Geb and Nut: The Goddess Nut, supported by the god of the air Shu, with the earth god Geb below. From E. A. Wallis Budge, The Gods of the Egyptians, Vol. II, color plate facing page 96. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
What are the Decans?
An eagle-faced man with bow and arrows; a nude woman with loose hair bound with snakes who is robbed by thieves in the forest; an old, disheveled man leaning on a staff. Each of these scenes is an image associated with a different decan of the zodiac. Mysterious and symbolic images such as these reach beyond the rational mind and awaken a deeper understanding within the individual. They ask for contemplation, imagination, and personal involvement in their interpretation. Emerging from the ancient world, the thirty-six decans of the zodiac, with their multivalent applications, have long been an integral part of astrology, magic, and medicine.
At a basic level, the decans are a subdivision of the twelve zodiac signs that add significance to where a planet resides within a sign. The word decan comes from the Greek word deka, meaning “ten.” Every ten degrees of the zodiac is a different decan, and each zodiac sign (30˚) has three decans. There are thirty-six decans or faces altogether, each with its own image and ruler.
The decans have been variously associated with spirits, gods, angels, demons, and magical images; diseases and their remedies; planets and astrological dignities; and the minor arcana of the tarot. As a starting point, we can look at the decans as a more intimate view of the zodiac signs, which can provide incredible insight regarding natal placements and transits. For anyone who wants to deepen their astrological understanding and take their practice to the next level, learning about the decans is essential.
Diagram of the Chaldean decans. From https://theastrologydictionary.com/d/decans/
As far back as the 3rd millennium BCE, the ancient Egyptians began using the decans to track the hours of the night. They divided the sky into 36 segments, each one aligning with a specific star or small constellation. Every 10 days, the length of one week of the Egyptian solar year, one of these stars or star groups would rise heliacally. For them, the decans represented the wheel of the small gods. By the Late Kingdom, the decan gods were associated with specific diseases and their cures, and images were inscribed or engraved on amulets for protection and healing.
Dendera Circular Zodiac– bas-relief from the portico of an Osiris chapel. The outermost ring represents the decans, or thirty-six hours of the Egyptian night, as well as the thirty-six weeks of the year. From Description of Egypt. 2nd edition. 1822. Vol. 4. Pl. 21. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
The decans traveled from Egypt to Greece, Arabia, India, and Europe. Along the way, they took on new qualities, attributions, and applications as they evolved from antiquity through the Middle Ages and Renaissance, and into the modern era. This has created a rich array of images and descriptions associated with the decans, and two primary systems of rulership, one based on the Chaldean order of the planets, and the other on Triplicity.
Chaldean Rulership
The decans preceded Egyptian knowledge of the zodiac, which was later inherited from the Babylonian astrologers during the Greco-Egyptian period. Around the 2nd century BCE, Hellenistic astrologers applied the decans to the twelve zodiac signs, assigning planetary rulers to the decans according to the Chaldean (or descending / Ptolemaic) order of the planets (Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Sun, Venus, Mercury, Moon). This is based on traditional astrology and does not include the modern planets Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto.
This system, known today as the Chaldean, predominated through the Arabic, Medieval, and Renaissance periods of astrology. During this era, the decans were thought of as protectors and associated with deities and specific names. Some Hellenistic astrologers believed that a planet occupying a decan which it ruled was strengthened as though it were in its own domicile, and this form of dignity continued to be an important aspect of Western astrology through the centuries.
Decans According to the Chaldean Order
Sign: 1st Decan ruler / 2nd Decan ruler / 3rd Decan ruler
Aries: Mars / Sun / Venus
Taurus: Mercury / Moon / Saturn
Gemini: Jupiter / Mars / Sun
Cancer: Venus / Mercury / Moon
Leo: Saturn / Jupiter / Mars
Virgo: Sun / Venus / Mercury
Libra: Moon / Saturn / Jupiter
Scorpio: Mars / Sun / Venus
Sagittarius: Mercury / Moon / Saturn
Capricorn: Jupiter / Mars / Sun
Aquarius: Venus / Mercury / Moon
Pisces: Saturn / Jupiter / Mars
Triplicity
In India, the decans became an important aspect of Vedic astrology, where they are known as the drekkanas. The Indian astrologers determined decan rulership by elemental triplicity.
