Our Capricorn journey began at a beautiful wooded ocean overlook, Anderson Hill Park, where we opened space with a connection to all that is "Good". The view from this spot is spectacular, overlooking the south and east coastal vistas.

This is the area in the south-east corner of our entire landscape zodiac, where the sun begins its illumination from sea to land every morning, very appropriate as our Capricorn effigy is a Goat-Serpent with a goat's head with single horn, goat's body and serpent like tail, wrapping around on itself like an oroborous. This half-sea, half-land creature weaves along the shoreline from the Royal Victoria golf club at Newport and Beach, all the way along Willows Beach and Cattle Point, culminating at the tip of the horn at Loon Park, just south of the Royal Victoria Yacht Club, the most affluent part of town.
 

Capricorn is an earth sign which encourages us through ambition to climb the mountain of materialism . Capricorns are commonly found in the corporate world, moving up from position to position, salary increase to salary increase, until they reach the top of the mountain. Once there, the ambitious goat exclaims, "Now what?" This mountain now dissolves away as the initiate Capricorn begins a second climb on the spiritual mountain, bringing all of the learning and experience from their pragmatic mountain. Turning to service is the way of the enlightened Capricorn.

So we had two metaphorical mountains to climb on this day. The first at Anderson Hill where we acknowledge the "Temptation of Christ" with a magnificent view in front of us. "All this could be yours if you kneel down and worship me!" Worship of the material world. Fortunately our group of pilgrims agreed to continue on their alchemical journey and climb the spiritual peak in Uplands Park later in the day.

Our first act of service was to assist in the return of true, authentic relationship between the male and female energies.  Distortions in human relationship are often related to the second chakra and sexual activity, where intimidation and coercion are met with manipulation and trickery. Sexual abuse has been routinely used to pervert and control the victim, disconnecting them from their free spirit. As we walked through the void in the tail of the Goat-Serpent and through the sacral chakra in the landscape of Linkleas Avenue, we set the intention to transmute all elements of distorted male/female relationships throughout history, reflecting upon our own experiences as well as our knowledge of these ancient distortions. This was a peaceful, gentle walking meditation, releasing into Mother Earth all perversions, miscreations and dark energy patterns. We then focused on what true, authentic relationship feels like, when we can completely trust ourselves and others in partnershps that we engage in-both male and female. It was an essential process, for later in the day, we were to be rebirthed into a new level of awareness through a perfect, beloved union between our male and female selves. 

We enjoyed our inside discussion in a private home, overlooking beautiful Gonzales Bay, considering the qualities of Capricorn and the Astrological influences of the day, as well as enjoying some exquisite food.

 We next gathered under the Willow Tree on Willows Beach and Cynthia/Sylvia lead us in a discussion about holding sacred space for ceremonial work to be done at a distance. This had taken place here on the fall equinox when a group of us were far away at the Eiffel Tower. This spot is clearly a power point in the landscape. 

A walk around cattle point in the head of the goat took us across the road to the Oak Bay War Memorial. This beautiful memorial has a caped woman at the center, "Mother Peace". She was our portal through to the afterlife. Capricorn is the location of the Golden Gate or gate through to the afterlife, often symbolized by St. Peter with the keys. We all made our commitment to die to our old way of being and let go of those aspects of ourselves that do not serve us on our new enlightened journey.

We passed through the Portal of Mother Peace into the afterlife. We climbed our spiritual mountain in our own specific way and then conducted ceremony at two Arbutus Trees in the Gary Oak Forest which our beloved Ted had discovered. We married the two together, symbolic of our masculine and feminine sides becomng one. Zia buried our crystal representing Capricorn in a sacred ceremony at the pineal gland of the Goat in the landscape. We used Galena, a Lead ore, as Lead is the metal associated with Saturn that rules Capricorn. This is an important symbolic stone as Lead represents the beginning of the Alchemical transformation of base Lead to living Gold. Now we were ready to be reborn into the world, with a clearer view and insight into our new expanded awareness as initiates on the spiritual path. 

The single goat horn is symbolic of the Unicorn's horn, taking the practical knowledge of the material world and merging it with our new journey on the spiritual path which is the path of the Unicorn in service. Our "Horn of plenty" in the landscape leads us through the most expensive homes in Victoria to abundance, harmony and balance on this most sacred journey. We walked past these homes at the stillness of dusk reminding ourselves of the need to stay focused on our spiritual life in service, not getting wrapped up in the outer world illusion of consumerism, chaos and confusion.  

We had a magnificent day in the Capricorn landscape, feeling fully satisfied with our alchemical transformation, and looking forward to full freedom in Aquarius on Sunday, February 3rd!