The Curious Goat

Growing up a Minister’s daughter, for many years I hadn’t given my star sign much thought. My upbringing was somewhat strict, very churchy, and the Zodiac was certainly not table talk at dinner. I could name the books of the Bible and tell you every major story of both testaments but I had no clue about the special characteristics of Capricorns ….

Although we were taught all things biblical, we did have some amount of freedom when it came to literature, reading was encouraged, and I would happily go to the library and exhaust subjects that interested me – I had a real thirst for knowledge. From the Holocaust to Greek Mythology, Jane Austen, and American History, I always had my nose in a book. Of the variety of subjects I had read on, my daily horoscope wasn't included. Even after many times of being asked, "Hey, what's your sign?" It didn't register at all on the scale of what I considered to be relevant to anything.

More and more thru the years, especially with the rise of social media, someone was always posting about the uniqueness of their particular sign – it piqued my curiosity and if I’m being honest, my vanity a bit as well. I knew my sign as it's called, but I wanted to know the specifics of what is so special about us cosmic goats. At the click of the mouse, I had all the answers or so it seemed, right before my eyes.

Upon the initial search, I quickly came up with a checklist; I was all set to make the comparison. Even though I was curious, I wasn’t going in with any preconceived notion that what I found would be who I am as a person; I like to think I’m a little more sensible than that.

I found so many sites describing exactly who (from the content contributor’s opinion anyway) Capricorns are – what makes us so special, dangerous, and even sexual; Who we should marry, what kind of career we should have, and so on. There were literally 100’s of answers to every question. Being the research enthusiast that I am, I decided to compile my own list of the common traits listed from the many sites and establish that as a sort of master list. I made it into a little game and I was on my way to pegging the Goats.

Here is what I came up with …

Strengths - Weaknesses

Responsible - Know-it-all

Great Leadership Skills - Unforgiving

Self Disciplined - Expects the worst

Ambitious - Arrogant

Realistic - Condescending

Persistent - Stubborn

Intelligent

Hardworking

Loyal

There was much more information on Capricorn that seemed somewhat vital to the who and what of us Goats but I decided to focus on these particular adjectives. When I made this list, I was glad to see the strengths outnumbered the weaknesses; I saw it as a victory. Ironically, one of the weaknesses came into play with the thought of being stronger than I was weak, in a little show of arrogance. I relegated that thought to a moment of shallowness and determined to give the list some real thought and also answer the question this search had now put before me, “Is this who I really am?”

I’d like to boast and say that I’ve always been a responsible person, but growing up in a religiously strict household, rebellion and wildness was a way of asserting independence in my early twenties – In other words, there wasn’t much responsibility being taken on my part. It took me many years and sometimes, severe consequences to come to reality and the need of being a responsible human being. Forgiveness goes along with responsibility and it wasn’t something that came naturally. I had to learn to extend it to others, namely my parents, who I saw as restricting my personal freedom and also to myself for thinking I knew it all.

Next ...

Realistically speaking, I am of a mind that Great Leadership Skills require intelligence and hard work; I’ll throw in my own adjective here and add fair-mindedness to the equation. In my career field, I’ve worked in the management of operations, particularly in supervising personnel, and find these traits to be strong in this Goat. I would like to say that leadership has always come easy and drive this trait home on a well-paved road, but I cannot without saying that big doses of humility were often part of the process and potholes along the way.

Persistence and stubbornness? I find these truths to be self-evident .. lol. But seriously, I think the two go hand in hand, kind of like twins – Can you have one without the other? Probably, to answer my own question. I see them as a big part of learning and growing into a more mature person. Often, my stubbornness has gotten me into situations where it then took persistence to bring me thru. So, I’ll cop to these traits and wear them as a Saturn ruled, badge of honor.

On loyalty – It is definitely a strength to those who employ it. I’ve always found it to be necessary for establishing quality in relationships of all kinds. I feel you could ask any friend of this Capricorn what quality stands out most and they would say I’m loyal. I wholly embrace this strength and will move on ...

When I got to the weakness of condescension, I really had to look at this objectively. Had I ever been such a person who would treat another in this way? It feels so much like an accusation, it could almost put one on the defensive. But that is telling, right? I cannot pinpoint a specific incidence but I can say honestly, in moments of arrogance it’s a great possibility. As a much older and wiser Goat, I’ve developed an aversion to such ugliness of character and say that maybe it has been a weakness in the past but now, eclipsed by a yet unmentioned strength, Capricorn's ability to overcome.

Fast forward to 2021 – To this day, I still do not read my daily horoscope as I prefer to be ruled by my own thinking and learning still, from my own mistakes. Through the years, I’ve often taken another look at who Capricorns are purported to be in these numerous “lists” and determined for myself that I hold kinship and commonality with the Goats of this world and the stars beyond.