Capricorn

“ The newspapers described, a few years since, a serious attack of fever; but as most persons have some experience of the kind, the fulfilment of the prediction can hardly be regarded as very wonderful. Epileptic attacks, which, as less common, might have saved the credit of the astrologers, have not visited 'this royal native.' The position of Saturn in Capricorn betokened loss or disaster in one or other of the places ruled over by Capricorn—which, as we have seen, are India, Macedonia, Thrace, Greece, Mexico, Saxony, Wilna, Mecklenburgh, Brandenburgh, and Oxford. ”

“ A second scarabæus is placed awry and cross-wise upon the first band, in the angle which the feet of the large figure form with the body, and before the space in which the Lion marches, which is a little behind. At the other end of this same band, the Capricorn is very near the bottom, or at the arms of the large figure; and, upon the left band, the Aquarius is separated to some distance from it. The Capricorn, however, is not repeated like the Crab. The division of this zodiac, from the entrance, is therefore made between the Lion and the Cancer ”

“ Therefore Saturn is in essential agreement with Capricorn and Aquarius, the signs occupied by the Sun during the cold months of mid-winter, December and January. When placed in these signs his cold, clammy hand makes itself felt as a powerful force that crushes life and joy, that covers the life with the gloom of death. ”

“ And it was now so bright that the waxing moon seemed but a pale yellow ghost of itself, hanging huge in the sunset. In a South African city a great man had married, and the streets were alight to welcome his return with his bride. "Even the skies have illuminated," said the flatterer. Under Capricorn, two negro lovers, daring the wild beasts and evil spirits for love of one another, crouched together in a cane brake where the fire-flies hovered. "That is our star," they whispered, and felt strangely comforted by the sweet brilliance of its light. ”

“ While the stars of Capricornus do not look anything like a sea-goat, he can be easily found by drawing a line from Vega in Lyra to Altair in Aquila and producing it until you come to the zodiac as shown in Fig. 179.
The two brightest stars of Capricornus are in his head. One of these stars is a naked eye double, but to many people it will seem merely a single star. As a matter of fact it is a fine sight test, for it takes a pair of mighty good eyes to separate them. Another bright star of the sea-goat is in his fishlike tail. ”

“ The wydeste of thise three principal cercles is cleped the Cercle of Capricorne, by-cause that the heved of Capricorne turneth evermo consentrix up-on the same cercle. (That is to say, the Tropic of [Pg 90] Capricorn meets the ecliptic in the sign Capricornus, or, in other words, the sun attains its greatest declination southward when in the sign Capricornus.) ”

“ The Galaxy, Macrobius says, crosses the Zodiac in two opposite points, Cancer and Capricorn, the tropical points in the sun's course, ordinarily called the Gates of the Sun. These two tropics, before his time, corresponded with those constellations, but in his day with Gemini and Sagittarius, in consequence of the precession of the equinoxes; but the signs of the Zodiac remained unchanged; and the Milky Way crossed at the signs Cancer and Capricorn, though not at those constellations. ”

“ The spot thus marking the planet's position is, by a very slight movement of the Rete, to be brought upon the horizon, and it will be found that the planet (situated 2° N. of the 6th degree) ascends together with the head (or beginning of the sign) of Capricorn. This result, which is not quite exact, is easily tested by a globe. When the latitude of the planet is south, its place cannot well be found when in Capricorn for want of space at the edge of the Astrolabe. ”

“ Harmonious all. On the celestial sphere
Though stars untold, as ocean's sand, appear,
Each tracks its separate orbit through the skies—
Fix’d is its place to set—its place to rise.
But the fourth circle on the ocean's face
To set and rise has no determin’d place.
Now mounting high to Cancer's torrid side—
With Capricorn now sinking in the tide.
If we this circle measure in the sky,
Spanning a sixth part with the human eye, 560
Two signs of twelve it can at once embrace,
Thence to the central eye an equal space. ”

“ When the Sun leaves Capricorn, by precession, it enters the sign Sagittarius, and this is pictured in the symbolical Zodiac as a Centaur, part horse and part man. Thus it shows aptly, the fact that we have evolved through the animal stage into the human. The centaur is in the act of drawing his bow, showing that there is something for which. the human spirit, on its pilgrimage through matter, is seeking, that it aspires to something that lies beyond it, as a lofty ideal, for the bow points upward to the stars. ”

