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Do Decans Constitute Ruling Planets?

13th_Wolf

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I wondered if anyone could enlighten me on this. If one had their ascendant in the 3rd decan of Aquarius for example, would that point to Venus being a tertiary sort of chart ruler or no?
 
Decans have some significance. They're one of the weakest forms of dignities, think one of the latest layers going from Domiciles->Exaltations->Triplicity-> Bound -> Then finally decans. You'll end up with a lot of rulers if you go by that logic, but if you can find to make it work for you then all the power to you. :D

A lot of its knowledge/application has been lost when it comes to decans. It fell out of favor and usage as time went on, and various authors have something to say about it. It being just a very minor dignity, but some authors also talk about their power and strength.

They come from ancient Egypt, where they grouped 36 star systems in their astronomy system. These star systems rose south of the ecliptic every 10 days over the course of the year. Each rising decanate marked the beginning of the hour or "decanal." They were used as a sort of clock system. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decan
They were also inscribed in coffins to help the dead with prayers during their journey to the underworld.

Later on, these segments came to be associated with Gods, and represented various things such as the illnesses they bring and the cures of such illnesses. In the earliest texts, there were instructions on creating an amulet for a person with the decan rising at the time of birth. The amulet would protect them from the illnesses associated with the decan. These amulets would have the Egyptian gods, and instructions on what to do, e.g. avoiding certain foods.

Firmicus Maternus writes, "Each sign is divided into three parts, and each part has one decan, so that in each sign there are three decans, each having ten degrees out of the thirty and over these ten degrees it exercises its power and control. They have infinite power and freedom in indicating the fates of men."
He then goes on to write that a planet, even if it's unfamiliar to this place, is like in its own sign, meaning it can fulfill the significations of the planet just fine. He writes that the knowledge of decans have been kept secret and obscured by the Egyptian priests to keep the knowledge sacred.

Rhetorius the Egyptian uses them in his interpretations. In his compendium, he details the effects of the Sun in various decans.

For example, since the Sun is the soul, the Sun in the 1st decan of Aries will be "manly, irascible, delighting in war, fond of weapons..." in the 2nd of the Sun "magnanimous, loving of fame, and fond of honor and no longer delighting in war" in the 3rd of Venus " a womanly soul, in spirit and appearance."

Teucer of Bablylon uses decans to help describe the person, if the Rising sign or the Moon were contained in that sign. The Rising and the Moon were considered to be the rulers of the body, so they used these more often in personality readings.

For example, and I'm paraphrasing, if the person had the Rising or the Moon in the 1st decan of Aries, it will show those who have a flushed face, long nosed, black eyed, slim, shapely, skinny legged, pleasant voice, energetic, ruling, leaving their home lands and passing through much land and sea...etc. In the 2nd... rich, beset by sorrows and losses in the recovery of possessions. 3rd decan... many toils, being involved in dangers or imprisonment, and due to hatreds it will make them leave their own country in youth and returning late and being separated from it again. they have no children.

As for Aquarius/3rd decan (Rising or Moon).... Teucer writes "And in the 3rd decan, those who are kingly, being side by side with kings, and experiencing many dangers or wounded from waters."


These all have a variety of descriptions. They are also used in magic throughout the ages.
 
I can see Aquarius having a 3rd Decan meaning Venus as that would be Libra but I don't understand Aries third Decan having anything to do with Venus. It would be Jupiter or the Sun I would think. Since those are the other too fire signs. I have looked a little into this. I cannot fully deny that things change a little in vibe in different parts of the sign since I am sensitive to energy of things but it's only subtile. Around the later part of Aries in spring with the sun like around the Later part it feels more like Jupiter to me than Venus. Interestingly enough the Suns exaltation point is 19 Aries which might mean the middle is Sun. I remember the vibe of it I looked it up even right now that is what it says Aries Aries Aries Leo then Aries Sagittarius so I guess I was right just from sensing energy BUT you have to remember this is very subtile. Saturn is opposite of Jupiter Saturn's fall point is 21 Aries. 3 Degrees Ahead of the Suns exaltation Point. Saturn and Sun are also Quite opposite. There may be some correlation here or pattern to this. No one can deny let's say that the vibe of the sun Changes subtly as it goes along in it's path for Example the sun Capricorn at the very beginning feels a little different than at the end (virgo Decan it says) but it is only subtile.

I would say this could be something important BUT it also is not a huge thing.

Anyways this is just my experience from sensing energy of it if you want me to share.

Now about Aquarius third Decan that is very interesting I do gain people's attention relatively eaisly and have a power to influience people I have a leader like personality. I have had plenty of dangerous situations in my life personally as well where it's been situations that are crisis or I have been around dangerous people unintentionally and not sure how to get out of the situation. However the thing is something always seems to protect me. The most extreme example is I got kidnapped basically by a guy who only a short time later used a gun on someone and was convicted of murder over a small arguement. I somehow got my way out of it. That is just the short version of it but I seem to be lucky and I was not Satanist at the time this happened I had left for a little bit. So this seems accurate. I am third Decan Aquarius Ascendant.

I'd like to hear more on Decans. This is interesting.

Just wanted to share my take on this whole thing.
 
