Capricorn

Capricorn at a glance

Capricorn, the tenth sign, begins the winter quarter: the Sun enters it at the December solstice, its lowest point in the northern sky, and the days begin to lengthen. It is an earth sign, with Taurus and Virgo, and a cardinal sign, one of the four that open a season. Saturn rules it, the planet of time and structure, and its symbol is the Sea-Goat, half goat and half fish. Its polarity is the receptive one, and the tradition gives it the knees, bones and skin, the body's framework. Its opposite is Cancer, and the two form the axis of public and private life: Capricorn's career and standing against Cancer's home and family.

The Capricorn character

The tradition reads Capricorn as the sign of achievement over time. Earth makes it practical, Saturn makes it patient and serious, and the cardinal mode gives it ambition, the will to start the long climb. A Capricorn is described as responsible, disciplined, dry-humored and reliable, someone who plans, keeps its word and earns what it has, often growing lighter and more playful with age as the weight of early duties eases. Its difficulties are the same virtues pushed too far: pessimism, rigidity, a habit of working instead of living, and trouble showing the feelings the fish's tail keeps hidden. Astrologers often give Capricorn the lesson that rest is part of the climb.

Capricorn in love

In love Capricorn is read as cautious and committed: slow to show its feelings, loyal and dependable once it does, and more likely to show love through steady support than grand words. It takes relationships seriously and tends to want them to last. The earth signs Taurus and Virgo share its practical outlook, and the water signs Scorpio and Pisces are its friendliest, bringing the emotional depth it keeps under the surface. Cancer, the opposite sign, is the classic balance of home and career, each giving the other what it lacks. Aries and Libra square Capricorn, which the tradition reads as friction over pace and priorities. Two whole charts say far more than two Sun signs.

Capricorn at work

Work is read as Capricorn's natural ground. The tradition points it toward management and business, government and administration, finance, law, engineering, architecture and any field with a ladder to climb and a structure to build. It is read as the colleague who takes responsibility, sticks to the plan and quietly becomes indispensable, and as a natural at running things. The risk the tradition names is all work and no play, and a Capricorn is said to do its best when the goal it serves is its own, not only someone else's.

Capricorn beyond the Sun sign

A planet in Capricorn is read as working with discipline and patience. Capricorn rising gives a composed, serious first impression; the Moon in Capricorn feelings kept in check and a need for security through achievement; Saturn in Capricorn, Saturn in its own sign, a strong sense of duty and structure; and Mars in Capricorn, traditionally Mars at its most effective, drive with strategy and stamina. The birth chart calculator shows all of your placements. Below are the Capricorn dates for the coming years, its compatibility with every sign, its three decans and the slow planets' stays in it.