The Decans of Aquarius
And the Second Decan Six of Swords
See the giant water bearer in the sky? Today we have entered the second decan of Aquarius. But what do we mean by the decans?
The Zodiac is a belt of sky we see from earth, tracking the path of the sun across the sky over the course of the year. We call this pathway of the sun ‘the ecliptic,’ and the zodiac belt shares this same pathway extending 8 degrees above it and 8 degrees below it. The paths of the Moon and visible planets can be tracked within the belt of the zodiac.
The Greeks divided this belt into twelve sections, using twelve for ease of arithmetic, and named them after twelve constellations: Aries, Taurus, Gemini Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Aquarius, Aquarius and Pisces.
Each of these zodiac sign represents a 30 degree section of this belt which can then be sub-divided into three blocks of ten degrees, each of about ten days in length with slight variations. This gives us the ‘decans,’ from the Latin meaning ‘ten’.
The Aquarius archetype over-arches all three of the decans.
The Teacher, The Reformer, The Revolutionary, The Truth- teller/Preacher, The Exile, The Scientist, the Visionary.
But the decans, nicknamed ‘the thirty-six faces of astrology,’ break down the enduring stories of the zodiac sun signs into further chapters.
First Decan Aquarius
Aquarius-Aquarius
Dates: 21 Jan -30 Jan (approx.)
Planetary rulers: Saturn-Uranus
Tarot card: Five of Swords
Card meanings: Victory, defeat, ruthlessness, a pyrrhic victory, not worth winning, chagrin, humiliation, resentment
These are complex individuals, containing an innate paradox. On the one hand ruled by Saturn, they are serious, intelligent, hard- working, responsible and conservative by nature, obstinate even. On the other, they are co- ruled by Uranus the innovator and rebel individualist.
The first decan natives are well meaning, likely to sign up to good causes, keen to contribute, and kindly unless they feel emotionally challenged, when they are easily wounded, and their recovery may be very slow. They have courage but bouncing back from disappointment is not their forte. They are kindly and affectionate but exhibit a certain detachment.
They strive for excellence and often achieve it, whatever their field of work. They are well suited to the academic life, with a logical, or scientific but visionary turn of mind, and a talent for abstract thinking, and for research and analysis.
They can also be a lot of fun, but while they readily grasp complex and abstract concepts, their emotional intelligence is sometimes in conflict with their intellect, resulting in misunderstandings with loved ones.
Famous first decan Aquarius subjects: Mozart, Lewis Carroll, Ellen Degeneres, Nicholas Sarkozy, Oprah Winfrey
Second Decan Aquarius
Aquarius-Gemini
Dates: 31 Jan -9 Feb (approx.)
Planetary rulers: Saturn and Mercury
Tarot card: Six of Swords
Card Meanings: convalescence, mourning, healing, recovery, progress, relocating, a voyage over water, exploration, study, pioneering, distance learning
This is one of my personal favourite cards. She captains her own boat, steering a course towards the rising sun.
The second decan of Aquarius is ruled by Mercury, planet of communications, the ruler of Gemini. These natives have the gift of the gab. They are charming, and socially in demand, but while generally very pleasant, they can seem somewhat aloof when it comes to getting up close and personal. This does not mean they don’t have deep feelings. They certainly do, and when they are upset they can brood and it can get pretty heavy. However, the natives of this decan are eminently civilized and humane, much concerned with big issues affecting humanity on the highest levels.
They are creatively talented but rational with it, analytical in their approach, more interested in ideas, technicalities and activities than in "shooting from the hip".
Famous Second Decan Aquarius subjects: Charles Dickens, Jules Verne, Rosa Parks, Bob Marley, Boris Yeltsin, Ronald Reagan, Ashton Kutcher, Michael Sheen
Third Decan Aquarius
Aquarius- Libra
Dates: February 9-February 18
Planetary ruler: Venus
Tarot card- Seven of Swords
Card Meanings: Diplomacy, tact, damage limitation, investigation, surveillance, theft, fraud, a stalker, sabotage
The third decan is generally somewhat more relaxed and easy-going than Aquarians born in the other decans, though prone to anxiety. The personality is charming yet mysterious, affable yet elusive, with an acute sense of humour which they use to defuse and manage challenging situations. They can be something of a court jester, but with many a serious thing spoken in jest. These quirky, sharp but friendly Aquarians are like shooting stars, slightly fey. Nice to have around, but sometimes not easy to “get.”
Famous Decan 3 Aquarius subjects: Galileo, Abraham Lincoln, Charles Darwin, Thomas Edison, Paris Hilton, Mia Farrow, Sheryl Crowe
Aquarius is the Star of Mankind meanings Humankind, the species. The animal that is MAN. Nothing to do with sex or gender. All of us.
The Star
Bridging water, land and sky
Cloudy, cool Aquarian eye
Reasons, gauges
Rain assuages
Pours, refills an empty jar
Learning, thirsty, leads us far
But Hope outshines all other stars.
-Katie-Ellen Hazeldine
Runecast for the Second Decan of Aquarius 2024
The rune caster shakes up the bag of runes and empties it out on to a “field.” This may be a cloth or in this case a board. All runes that fall outside the field are discarded. The rune caster takes special note of the rune or runes that land closest to the center of the field. These represent the crux of the current situation or environment at this time. The rune caster then looks at the surrounding runes for a greater context or further comments.
KENAZ is shown as the central issue, challenge or opportune at this time and for the coming ten days. KENAZ is closely flanked by ISA and NIED.
KENAZ (Torch, Beacon) is the root of the modern letter K. In modern English we get such words and phrases as uncanny, or beyond our ken from this fire rune which stands for learning,knowledge and illumination. When Kenaz appears, we are liable to experience eureka moments. Also inspiration. This is the touchstone rune of artists, writers and musicians. Kenaz is a fire rune, and yet feminine, and may be correlated with Venus. What or whom do we carry a torch for? Kenaz has an association with fertility when used in invocation with certain other runes.
Recently we may have been feeling out in the cold, kept in the dark, or at a standstill (ISA) This may have been to do with our boundaries or resources as indicated by the first two runes on the track JERA (year, harvest) and THURISAZ (Thorn, hedge, defence, attack)
KENAZ shows that something is now becoming clearer. This is a great rune for getting back physical energy when we have been under the weather, going in a new direction, bouncing back from setbacks, asserting ourselves, discovering creative opportunities and setting out on a new path. Success is highly likely.
This is not a particularly strong rune in support of relationship matters during this time, and this is reinforced by the next rune NIED (also known as Nauthiz.) The combination of KENAZ followed by NIED can indicate separation. This is not necessarily permanent. But it can be. This combination resonates with the Tarot’s Eight of Cups, and says, there is no mileage in propping up a situation that constantly needs propping up.
NIED when followed by the last rune inside the lines, ELHAZ, The ELK, says we need to feel secure at home, protected and respected in our efforts of endeavour in the wider world. Respect is a two-way street, while on an entirely practical level of protection, do we need to consider copyrighting, watermarking or trademarking our creative works?
From The Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem:
The torch is known to every living man by its pale, bright flame;
it always burns where princes sit within.
Thank you for reading.
Back soon.
Love this article and the way you integrate Astrology, Tarot and Runes. Fascinating and Thank You
This detailed deep dive into the Tarot and astrology is fantastic. Thank you.