The Visual Astrologer: Exploring the Decans through the Rider-Waite Tarot

36 Faces by Austin Coppock

Every once in a while you come across a book that changes the game a little bit. Over the past year I have added many hopeful contenders to what you might call an astrological "reference library", books so essential that you can't help but come back to them over and over again. We all have our trusty ephemerides, perhaps a book on aspects or a cherished methodology manual.  Some are more technical than others, but none have I found to be both as useful, and a joy to read than Austin Coppock's 36 Faces. The combination of historical scholarship and poetic mastery of language is, in my opinion, unrivaled. As part of my on-going (life-long) education in the language of the planets, I decided to read a chapter each day for every 10-degree decanic phase of the moon. I wanted a first-hand experience of the overall "vibe" of each subsection of the zodiac, and being a Cancerian child of the moon myself, what better way to fuse image with experience. Here's what I've taken away from my explorations.

I will spare you most of the historical and technical explanations of the decanic system. Austin's book goes into much more detail than I could explain in a blog post, but the horrifically simplified definition of a decan is that they are a very ancient way of dividing the zodiac into not only twelve 30 degree divisions of sign, but thirty-six 10 degree subsections. 36 Faces or Decans x 10 degrees each  = 360 degrees of the zodiac.

Over the course of history, the decans have been associated with various deities, ruling planets and even syncretized with popular tarot decks. Austin explains the relationship between multiple decanic planetary rulership systems but focuses heavily on their association with the descending Chaldean order of the planets. (The ancients believed that the earth was surrounded by "celestial spheres" which corresponded with the seven visible planets and their apparent speed. In descending order, slowest to fastest they are Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Sun, Venus, Mercury, Moon) Each decan beginning with Mars for Aries I,  and ending again with Mars for Pisces III, give each 10 degree section of the zodiac a certain planetary "flavor", so to speak.

VI of Wands: Victory

What I found most interesting about Austin's explorations of the decans were their associated imagery.  He cites multiple sources for different colorful imagery over time, but their correlation with the minor arcana of the Rider-Waite Tarot stands out.  Two important source texts seem to be fundamental for the syncretization of the decans and the images present: The Golden Dawn's Book T, and Aleister Crowley's Book of Thoth. Both provide detailed tarot explanations and short phrases to help solidify understanding. For example, Leo II, today's moon decan, is associated with the VI of Wands and given the name Victory. In it we see a laureled man on horseback, possibly returning from war, surrounded by his kin in a peaceful, yet triumphant image. Austin calls this Decan "A Crown of Laurels" and speaks to Jupiter's honorable and expansive qualities as the associated planetary ruler.

A few patterns emerged as I explored further. First, the suits of each tarot card are associated with an elemental triplicity. So,
Wands = Fire,  Pentacles = Earth, Swords = Air & Cups = Water.

Cardinal signs, (Aries, Cancer, Libra Capricorn) were given numbers II, III, IV. Fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius) assigned V, VI, VII and the Mutable or double bodied signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius & Pisces) given VIII, XI, X. Many times we see themes start to emerge across the numbered groups, especially with pairs of opposing elemental families.

 For example, in the III of Pentacles, titled: Work (Capricorn II: The Pyramid) we see the planning associated with building material structures, in its opposing card, III of Cups (Cancer II: The Walled Garden) we bear witness to a celebration, a rejoicing & the culmination perhaps of that previous labor, the aptly titled: Abundance.

 In the V of Wands or Strife (Leo I: The Spotlight) we see five youths struggling for dominance, perhaps engaged in competition or conflict, in it's opposite V of Swords or Defeat (Aquarius I: The Mark of Exile), the battle is over, the winner smugly collects the spoils, while a pair of dejected competitors wander off into the distance.

These opposing themes are repeated throughout the minor arcana. Pentacles often show an engagement with the material, while Cups can show a refusal or a turning inward or away. Wands are often depicted in action, while swords perhaps speak to that actions aftermath, The X of Wands attempts to carry the burden, while the X of Swords no longer can.









