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Kerykeion

Minor Arcana and the 36 Decans #

The Golden Dawn system assigns each numbered Minor Arcana card (2-10) to a specific decan—a 10-degree segment of the zodiac. This creates 36 precise correspondences that add astrological depth to every pip card and timing possibilities to every reading.

Understanding the System #

What Are Decans? #

Each zodiac sign spans 30 degrees, divided into three decans of 10 degrees each. Each decan has a planetary ruler (following the Chaldean order), creating unique planet-sign combinations.

The Suit-Element Connection #

Suit Element Signs
Wands Fire Aries, Leo, Sagittarius
Cups Water Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces
Swords Air Libra, Aquarius, Gemini
Pentacles Earth Capricorn, Taurus, Virgo

The Number Pattern #

  • 2, 3, 4: Cardinal signs (Aries/Cancer/Libra/Capricorn)
  • 5, 6, 7: Fixed signs (Leo/Scorpio/Aquarius/Taurus)
  • 8, 9, 10: Mutable signs (Sagittarius/Pisces/Gemini/Virgo)

Wands — The Fire Decans #

Cardinal Fire: Aries (March 21 - April 19) #

2 of Wands — Mars in Aries (0°-10°) Dominion

The purest fire: Mars in its home sign. Raw initiative, the moment of choosing direction, power held in readiness.

Astrological Meaning: Pure assertion, pioneering energy, the will to begin. When Mars transits this decan, 2 of Wands themes activate.

3 of Wands — Sun in Aries (10°-20°) Established Strength

Solar fire in the warrior’s sign. Expansion of early success, confidence in vision, watching ships return with cargo.

Astrological Meaning: Leadership coming into its own, creative authority, identity through action.

4 of Wands — Venus in Aries (20°-30°) Perfected Work

Beauty meets initiative. Celebration of accomplishment, the harvest festival, passion refined into harmony.

Astrological Meaning: Love in action, beautiful beginnings, creative completion.

Fixed Fire: Leo (July 23 - August 22) #

5 of Wands — Saturn in Leo (0°-10°) Strife

Discipline meets heart. Competition, testing of strength, the friction that builds creative power.

Astrological Meaning: Creative challenges, ego tests, building strength through friction.

6 of Wands — Jupiter in Leo (10°-20°) Victory

Expansion meets heart. Triumph, public recognition, generosity in success, the leader celebrated.

Astrological Meaning: Creative success, generous victory, faith in self rewarded.

7 of Wands — Mars in Leo (20°-30°) Valor

Drive meets heart. Defensive courage, maintaining position, passionate self-assertion.

Astrological Meaning: Courageous self-expression, defending what you’ve built, creative fight.

Mutable Fire: Sagittarius (November 22 - December 21) #

8 of Wands — Mercury in Sagittarius (0°-10°) Swiftness

Communication meets vision. Swift movement, messages arriving, thoughts becoming arrows.

Astrological Meaning: Quick expansion, inspired communication, ideas taking flight.

9 of Wands — Moon in Sagittarius (10°-20°) Great Strength

Feeling meets philosophy. Resilience, emotional stamina, protecting what matters while remaining hopeful.

Astrological Meaning: Emotional faith, protective optimism, strength through wisdom.

10 of Wands — Saturn in Sagittarius (20°-30°) Oppression

Discipline meets vision. Burden of responsibility, the weight of carrying too much, learning to delegate.

Astrological Meaning: Philosophical responsibilities, teaching burdens, visionary work.

Cups — The Water Decans #

Cardinal Water: Cancer (June 21 - July 22) #

2 of Cups — Venus in Cancer (0°-10°) Love

Beauty meets nurturing. Emotional connection, the meeting of hearts, love that protects.

Astrological Meaning: Nurturing love, emotional harmony, protective partnership.

3 of Cups — Mercury in Cancer (10°-20°) Abundance

Communication meets feeling. Joyful sharing, celebration with kindred spirits, emotional expression.

Astrological Meaning: Feeling communicated, emotional intelligence shared, intuitive connection.

4 of Cups — Moon in Cancer (20°-30°) Blended Pleasure

Pure lunar energy. Emotional contemplation, the need to withdraw and feel, discontent that seeks deeper nourishment.

Astrological Meaning: Deep emotional processing, need for true fulfillment, protective retreat.

Fixed Water: Scorpio (October 23 - November 21) #

5 of Cups — Mars in Scorpio (0°-10°) Loss in Pleasure

Drive meets depth. Grief, focus on what’s lost, the necessary mourning before transformation.

Astrological Meaning: Emotional crisis as transformation, passionate grief, depth through loss.

6 of Cups — Sun in Scorpio (10°-20°) Pleasure

Identity meets depth. Nostalgia, innocent joy, gifts from the past, emotional generosity.

Astrological Meaning: Transformative nostalgia, identity through emotional history, deep giving.

7 of Cups — Venus in Scorpio (20°-30°) Debauch

Beauty meets obsession. Fantasy, illusion, choices that confuse, desire’s hall of mirrors.

Astrological Meaning: Intense desires, seductive illusions, love seeking depth through fantasy.

Mutable Water: Pisces (February 19 - March 20) #

8 of Cups — Saturn in Pisces (0°-10°) Indolence

Structure meets transcendence. Departure, walking away from what no longer serves, spiritual discipline.

Astrological Meaning: Structured surrender, leaving for higher purpose, discipline in release.

9 of Cups — Jupiter in Pisces (10°-20°) Happiness

Expansion meets transcendence. Wish fulfillment, emotional abundance, the good life fully felt.

Astrological Meaning: Spiritual abundance, compassionate joy, faith fulfilled.

