The Gift and Test of Capricorn
The gift of personal integrity
Capricorn lives up on the mountain, where it is lonely, rough and hard. It does not need much. Like no other, Capricorn can withdraw its needs. From above it has an overview and recognises many things from a distance: opportunities, risks, difficulties.
A Capricorn-born person stands out among the others. He stands above them and takes responsibility for them. He has clear ideas, knows where things are going and can lead “his people” through difficulties. When he sends out a strong signal, he is the maker who holds the reins and realises his ideas. Others are then dependent on him. He takes care of the essentials, sets guidelines, creates structures. He is a real leader.
This type tends to be compulsive. He also forces himself, takes on tasks that no one likes to do and does what has to be done. Like that, he becomes the most adult of all adults. However,in the process, he loses the liveliness of a child, his openness and innocence. He doesn’t like to let people intervene into his area of responsibility and prefers to trust in traditionally proven approaches. He wants to keep control, criticises, rebuke others and forbids. Punishment is also necessary. The more he suppresses the child within himself, the more he locks himself and others into a lifeless corset of restrictions and prohibitions.
The “child” stands for what is deeply open in him. When he leaves his fixed ideas aside, he is open. Then the spirit can flow into him like into an empty chalice. As if from nowhere, flashes of thought and inspirations suddenly come to him. He had this experience many times. However, he finds it difficult to trust such intuitions. As soon as they contradict his ideas, seem uncontrollable or cause fear, his intellect waves them off and takes over again to act. Then he finds neither for himself nor for others new ways of revitalisation and liberation.
This Capricorn-type has two forces within himself: intellect and intuition. They are separated in him. Therefore, he always has doubts. The adult personality listens to the intellect and does not want to be told anything by intuition. And yet both forces make up the essence of this type. The Divine Spirit therefore gives him the gift of personal integrity that allows him to accept his whole being. He learns to listen to intuition and to use his intellect in order to realise something concretely. In this way he can unite intellect and intuition into one thinking capacity.
Integrity comes from the Latin word integer and means fresh, new, intact, whole and undiminshed. Through intuition, new and fresh spirit flows into this type to become whole again: one with himself. He realizes that he should actually do a lot more and have to do less. When his self-limitation breaks down, it leads him to an unimpaired life. He learns to trust his intuition. He allows himself more and integrates the things he loves into his life. It is the spirit of love that flows into him and wants to connect him with others.
The intuition of the Capricorn-person is primarily for others. It is the Divine Spirit’s response to their needs and is strongest when this type wants to help them. In supporting others, he liberates himself. He crosses the threshold of super-personality and becomes effective beyond himself. He is the mountain guide who supports others in their development and leads them upwards. Intuitively, he recognises their true nature and their path. They are to become strong personalities themselves. Their joy, vitality and integrity reflect his. By reaching their heart, he was able to let them grow up and to liberate his “inner child”.
The test of position
Capricorn is the sign of power and authority. The Capricornian type can take on responsibility and lead people. More than others, he is able to take a back seat and subordinate his own needs to the common good. His fellow men often admire him for this attitude. He is the strong one whom they ask for help and who seems to overcome all difficulties of life effortlessly. By that, he is not particularly approachable, because closeness is something he can only handle to a limited extent. It is in his nature to get unpleasant and obstructive things out of the way before they get too close and cause him problems. He has the ability to separate himself from something – also from fellow human beings.
Because of his gifts and also his ambition, he is willing to take on tasks that others either don’t feel competent to do, or are uncomfortable to them or they do not trust themselves to carry out the task. Whether he attains a position of responsibility or it simply approaches him, he is the one to whom Mother Nature assigns a place and opens a social field. He is expected to take up his position and also fulfils it. He would have the abilities to do so. How he lives up to it will be seen afterwards. This is his test.
Both the physical location and the associated framework such as government system, race, class, family, religion or culture are meant by the assigned place. A dictatorship presents different possibilities than a democracy, and a birth into the upper class features different ones than a birth into the lower class. In this sense, human beings are closely linked to their environment and tradition, whether this leaves them free or constrict them, whether they can shape their careers or have to accept any job just to survive.
Every position comes with a social responsibility. A negative way of dealing with this test is to shirk this responsibility and, for example, to refuse a position for purely personal reasons. This type does not need to fulfil. It is about doing what they really need. That would be one of his real strengths.
The test is not passed if the Capricorn-born person accepts positions for ambition or financial reasons, exploits relationships selfishly and gains power. Power does not have to be acquired. Society voluntarily confers authority and delegates power by entrusting an office or position. Ideally, it approves, for example by election, the powers that this person would not have without the trust of the society. In return, he should prove himself worthy of the trust and act in the interest of all. Sometimes this also includes unpopular decisions that others would never make out of fear, but which are nevertheless beneficial for everyone in the long run.
Power in the hands of a capable person concerned about the common good is a true blessing. With such intent, this type should accept power and exercise influence without timidity. In this regard, no position is less noble than another. The only thing that matters is the way in which the activities involved are carried out.
A Capricorn-born person is allowed to be as he is. If he has to press himself into a position and restricts himself or others by prohibitions and rules, he is not serving the common good. “Can the position represent me in my whole nature so that I can be the one who I am, or do I have to deny something of myself?” What is essential is the knowledge of himself. His intellect will not give him a sufficient answer to that.
Sooner or later he realises that his intuition guides him best. His inner nature is connected to others and gives him the right inspirations at the right time. He only needs to get involved with it. Intuition presupposes wanting to help others. This enables him to integrate the inner nature into society. Subsequently, he feels the closeness, love and warmth of others and is connected to them. Above all, they love him when he also reveals his weaker sides to them. Then he can be as he is and at the same time fill his position completely.
The synthesis of gift and testing
Take responsibility when it is offered to you. Fill your position fully, but do not abuse your power. It harms yourself if you are too hard on yourself and unnecessarily restrict others. Trust your intuition. It opens up ways of liberation and revitalisation when you or your field of responsibility threaten to freeze. Allow yourself to be who you are and to do what you love. This brings you closer to the hearts of others.
…will be continued
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Foto: © Johannes Stasing, www.sta-fotografie.de
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