“ Capricorn is ruled by Saturn, the planet of obstruction, therefore the vitality of these children isvery low and they are difficult to raise, but once infancy is passed the Saturnine persistence makes itself felt and they cling to life with an amazing tenacity so that they often become very old. They arevery much subject to colds and their principal source of danger is falls and bruises. ”

“ Moreover, He created twelve Signs of the Zodiac, Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces; and appointed them of the four humours; three fiery, Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius; three earthly, Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn; three airy, Gemini, Libra and Aquarius; and three watery, Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces." Hereupon the astronomer rose, and saying, "Bear witness against me that she is more learned than I," away he went beaten. Then quoth the Caliph, "Where is the philosopher [FN#429] ?" ”

“ Observations show us that during the summer when the Sun is in the sphere of Cancer and allied signs, fecundation and growth are the order of the day. But when the Sun is in the South, in Capricorn, we have winter, when nature is dead. ”

“ Allen states that the symbol of this constellation, , is thought to be τρ, the initial letters of the Greek τράγος meaning "Goat," but Lalande claims that it represents the twisted tail of the creature. Capricornus figures on an ancient Egyptian mirror. The mirror was emblematic of life, and there may be a connection here between the emblem of life, and the new life established by souls passing through these stars to the life eternal. ”

“ For the Chinese series has the strange peculiarity of proceeding in a retrograde direction or against the course of the sun. Thus, the second sign (of the Ox) occupies the position of Capricorn, the third that of Sagittarius, and so on. The explanation of this seeming anomaly is to be found in the primitive destination of the “animals” to the purposes of an “horary zodiac.” Their succession, established to mark the hours of day and night, was not unnaturally associated with the diurnal revolution of the sphere from east to west. [19] They are unquestionably of native origin. ”

“ The moon’s house is Cancer, its ascendant Taurus, its descendant Scorpio and its sinister aspect Capricorn. Saturn’s house is Capricorn and Aquarius, its ascendant Libra, its descendant Aries and its sinister aspects Cancer and Leo. Jupiter’s house is Pisces and Sagittarius, its ascendant Cancer, its descendant Capricorn and its sinister aspects Gemini and Leo. Venus’s house is Taurus, its ascendant Pisces, its descendant Libra and its sinister aspects Aries and Scorpio. Mercury’s house is Gemini and Virgo, its ascendant Virgo, its descendant Pisces and its sinister aspect Taurus. ”

“ In the first column under latitude 42°n. we find 18. At the top of the column, Sagittarius and the figure 10, therefore we place Sagittarius 18 on the Tenth Cusp.
The second narrow column shows the figure 9. Capricorn is above and the figure 11 is at the top of the column, so we place Capricorn 9 on the Eleventh Cusp.
The third narrow column has the figure 2 with Aquarius above and the figure 12 at the head of the column, so we place Aquarius 2 degrees on the cusp of the Twelfth House. ”

“ Then, to find the Tropic of Capricorn, you must make 45° on these lower Tangents a parallel distance of 45° on the upper Tangents, and take 23° 28' beyond that, for the parallel of Capricorn. Then, the Arctic Circle is 23° 30' from the Pole: and these are all the concentric Circles in the Plane, except the Circle of the Months, which is near the outward edge of the Planisphere. The next Circle is the Ecliptic, the apparent annual path of the Sun, and it is drawn thus:— set off the Secant of 23° 30' from Cancer, on the Solstitial Colure towards the Pole, and this shall be it’s center ”

“ And, whilst the Sun is in Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces, Aries, Taurus, and Gemini, the Earth’s Axis CP lies to the right hand of the Axis of the Ecliptic CH as seen from the Sun, and to the left hand while the Sun is in the other six Signs. ”

“ Even the Caer Arianrod of our Celtic forbears—the Silver Road, as generally given though obviously very loosely ... and may not the name more likely, especially in connection with a basic legend of the constellation of Corona Borealis, be the ‘Mansion of Ariand’ (Ariadne) ? ... though commonly applied to the Milky Way or less often to the Northern Crown, is sometimes in its modern equivalent used to designate Capricorn. Naturally, to astrologers, this Constellation with that of Aquarius, is of greatest import, for at a certain time ‘the House of Saturn’ is here to be discerned. ”

