journey through the decans: taurus 1 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: Taurus
- Taurus 1 Correspondences
- Taurus 1 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 first decan of Taurus, aka Taurus 1!
Zodiacal Sign: taurus
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: Venus
Exaltation: Moon
Detriment/Exile: Mars
Fall/Depression: none
Basic Building Blocks of taurus
Modality/Quadriplicity: Fixed/Solid
Element/Triplicity: Earth
Polarity: Feminine/Yin
Taurus is the second sign of the zodiac, and the second, middle sign of spring in the Northern Hemisphere.
taurus 1 Correspondences
Rough Dates
April 20 to April 29
Basic Meaning
Taurus 1 is slow to start, gathering speed, then unstoppable. Slow in body, quick tongue. Plowing the land to generate abundance. Balancing worry, labor, and toil versus the temptations of idle pleasures.
Decan Rulers
Chaldean Ruler: Mercury
Triplicity Ruler: Venus
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 Plough
Chang Name: Sacred Doubt
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 rises in the first face of Taurus a woman with curly hair, who has one son wearing clothing looking like a flame, and she is wearing garments of the same sort. This is a face of plowing and working on the land, of sciences, geometry, sowing and building. This is its form.“
-Picatrix, Book 2, Chapter 11
Tarot and taurus 1
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) card 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 Hierophant (Taurus)
Major card of the Chaldean decanic ruler: The Magician (Mercury)
Decanic Minor: 5 of Pentacles
The suit of Pentacles/Coins/Discs is associated with the earth signs, Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn, while the 5s are associated with the beginning decans of the fixed signs, Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius.
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.
Taurus 1 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 Taurus 1:
- Sigourney Weaver, Rodden Rating AA, 8 October 1949 – 18:15 (EST), New York, New York, USA
- Michael J. Fox, Rodden Rating A, 9 June 1961 – 00:15 (MST), Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- Clive Barker, Rodden Rating A, 5 October 1952 – 01:00 (BST), Liverpool, England, UK
- Hans Christian Andersen, Rodden Rating AA, 2 April 1805 – 01:00 (LMT), Odense, Denmark
- Dennis Rodman, Rodden Rating AA, 13 May 1961 – 00:10 (EDT), Trenton, New Jersey, USA
Day Chart, Sun in Taurus 1:
- Jack Nicholson, Rodden Rating A, 22 April 1937 – 11:00 (EST), Neptune, New Jersey, USA
- Uma Thurman, Rodden Rating AA, 29 April 1970 – 13:51 (EDT), Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Michael Moore, Rodden Rating AA, 23 April 1954 – 12:45 (EST), Davison, Michigan, USA
- Adolf Hitler, Rodden Rating AA, 20 April 1889 – 18:30 (LMT), Braunau am Inn, Austria
- Immanuel Kant, Rodden Rating AA, 22 April 1724 – 05:00 (LMT), Königsberg, Germany
- David Icke, Rodden Rating B, 29 April 1952 – 17:15 (GMT), Leicester, England, UK
Posts and videos to explore
Taurus in Astrology – by The Astrology Podcast. It’s a great idea to brush up on the entire sign!
Taurus 1 – by Hellenistic Astrology channel on Youtube. Here you’ll find a detailed discussion of the decan.
Raging Bulls & Ravenous Raconteurs – post on Taurus 1 by Darkstar Astrology, a concise description of the decan and its basic meanings.
Reading the Decans: Sacred Doubt [Taurus I] – 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,