Capricorn's totem is the goat. When astrological symbolism arose, it took into account two kinds of goats--the domestic, gloomily chained to its post, and the sturdy free wild goat. The two are emblematic of Capricorns' dual natures. If they feel chained and duty bound, they are dour and taciturn. They may be good and responsible individuals, but never joyful ones. On the other hand, Capricorns that discover their own paths have a fiesty strength and strong humor that will help them climb any mountain.

Finding the right mountain to climb is the Capricorns' dilemma. They may reach a summit only to find they have gone astray and are in the wrong place. But, if the correct peak is in sight, Capricorns will follow to it, with only momentary discouragement. Still, they will climb alone and may be lonely at the top. Elvis Presley and Janis Joplin were both Capricorns.

Capricorn lies opposite Cancer on the zodiacal wheel, and both share the need for internalization, and the tendency to build walls around themselves. But where Cancerians seek to create homes and nurture families, Capricorns want to build empires, create political states. Driven, reclusive Capricorns who molded others into their solitary vision include Mas Tse-tung, Joseph Stalin, and Richard Nixon. J. Edgar Hoover was a Capricorn, as was, ironically, Al Capone. Howard Hughs was among the Capricorn builders of great business empires.

Capricorns are seldom driven by a desire for money or possessions, nor do they take pleasure in fleeting success or fame, however brilliant. They want durable power and lasting monuments. Their chilly rationality helps them keep control of their own emotions and any situations that might distract them. They have a fierce work ethic and great mangerial ability. They are capapble of intense concentration, and matchless determination. On the way to their goals, they are indifferent to obstacles or privations and are seldom swayed by the feelings of others. They press ahead at any cost.

Sensitive Cancerians are tied to the past, but Capricorns have no use for what is, for their purposes, dead and gone. They move inexorably on, permitting themsleves neither regrets nor nostalgia. As lovers, or spouses, Capricorns will provide material security, but at the cost of emotional drought. Capricorns make commitments only after a severe weighing of all the elements of a potential union. And they are often too cool, to solitary, and too self-sufficient to make loving partners.

There is a grim and gothic side to the sign of the Goat. It is the Capricorn Matthew Arnold that wrote, "there is neither joy, nor love, nor light, nor certitute, nor peace, nor help for pain." The eerie writings of Capricorn Edgar Allan Poe also express this dark aspect. Even the Goat's humor is of the black variety, typified in the cartoons of Charles Addams (The Addams Family).

Capricorns are so insular by nature that they can get perilously out of touch with other humans. If this happens, their fate may be to seclude themselves atop their cold mountains like hermits. But it is not always so. The season of the Goat is not only the dead of winter; it is also the promise of spring. It is the glory of Capricorns that they can, from their hard-won summit, see sublime panoramas and inspire others with their vision. Heeding her solitary vision and her mystic voices, Joan of Arc unified medieval France. And in modern America, Marin Luther King, Jr., left behind the enduring monument of his dream of social justice. "He's allowed me to come to his mountain," he said shortly before his death, "and I've looked over and seen the promised land."

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