“ The children of Capricorn are usually bashful and timid in the presence of strangers but when they have become used to people they show their domineering nature and endeavor to make everybody around them conform to their will. ”

“ Should Venus [Pg 127] and Saturn be found in signs common to each other, that is to say, in Capricorn and Libra, [242] marriage will be contracted between persons kindred by blood: and, when the said position may happen in the ascendant, or in the mid-heaven, provided the Moon also should present herself there, men will become connected with their mothers, or maternal aunts, or with their mothers-in-law; and women with their own sons, or the sons of their brothers, or with their daughters’ husbands. ”

“ To suppose Capricornia can be invaded is perfectly ridiculous to every man of common sense, but this great, this glorious nation, has addicted itself so much to luxury and extravagance within recent years that I foresee innumerable evils which may undermine its happiness and plunge Capricornia into many dangers and difficulties. ”

“ It causes them much unnecessary worry, and may result in habitual melancholy, particularly if Saturn is afflicted. They ought to seek amusement outdoors, read funny stories and otherwise try to cultivate a sense of the humorous from childhood, for this is one of the saddest signs, and needs all possible encouragement.
Capricorn people are successful in detective work, where secret practices are used to trap others; and persistence is required to ferret out a mystery, for they never give up. ”

“ Observe, the order of the Zodiac is reversed upon the external human plane. But, Aries is always symbolical of the first angle, and Libra of the seventh, being the point of equilibrium, while the tenth, or South, angle becomes Capricorn and the fourth Cancer. The mission of the soul now is to evolve the positive, spiritual attributes. ”

“ Located on the Tropic of Capricorn, its elevation gives it a healthful climate which in combination with other advantages has produced men awake to the spirit of progress and eager to develop the astonishing resources of this richly endowed State. ”

“ Pegasi through (ζ) and (θ) in the same constellation, and projected about 25 degrees, strikes (α) and (β) in Capricornus.
This constellation contains three principal stars— (α) and (β) mentioned above, and (δ) about 20 degrees east of them.
The water jar of Aquarius is about the same distance north-east of (δ) Capricorni that Fomalhaut, in the Southern Fish, is southeast of it.
(α) has a companion which can be seen by the naked eye. It is a fine sight in binoculars. These two stars are gradually separating. ”

“ Many intagli and camei of antique origin are found cut in Serpentine; these specimens include Egyptian scarabei and Babylonian cylinders of about 5,000 years ago, clear evidence that the ancients knew the stone, appreciated it and worked it.
The sign Capricorn is a strange one, symbolizing the Gateway of Heaven through which men pass when life on earth is done. Hence it expresses the 48mystery of the deep seas which were compared with the seas of space in sacred philosophy. ”

“ Considered in this manner, we find that there are two sets of three pairs of signs, namely, Cancer and Capricorn, Gemini and Sagittarius, Taurus and Scorpio. In these three pairs of signs we may read the history of human evolution and religion, in the early, the middle and the latter third of the Atlantean Epoch. In the other three pairs of signs: Aries and Libra, Pisces and Virgo, Aquarius and Leo; we find the key to man’s development during the Aryan Epoch. ”

“ The figures of the celestial signs being on the lip of the larger drum, and this drum being motionless, let the sign Cancer be drawn at the top, with Capricornus perpendicular to it at the bottom, Libra at the spectator's right, Aries at his left, and let the other signs be given places between them as they are seen in the heavens.
13. Hence, when the sun is in Capricornus, the tongue on the rim touches every day one of the points in Capricornus on the lip of the larger drum, and is perpendicular to the strong pressure of the running water. ”

“ Thus, for example, Leo, Virgo, and Sagittarius enlarge the person; and Pisces, Cancer, and Capricorn tend to make it diminutive; and thus, again, the upper and anterior parts of Aries, Taurus, and Leo increase its strength and their lower and posterior parts render it weaker: while, on the other hand, Sagittarius, Scorpio, and Gemini act conversely; for their anterior parts produce greater debility, and their posterior parts greater vigour. In like manner, Virgo, Libra, and Sagittarius contribute to render the person handsome and well-proportioned ”