by Ron Thurlow, Ph.D., Esoteric Astrologer
The sign of Capricorn rules the process of human growth and development from both a material and a spiritual perspective. When Capricorn rules, we are driven to struggle toward greater heights. While self-identified with the personal ego, we are primarily focused on succeeding in worldly endeavors. Gradually, our identification shifts from egocentricity to the realization that I am more than the limitations of my personality. It is then that we begin the spiritual path of return.
Alice A. Bailey states in her book “Esoteric Astrology”:
“A study of the characteristics and qualities of the man who is born in the sign Capricorn will reveal a great deal anent the human family because the Capricornian can express all the worst of which a man is capable and the best. It is a sign of extremes, and this because at the time there were only ten signs, Capricorn was the first on the ordinary wheel and the last on the reversed wheel. This is obvious. Esoterically, all world Saviors and Sun Gods are born in Capricorn but also the very worst type of man – hard, materialistic, cruel, proud, selfishly ambitious and egoistic. The head rules the heart in such cases, whereas in the perfect example of the influences of Capricorn, head and heart are perfectly balanced.
“Capricorn rules the knees and this is symbolically true, for only when the Capricornian subject learns to kneel in all humility and with his knees upon the rocky mountain top to offer his heart and life to the soul and to human service, can he be permitted to pass through the door of initiation and be entrusted with the secrets of life.”
When the Soul is driving the movement forward, the person on the physical plane experiences an orderly and systematic unfoldment of consciousness. In esoteric language, this process is called the Path of Initiation. The spiritual experience in Capricorn is the culmination of human evolution and leads to the experience of self-realization.
However, the process of arriving at that high place is a long and winding road. Human beings come into each incarnation with a path in front of them. The Buddhists call it the Dharma. Capricorn provides the means for each of us to stay on course. It is ruled by Saturn, who can be a firm task master. So, whenever we stray too far off the path, the planet Saturn will nudge us back in the right direction. By the way, sometimes his “nudges” aren’t much fun but they are effective.
More and more people have begun to appreciate that human ambition alone has its limitations, and are asking the question, “What am I chasing after?” It is here that their spiritual path begins. This spiritual journey inevitably leads us to the foot of the Capricorn Mountain where we begin the inner path to a deeper and more inclusive experience of meaning. On the spiritual path, we continue to have trials and tests, but with each difficulty surmounted, vast new horizons are revealed.
Each of us, in our true nature, is Soul. As Souls, we direct our personalities toward evolution. Esoterically considered, humanity as a whole is an evolving being, as is the planet on which we live, and the solar system in which Earth spins. Astrology is the study of the movement of light, love and energy between these great celestial and cosmic beings.
The Keyword for Capricorn is: “Lost am I in light supernal, yet on that light I turn my back.”
Astrological Readings by Ron Thurlow, Ph.D., Esoteric Astrologer
Astrological Sign Paintings by Sandy Thurlow