Astrology, Tarot or any type of divinatory system requires pattern recognition. The ability to explain your insights to your clients can make or break your practice. While some folks are auditory learners, many more are visual. I have found that using Tarot along with a natal chart can help a client understand the essence of a particular planetary placement, for example, I recently had a client who had Venus in Aquarius I (V of Wands: The Mark of Exile) sitting right on her midheaven in the 10th whole sign house of career. This planet was also the ruler of her ascendant, which in Hellenistic astrology, we call "The Helm" or the steering wheel of your life. This client worked in the prison system, reconnecting (Venus) inmates (people who have experienced Defeat or Exile) with society and also improving their living conditions while incarcerated. This mission was not merely a job, but a life-long calling that was steering the ship of her life. By exploring the imagery present in the associated decanic tarot card, we were able to have a much richer conversation about her work and bring her confirmation that the work she was doing mattered and was on path.

Here is a handy table that I have crafted to help you learn the Decans, their names, ruling planets, and associated imagery. A previous version of this table included numerological associations from the book Numerology & The Divine Triangle by Dusty Bunker & Faith Javane, but since this was the only source I was able to find with those particular number associations, I have omitted them. Feel free to explore that book though if numbers speak to you. You can also see each associated Rider-Waite image by clicking the links in the table:

Decan	Image	Tarot	Book of Thoth	Book T: Lord of -	Ruling Planet
Aries I	The Axe	II of Wands	Dominion	Dominion	Mars
Aries II	The Crown	III of Wands	Virtue	Established Strength	Sun
Aries III	The Burning Rose	IV of Wands	Completion	Perfected Work	Venus
Taurus I	The Plow	V of Pentacles	Worry	Material Trouble	Mercury
Taurus II	A Linga-Yoni	VI of Pentacles	Success	Material Success	Moon
Taurus III	A String of Prayer Beads	VII of Pentacles	Failure	Success Unfulfilled	Saturn
Gemini I	The Apple of Eden	VIII of Swords	Interference	Shortened Force	Jupiter
Gemini II	The Hermaphrodite	IX of Swords	Cruelty	Despair & Cruelty	Mars
Gemini III	An Executioner's Sword	X of Swords	Ruin	Ruin	Sun
Cancer I	A Mother and Child	II of Cups	Love	Love	Venus
Cancer II	A Walled Garden	III of Cups	Abundance	Abundance	Mercury
Cancer III	The Overflowing Cup	IV of Cups	Luxury	Blended Pleasure	Moon
Leo I	The Spotlight	V of Wands	Strife	Strife	Saturn
Leo II	A Crown of Laurels	VI of Wands	Victory	Victory	Jupiter
Leo III	The Banner	VII of Wands	Valour	Valour	Mars
Virgo I	A Tree Bearing Fruit	VIII of Pentacles	Prudence	Prudence	Sun
Virgo II	The Hammer and The Anvil	IX of Pentacles	Gain	Material Gain	Venus
Virgo III	The Sarcophagus	X of Pentacles	Wealth	Wealth	Mercury
Libra I	A Blindfold and A Sword	II of Swords	Peace	Peace Restored	Moon
Libra II	Two Links of a Chain	III of Swords	Sorrow	Sorrow	Saturn
Libra III	A Gyroscope	IV of Swords	Truce	Rest from Strife	Jupiter
Scorpio I	A Jawbone	V of Cups	Disappointment	Loss in Pleasure	Mars
Scorpio II	An Apparatus For Mutual Distillation	VI of Cups	Pleasure	Pleasure	Sun
Scorpio III	A Crow	VII of Cups	Debauch	Illusionary Success	Venus
Sagittarius I	The Poisoned Arrow	VIII of Wands	Swiftness	Swiftness	Mercury
Sagittarius II	The Bridle	IX of Wands	Strength	Great Strength	Moon
Sagittarius III	A Horse's Skull	X of Wands	Oppression	Oppression	Saturn
Capricorn I	A Headless Body	II of Pentacles	Change	Harmonious Change	Jupiter
Capricorn II	The Pyramid	III of Pentacles	Work	Material Works	Mars
Capricorn III	The Throne	IV of Pentacles	Power	Earthly Power	Sun
Aquarius I	The Mark of Exile	V of Swords	Defeat	Defeat	Venus
Aquarius II	Heaven and Earth	VI of Swords	Science	Earned Success	Mercury
Aquarius III	The Knot	VII of Swords	Futility	Unstable Effort	Moon
Pisces I	The Labyrinth	VIII of Cups	Indolence	Abandoned Success	Saturn
Pisces II	The Net	IX of Cups	Happiness	Material Happiness	Jupiter
Pisces III	A Cup of Blood	X of Cups	Satiety	Perfected Success	Mars
©2018	spencermichaud.com		Source:	36 Faces	by Austin Coppock

: ) -Spencer