Capricorn II: The myth Saturn's children

By Joe G. Santos

The zodiac signs are living stories we keep telling each other over and over again. At times, these stories may seem as though they've been diluted by the so-called "uneducated" whispers of the average populace. So we astrologers tirelessly craft theories, methods, and algorithms to try to both decipher and legitimize, separating the wheat from the chaff of what we designate as the proper stories that should be told.

However, the more I engage with astrology, the more it becomes clear that the numbers and formulas that often bring life to delineations are both vital and distracting. This is especially true if one wants to approach astrology philosophically—not with the intent of defining universal truths (which are perpetually elusive), but instead to engage with these stories we both tell and live through in an intelligent, masterful, and willful way. In other words, if one wants to be an Author of Life, astrology shouldn’t be approached algorithmically; for while 1 + 1 = 2, not every Aries is violent, nor every Capricorn cold and workaholic.

I say this because I spent a great amount of time thinking about how to approach delineating a decan like Capricorn II. I sincerely wish that you, the reader, walk away from this article feeling like you really know this space. So I sat with chart examples (including my own), looked at reference books, and searched online for what others had to say about this chunk of our sky. Yet, despite all that searching, what I found is not what Capricorn II is, but the many things it can be.

Still, listing all of those things always feels like it keeps the reader or student of astrology expecting that some Astrologer Saint will descend from the heavens with the perfect synthesis of what any astrological entity is—making ultimate sense of these lists and finding the one thread that connects all these items. Unfortunately, that usually also comes coupled with the assumption that the entity (the decan, for example) can be described in material terms.

I personally believe that language can only attempt to elucidate what these immaterial concepts really are, and so I’ll be doing things a little differently. While language might be limited, I find that imagination can get a lot closer to describing these living spaces and helping us understand and engage with them. So take this as an invitation to tap into your artistic genius as you read through this text. Pay attention to the characters, numbers and symbols as you take it all in. So before I start getting a little too pedantic, let me tell you the myth of Capricorn II.

A Cold & Dry Path

A long time ago, Saturn’s children wandered barefoot along a cold and dry path, their lives shaped by a singular promise: there exists a place—a sacred land—where the limits of life can be transcended, where all effort would be rewarded with eternal fortitude of one's body. Yet Saturn left them no guide, no map to follow, only a directive for his children to find their fortune.

They journeyed for generations, their resolve strengthened by two figures who watched from afar with great sympathy—Jupiter, Justice incarnate, and Venus, Union. Though Saturn’s children were not bound to these deities, Jupiter and Venus looked upon their endless labor with compassion, moved by the children of Saturn’s enduring commitment to find their promised land.

Jupiter’s Terms

So Jupiter and Venus decided to intervene. Together, they decreed that the children of Saturn would find their way to this promised land with Mars, the god of workers, as their herald. The divinity would appear to them in the guise of an armored chimpanzee who would guide them through the harshest terrains. With faith in their patron, they'd be able to conquer all hurdles.

But the terms were strict. “Mars will lead you,” Jupiter declared in a vision, “but upon arriving at your land, you will be faced with labor that will test how much you deserve your divine father Saturn’s promise. You’ll have four weeks to find your home and succeed in this labor.”

With this promise and under these terms, Mars appeared, cloaked in mystery, his form that of a fierce ape. His eyes held a primal, unyielding focus, and his words were few.

Guided by Mars, the children of Saturn crossed barren landscapes and jagged cliffs, enduring brutal winds and frigid nights. Mars’ presence lent them strength, yet he allowed no weakness; any who lagged behind had to find their way alone, only to rejoin the group by their own strength. The children of Saturn learned quickly that Mars’ path required grit and resilience.

Three weeks had passed as they journeyed under Mars’ watchful eye, enduring the bitterest landscapes. Yet there came a night when they camped beside a large, weather-worn boulder. The day had been grueling, and they slept deeply, trusting that Mars would be there to guide them further in the morning.

But when dawn broke, Mars was gone.

Panic ensued as the help they were promised seemed to have expired, and time was not on their side, as there were only four days left for them to succeed in Jupiter’s task. Rumors of hopelessness flickered through the group as they stared at the massive boulder beside their camp, feeling Mars’ absence as an ominous sign. Without him, the endless wasteland felt even colder, the journey more daunting.

