CAPRICORN (December 22-January 20)

Origin/Representation
Capricorn is represented by a mythical creature who is half goat, half fish. In Greek mythology, the god Bacchus was sitting by a river when he was threatened by a monster. Fearing death, he dove in and transformed himself: underwater he was a fish who survived by swimming; above the water he was a goat with horns who could fight the monster. Jupiter (who, by the way, rules Sagittarius) was impressed enough to promote Bacchus to the heavens, where he remains as the constellation Capricorn to this day.
Capricorn is also the sign of sin and sacrifice. Sagittarius the centaur-archer is believed to have shot Capricorn, transforming him into a sacrificial goat, or scapegoat. This is the very foundation of many religions, including the story of Jesus Christ.
In the Apocalypse, St. John explains that the Sun God (or son of God) is always born at midnight when the sun enters this sign of the winter solstice. The child is born in poverty, in a goat's manger in a stable, so that he can later save humankind as its sacrifical goat.
Capricorn is ruled by Saturn, a planet that orbits the sun very slowly. As a result, Capricorns are said to think the same way: long-term. Saturn's influence also means that the best day of the week for this sign is Saturday.
Positive Qualities
You are a tireless worker, to the point of self-martyrdom. You'll do any and all work assigned to you, so that you can impress your superiors and gradually move up the ladder. You will eventually gain more and more status and wealth, but it takes a long time. That's okay with you, though—you've always understood this.
Chances are, you come from a poor background—like the baby Jesus—and you decided early on that you would work as hard as you could to improve your standing for your family. In fact, you have an innate fear of poverty, so much so that once you've achieved a rank or two in the world you will fight to the death to keep it.
This is also in keeping with your far-thinking approach to life, as determined by the slow-moving Saturn. You plan, plan, plan. You save, save, save. One would think you a dour person for all this work, but you have your moments of joy— after all, the words saturnalia and bacchanalia apply to you, and both define wild abandon.
You probably already know a lot about sacrifice. You were the one who stayed up caring for a sick relative when you were a kid, instead of playing with your friends. You're the one who keeps the family together, in fact, when members drift off. You're the glue, the controlling force in this world. Without you, it would simply fall apart.
Similarly, you have a great sense of tradition. You respect what you've inherited, and you believe in cherishing it and handing it down in the same state or better. Be it a grandparent's locket or the oral history of the family, it's safe with you.
Like your neighboring signs, Sagittarius and Aquarius, you are proudly intellectual. But you're not as argumentative as a Sagittarius. Yours is a quieter wisdom—if you know you're right, you don't believe you have to get into an all-out war just for the show of it. The truth will win out.
For this reason, you make an excellent teacher. In fact, you see the world as very structured, and as you gain rank in the system, you believe in teaching those below you. If you are a teacher, you're probably very strict. It's not due to malevolence, just a strong sense of tradition, of wisdom, of right and wrong, of the merits of hard work.
Trouble Areas
You would think that Capricorns would be capricious. But you're not. Far from it. Oh, you have your occasional gambling binge or Saturday night bash, but for the most part you're very ordered. You live for the future, not for the moment. You're busy planning your life five, ten, twenty years from now while the Sagittarians, Leos, and Arians are living it up. That's all fine, but the problem is, you are easily depressed.
In fact, you're probably preoccupied with death. Saturn is often said to be associated with Father Time; others believe it is an evil influence (Saturn and Satan are almost interchangeable). This makes you rather morbid—your sense of humor is sarcastic and dry to the point of being, well, sick.
Capricorns are also known for bigotry. It seems your fear of poverty is so strong you'll take any tack to defend the status you've gained in life, and that includes a narrow-minded view of people of different backrounds. You're entitled to your opinions, and you have strong reasons for them, but this inflexible attitude could cause irreperable reputation damage in today's politically correct climate.
Saturn's slowness also throws delays into your life. You're used to them by now, but still, you often think you have the worst luck—another ailing relative to care for, or car to fix, or unwelcome responsibility at your job .... You'll do it, because sacrifice is your nature, and when you have time again you'll work harder just to make up for what you lost.
This pattern can easily lead to a depressed, bad-things-always-happen-to-me attitude. Don't let it. People really appreciate you—no one else could be a better friend. They also respect your ethics and status. So relax—you'll get what you want, it just takes time, and time is something you know about all too well.
