I remember so many times as a child in school having the teacher chastise our class, saying, "You guys always want to make things harder than they have to be!" This is sort of the impetus of Mars in Capricorn. The planet Mars is our drive, our ambition, our body, how we assert ourselves, how we pursue our dreams and talents, our manner of expressing passion. Capricorn is self-reliant, slow-moving, interested in long-term stability, interested in conservation, old-fashioned, ambitious, and security-oriented.



    Those of us with Mars in Capricorn feel that we have to figure everything out for ourselves. The lightbulbs must go off in our own heads; we must realize for ourselves which steps are the next ones to take. Try to give a Mars in Capricorn person advice on their business when they are not seeking it, and your words will fall on deaf ears. They may be responding politely, "Oh thank you! I'll think about that," but really, if they didn't ask for your opinion it's probably because they've never considered you a source of helpful information. If they DO consider someone a true authority/source of wisdom, they'll be very eager to seek insight from that person if they can do so without feeling that they're being a burden.
    The Mars in Capricorn person also sees themselves as an authority figure, but in a very realistic way. I don't see myself as an authority in wine-culture, for instance (because I'm not!), but I do see myself as an astrological authority, never mind the fact that I've only been studying astrology for 4 years and have no publications or professional credentials to my name. I know my worth and I know my expertise. I also have a passion (Mars) for astrology, and realize that increasing my level of expertise (Capricorn) will take dedication, and because this subject is one that I find useful (Capricorn), and because my passion is behind it (Mars), then I will gladly do the work of continued pursuit of astrological knowledge, as I have since the moment I began studying it.
    Sometimes we Mars in Cappy people can be very slow to achieve, because our ambitions are so great and we want to make each step towards our goals count. No wasted steps. We sometimes get in our own way of success in our fear of failure. Failure itself can be a step towards success... but that's a hard lesson for Mars in Capricorn to accept. A Mars in Aries person will have no trouble leaping off into unknown adventures in the pursuit of some ambitious goal, but Mars in Capricorn has to ponder each slow step toward the top before finally acting/moving towards the goal.
    Mars in Capricorn is looking to the long-term. Goals achieved this year must support goals 20, 30, or even 50 years out. Thinking ahead toward retirement and old-age are very natural for Mars in this sign, because Capricorn wants to be able to enjoy the golden years appropriately. For years now I have had an intuitive feeling that my 50's will be the best decade of my life. I imagine a life of joyful abundance... and now at the age of 30 I am making each slow, careful step toward achieving such a life for my older self.
    How do you handle your Mars in Capricorn energy? Do you find yourself being overly self-reliant? Worrying rather than acting? Tell me about it! :)