The Glorious Paradox of Astrological Morality in the Never-Ending Tumbling Forward of Human Life

So let's take a look at the question of Morality as it relates to both Capricorn and Sagittarius. It is often said that Capricorns are the great moralists, the "daddies' telling everyone what to do. Somehow Sagittarius is more about Freedom and Exploration with less emphasis on telling everyone what to do.

This, I think, deserves to be parsed a bit, because it is quite misleading. Sag's famous love of Freedom is more about Freedom for itself, while reserving the right to tell everyone else what to do. This double standard is anathema to Capricorn - to say nothing of Aquarius, but for Sag it makes perfect sense. After all, the freedom to explore brings with it many lessons and 'truths' not available to the bound and the local. It is perfectly reasonable, then, for Sag, after traveling in Europe for 6 months to come back home and tell everyone their diet is bad and that they have no taste in clothes. Sag's freedom brings him the right to dictate to the less-free.

In Sag's aspect as Priest, it is his exploration of sacred texts and rituals that give him the authority - yes, the authority - to tell others what is "right." (Let alone that the Sacred texts were written by Pisceans, but Jupiter has a lock on that sign too.)

So Sag is in fact the great moralizer. He teaches ethics that serve the greater good, the good of society over which he - as the King of the Gods - rules. He teaches us what is the best for the greater society, and he believes that what is required for a well lubed society is "ethics" - as long as you don't apply them to him. He must remain free to explore. Anyone following the news for any length of time sees this double standard in the so-called “elites” of society, who seem to be able to get away with any number of ethical violations that the plebs would hang for. This is Sagittarian “privilege” to the core, and the masses rightfully chafe at it (and eventually foment Aquarian uprisings to level the playing field. #Metoo is only the latest example of this process.)

Capricorn's ethics are a little different - though perhaps no less patronizing. He, after all, has been in the Father business for a while. His concerns are more for the long term and for dealing with the inevitable failures of the Sagittarian bozos who preceded him (astrologically, not genealogically).

He would say, "Invest your money conservatively - things are never as good as they seem." “Don’t date that boy, he wouldn’t make a good husband.”

He has been around the block and knows that market cycles go up and down, so he is unimpressed with bubbles. And he is certainly unimpressed by charming adolescent rakes. He knows somebody else will always screw things up, so make sure you're protected. "Bring an extra pair of mittens in case the weather turns while we're out." "Back the car into the driveway so you can pull out safely in case it snows at night."

But from a localized perspective, it would seem that Sagittarius and Capricorn are inversions of one another - the one, Masculine, carries authority outwards into the world, but is totally lacking in authority inwards. The other, Feminine, carries the authority hidden within, yet externally appears ridiculous and washed up.

Capricorn's law, in many ways, is the antidote to Murphy's Law. Everything is going to go wrong anyway, so here's what you do about it. It certainly is a grim worldview, but it leads to long term security, and that is what Capricorn requires in order to achieve his more lofty objectives. This worldview, however, can hardly be called "moral" in the sense that Sagittarius's proclamations would be.

But in the end, it is Capricorn himself who is the great work. He is preparing himself for the work of Aquarius which requires self mastery and completion to participate in the interdependent commune of the greater cosmos. It is there that Capricorn will find his real redemption - in the after-life and in his legacy. Only there will he find the solution to his aloneness, in the company of other ascended Masters, none requiring the validation of the other, the subservience of the other, but merely sharing their unique onenesses together as equals. That is the Aquarian ideal for which Capricorn readies the soul.

Do not steal." "Do not covet thy neighbor's wife." "Always lift the toilet seat." These Sagittarian ethics all make sense for the lubrication of society at large- they are thinking of other people and how to get them not to revolt against you. There is some overlap here, as Capricorn would probably suggest these ideas as well. But Capricorn's concerns with this kind of “morality” are a little more personal - You don't steal because what if there's no one around and there's no one to steal from? How are you going to get your TV then? The concern is with self-reliance because you know the world will go balls-up any day now, and you can’t count on anyone.

With Sag you do what is right because Sag says so. With Capricorn you do what is right because it pays off in the long run, or in its lower aspect, just because "it's always been that way." So the moral codes of the two may occasionally line up, but their motivation and implementation are quite different.

