Capricorn
Dec 22 – Jan 19
Capricorn climbs because it respects the effort the mountain demands, and it plans every step of the way.
Element
Earth
Modality
Cardinal
Ruling planet
Saturn
Symbol
Sea-goat
Glyph ♑
Polarity
Yin
Traditionally feminine
Natural house
10th house
Career and reputation
Season
Early winter
Northern Hemisphere
Body area
Knees, bones, joints and skin
In traditional astrology
Capricorn personality
Capricorn is Cardinal Earth ruled by Saturn, the planet of time, structure and responsibility. It is the zodiac's strategist and builder of long-term achievement. Capricorn sets a summit and climbs steadily toward it, one careful step after another.
Capricorn is disciplined, ambitious and dry-humored. It often seems older than its years when young and seems to grow younger as it ages and relaxes into its success. It respects expertise, earns trust slowly and keeps its promises.
Capricorn grows when it lets itself enjoy the climb, and remembers that rest and feeling are not distractions from the goal.
Capricorn strengths
- +Discipline and patience
- +Responsible and trustworthy
- +Strategic long-term thinking
- +Dry, sharp humor
Capricorn weaknesses
- ~Workaholism
- ~Pessimism
- ~Emotional reserve
- ~Rigidity about the right way
The Capricorn symbol
Capricorn is the sea-goat, a creature with the front of a goat and the tail of a fish. The goat climbs steadily to the top, and the fish tail hints at deep feeling under a dry surface. The glyph ♑ joins a V-shape, like a goat's horns, to a looping fish tail.
The sea-goat is older than the Greek myths. Babylonian astronomers already drew a goat-fish in this part of the sky and linked it with Ea, god of fresh water and wisdom. The Greek story comes from Pan. When the monster Typhon attacked the gods, Pan leapt into the Nile to escape, and the part of him underwater turned into a fish while the top stayed a goat. Zeus later set that shape in the stars.
The Devil is Capricorn's tarot card. The figure on it has a goat's horns, a nod to the sign's symbol, and the card is about ambition, material ties and the habits that hold you in place. The pairing comes from the Golden Dawn tradition that most modern tarot decks follow.
When is Capricorn season?
The Sun enters Capricorn at the December solstice, around December 22, and stays until about January 19. In the Northern Hemisphere it's the start of winter and the shortest days, and in the Southern Hemisphere it's the start of summer.
Capricorn in love
In love, Capricorn is serious, loyal and in it for the long run. It takes time to open up and prefers to show love through commitment and practical support rather than words. Capricorn wants a partner it can build a life with, someone ambitious in their own way who respects its goals.
What Capricorn needs: Respect, reliability and a partner who takes the relationship as seriously as it does.
Capricorn work and money
Capricorn is made for careers with a clear ladder and long-term reward. Management, finance, law, engineering and government suit it. It is comfortable with responsibility and often ends up in charge.
Careers that often suit Capricorn: Business management, Finance and accounting, Law, Engineering and construction, Government and public administration.
Capricorn plays the long game with money. It earns through steady advancement and responsibility, starts saving for retirement early and likes a solid plan. It does spend on quality and on status pieces that last, a good watch or a well-made bag, and it rarely buys on a whim.
Capricorn as a friend
As a friend, Capricorn is dependable and wise, the one you call for serious advice. It has a small, long-standing circle and a wicked sense of humor in private.
Wellbeing
Capricorn has great stamina but tends to overwork. Structured exercise like climbing, strength training and hiking suits it. Scheduling downtime, and treating it as seriously as a meeting, is essential. Traditional astrology links Capricorn to the knees, bones, joints and skin.
Capricorn rising and Moon in Capricorn
Capricorn rising
With Capricorn rising, you come across as composed, capable and a little serious at first. People see you as more in charge than you feel, and they tend to trust you with responsibility early. Your dry sense of humor shows up once people get to know you.
Your rising sign depends on your birth time and place. Find yours with the rising sign calculator.
Moon in Capricorn
With the Moon in Capricorn, you deal with feelings by staying busy and getting things done. You may find it hard to ask for comfort, and you show love through reliability more than words. Feeling useful, and knowing there is a plan, helps you feel safe.
The Moon changes sign every two to three days, so check yours with the moon sign calculator.
Famous Capricorns
Some well-known people born with the Sun in Capricorn:
- ✦Louis Pasteur, chemist and microbiologist (born December 27, 1822)
- ✦J.R.R. Tolkien, writer (born January 3, 1892)
- ✦Martin Luther King Jr., civil rights leader (born January 15, 1929)
- ✦Elvis Presley, singer (born January 8, 1935)
- ✦Muhammad Ali, boxer (born January 17, 1942)
- ✦David Bowie, musician (born January 8, 1947)
- ✦Denzel Washington, actor (born December 28, 1954)
Capricorn compatibility
Capricorn's easiest matches are Taurus, Virgo, Scorpio and Pisces, whose elements support Earth. Its opposite sign, Cancer, brings strong attraction and a lot to learn. By tradition, the hardest pairings for Capricorn are Aries and Libra, which square it, and Gemini and Leo, which sit at an awkward 150° quincunx. Those signs can seem too emotional, too impulsive or too casual about plans for Capricorn's taste, so it has to loosen up a little, and these pairings often bring Capricorn more warmth than it expected.