Yet among them were those who refused to give in to doubt. They studied the boulder together, tracing its edges, and one of them noticed a narrow crevice hidden in the rock’s shadow. With a rush of realization, they understood: the boulder was no obstacle but the entrance to a passage, perhaps even the gateway to the land they sought.

“Mars hasn’t abandoned us,” they said, a spark of hope igniting.

As the children of Saturn gathered together, a renewed determination filled them. Mars had not betrayed them; he had brought them here to take the final step on their own. And with four hours to spare, one by one, they pooled their strength by putting their hands against the cold surface of the boulder. Together, they pushed with all their might, and slowly, the boulder shifted, revealing a dark tunnel carved into the earth.

They found it alive with creatures well-suited to its harshness—bright-plumed birds with vivid blue feet, and another smaller bird with dark feathers, who rarely flew and often fed upon the white birds’ blood. Curiously, the white birds seemed not to mind this behavior. Their mutual survival was marked by a strange resilience.

Saturn’s children settled in this land, but they began to question if they had truly arrived at the place that was promised to them. Five years had passed since, but people were still noticeably aging; some had even perished, and the harsh landscape was not suitable for farming. They only had enough to keep them nourished so they could go back to work the land, forever repeating the cycle of nourishment and labor. Eternal life seemed like a fraud.

Venus’ Terms

Venus, who continued to watch from afar, felt a great sadness watching the children of Saturn depleted of resources and good spirit. With their perpetual struggles, people were becoming more and more discouraged, and many bonds were beginning to fray. Venus herself questioned why Saturn still hadn't given his children what he'd promised. Saturn was not only seemingly forsaking his children, but he was also completely absent from the divine realms, so no one could understand or contest the laws he’d set in motion.

So on the day they began their sixth year in this godforsaken land, Venus visited them in a dream. In the dream, she gave Saturn’s children a vision of a great temple, an architectural feat that had not been seen by any person, dead or alive. In this temple, the children of Saturn found themselves orchestrating an elaborate ritual to ensoul the towering statue of a chimpanzee in honor of Mars, the god who had brought them to this place. This statue was set at the crux of this temple, which was to be shaped like a hexagon.

When dawn broke, the children of Saturn understood what they had to do.

They began to build Mars’ temple, using the stones and dust of the land itself. Mars watched their progress from afar, now in the guise of one of the blood-feasting birds that roamed the land. Though the people didn’t know of his gaze, it greatly contributed to their strength. The project took shape over the next six decades, each stone laid as a testament to their endurance.

At last, the temple was completed, its walls rising from the algid soil like a fortress of stone and metal. In its heart stood a towering statue of Mars as the holy chimpanzee, a symbol of their journey, their trials, and their unbreakable will. For the next six days, they performed the sacred ritual.

The people sat along the hexagon, imbibing a potion made from the blood of the white bird with blue feet, prickly pear juice, heal-all, and wine—the land's gifts forged together in the hope of invoking Saturn's power.

They appointed their eldest as the first priest, anointed to perform the ritual of immortality. Incense of myrrh and the dark feathers of the black bloodthirsty bird filled the air, and as they drank the potion, they felt a profound change within. Time stilled; their mortal limits fell away.

With the completion of Mars’ temple and the gift of immortality granted, the children of Saturn were reborn immortal. Their land became a place of ceaseless work and creativity, a realm where the children of Saturn could labor endlessly toward perfection. Their only qualm, however, was what to do once their numbers rose beyond the limits of their land.

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I hope this myth will serve to remind you that Capricorn II sits in a cold and dry sign ruled by Saturn; that it follows a decan about change; that Mars is of great significance in this decan; that it overlaps with four degrees of Jupiter’s terms and six degrees of Venus' terms, which invests it with a great degree of benevolence; that it's about communal work, grand ideas, the discovery of hidden things, and that its ultimate fruit is the consequences of achieving—or at least aiming toward—success beyond one’s stature.

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About the Author

Joe G. Santos

Joe G is a certified Hellenistic and Electional Astrologer, trained at Chris Brennan's Astrology School, blending a rich background in art and music into a distinctive astrological practice since 2019. Utilizing Hellenistic, Medieval, and Modern techniques, Joe focuses on life improvement and strategic planning, empowering clients to confidently navigate their own charts. With a methodology that has earned recognition, including a feature in the CAELi Review, speaking engagements at CazimiCon 2022, and teaching roles at Astrology Hub's Inner Circle and Gemini Brett's School of Earthstrology, Joe offers a pragmatic yet spiritual approach to astrology.

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