Capricorn in the court cards

Now let’s look at Capricorn in the court cards. But which one – or ones?  For instance, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn chose to assign cardinal attributes (initiating things) to the Queens, fixed (maintaining order) to the Kings, and mutable (being able to adapt and transform) to the Knights.  Each court card is also linked to the elements, with Pages with Earth, Knights being associated with Fire, Queens with Water, and Kings with Air. 

Queen of Pentacles (trimmed):

© Universal Waite Tarot

Following this system, we end up with Cardinal Earth sign Capricorn being associated with the Queen of Pentacles (Water of Earth). What qualities do we associate with this Queen? Pragmatic, well-organized, good with finances, a loyal friend who’s always ready to listen and dispense practical advice.  As well as finances and possessions, she also represents taking care of – and taking pleasure in – the body.  We also associate her with caring for the earth – and enjoying its wealth.

Plenty of goat imagery in the Universal Waite's Queen of Pentacles! We also see plenty of symbolism around nature, a connection to the land, and the enjoyment of its riches.

Queen of Disks (trimmed):

© Thoth Tarot

The Crowley Thoth’s Queen of Disks is one of my favourite representations of this card. We see her resting in a green and fertile oasis, looking back over the barren, difficult landscape that she’s had to travel through to reach this point. The goat looks at us, rather cheekily, I always think – as if to say “see? We made it!” – reminding us of the tenaciousness and independence of the mountain goat as he surmounts obstacles in his way. We see this too in the curved horns on the Queen’s headdress.  Remember too, what we said about the goat when we looked at the Devil – that it also represents procreation and new life.  This Queen knows what she needs in order to nourish herself – and others – and has worked hard to achieve it. Now she can rest and enjoy the fruits of her labours.

King of Pentacles (trimmed):

© Sharman-Burke/Caselli Tarot

If you work with a system that assigns cardinality to the Kings, you’re looking at the King of Swords.  In the image from Juliet Sharman-Burke’s Beginners’ Guide to the Tarot, we see the King on his throne, adorned with carvings of goats’ heads, symbolizing Capricorn and the steady, determined hard work that’s helped him to realize his ambition. Behind him we see his castle and grounds – symbols of his achievement, both in terms of material success but also of his status in society. They also appear to be on top of a mountain, reminding me of the sure-footed-ness of the mountain goat as he picks his way around obstacles in his way to the top. Security and stability have been gained through effort and sheer determination, and the King is now in a position to share this wisely and generously.

If you’ve enjoyed this post, you might be interested in my e-book, Astrology in Tarot, now available from Amazon.

Beginner’s Guide to the Tarot created by Juliet Sharman-Burke, illustrated by Giovanni Caselli, published by Connections

Thoth Tarot created by Aleister Crowley, illustrated by Lady Frieda Harris, published by U.S. Games Systems, Inc.

Universal Waite Tarot created by Mary Hanson-Roberts & Pamela Colman-Smith, published by U.S. Games Systems, Inc.

Capricorn in the Minor Arcana: The Four of Pentacles

Moving on from the Three of Pentacles and that sense of initial completion – the result of patient, disciplines planning – we come to the Four.  We’ve progressed from the expansiveness and benevolence of Jupiter, in the Two, through the determination and drive of Mars in the Three, into the power of the Sun – all in Capricorn. 

Four of Pentacles (trimmed):

© Sharman-Burke/Caselli Tarot

The Sun in Capricorn conjures up a sense of creative energy being “coloured” by discipline and tradition – a single-mindedness, perhaps, working towards a well-defined target. Whatever that target or goal is, it’s going to be about being able to express ourselves and our creativity, but in a responsible way. On the downside, pessimism and cynicism can stand in the way of progress.  We might also find ourselves overly concerned with ‘how things look’, or wanting to hold on to what we have.  Either way, the Sun in Capricorn can represent a strong commitment to the material things in life – be they possessions and/or resources.

Four of Disks (trimmed):

© Thoth Tarot

We see this in the Four of Pentacles, which often symbolizes a fear of letting go, especially in terms of material things.  We may need to be reminded that although nothing is lost if we hold on to what we have, we may not gain anything either – we run the risk of stifling the flow of energy, instead of letting things run their natural course. The expansion that Jupiter promised in the Two could be hindered through our fear of ‘what might happen’ – the ‘what ifs’.

In the Thoth Tarot, the word that Crowley chose for the card is ‘Power’ – the strength of the Sun in a strong, steady, determined Earth sign. It’s grounded. Just look at the image – a fortress, firmly anchored in four corners. Squares are solid, stable, powerful structures; it’s hard to move them, so there’s a sense of protection here, but also of rigidity. The solidity of the structure reflects our own integrity, but also reminds us of the danger of inflexibility and the inability to compromise.