Slyscorpion, thank you for your input. I'm glad you shared your experience with decans. :)

Whichever system of decanates that you would like to use is up to you. Whichever makes the most sense to you, or whichever speaks to you the most, is something you should go with. :)


The Chaldean Decans are:
With this method, the rulers of the decans follow the order of the so-called "Chaldean planetary order", which was derived from the geocentric speeds of the planets:

Saturn - Jupiter - Mars - Sun - Venus - Mercury - Moon
The method was taught by the Greco-Egyptian astrologer Teucer "of Babylon" (3rd cent. CE) and the Roman astrologer Firmicus Maternus (4th cent. CE, Mathesis II.4). The system was transmitted to modern European astrology via the Arabic astrologer Abu Ma'shar, whose work was translated into Latin during the Renaissance.
According to this system, the decans have the following rulers:

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
essential-dignities-table-large.jpg



The Modern Decans are:
(The additions of Uranus/Neptune/Pluto most likely came from Alan Leo, a theosophist, so proceed with caution.)

We call this method "traditional" because in modern astrology it is the most common one and therefore "has tradition". More correctly, it should be called "decans according to triplicity". The rulers of the decans are derived from the rulers of the signs of the same element (= triplicity, trigon, trine). The decan rulers of Aries are the rulers of Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius (thus Mars, the Sun, and Jupiter); the decan rulers of Taurus are the rulers of Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn (thus Venus, Mercury, and Saturn); etc. etc.


This method of decans is found in Indian texts of Late Antiquity. It seems to have been introduced in western Astrology only in the 20th century by the British astrologer Alan Leo.

Aries: Mars Sun Jupiter
Taurus: Venus Mercury Saturn
Gemini: Mercury Venus Uranus/Saturn
Cancer: Moon 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

There's even more here: https://www.astro.com/faq/fq_fh_tradition_e.htm
 
94n said:
Slyscorpion, thank you for your input. I'm glad you shared your experience with decans. :)

Whichever system of decanates that you would like to use is up to you. Whichever makes the most sense to you, or whichever speaks to you the most, is something you should go with. :)


The Chaldean Decans are:
With this method, the rulers of the decans follow the order of the so-called "Chaldean planetary order", which was derived from the geocentric speeds of the planets:

Saturn - Jupiter - Mars - Sun - Venus - Mercury - Moon
The method was taught by the Greco-Egyptian astrologer Teucer "of Babylon" (3rd cent. CE) and the Roman astrologer Firmicus Maternus (4th cent. CE, Mathesis II.4). The system was transmitted to modern European astrology via the Arabic astrologer Abu Ma'shar, whose work was translated into Latin during the Renaissance.
According to this system, the decans have the following rulers:

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
essential-dignities-table-large.jpg



The Modern Decans are:
(The additions of Uranus/Neptune/Pluto most likely came from Alan Leo, a theosophist, so proceed with caution.)

We call this method "traditional" because in modern astrology it is the most common one and therefore "has tradition". More correctly, it should be called "decans according to triplicity". The rulers of the decans are derived from the rulers of the signs of the same element (= triplicity, trigon, trine). The decan rulers of Aries are the rulers of Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius (thus Mars, the Sun, and Jupiter); the decan rulers of Taurus are the rulers of Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn (thus Venus, Mercury, and Saturn); etc. etc.


This method of decans is found in Indian texts of Late Antiquity. It seems to have been introduced in western Astrology only in the 20th century by the British astrologer Alan Leo.

Aries: Mars Sun Jupiter
Taurus: Venus Mercury Saturn
Gemini: Mercury Venus Uranus/Saturn
Cancer: Moon 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

There's even more here: https://www.astro.com/faq/fq_fh_tradition_e.htm

Man that looks like something really complicated and would take a lot of memorization and study to make sense of to me the Chaldean thing. However what you said about the Decan does fit me I was thinking more of the traditional ones when I think of the word which are the different planets that rule signs in the same element might have some influience. We use Chaldean planitary hours and that appears to be very useful and accurate so there probably is something to this. Some of us on here know that Vedic Astrology is hit or miss especially with the personal planets and Ascendants and houses cause they use a different system to calculate the time of when the planets are where. The outer planets too often can be a year off I noticed they said Jupiter was entering gemini when it was in cancer for example and people on here were using the square and stuff with good results I remember this being discussed at around that time. However the descriptions of a lot of stuff are not off in Vedic astrology if we use the western times for when planets enter or leave a sign or when Ascendants are rising and stuff. Maybe someday HP Maxine will talk about this a little or Hoodedcobra and clear it up. I am not certain of anything just that the descriptions of the planets seem to fit with my ascendant cause I do have a little Venus influience there then again the problem with this is Venus rules this Decan in traditional Astrology as well so it would be hard to figure out which is accurate from that id have to talk to and study a whole lot more people which I probably won't get a chance to do so I'll wait for a sermon on this before actually using it in anything when trying to make a prediction on myself or others or trying to describe someone. I find it interesting but I never got to into it cause I don't know what is accurate and what is not here.
 
To add to this though I did always suspect that certain degrees or configurations or stars or aspects could help or hinder a planet (possibly even temperarily make it much more powerful or much weaker) example moon in Cancer closely Conjunct Saturn would be almost debilitating for it I might think. Maybe people should even watch these things when working with planitary energies. Mars might be less debilitated on Saturns exaltation point even though it's in Libra I have talked about this before no one really ever answered this kind of question though so I bet this stuff is going above people's heads but it may be important to know in magick mainly or even possibly in looking at natal or predictive charts. I get a feeling people need to watch for doing anything but black magick when a planet is at 22 degrees it's weakened or negative. Jupiter even at 22 Degrees Sagittarius wasn't a great thing I am sure and Certainly Saturn at 22 Capricorn Conjunct Pluto at 22 Capricorn is not a good thing I am kind of scared cause that shows up in a solar return in the future.

Anyways so this is all stuff to think about.
 

Al Jilwah: Chapter IV

"It is my desire that all my followers unite in a bond of unity, lest those who are without prevail against them." - Satan

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