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What Is A Decan?

A decan, or decanate, is a an Ancient Astrological method of sub-dividing the Zodiac Signs to add extra depth to our interpretations and understanding of each Sign.

As there are 12 Zodiac Signs, there are 30º in each Sign (360º / 12 = 30). Each 30º is then sub-divided into three decans of 10 degrees each.

The Planetary ruler of each 10º sub-division can then either be attributed according to the Chaldean Order, which is the order of slowest to fastest Planet (click here to read our post about it), or according to their Elemental triplicity rulership (Fire, Earth, Air, Water).

So in effect, you will have a main ruler, such as Mars with Scorpio, and one of three potential sub-rulers depending on which exact degree of Scorpio your Mars is in.

From there, we can also attribute a Tarot card to each decan, read on below to see how!

The Astrological Decans

The Chaldean Order is a way of ordering the Planets from slowest to fastest moving orbit from our vantage point on Earth. It goes as follows: Saturn - Jupiter - Mars - Sun - Venus - Mercury - Moon.

As Aries is the first Sign of the Zodiac, and its Planetary ruler is Mars, we begin there on the Astrological wheel and follow through the Chaldean order for all subsequent Signs. This means that if you were born in up to the first 10º of Aries (roughly between the 21st March - 30th March), you will be a pure, typical Aries as your Planetary ruler is Mars and so is your sub-ruler.

If you were born in the second decan of Aries, between 10-20º of Aries (or roughly in the week from 31st March - 9th April), you will still have Mars as your main Planetary ruler but now you also have the Sun as your sub-ruler, which brings in a different layer of meaning, more regal and less warrior-like.

People born in the last ten day of Aries season will have their Sun between 20-30º Aries, which makes Venus their decan ruler, add a little bit of sweetness to their Arien boldness.

Once you know the exact degree of your Sun (or any other Planet), you can check the table below to see your sub-ruler.

The next Sign in the Zodiac is Taurus and it continues on from where Aries left off in the Chaldean Order, so Mercury is the sub-ruler of the first decan of Taurus, the Moon for the second decan, and so on.

Essential Dignity of the Planets

The decans form part of what is called the Essential Dignity of the 7 Classical Planets. Each of the Planets is at home (domiciled) in one or two Zodiac Signs, Jupiter in Sagittarius and Pisces for example. This is like being CEO or the equivalent of 5 points say. They are also “exalted” in another Sign, like being an esteemed guest of honour or the general manager, equivalent to 4 points, Jupiter in Cancer for example.

Then, each of the Planets has a particularl affinity for one of the four elements (Fire, Earth, Air, Water), and when they are in a Sign of that element, it can feel like being in a familiar place, affording them 3 points. For example, Jupiter does well in the Fire Signs (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius).

Next come the “bounds”, also known as the terms, which are another sub-division of the Zodiac Signs, this time into five unequal parts. Each of the Planets except the luminaries- the Sun and Moon- govern a bound in each Sign. This can be seen as being in a friend’s house or the supervisor, 2 points say.

Lastly, come the decans, also known as the “faces”. When a Planet is in its decan it affords it some strength, like being a senior employee or in a well-stocked Airbnb, the equivalent of 1 point.

The Zodiacal Decans

ARIES DECAN:

1st (0-9º) = Mars

2nd (10-19º)= Sun

3rd (20-29º) = Venus

TAURUS DECAN:

1st = Mercury

2nd = Moon

3rd = Saturn

GEMINI DECAN:

1st = Jupiter

2nd = Mars

3rd = Sun

CANCER DECAN:

1st = Venus

2nd = Mercury

3rd = Moon

LEO DECAN:

1st = Saturn

2nd = Jupiter

3rd = Mars

VIRGO DECAN:

1st = Sun

2nd = Venus

3rd = Mercury

LIBRA DECAN:

1st = Moon

2nd = Saturn

3rd = Jupiter

SCORPIO DECAN:

1st = Mars

2nd = Sun

3rd = Venus

SAGITTARIUS DECAN:

1st = Mercury

2nd = Moon

3rd = Saturn

CAPRICORN DECAN:

1st = Jupiter

2nd = Mars

3rd = Sun

AQUARIUS DECAN:

1st = Venus

2nd = Mercury

3rd = Moon

PISCES DECAN:

1st = Saturn

2nd = Jupiter

3rd = Mars

What this can look like is say that you have Venus in Virgo at 19º07, that would put it in the 2nd decan, which is ruled by Venus, giving it some strength. This can be particularly useful because although usually Venus is known to be “in fall” in Virgo (as it is the place opposite its exaltation), meaning that it can struggle with perfectionism here; it also has triplicity rulership in Earth Signs, giving it some strength, and if it is between 10-19º like in this case, it is also in its own bound, lending it extra strength.

So while Venus may sometimes set itself high beauty standards in Virgo, for example, if it is in its own decan, it can have added powers of healing and persuasion, of analysis and meticulousness, with less of the potential pitfalls of over-worry.

Mercury in Leo could be a youthful, playful, creative mindset and authoritative way of speaking. If it is in the 1st decan (up to 9º Leo), then it is also sub-ruled by Saturn, which can temper some usual Leo performance and make self-expression more mature and stoic.