In the Triplicity system, the first decan of a sign is ruled by the planetary ruler of the sign itself. To find the ruler of the second decan, simply go in zodiacal order to the next sign of the same element. Whatever planet rules that sign is the ruler of the second decan, and the third decan is ruled by the final sign of the same element.
For example, the first decan of Aries is ruled by the ruler of Aries, which is Mars. The ruler of the second decan of Aries is the Sun because it rules Leo, the next fire sign in the zodiac. The third decan of Aries is ruled by Jupiter, ruler of the last fire sign, Sagittarius.
This system of ordering the decans by triplicity is also used by some modern Western astrologers and sometimes includes the modern planets Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto and their rulership.
Decans According to Triplicity
Sign: 1st Decan ruler / 2nd Decan ruler / 3rd Decan ruler
Aries: Mars / Sun / Jupiter
Taurus: Venus / Mercury / Saturn
Gemini: Mercury / Venus / Uranus & Saturn
Cancer: Moon / Pluto & Mars / Neptune & Jupiter
Leo: Sun / Jupiter / Mars
Virgo: Mercury / Saturn / Venus
Libra: Venus / Uranus & Saturn / Mercury
Scorpio: Pluto & Mars / Neptune & Jupiter / Moon
Sagittarius: Jupiter / Mars / Sun
Capricorn: Saturn / Venus / Mercury
Aquarius: Uranus & Saturn / Mercury / Venus
Pisces: Neptune & Jupiter / Moon / Pluto & Mars
Various Methods of Working with the Decans
Decan Walk
There are many ways to approach working with the thirty-six decans. One of the best ways to get to know them is to do a yearlong “decan walk,” simply following along as the Sun transits each decan. This may be considered a yearlong meditation, involving studying the decan images and themes, along with a personal reflection upon observed correlations between one’s experience, dreams, impressions, or events in the collective, and how the decans might be influencing planetary transits and celestial events.
Medicine and Healing
Other ways of working with the decans may be based on traditional practices. During the Hellenistic era, the decans were thought of as being haunted by certain powerful spirits with power over the body in the removal of diseases. One of the primary roles of the decans during this time was related to physical ailments, their cures, and fate, as was the case in ancient Egypt. Each decan was correlated with a different part of the body, a practice known as melothesia. The decans were also associated with magical names, specific gemstones, plants, and dietary proscriptions. Additionally, each decan had a specific figure, or image that gave a symbolic representation of its powers. These images could then be used at the proper time with specific stones and herbs to make protective or healing amulets.
Forces of Divine Order
In Hermetic astrology, the decans exist outside of the zodiac, between it and the absolute circle of the Universe, defining the boundaries of each of these circles and holding the zodiac aloft. Unlike the fixed stars and planets, the decans were seen as unhindered and unbound, free and above them all. While the decans share in the motion of the planetary spheres, their power equals that of the primary motion of the whole. Therefore, they are beholden to nothing except the all-encompassing body of the Universe. The decans were called “Watchers,” namely of the seven planetary spheres and of the Circle of the All, watching over and ordering all things in the cosmos.
Specifically, the effects of the decans were associated with big social and environmental changes, like plagues, famine, rebellions, the collapse of kingdoms, earthquakes, and tidal waves. In this respect, the decanoic gods were both saviors and destroyers, working to establish divine order in the cosmos and the sublunary realm.
Dignity
A planet transiting a decan of its rulership is a form of astrological dignity—a place where a planet feels at home, or maybe in a “home-away-from-home” situation where they are resourced and strengthened. It is particularly auspicious when a planet is in both the decan and sign of its rulership. In Medieval astrology, the decans were called ‘faces’ and used as a minor rulership system. The images had more to do with shaping human appearance and behavior and served as residences for the planets that influenced their interpretation in a chart.
Magic
For those interested in astrological magic, working with the decans is a powerful way to harness celestial energy to affect changes within and without. Arabic astrologers depicted the decans with symbolic images. One of the most important texts of astrological magic emerged from the Arabic period (11th century), the Ghayat al-Hakim, better known as the Picatrix. The thirty-six faces of the zodiac are each described, no longer associated with spirits or gods, but simply with images of a human or human-animal hybrid form engaged in various circumstances and situations. Decan images, or talismans, could be imbued with the power of the decan by impressing it upon the proper material (such as gemstone, or metal), or drawn with special ink, at the appropriate time.
