Libra III: An exploration of symbology

By Dorje Kirsten

Writing about Decans is daunting. It requires delving into history that may be as ancient as astrology itself, mystic lore, the idea of astral beings who can be curried for favor, and abstract philosophical concepts that are in sore need of being translated and updated to symbolism that connect with the modern psyche.  It contributes to a river that we know started as early as the 10th Dynasty of Egypt (2100 BC), a moment in time when a sarcophagus with the Decans carved into it came from. However the tradition very well may be older than that. This first carved sarcophagus, the oldest record of the Decans, gives us the familiar meter of the Decans, being 36 distinct divisions of the sky that arose every 10 days. On the sarcophagus lid, they starting point for the 36 was the Star Southis, which is Sirius. The exact nature of how the ancient Egyptian priests used the Decans, the stars involved, and the particular rituals of Theurgy associated with them has been lost to the sands of time and are the provenance of historians trying to recreate a cohesive story for anthropological purposes. It is the Astro Co-op that is now doing a marvelous job of bringing this ancient way of dividing the sky back into our cultural understanding through the exploration of what a Decan is through the view of 36 different modern astrologers. 

There are many approaches to learning the Decans, and the journey the Astro Co-Op is taking through the year exemplifies the rich and delightful experience of the Decans and how we, as modern astrologers living in the 21^st century, 4200 years after the first recorded carvings of them in the 10^th Dynasty of Egypt, can experience them as an embodied living astrology and relight them into a modern conscious wisdom tradition. The challenge for us is to take an archaic part of the tradition of astrology whose lineage is filled with beautiful symbols but whose oral tradition has been either severed or well hidden under the crags and stones of time and to draw out meaningful purpose in a language that can be broadly applied to the art of astrology. 

We have to assume that there is a deep meaning for the human soul that the archetype of the Decans presents. As like astrology itself, the symbols continue to arise through the thread of time. The modern push to quantify the Decans as having meaning in the West came through the association of the Decans with Tarot cards, initiated by the work of Macgregor Mathers and the Golden Dawn. The Decans, though, are far more ancient than Macgregor, and meditation upon them can delve into the root of multiple traditions of their symbology, unfolding meaning to the psyche and unlocking secrets of the mind and soul. 

For Libra III the symbol associated with the Tarot is the Four of Swords. Representative of rest, or balance, as the swords symbolize mental thoughts arising in space, finding balance with the number four, where in numerology the triad principle attains embodiment. The Square itself is a place with four sides, each of equal length, bringing about a precarious point where everything is weighted just perfectly. 

To dive deeper into the symbology I will askew the Tarot symbology which has been covered by many modern authors and delve directly into a meditation upon the symbol of this Decan  presented by Abu Ma’shar. These symbols are linked to stars, which reminds us that memorization of the Decans may have served a practical basis for navigating distances by understanding the map of the sky, as well as more mysterious magical or predictive purposes. 

For Libra III Abu Ma’shar writes,

“…And in the third face of Libra there arises the end of the Goat, and the last part of the Boat, and the end of Centaurus, and the perfection of the Golden lake. And a cerebrum separated from its head. And a naked man called Anadine, reclined with the left hand on his head and his right hand at rest. And there arises Ariadnes Crown (Corona Borealis). It is on the head of two men, who have entwine are called Ballistas and Adonis. And there arises something else, which is called Sky.”

This is his symbol according to the Persians and is so rich, I will use it alone and not the symbol according to the “Indians” or “Ptolemey”.

The Goat can be seen as a symbol of determination. We can surmise that in this Decan there arises for the planet or point connected to it a type of determination. A stubborn will to be focused to achieve its goals. What sort of determination is revealed to us by the next symbol. It is the “last part of a Boat.” Since the burnt passage is an abyss and was, in traditional astrology, considered a place of detriment for any planet, we are in a place and time with this Decan where we need to make a journey to succeed. A journey through a dangerous watery place as the seeping and turbid waters of Scorpio have begun to bleed into this Decan like the the equinox sun giving way to darkness of the watery tides of winter.

“The end of the Centaurus” is the animal half of the Centaur. Here, one must work and strive to overcome their animal nature to perfect the Golden Lake of the mind that attends to pure spirit. This deserves contemplation. What is it to overcome the animal part of ourselves and attain the spiritual? Since animals act upon their impulses, they do not exhibit Virtue, which is the curtailing of impulses for the greater good. In this way, the passage of Planets through this Decan calls upon the conscious mind to curtail reactive impulses to engage in Virtue to cross the abyss and arrive in the realm of the spiritual. Any planet that falls into this place then, we will need to skillfully guide with a set mind of doing what is suitable for our soul and those around us to attain the peace of the Golden Lake. 