The Moon in Scorpio is still emotionally deep and intense, but in the last decan (between 20-29º), it may bring in a focus to Venusian themes of art, love, and connection.

The second way of organising the decans, the “modern” way, is by using their Elemental Triplicities. It takes the first decan of each Sign to have its own Planetary ruler as its sub-ruler, making them the purest expressions of each Sign. Then, for the second and third decan, you will look to the next Sign in its Triplicity, and its Planetary ruler will become your sub-ruler.

So for example, if you are a second-decan Scorpio, a Water Sign, the next Sign in the Water Triplicity after Scorpio is Pisces, whose traditional Planetary ruler is Jupiter, and so Jupiter will become your sub-ruler, giving you a different flair from someone born in the first decan of Scorpio, which will be ruled purely by Mars. The third decan of Scorpio will go to the next next Sign in the Water Element Triplicity, back to Cancer, and so its sub-ruler will become the Moon. This is summarised as follows:

FIRE SIGNS = ARIES (ruled by Mars), LEO (ruled by the Sun), SAGITTARIUS (ruled by Jupiter)

EARTH SIGNS = TAURUS (Venus), VIRGO (Mercury), CAPRICORN (Saturn)

AIR SIGNS = GEMINI (Mercury), LIBRA (Venus), AQUARIUS (Saturn)

WATER SIGNS = CANCER (Moon), SCORPIO (Mars), PISCES (Jupiter)

As a final example to put it all together, if you were born in the last decan of 20-30º Libra (roughly 13th October - 23rd October), your main Planetary ruler would still be Venus, while your decan sub-ruler would be either Jupiter according to the Chaldean Order or Mercury according to the modern system.

If you’d like to discover more of the world of Astrology, explore our Complete Astrology + Birth Chart Guidebook!

Tarot Decans

Each of the decans has been traditionally been associated with an image delineated in ancient magical grimoire the Picatrix and Agrippa’s Book of Occult Philosophy. Thus they are strongly tied in with visual imagery which lends their understanding well to Tarot.

Tarot deck associations are assigned according to the Chaldean Order for the Minor Arcana pip cards numbers 2-10. For the pip cards, Zodiacal Element and Mode/Quality is also taken into consideration, so whether it is Cardinal, Fixed, or Mutable.

These are as follows:

FIRE SIGNS = WANDS

EARTH SIGNS = PENTACLES

AIR SIGNS = SWORDS

WATER SIGNS = CUPS

CARDINAL SIGNS (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn) = 2s, 3s, 4s

FIXED SIGNS (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius) = 5s, 6s, 7s

MUTABLE SIGNS (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces) = 8s, 9s, 10s

Putting it all together, this means that the 2 of Pentacles will be attributed to Capricorn, and the 10 of Cups is a Pisces card.

We can then also combine the decans of Astrology according to the Chaldean Order described above into a Tarot cards correspondence and find their Planetary association, as follows:

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WANDS

2 = Mars in Aries
3 = Sun in Aries
4 = Venus in Aries
5 = Saturn in Leo
6 = Jupiter in Leo
7 = Mars in Leo
8 = Mercury in Sagittarius
9 = Moon in Sagittarius
10 = Saturn in Sagittarius

CUPS

2 = Venus in Cancer
3 = Mercury in Cancer
4 = Moon in Cancer
5 = Mars in Scorpio
6 = Sun in Scorpio
7 = Venus in Scorpio
8 = Saturn in Pisces
9 = Jupiter in Pisces
10 = Mars in Pisces

SWORDS

2 = Moon in Libra
3 = Saturn in Libra
4 = Jupiter in Libra
5 = Venus in Aquarius
6 = Mercury in Aquarius
7 = Moon in Aquarius
8 = Jupiter in Gemini
9 = Mars in Gemini
10 = Sun in Gemini

PENTACLES

2 = Jupiter in Capricorn
3 = Mars in Capricorn
4 = Sun in Capricorn
5 = Mercury in Taurus
6 = Moon in Taurus
7 = Saturn in Taurus
8 = Sun in Virgo
9 = Venus in Virgo
10 = Mercury in Virgo

So, for example, if you are a Gemini Sun, the whole Swords suit will pertain to you to some extent, as Gemini is an Air Sign, and in particular the 8, 9, and 10 as Gemini is a Mutable Sign. Then once you know your decan (the exact degree of Gemini), you can see where specifically within those three you fall. If you are in the second decan of Gemini, then your specific Tarot card is the 9 of Swords. If you are in the first decan of Virgo, your tarot card is the 8 of Pentacles, and so on.

To learn more about the intricate world of Tarot and how to decipher its meanings, check out our guidebook on Beginners Tarot For Heightened Intuition!

So there’s how to find your Astrological decan and its Tarot correspondence. I hope it gives you some greater depth of knowledge and insight to both your Astrology and Tarot reading practice! Let me know in the comments section below if you have any questions or anything else to add :)

In the meantime, for more specific Zodiacal information that goes in depth to each Sign, check out our Seasonal Zodiac Workbooks!

Or, if you’d like to access some Divine insight specific to a question you have, book yourself in for a personalised Tarot Reading with me and let’s channel what they have to tell you together!