10 of Cups — Mars in Pisces (20°-30°) Satiety

Drive meets transcendence. Complete emotional fulfillment, the happy family, love’s full expression.

Astrological Meaning: Spiritual completion, compassionate action, dreams made real.

Swords — The Air Decans #

Cardinal Air: Libra (September 23 - October 22) #

2 of Swords — Moon in Libra (0°-10°) Peace

Feeling meets balance. Stalemate, the need for emotional peace before decision, protected waiting.

Astrological Meaning: Emotional equilibrium sought, intuitive weighing, peaceful indecision.

3 of Swords — Saturn in Libra (10°-20°) Sorrow

Discipline meets relationship. Heartbreak, the necessary grief of truth, separation that clarifies.

Astrological Meaning: Karmic relationship lessons, truth that hurts to heal, structured release.

4 of Swords — Jupiter in Libra (20°-30°) Truce

Expansion meets balance. Rest, recovery, the wisdom of retreat, diplomatic peace.

Astrological Meaning: Healing through harmony, expanded rest, philosophical withdrawal.

Fixed Air: Aquarius (January 20 - February 18) #

5 of Swords — Venus in Aquarius (0°-10°) Defeat

Beauty meets innovation. Pyrrhic victory, the cost of winning, conflict in community.

Astrological Meaning: Love’s unconventional challenges, creative conflict, values tested.

6 of Swords — Mercury in Aquarius (10°-20°) Science

Communication meets vision. Transition, moving toward better understanding, intellectual progress.

Astrological Meaning: Progressive thinking, healing through insight, mental innovation.

7 of Swords — Moon in Aquarius (20°-30°) Futility

Feeling meets detachment. Strategy, getting away with something, emotional cleverness.

Astrological Meaning: Intuitive strategy, emotional detachment as tool, unconventional approaches.

Mutable Air: Gemini (May 21 - June 20) #

8 of Swords — Jupiter in Gemini (0°-10°) Interference

Expansion meets communication. Mental bondage, options that overwhelm, thinking that traps.

Astrological Meaning: Over-thinking, too many ideas, mental expansion that paralyzes.

9 of Swords — Mars in Gemini (10°-20°) Cruelty

Drive meets mind. Anxiety, mental anguish, thoughts that wound, the sword turned inward.

Astrological Meaning: Mental aggression, anxious energy, fighting with thoughts.

10 of Swords — Sun in Gemini (20°-30°) Ruin

Identity meets duality. Rock bottom, the end of a mental cycle, the darkest hour before dawn.

Astrological Meaning: Mental identity crisis, communication’s end, thought completed.

Pentacles — The Earth Decans #

Cardinal Earth: Capricorn (December 22 - January 19) #

2 of Pentacles — Jupiter in Capricorn (0°-10°) Change

Expansion meets structure. Juggling, managing multiple responsibilities, practical adaptability.

Astrological Meaning: Structured growth, practical expansion, disciplined balance.

3 of Pentacles — Mars in Capricorn (10°-20°) Works

Drive meets ambition. Skilled labor, collaborative achievement, craftsmanship.

Astrological Meaning: Exalted action, disciplined work, ambitious building.

4 of Pentacles — Sun in Capricorn (20°-30°) Power

Identity meets structure. Material security, holding what you have, foundational stability.

Astrological Meaning: Identity through achievement, structured self, authoritative security.

Fixed Earth: Taurus (April 20 - May 20) #

5 of Pentacles — Mercury in Taurus (0°-10°) Worry

Communication meets stability. Material anxiety, feeling left out, slow thinking about resources.

Astrological Meaning: Practical communication challenges, value concerns, stubborn thoughts.

6 of Pentacles — Moon in Taurus (10°-20°) Success

Feeling meets stability. Generosity, balanced giving and receiving, emotional security shared.

Astrological Meaning: Exalted nurturing, emotional abundance, stable feeling.

7 of Pentacles — Saturn in Taurus (20°-30°) Failure

Discipline meets value. Assessment of progress, patient waiting, investment review.

Astrological Meaning: Long-term value building, patient growth, structured resources.

Mutable Earth: Virgo (August 23 - September 22) #

8 of Pentacles — Sun in Virgo (0°-10°) Prudence

Identity meets service. Skill development, apprenticeship, dedicated craft.

Astrological Meaning: Identity through skill, analytical mastery, practical perfection.

9 of Pentacles — Venus in Virgo (10°-20°) Gain

Beauty meets discernment. Material comfort, self-sufficiency, refined pleasure.

Astrological Meaning: Discriminating beauty, valuable service, practical aesthetics.

10 of Pentacles — Mercury in Virgo (20°-30°) Wealth

Communication meets skill. Complete material success, legacy, family prosperity.

Astrological Meaning: Practical wisdom complete, skilled communication, detailed abundance.

Using Decan Correspondences #

For Timing #

When seeking timing in readings:

  • Note the decan ruler and wait for planetary aspects
  • Track when the Sun transits that decan (specific dates)
  • Consider when the decan’s ruler stations or changes direction

For Depth #

When interpreting pip cards:

  • Consider the planet’s meaning
  • Consider the sign’s quality
  • Blend both for nuanced understanding

With Your Chart #

If you have planets in specific decans:

  • Those pip cards carry personal significance
  • Transits to those decans activate their corresponding cards
  • Your natal chart becomes a deck of especially meaningful cards

Affirmation #

I recognize the 36 decans that weave through the numbered Minor Arcana. Each pip card carries planetary and zodiacal wisdom. I use these correspondences to deepen my readings and connect Tarot to the celestial patterns.

The decan system reveals that every numbered card from 2 to 10 is a precise astrological moment—a specific planet expressing through a specific portion of a specific sign. This precision adds remarkable depth to Tarot practice.