Getting your goat? Moving into Capricorn

At 11.11 am (GMT) on the 21st December, the Sun moved (astrologically) into the zodiac sign of Capricorn.  This marked the Winter (in the northern hemisphere) Solstice – the time when the sun seems to ‘stand still’ at its turning point; from now on, the days will become longer.  

Copyright Alison Coals

Capricorn is the tenth astrological sign in the zodiac. It originates from the constellation of Capricornus, usually shown as a goat with a fish’s tale, but is also seen as a more convential goat that we’d see on land.  There are, as usual, a number of myths and stories behind the sea-goat. One involves Pan, the goat god. When he was attacked by the monster Typhon (so now you can guess where the name ‘typhoon’ came from!), he ran into the Nile to escape. The part of him below the water’s surface transformed into a fish.  Images of sea-goats go back to Babylonian times, with symbols for the god Enki being both a goat and a fish. The constellation of Capricorn is also sometimes called Amalthea, the goat nymph (in Greek mythology) who reared Zeus after he was saved from being devoured by his father Kronos.

Kronos, of course, was the father of the Greek gods, and was also known as the ‘father of time’, giving us the word ‘chronology’. In the Roman pantheon, he was known as Saturn – the planet that rules the sign of Capricorn!

Over the next few weeks, as we move through Capricorn, I’ll explore the cards in the tarot that are associated with this sign... Watch this space!  

The image comes from my AstroArt series, inspired by walking the Glastonbury Landscape Zodiac, part of the Alchemical Journey (www.alchemicaljourney.co.uk).  ‘Capricorn’ is a collage: watercolour on paper, and origami paper.  Prints of the cards can be bought on Folksy (folksy.com/shops/AlisonCoals) or by contacting me (see my Readings page for contact details).