Physical Qualities and Activities
You're a lean, mean, running machine. Seriously. Capricorns are not particularly muscular, but rather lanky. The sign rules locomotion, the knees and joints, and your personality is very driven towards long distances, long time spans, and hard work. So, you're the ideal marathon runner. You also enjoy other endurance events, such as long-distance cycling, rock climbing, mountain climbing, or anything with a similarly daunting goal.
If you participate in any other sports, it's only to get better at them, or to further your career by being in the right place. Otherwise, you're not the type that will get out and enjoy recreation just for the idle fun of it.
Like the other intellectual signs, you do enjoy studying, and you especially love music. There's something in its complexity—particularly in great classical works, its degree of difficulty to master, that you appreciate.
Preferences
More than any other sign, even Scorpio, you prefer dark colors. Black is you. It goes with your propensity towards depression and death.
Your sense of style is quite traditional and conservative, and here, dark is also preferable—it shows status and power better, and that is, after all, what you spend your life striving for.
Once you attain a certain rank, you have a weakness for displaying it. You want a car, for instance, that is above all a status symbol. You take pride in how far you've come, so you want to announce this to the world by buying an expensive, well-made vehicle, such as a BMW.
Your home is also impressive, the better to announce your status. In terms of actual taste, though, it may be a bit plain. Traditional. You rely on the good taste of historical style to lend it an air of quality.
The same goes for food. Your sacrificial side has such a strong hold on your work ethic that you often don't stop for food. It's not nearly as important to you as it is to your earth sign relatives, the Taureans and Virgos. And when you do eat, it's never adventurous. Meat and potatoes, chicken, burgers, anything safe. Exotic foods? Never.
Occupations/Financial Profile
You work best in a structure, such as a large corporation, school system, church, or the military. You appreciate the earning of rank, and once you've achieved it, you hand down the same wisdom to those younger than you.
This makes you an excellent teacher, pastor or priest, or ranking military officer. In business terms, the bigger the company the better, because it offers you the opportunity to work so hard that you climb from the mailroom to the executive suite. In fact, whenever you read about such a success story, it's almost always a Capricorn.
You're quite good with financial data, so a large bank, insurance or investment company is a smart direction for you. As an earth sign and a hard worker, you appreciate buildings as well, so real estate and the construction industry are also recommended. Finally, Capricorn's connection to the bones and teeth can lead you to a successful career as a dentist or orthopedic surgeon.
Typical famous Capricorns include the hardworking Woodrow Wilson, who began prohibition; the hardest worker of all, Horatio Alger; the industrious Benjamin Franklin; Howard Hughes, Conrad Hilton, Aristotle Onassis, all of whom climbed admirably to the top of the business world; and Richard Nixon, another who climbed with all his might to the top.
There's also Clara Barton, who founded the Red Cross, exemplifying self-sacrifice. Several pop stars represent the sign's love for music, as well as its tendency to rise to the top of a tough business, including Elvis Presley, Rod Stewart, David Bowie, Naomi Judd, John Denver, and Kenny Loggins.
Capricorn women are said to have a rather cold beauty. This is evident in Marlene Dietrich, Faye Dunaway, Sade, and Crystal Gayle (another cold beauty, Patricia Neal, is on the Aquarian cusp).
Similarly, the dark, depressed, morbid side of the sign can be seen in the works of Rod Serling, Edgar Allan Poe, J.D. Salinger, and Simone de Beauvoir.
Love and Relationships
Because of your great teaching instinct, you often make the mistake of setting up a similar teacher-pupil relationship in your romantic affairs. Nothing could be more disastrous. Successful marriages thrive on equality and complementary qualities, not dominance and submission. However, once you are married, you become a wonderful parent, since you can thrive in the obvious teacher role that parenting provides—it also gives you an heir to whom you can hand down your prized family legacy.
Your ideal partner is likely to be your opposing sign, Cancer. A Cancerian's highest goal is family perfection, something you obviously treasure as well. And while they can understand your sacrificial brooding side just as intensely, their outlook on life is more supportive, caring, and ultimately, more positive. You also get along well with your fellow hard-working earth signs, Taurus (whose loving nature will cheer you up and encourage you) and Virgo (who understands your perfectionism to a tee, and will work harmoniously with you to achieve it, especially in a business partnership).
You do not get along well with Aries (too impatient and impetuous for your slow-climb approach to life), Gemini (too whimsical, with little regard for your ideals), Leo (too outgoing for you to trust), and Sagittarius (a complete opposite— you would never see eye to eye on anything).