journey through the decans: aries 2 info + resources
This year, I’m taking journey through the decans! The decans are 10-degree divisions of the 12 zodiac signs, 3 per sign, totaling 36 portals through we can experience the sky and the year.
contents
- Zodiacal Sign: Aries
- Aries 2 Correspondences
- Aries 2 Study Charts
- Posts + Videos to Explore
- Conclusion + Check Out My Patreon!
The decans are intimately connected to both the annual and seasonal path of the Sun, as well as to the fixed stars who project their celestial, alien energies into the decan. As the seasonal solar experience is grounded in the seasonal changes and shifts in the land, I see the decans as providing a way of bridging the gap between above and below, the stars and the land.
Through the year, I’ll be sharing posts for each decan, plus a Patreon-only extra (to be re-launched in late May):
Next up: resources and basic info for the second decan of Aries, aka Aries 2!
Zodiacal Sign: Aries
I find it’s helpful to start off reviewing some of the basic info of the sign as a whole:
Zodiacal Dignities and Debilities:
Domicile: Mars
Exaltation: Sun
Detriment/Exile: Venus
Fall/Depression: Saturn
Basic Building Blocks of Aries
Modality/Quadriplicity: Cardinal/Tropical
Element/Triplicity: Fire
Polarity: Masculine/Yang
Aries is the first sign of the tropical zodiac, and the first sign of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. Check out this video by Gemini Brett, where he discusses the astronomy of Aries, and why it is the beginning of the astrological year.
Aries 2 Correspondences
Rough Dates
March 31 to April 9
Basic Meaning
Aries 2 is leadership, rulership. Ambition, control. To shine, and be respected. Benevolence. Virtue and vice. Making and living by rules. Creating a reality. Royalty. Surveying one’s kingdom.
Decan Rulers
Chaldean Ruler: Sun
Triplicity Ruler: Sun
Decan Names
In this series, I’ll share two sets of names for the decans, one from Austin Coppock, from his book 36 Faces, and one created by T. Susan Chang, author of 36 Secrets.
Coppock Name: The Crown
Chang Name: Kingdom of Gold
These evocative names, together with the decan rulers, provide a mental jumping off point to begin internalizing the meanings of the decan, and to begin creating your own meanings and associations.
Decan Images
Traditionally, the decans are associated with “images” which are mysterious, evocative descriptions of a fantastic scene or figure. These images are used in magic and meditation, and are typically left to the individual to actually manifest in the physical form of art or talisman. Several ancient authors and texts share an of image for each decan, notably in the Picatrix, the work of ibn Ezra, and Agrippa. I’ll share one image for each decan, from the Warnock/Greer translation of the Picatrix, though I invite you to seek out others to comtemplate, draw/paint/sculpt, and compare.
“There ascends in the second face of Aries a woman dressed in green clothes, lacking one leg. This is a face of high rank, nobility, wealth and rulership. This is its form.“
-Picatrix, Book 2, Chapter 11
Tarot and Aries 2
Each decan is associated to three tarot cards in particular, in the tarot tradition formalized by the Golden Dawn, and through the Waite-Smith and Thoth deck lineages: the major arcana (trump) cards associated with the sign, the major arcana card associated with the Chaldean ruling planet of the decan, as well as the minor arcana (aka “decanic minor”) associated with the specific decan itself.
Major card of the sign: The Emperor (Aries)
Major card of the Chaldean decanic ruler: The Sun (Sun)
Decanic Minor: 3 of Wands
The suit of Wands is associated with the fire signs, Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius, while the 3s are associated with the middle decans of the cardinal signs, Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn.
I recommend contemplating the meanings of these cards, and comparing images from various decks, especially the Waite-Smith (aka Rider-Waite; pictured here), Thoth, and Tabula Mundi (by deck creater M. M. Mehleen) decks. See the work of T. Susan Chang for more info.
Aries 2 Study Charts
I also decided to include charts of historical figures and celebrities, for quick reference and further study. I chose to include a selection of individuals whose sect light (Sun in a day chart, Moon in a night chart) fall into the relevant decan.
Night Chart, Moon in Aries 2:
- Marlon Brando, Rodden Rating AA, 3 April 1924 – 23:00 (CST), Omaha, Nebraska, USA
- Whitney Houston, Rodden Rating AA, 9 August 1963 – 20:55 (EDT), Newark, New Jersey, USA
- Louis Armstrong, Rodden Rating A, 4 August 1901 – 22:00 (CST), New Orleans, Louisiana,
USA - Luciano Pavarotti, Rodden Rating AA, 12 October 1935 – 01:40 (CET), Modena, Italy
- Jorge Luis Borges, Rodden Rating AA, 24 August 1899 – 03:30 (LMT), Buenos Aires, Argentina
Day Chart, Sun in Aries 2:
- Kristen Stewart, Rodden Rating AA, 9 April 1990 – 09:21 (PDT), Los Angeles, California, USA
- Robert Downey Jr., Rodden Rating A, 4 April 1965 – 13:10 (EST), New York, New York, USA
- Doris Day, Rodden Rating AA, 3 April 1922 – 16:30 (EST), Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
- Al Gore, Rodden Rating AA, 31 March 1948 – 12:53 (EST), Washington, DC, USA
- Susan Boyle, Rodden Rating AA, 1 April 1961 – 09:50 (BST), Blackburn, Scotland, UK
Posts and videos to explore
Aries in Astrology – by The Astrology Podcast. It’s a great idea to brush up on the entire sign!
Aries 2 – by Hellenistic Astrology channel on Youtube. Here you’ll find a detailed discussion of the decan.
Jail Breakers & Simmering Queens – post on Aries 2 by Darkstar Astrology, a concise description of the decan and its basic meanings.
Reading the Decans: Kingdom of Gold [Aries II] – post by T. Susan Chang, an exploration of the decan and the connected minor arcana of the tarot.
Every year, Andrew Watt makes a forecast post for each and every decan, and discusses first and foremost the meanings and associations of the decan itself. These posts are a great way to learn more about the decans, and see them in action connected with transits, versus just theoretically isolated concepts:
conclusion
I hope these notes and resources are helpful in your own journey through the decans!
Plus, join my Patreon for an upcoming info sheet on the decans of Aries, complete with extensive keywords associated with each decans, and journaling + meditation ideas for exploring the decans further.
Yours amongst the trees and under the stars,