Four of Coins (trimmed):

© Margarete Petersen Tarot

In Margarete Petersen’s Four of Coins cards we also see the square-bounded enclosure, reminiscent of the Crowley version: providing structure, or (on the shadow side) boxing us in.  

The serpent (seen in both the Thoth's and Petersen's Two of Disks) is back, too, forming a complete enclosed area too - an ouroboros, constantly re-creating itself. The solidity of the structure and the strength of the ouroboros reflect our own integrity, but we have to remember the danger of inflexibility and the inability to compromise.  Nothing ventured, nothing gained!

Treasure held safely

within strong walls - but is it

still accessible?

The Four of Pentacles is also linked to the final ten days of Capricorn – from the 10^th of January to the early hours of the 20^th, when we move into Aquarius...

Beginner’s Guide to the Tarot created by Juliet Sharman-Burke, illustrated by Giovanni Caselli, published by Connections

Margarete Petersen Tarot, AGM-URANIA/Deep Books, 2004.

Thoth Tarot created by Aleister Crowley, illustrated by Lady Frieda Harris, published by U.S. Games Systems, Inc.

Capricorn in the Minor Arcana: The Three of Pentacles

Three of Pentacles (trimmed):

© Druid Craft Tarot

Today we move on to the Three of Pentacles, which - in the system I use - is linked to Mars in Capricorn (as well as the middle ten days of Capricorn).  Mars brings a different energy to Capricorn, compared to the expansiveness and benevolence of Jupiter in the Two of Pentacles.  Mars in Capricorn, astrologically, is looking to expand and grow through hard work. That fiery Martian/martial energy is still there but it asserts itself cautiously and in a disciplined way. The ambition is still there, too, as is the decisiveness, but in Capricorn – the initiating, practical cardinal Earth sign – the focus is on careful planning. Patience, not a quality we might usually associate with fiery Mars, comes into play here. The sure-footed mountain goat makes its way slowly and steadily, picking its path carefully but with determination.

We see this in the Three of Pentacles.  Hard work – and more importantly perhaps, a lot of detailed planning – has gone into a project. There’s a sense of the initial (Capricorn/cardinal) completion; a first phase or stage has been reached. Like the mountain goat, we know that we still have some way to go before the goal - the summit of the mountain – can be achieved.  Progress is steady, and there’s concrete, tangible (Capricorn/Earth) evidence of what’s been accomplished. Mars has provided the impetus, the physical energy and the determination, required to keep us on that path.

Three of Pentacles (trimmed):

© Shadowscapes Tarot

The image in the Three of Pentacles often depicts a group of three people. In the Rider-Waite-based decks, such as the Druid Craft Tarot, it’s often a craftsman and his two clients who are shown. In others, it’s a group of people working together to achieve a common goal. Co-operation is often a theme in this card – the need to pool resources or to communicate how far things have progressed, in order to move onto the next stage.... the Four!

The 'three-ness' is less obvious in the Shadowscapes, I think...we see only two figures here. But the sense of co-operation is there - it's through their joint energy (Mars) that they are able to keep moving upwards, climbing up the wall of stone, helping each other to overcome the obstacle in their way.

Three of Disks (trimmed):

© Thoth Tarot

The Thoth’s version, subtitled ‘Works’ uses a triangle, the three-sided geometric figure, as its base. While not as rock-solid as the square, the triangle does represent stability or grounding (Earth), with that third point added to the two-point line.  This symbolizes the balance between action and inaction, between knowing when it’s time to do something and when things are best left as they are.  At each vertex of the triangle are three wheels, representing body, mind, and spirit, reminding us that we need to use all three in order to achieve our goals. Each wheel contains an alchemical symbol – one for mercury, one for sulphur, and one for salt – again, reminders that we need to find the right balance in order to reach the stage of initial completion.  The Martian aspect comes through in the energy that’s produced by combining these elements, while Capricorn is seen in the steady, gradual progress that’s made.

Three of Stones (trimmed):

© Wildwood Tarot

Although the Wildwood Tarot was not created with astrology in mind, I can see Mars in Capricorn at work in the Three of Stones.  The stones themselves give us the earthiness, the sense of being grounded – especially with them forming a trilithon.  The deck’s creators write about the need for an ‘open channel’ to inspiration, in order for it to be able to manifest (Capricorn) physically (Mars).  The teamwork aspect is less obvious, but could it be that the contact between figure and trilithon represents that? The figure leans against the stones, drawing strength from them, which she can draw on as she prepares to step forward, to give form to her plans.  The keyword for the Three of Stones is 'Creativity' - a ‘tapping-into-the-earth' kind of creativity. 

If you’ve enjoyed this post, you might be interested in my e-book, Astrology in Tarot, now available from Amazon.

