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That which has been won through a series of battles, now must be defended. Nines show us the fulfillment of the energy of the suit, and also the price paid to achieve it. This doesn’t seem reflective of the moon’s energy at first, but it is a defensive rather than aggressive stance. Known as “the Lord of Great Strength,” in Book T of the Golden Dawn, the Rider-Waite version of this card features a scene of a battle-scarred warrior seemingly perpetually on guard and at the ready. The second decan of a mutable sign is related to the number nine of that element, in this case, the Nine of Wands. Here, the moon gently initiates us into the growing darkness. Interestingly, this decan is also opposite the midpoint of the moon’s two most powerful placements in Taurus and Cancer.
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However, Sagittarius is a mutable sign, and this changeable environment agrees with the moon’s constant fluctuations of light. Being associated with feminine nocturnal forces, the moon is not usually considered especially fortunate or powerful in masculine fire/air signs. The Second Decan of Sagittarius (December 1-December 11)īeginning around December 1 and spanning 10-20° of Sagittarius is a decan associated with the moon, Goddess of mystery and fluidity. Perhaps this is why, in the LWB (“little white book”) for the Hermetic Tarot (based upon Golden Dawn teachings) the nature of Mercury expresses itself not just in swift and sudden movement but also with boldness, force, and even potential violence. In terms of essential dignity, Mercury is debilitated by domicile and yet dignified by decan. Thus this card is known as “The Lord of Swiftness,” in Book T of the Golden Dawn. Typical of mutable signs, we often see a theme of movement in the eights, and this is especially true in the fire suit.
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The first decan of a mutable sign is related to the number eight card of that element, in this case, the Eight of Wands. The rulership of Mercury can be seen in the Tarot image related to this decan as well. Traditionally, this is also the time when deer hunters take to the woods, in numbers that could easily form one of the largest armies in the world. And of course, Black Friday has become notorious as the busiest shopping day of the year. Accordingly, Thanksgiving has become one of the busiest travel times of the year in the US.
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The First Decan of Sagittarius (November 22-December 1)īeginning at 0° Sagittarius and spanning the next ten degrees is a decan associated with Mercury, the speedy God of exchange, commerce, and travel. In this case, Wands are the Tarot suit for the fire signs. In this system, the three decans of mutable signs belong to the 8, 9, and 10 of the associated suit. The Golden Dawn system and the various Tarot decks produced by its members (including the Rider-Waite, the most common deck in use) often show the influence of these decan rulers quite clearly in the associated minor arcana cards. In this system, the three decans of Sagittarius are ruled by Mercury, the moon, and Saturn. Beginning with Mars in the first decan of Aries, we proceed to Sun, Venus, Mercury, and after the moon we start back at Saturn and go through the order again. The most well-known system uses the heptazone or Chaldean order of the planets, based upon their relative speed through the zodiac (Saturn is slowest, then Jupiter, Mars, Sun, Mercury, and the moon). One of the primary ways of interpreting the decans is through the planetary ruler associated with it. Read me: November’s Astrological Forecast Brings Clarity in the Midst of Darkness One of the early uses for these decans was in constructing amulets to protect from illness, a medical and magical treatment that continued into the Renaissance and early 20 th century where the decans were eventually re-imagined as the minor arcana images of the Tarot. The Babylonians later linked these stars with the zodiac and then the Greeks integrated these ten-degree segments into their system as decans, from the Greek word for the number ten. Long before a twelve-fold division of the sky was introduced by the Babylonians, in Egypt they would closely follow what stars were rising every ten days over the course of the year.