This is subtle but important, because it connects to that other aspect of Paternalism: Authority. Contrary to popular belief, Capricorn is not the sign of Authority - Sagittarius is.**

Again this is confused because Capricorn does, in fact, have great authority - but only over himself, not over society. After all, once the old goat gets to the top of the mountain, there's no one else around to govern. It's just him. With Sag, it's the opposite - he never really gets to the top of the mountain, he just reads about it (think of your obese doctor telling you to lose weight) and tells you what's supposed to be there. Sag is still very much connected to everybody else, having no authority over himself, no self-discipline, he requires others to rule over instead.

Capricorn is not the sign of Authority - Sagittarius is. Again this is confused because Capricorn does, in fact, have great authority - but only over himself, not over society.

In society, Capricorn is a hermit. He is alone. He is the old geezer sitting on a bench at the edge of town that nobody wants to talk to. He has been through life with its ups and (mainly) downs, and to talk with him would spoil the party for everyone else. So they leave him alone to his work.

What Capricorn is not is an authority over those people. Maybe - maybe - one or two of them will show up at his door looking for wisdom - young seekers. He may take them in and train them. So while Sag is the professor, Cap is the mentor.

But in the end, Capricorn's students will disappoint. They are not content to be alone, and they will go back to Society to become Sagittarius bullshitters and misuse the knowledge he gave them- so better to just be rid of them and get on with your own work. Right? This is the Capricorn conceit.

It is only in times of enormous distress, when the Financiers have gone bankrupt, when the Doctors saw off the wrong leg, when the Priest gets caught with his pants down that the culture may - may - come crawling to Capricorn’s refuge asking for counsel. Maybe.

Perhaps this is what Capricorn lives for, what he waits for - redemption after the world awakens to its own folly and finally seeks his wisdom. A chance for the great "I told you so- if you'd only listened." To look down with contempt at the groveling morons, begging for rescue at the edge of his hut like Joseph's brothers in Egypt. Maybe.

But in the end, it is Capricorn himself who is the great work. He is preparing himself for the work of Aquarius which requires self mastery and completion to participate in the interdependent commune of the greater cosmos. It is there that Capricorn will find his real redemption - in the after-life and in his legacy. Only there will he find the solution to his aloneness, in the company of other ascended Masters, none requiring the validation of the other, the subservience of the other, but merely sharing their unique onenesses together as equals. That is the Aquarian ideal for which Capricorn readies the soul.

From a cyclical standpoint, we can see all of this as we pass through the signs of the later zodiac. Sag dreams of actually doing the things he talks about, but Capricorn does them. Capricorn dreams of release from the aloneness that doing entails, and Aquarius realizes it. And so on and so on through the signs.

But from a localized perspective, it would seem that Sagittarius and Capricorn are inversions of one another - the one, Masculine, carries authority outwards into the world, but is totally lacking in authority inwards. The other, Feminine, carries the authority hidden within, yet externally appears ridiculous and washed up.

Perhaps they each fight this natural proclivity. After all, Sag's travels are attempts, vain stabs, at mastery. And there has been more than one Capricorn who has sought to display his mastery to the world in exchange for adulation. But neither is true to self; they are reactions to the gnawing sense of incompleteness every sign necessarily takes on. With these two great signs at the pinnacle of the Zodiac, the urge must be quite strong to be more than what one is. But as any Capricorn will tell you, that is a vain pursuit. Better just bring your galoshes and trudge through.



**Indeed in our modern life it is the Professors, Priests, and Doctors who are the bastions of truth in society, trusted for their knowledge and expertise, and given full deference by the masses as only kings were in the past. That you, likely, as an astrologer see through this in no way diminishes its truth for society as a whole. You and your new age friends would likely prefer to be exempt from the dictats of this faux-elite. This is why Aquarians like forming their own communities. But the preceding 10 signs owe their existence to Society and not exclusive communes, so there Jupiter still rules. It is no wonder that the commies are so keen to steal fire from Jupiter to light their own communities. Technical innovation and self-learning are great ways to do this- but they will never wash in Society itself which still wants to be led by the Father-God.