Druid Craft Tarot created by Philip Carr-Gomm and Stephanie Carr-Gomm, illustrated by Will Worthington, published by Connections

Shadowscapes Tarot created by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law and Barbara Moore, published by Llewellyn

Thoth Tarot created by Aleister Crowley, illustrated by Lady Frieda Harris, published by U.S. Games Systems, Inc.

Wildwood Tarot created by Mark Ryan and John Matthews, illustrated by Will Worthington, published by Connections

Co-operation - Margarete Petersen’s Three of Coins

The footprint theme of Margarete Petersen's Two of Coins continues into the Three, but here we see only one of them, set within the blue curves of the number ‘3’. The duality has been absorbed, ready to start something new.  A tarot friend pointed out that the Om symbol represents the seed of new growth, something I hadn't noticed.

Three of Coins (trimmed):© Margarete Petersen Tarot

In the system I follow, the Three of Pentacles/Coins is linked to Mars in Capricorn (as well as the middle ten days of Capricorn – NOW!).  Mars brings a different energy to Capricorn, compared to the expansiveness and benevolence of Jupiter in the Two of Pentacles.  Here we’re looking at fiery Martian/martial energy that asserts itself cautiously and in a disciplined way. Ambition, decisiveness, combined with Capricorn’s (the initiating, practical cardinal Earth sign) focus on careful planning. Patience, not a quality we might usually associate with fiery Mars, comes into play here. The sure-footed mountain goat makes its way slowly and steadily, picking its path carefully but with determination.

Margarete Petersen, in the LWB, talks about co-operation in the sense of the physical, social and emotional working together – a slightly different slant on the way I’d usually interpret this card: focusing on the more practical, down-to-earth, tangible issues. 

Working together,

Ideas become concrete

Through combined effort.

Margarete Petersen Tarot, AGM-URANIA, 2004

Capricorn in the DruidCraft court cards

Now let’s look at Capricorn in the court cards. But which one – or ones?  Different traditions have different astrological correspondences when it comes to the Court Cards, depending on how cardinality, fixity and mutability have been assigned to the cards.  As Capricorn is the cardinal Earth sign, I’m looking for the Pentacles court card that’s associated with cardinality. 

So what court card does this represent?  If you work with a system that assigns cardinality to the Kings, you’re looking at the King of Pentacles.  Although the Druidcraft was not created with astrology in mind, I want to look at the King of Pentacles in this deck to see if I can see any Capricornian qualities at work.

King of Pentacles (trimmed):
DruidCraft Tarot

Here we have the King on his throne, dressed in red and green. His left foot rests on a plinth in which is carved a goat. Ah-ha! ... my first link to Capricorn (and as the Queen's throne is decorated with bulls, I see her carrying more Taurean qualities).

This king is basking in the warmth of his home, his castle – the results of the steady, determined hard work that’s allowed him to realize his ambition.  The goat under his foot reminds me of the sure-footedness of the mountain goat as he picks his way around obstacles in his way to the top, maintaining his integrity as he pursues his goal. Security and stability have been gained through effort and sheer determination, and the King is now in a position to share this wisely and generously.

Druidcraft Tarot created by Philip Carr-Gomm and Stephanie Carr-Gomm, illustrated by Will Worthington, published by Connections 2004

Capricorn in the DruidCraft Minor Arcana: The Three of Pentacles

Today we move on to the Three of Pentacles, which - in the system I use - is linked to Mars in Capricorn, as well as the middle ten days of Capricorn.  

Mars brings a different energy to Capricorn, compared to the expansiveness and benevolence of Jupiter in the Two of Pentacles.  Mars in Capricorn, astrologically, is looking to expand and grow through hard work. That fiery Martian/martial energy is still there but it asserts itself cautiously and in a disciplined way. The ambition is still there, too, as is the decisiveness, but in Capricorn – the initiating, practical cardinal Earth sign – the focus is on careful planning. Patience, not a quality we might usually associate with fiery Mars, comes into play here. The sure-footed mountain goat makes its way slowly and steadily, picking its path carefully but with determination. 

DruidCraft Tarot

We see this in the DruidCraft’s Three of Pentacles.  Hard work – and more importantly perhaps, a lot of detailed planning – has gone into a project. There’s a sense of the initial (Capricorn/cardinal) completion; a first phase or stage has been reached. Like the mountain goat, we know that we still have some way to go before the goal - the summit of the mountain – can be achieved.  Progress is steady, and there’s concrete, tangible (Capricorn/Earth) evidence of what’s been accomplished. Mars has provided the impetus, the physical energy and the determination, required to keep us on that path.

The image in the Three of Pentacles often depicts a group of three people. Here we have three people watching a craftsman at work. Co-operation is often a theme in this card – the need to pool resources, or, as I like to think with this depiction, recognition of how we’re using and developing our skills to create something for others, whatever that might be.  

Druidcraft Tarot created by Philip Carr-Gomm and Stephanie Carr-Gomm, illustrated by Will Worthington, published by Connections 2004