) in the fifth house of children. Nevertheless, the fact that the Uranus/Saturn conjunction (breaking the rules) trines (harmonious energy) her Sun (the person’s essence, what makes them feel alive) seems to convey her revolutionary activities are in alignment with her purpose.

The most predominant element in Dohrn’s chart is earth. The planetary ruler of her sun sign, Capricorn, is Saturn. We can see that Dohrn is committed (Saturn) to changing values (Uranus/Saturn conjunction in Taurus). Although she may have temporarily been unsure of what goals to pursue, like the diligent goat (symbol of Capricorn), she ultimately found the right mountain to climb. Dohrn was able to identify a suitable institution, the Northwestern University School of Law, where she could safely advocate for societal changes. Uranus (revolutionary change maker) and Jupiter (expansive benefactor) are in Dohrn’s ninth house, which is the sphere of institutions of higher learning, the law, philosophy, foreign travel, and publishing—all areas in which Dohrn has been engaged. With no planets in emotive water, but with air and fire augmenting her earth, Dohrn is perhaps more suited to the passionate pursuit of research, writing, and policy advocacy rather than direct casework with clients.

Dohrn’s natal chart contains two interesting configurations, a yod and a t-square. The three planets in a yod form an isosceles triangle, with two quincunxes (inconjuncts) and a sextile. In Dohrn’s chart, Neptune (idealism, illusion, delusion) sextiles the Moon and both quincunx Mars. However, from an astrological perspective, this may not be a pure yod, because two of the elements are in degrees ending and beginning different signs, and two of the elements are compatible. In the classic sense, the quincunx aspects form between elements that having nothing in common and that do not understand one another. The inconjunct planet at the apex becomes the point of expression, which may be uncomfortable because of the dissimilar energies involved. The reason I include this configuration has more to do with the planets in the yod. The planets forming the sextile are the Moon and Neptune, which are compatible as planetary forces, because they are both rule water planets and they both symbolize the more passive, gentler forms of nature. On the other hand, Mars, the planet they quincunx, symbolizes action, including aggression. Some astrologers disagree about the importance of a yod, with some believing that it simply represents an irritating force in one’s life. Other astrologers view this configuration as possessing greater esoteric meaning. The yod is often referred to as “the finger of God.” As such, this configuration involves an element of life that is fated. Some astrologers think that individuals born with a natal yod have a special talent to give the world. While only a personal dialogue with Bernardine Dohrn might reveal the true nature of the yod in her life, one might speculate that she has been called to be a leader (Mars) to catalyze changes in societal structures Capricorn and its planetary ruler Saturn), and that at some level she may have been reluctant to be in this role. It has been reported that she initially became involved in Students for a Democratic Society because her boyfriend at the time signed her up for a meeting, and that she had initially been hesitant about her involvement. I posit this theory because Mars is also the apex planet of a T-square configuration, which consists of an opposition (awareness) between Pluto (power, transformation) and Mercury (the rational mind, role of intermediary) and both planets squaring Mars. Her t-square may be saying that she could be heard (Mercury) by those in power (Pluto) with appropriate action (Mars). We can also understand Dohrn’s yod from another viewpoint. Perhaps Mars, the activation point, is more an impediment rather than an asset in Dohrn’s life. It may be that Dohrn needed to embrace more peaceful and nurturing (Moon) approaches in her actions (Mars) before she could realistically be of service (Neptune in the 12th house) in our society. Alternatively, if we interpret the two configurations as a unit, they illustrate to us the potential Dohrn possesses as a leader (Mars) who speaks/writes on behalf of (Mercury) mothers and children (Moon) within compassionate institutions (Neptune in the 12th house) that strives to improve the lives of clients. There may be many different ways to glean meaning from these configurations, both looking at the chart from a life purpose viewpoint as well as from a more psychological perspective (or both).



Sources: 


























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