Next we see the symbol of a Cerebrum separated from the head. The cerebrum is the largest part of the brain, and it handles a wide range of responsibilities. Located at the front and top of the skull, it gets its name from the Latin word meaning “brain.” The cerebrum is instrumental in everything you do in day-to-day life, ranging from thoughts to actions. Essentially, it’s responsible for the brain functions that allow us to interact with our environment and make us who we are. It is separated from the head and is a warning, about the dangers of the abyss and the dangers when we lose ourselves in the animal nature of reactive impulses, such as revenge, lust, anger, or excessive tribal and pack identification. “Do not lose your head in the crossing” echoes through the canyons as we journey. 

“And a naked man called Anadine, reclined with the left hand on his head and his right hand at rest” We are all naked when we move through the abyss. Every artifice we have used to protect our fragile egos is stripped away. The left hand is upon the head as the intellect is stripped asunder and our minds face images of the evil of our own making. Still, the right hand is showing rest, for if we live by our moral knowing, the waves are small, allowing the mind to focus on the crossing rather than reacting to the winds and storms that arise from the dark. To take this journey, we must reconcile the polar natures of our being.

To do so is to tackle the Good and the Bad Daimon that accompany the spirit and the soul. I am speaking metaphorically, of course, although there are people who hold such things to be reality. The Good and Bad Daimon, one wishing you towards your most noble impulses and the other towards your worst impulses, sit upon your shoulders arguing over how to proceed. This arises in the image of Libra III as two men wearing the crown of Corona Borealis with locked horns arguing with one another. It is a fight for your soul crossing the Abyss, the two spirits, Ballistas and Adonis, symbolic of the Good and Bad Daimon. In the end, when the struggle is complete, if you navigate Libra III with determination and overcome the animal nature of the planets found there, you will undoubtedly find the Golden Lake, the peace of mind that is the eternal Sky. 

We know who the good and bad Daimon are. After all, they live in our head and make themselves known as little whispers, which are our thoughts. Ever they speak into our head little whispers, do this, do that. We give them our attention and they pull us around and around in space. What is the boat that gets us across the abyss. For each of us the boat is our own natal chart. The position of all the planets and their dynamic interrelationships show us our neurotic minds and our wisdom. Whichever planet you have in Libra III, should you be so fortunate to have one in this special place, it will illuminate the way for you across the Abyss.

How this is done is unique to our chart, but the formula is familiar to everyone who has studied astrology for a while. With the Sun here, it will be a journey taken with one’s identity. The Moon will be one of working through unseen emotions. Mercury here will find the edges of the journey and the boat it is taken upon through mental exercises and conversations. Venus will explore these ideas through the senses, challenging themselves to grow through the carnal into the creative aesthetic. Mars will initially challenge you with perhaps some of the worst impulses of aggression, doled out in a passive-aggressive way, but when one learns to act from the heart for the good, it will become incredibly noble in its works and efforts. Jupiter can have one over-expanding, losing bearings, spinning in all directions, but then, with consciousness, attain a profound generosity of understanding. Saturn in this place will arise as a struggle to maintain balance through forced rigidity but then give way to a strong sense of peace through inner solitude, free of concern for others’ whims. 

As every contributor to the Decan project has shown, each Decan is a path to walk through, but it is also a vibration of experience that can be felt. Perhaps this knowledge is what the ancient Egyptian priests were tapping into in their incensed halls, chanting invocations to each Decan as a spiritual being. The way that space vibrates itself, beyond rational comprehension as a conscious universe, which we have the good fortune to be part of. Do take these 10 days, the days of Libra III, should you read this then, and vibrate into the space where you cross the Abyss with a conscious intention. Noticing where you lose your mind, who leads you into that space, and where you find your balance again as you cross the river of time to Scorpio I.

---

About the Author

Dorje Kirsten is a professional astrologer living in Portland Oregon with his wife and four children. He has been reading charts since 2006. Before that, he spent a blissful 12 years living at the Chagdud Gonpa Foundation, a Tibetan Buddhist Retreat Center, as a full-time volunteer and retreatant. Dorje is also a Tea Master, software engineer, and 32º Mason. He completed the OPA Mentorship Program with Kay Taylor; and holds a certificate of accomplishment from Astro Logos Medieval Astrology School with Bernadette Brady. He is now working on the synthesis of traditional astrology and Evolutionary Astrology. You can find his writings on his website at www.heartastrology.com
Twitter/X: Dorjepadma
Instagram: Heartastrology168
Facebook: Heartastrology