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Capricorn 2011

     The past two years have brought a lot of opportunity for working with power but it has not come without the need to reach for it through internal change. The Chinese say that “the stiffest tree is the readiest for the ax.” Have you been flexible like the willow or have you been stiff like an oak? Most of these opportunities have come through service. If you have seen yourself as in any way superior, you may have missed the boat. Generally, Capricorn will do no more than what is needed and “by the book.” When opportunity has appeared, you have only invested yourself if there is a veritable guarantee that advancement will follow. Am I calling you an opportunist? You bet I am. But the end result of opportunity isn’t always personal advantage. The greatest Capricorns among us were the ones who were able to see opportunity for the groups and causes they had dedicated themselves to through sacrifice. As the groups they sacrificed for moved ahead in advantage, the humble Capricorn was swept along with their good fortune. As the Moody Blues so aptly put it, “All the love you gave was always meant for you.” Capricorn is in an axis with Cancer and follows the same reflective life lesson. Cancer’s lesson is that you will end up taking care of those you attempt to manipulate into taking care of you. Capricorn’s lesson is that you end up being controlled by those you attempt to control. This is definitely worth thinking about.

     Generally, if you follow the above premise from a selfish perspective, this year will have you shooting yourself in the foot in light of the fact that you will be impulsively blurting out things you don’t want others to know because they happen to be in the periphery while you’re speaking of your desires. There is a certain sense of paranoia in your makeup this year that you must become aware of. If you pay attention, you will be able to “see” the things that make you feel insecure and recognize them for what they are; wrong assumptions about how other people see you. This will be the most prominent at work. You work environment will also be your primary blast off point for the “hoof in mouth” syndrome I just spoke of. Take a wider look at what’s needed for everyone…including, but not exclusively, you. In this light your words and actions will put you in a “master builder” perspective erecting a structure or system that will benefit everyone in the long run. Don’t look at what you might lose, look at what everyone will gain…including you. Capricorn’s lesson is inextricably woven in with sacrifice. Capricorn’s mistake is always in thinking the sacrifice is about personal loss. It’s not. It’s about choices for inclusion. Choosing is about what is the most effective. What’s sacrificed are those things that will not contribute as effectively. In every choice there is sacrifice. The Chinese say, “In choosing the wheat we discard the chaff.”