During the Renaissance, the decans thrived and experienced a resurgence in the form of great works of art, such as those depicted in the Sistine Chapel, and the Palazzo Schifanoia in Ferrara, Italy. They also appeared in important works like Giordano Bruno’s De Idearum Umbris on the art of memory and in Agrippa’s Three Books of Occult Philosophy. Like the decans of the Arabic period, the decans described by Agrippa are free of spirits and god names and are presented simply as images of people, animals, and implements.
Allegory of August (Virgo). The three panels below represent the three decans of Virgo. Fresco from the Hall of the Months in Palazzo Schifanoia, attributed to Cosme Tura, Francesco del Cossa, Baldasare d'Este and Ercole de' Roberti. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Vedic astrology incorporates magical images as well, and while they are often quite different than the descriptions found in the Western tradition, and rely on a different system of rulership, convergent themes may be discerned nonetheless.
There is a very surreal quality to the decan images, which seem like they emerged straight from the collective unconscious of the ancient world. We can approach them like dream images in our interpretation, and we can also pay attention to our own dreams—and to the collective waking dream—to see how a decan is manifesting for us personally and in the world.
Tarot
The Order of the Golden Dawn, which emerged in England in 1887, linked the thirty-six decans with the minor arcana of the tarot, as well as with demons and angels. While the 22 major arcana of the tarot are variously attributed to the zodiac signs, planets, and elements, each suit of the minor arcana corresponds to a different element. In this system, the cards 2-10 of each suit are assigned to the decans of the same element.
Cards 2, 3, and 4 belong to the Cardinal signs; cards 5, 6, and 7 to the Fixed signs; and cards 8, 9, and 10 to the Mutable signs. For example, the 2 of Wands corresponds to the first decan of Aries; the 6 of Cups to the second decan of Scorpio; and the 10 of Disks to the third decan of Virgo.
It's a simple and elegant correspondence between the decans and minor arcana. And what makes it more interesting is that many of the images of the Rider Waite Smith tarot were influenced by the traditional images of the decans, as were the images in the Thoth deck. Understanding the decans can add another layer of meaning to interpretations. The cards and decans may also be related to the Sephiroth on the Kabbalistic Tree of Life for a richer understanding.
Conclusion
Walking through the decans is a way to commune with this ancient magical view of the cosmos, and to integrate the lessons of the decans as they unfold in real-time. Simply contemplating the decans can be a profound meditation offering great insights. Working with the decans will also enhance magical workings and tarot readings. And for those who want to take their astrology practice up a notch, understanding the decans can deepen interpretive abilities and give more specific readings, accounting for the differences that may be expressed by people born at different degrees of the same zodiac sign.
While it might be tempting to say any one of the methods of rulership, or ways of engaging with the decans, is right or better than another, they all have validity and value. Understanding the decans requires a broader vision that can find the common threads between divergent themes, images, and planetary rulers. If the decans exist above the Circle of the All, as the Hermetists believed, then they have a profound influence over all things in the celestial spheres and on the earth. The wide array of images and interpretations that people have given to them over time speaks to their protean nature, shifting with the observer’s state of consciousness. The question then becomes: what do the decans have to teach us in the time that we are in?
About the Author
Marlene Seven Bremner (she/her) is an artist, author, and teacher. Her work arises from her study and practice of Hermeticism, alchemy, magic, astrology, and mythology. Seven has taught classes and given lectures on Hermeticism and alchemy; she has also appeared on various podcasts to discuss her work. She developed her painting career in the Pacific Northwest, showing her work in both group and solo exhibitions along the West Coast and internationally, and now resides in the desert of New Mexico. Seven is the author of "Hermetic Philosophy and Creative Alchemy: The Emerald Tablet, the Corpus Hermeticum, and the Journey Through the Seven Spheres" (Inner Traditions, 2022), and "The Hermetic Marriage of Art and Alchemy: Imagination, Creativity, and the Great Work" (Inner Traditions, 2023).
Instagram: @ m7artist
Facebook: Marlene Seven Bremner - Artist
Great job Marlene! Thank you for pointing out the Hermetic view and position of the Decanic sphere. So powerful
Beautiful Introduction. Looking forward to the series.