Capricorn rising is deeply conservative, a general characteristic of the earth element. He works within established frameworks and, though constantly active, rarely strays from the beaten track. His guiding principle is perfectly true in a broader spiritual sense, but not when we consider time in the ordinary reckoning of centuries: that the order of the universe is immutable and eternal. He lives in the present, yet often behaves like Cancer, whose fundamental ideas are rooted in antiquity. Capricorn knows how difficult it is to acquire any new ability, how much easier it is to maintain existing forms than to devise new ones, and how much simpler it is to submit to authority than to justify rules of his own.
Capricorn possesses enormous energy, but wastes none of it, for the Saturnian influence makes him miserly with his time. He finds it far less troublesome to work within the limitations of his surroundings than to try to change or overcome them. He is highly ambitious. His path leads steadily upwards, but he ascends by conventional means. He knows how much disorder and confusion even the slightest disruption of routine can create. He is meticulous in his observance of outward forms. Picture him in an office. He will not seek promotion at everyone else’s expense. This is the man who is never a minute late in fifty years, whose calculations are never out by a penny, who is always there when needed, with precisely the information required at that moment. He is steadfast, every faculty wholly devoted to the task in hand. He perseveres with his allotted work, never thinking about the goal itself, which he regards as the logical consequence of all the steps leading towards it. At times he seems to forget that life is full of opportunities and adventures, and he disdains such chance occurrences. His thinking leaves no room for those influences from other planes that lend variety to life. Such is the mind of the average German professor. This narrow outlook, combined with extreme dedication, serves Capricorn exceedingly well in his chosen career. No visionary dreams distract him, and pleasures hold less appeal for him than for others. Even the prospect of reward is not particularly prominent in the minds of those with this rising sign. Their working rhythm seems to them to have been ordained. They do not complain, but carry on, following their path with incomparable perseverance.
An imaginative Capricorn is a rare find. Self-centred and wholly contained within his own riverbed, he never seeks to overflow his banks, nor even thinks of them as banks at all. One might suppose that certain paths are a priori difficult to follow without the necessary imagination, but this is not so. Take Swami Vivekananda, whose chosen path was spirituality, one of the most difficult that human feet can tread. Yet despite his astonishing learning and his extraordinary accomplishments in the matters he set out to pursue, we find only occasional glimpses of originality. His teachings offered no new insights; he is the consummate classicist, but said nothing that the seven rishis had not said before him.
A particular shortcoming of this sign is that he neither breaks through obstacles like Taurus, defeats them in battle like Leo, destroys them utterly like Scorpio, nor turns them to his advantage like Libra. He simply leaps over them, and this detachment makes him unfeeling.
Where money is concerned, this native is trustworthy. He is the best person to whom you could entrust money for safe investment: he will manage it intelligently and carefully, and account for every penny, but will be too cautious to expose it to any risk. Unless tempered by planets in good dignity, these qualities can often lead to miserliness. Mazarin is a striking example. In moments of crisis, when loyalty and devotion were what he needed above all else, he would slight his followers by giving them paltry rewards for the immense services they had rendered him.
In speech and writing, the native with this rising sign will be direct, sometimes eloquent, but originality will again be lacking in both substance and style. He is particularly fond of allusions, and frequently introduces classical phrases or metaphors into his speech or writing. His style, even when not especially impassioned, is academically flawless.
Capricorn is more attached to home than the other signs; born into a family, he seldom thinks of leaving it. Whatever rules prevail, he accepts them as the natural order of things and acts within their boundaries. He may be harsh or unfeeling, but has no inclination to disrupt the existing situation.
In love, this native is selfish, failing to understand that the feeling must be mutual. He does not even experience true jealousy, nor is he hurt by infidelity. Sexual perversions are seldom found in this sign, though where they do occur, they are purely animalistic. With children he can be overbearing and often tyrannical. He is not actively or consciously cruel, merely cold and unsympathetic. As a parent, he finds a child’s individuality offensive, and imposes rules which may accord with justice or sound discipline, but are so rigid that even children with little spirit cannot adapt to them without suffering.
Capricorn is so materially minded that the problems of the subconscious scarcely trouble him. He always takes life seriously and accepts things as they are, or as they appear at first glance. The sign lacks the imagination needed for great scientific discoveries, but the native possesses a quality indispensable to any serious investigation: patience. A chemist born with this rising sign may spend half a century working to identify the constituents of a single compound. In a subordinate position, he makes the perfect laboratory assistant. Wherever attention to detail, tireless perseverance and rigorous accuracy are essential, he is unsurpassed; but once thrown off course, he has no means of adapting to the situation anew.