Best matches
Every Capricorn pairing
Capricorn & Aries · Square (90°)
Aries and Capricorn are both Cardinal signs who want to be in charge, and their rulers pull opposite ways: Mars says go now, Saturn says go when it's ready.
Capricorn & Taurus · Trine (120°)
Taurus and Capricorn are two Earth signs who both want security and a life built to last.
Capricorn & Gemini · Quincunx (150°)
Gemini and Capricorn are youth and experience: Gemini is quick and playful, Capricorn careful and ambitious.
Capricorn & Cancer · Opposition (180°)
Cancer and Capricorn sit opposite each other, home and career on the same axis.
Capricorn & Leo · Quincunx (150°)
Leo and Capricorn are both ambitious and image-conscious, but Leo wants applause and Capricorn wants results.
Capricorn & Virgo · Trine (120°)
Virgo and Capricorn are two Earth signs who share a work ethic, a dry sense of humor and a respect for doing things properly.
Capricorn & Libra · Square (90°)
Libra and Capricorn are both Cardinal signs who want to lead, Libra through charm and Capricorn through authority.
Capricorn & Scorpio · Sextile (60°)
Scorpio and Capricorn are two ambitious yin signs who are loyal, private and determined.
Capricorn & Sagittarius · Semi-sextile (30°)
Sagittarius and Capricorn are neighbors ruled by Jupiter and Saturn, the planets of growth and limits.
Capricorn & Capricorn · Conjunction (0°)
Two Capricorns respect each other's ambition and patience, and Saturn on both sides builds a serious, loyal partnership.
Capricorn & Aquarius · Semi-sextile (30°)
Capricorn and Aquarius are neighbors who share Saturn as a traditional ruler, so both are serious, principled and slow to show emotion.
Capricorn & Pisces · Sextile (60°)
Capricorn and Pisces are two yin signs who balance each other well: Capricorn brings structure and Pisces brings imagination and compassion.
Capricorn horoscopes
Capricorn questions
What are the Capricorn dates?
Capricorn season runs from Dec 22 to Jan 19. The exact start and end can shift by a day from year to year, depending on when the Sun changes sign, so people born on the first or last day should check a birth chart.
What is Capricorn's element and ruling planet?
Capricorn is a Cardinal Earth sign. It is ruled by Saturn in both traditional and modern astrology. Earth describes what drives Capricorn and Cardinal describes how it acts.
What is the Capricorn symbol?
The Capricorn symbol is the sea-goat, and its glyph, ♑, shows a goat's horns joined to a curling fish tail. The sea-goat goes back to Babylonian star maps, and in Greek myth it is Pan, half goat and half fish after diving into the Nile.
Which signs are most compatible with Capricorn?
Traditionally Taurus, Virgo, Scorpio and Pisces are the easiest matches for Capricorn, because their elements support each other. Cancer, the opposite sign, brings strong attraction and a lot to learn. The harder pairings are the squares, Aries and Libra, and the quincunxes, Gemini and Leo, which take more work and can still go well.
What is Capricorn like in love?
In love, Capricorn is serious, loyal and in it for the long run. It takes time to open up and prefers to show love through commitment and practical support rather than words. Capricorn wants a partner it can build a life with, someone ambitious in their own way who respects its goals.
What careers suit Capricorn?
Capricorn often does well in business management, finance and accounting, or law. Capricorn is made for careers with a clear ladder and long-term reward.
Who are famous Capricorns?
Well-known people born with the Sun in Capricorn include Louis Pasteur, J.R.R. Tolkien, Martin Luther King Jr. and Elvis Presley.
Did the zodiac dates change? What about Ophiuchus?
No. Western astrology uses the tropical zodiac, which is tied to the March equinox and the seasons, so Capricorn still runs from about Dec 22 to Jan 19. The constellations with the same names have drifted because of precession, a slow wobble in Earth's axis, so the Sun now sits in front of different stars on those dates. Ophiuchus, the serpent bearer, is a constellation the Sun crosses in late November and early December, and it has never been one of the 12 tropical signs.
Saturn is asking you to be honest about whether the goals you're working toward are truly yours. Sometimes the most disciplined thing you can do is stop doing something that has stopped pointing where you want to go. Efficiency without alignment is just a faster way to get somewhere you don't want to be. That said, your stamina is real and it's needed. A long-running project is closer to completion than it feels. Don't renegotiate the finish line now. Cross it.
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