The three decans of Aquarius.
The Sun is in Aquarius about 20 January to 18 February each year, ten days in each of its three decans. The Golden Dawn gave each decan a numbered card, so an Aquarius birth is one of three: the Five, Six and Seven of Swords, depending on the day. Which one is yours is below, with the planet that rules it and what the tradition reads into a birth there.
- 78cards
- 24spreads
- 36decans
- The Sun, now☉ 1.8° Libra, Two of Swords
Which decan of Aquarius am I?
Five of SwordsAquarius I · Venus · 0° to 10° · Lord of DefeatBorn about 20 to 30 JanuaryVenus in Aquarius. The old reading is affection on its own terms, and a willingness to win an argument at a cost.
Six of SwordsAquarius II · Mercury · 10° to 20° · Lord of Earned SuccessBorn about 30 January to 9 FebruaryMercury in Aquarius. The old reading is a clear, cool mind that finds the way across, and takes others with it.
Seven of SwordsAquarius III · Moon · 20° to 30° · Lord of Unstable EffortBorn about 9 to 18 FebruaryThe Moon in Aquarius. The old reading is a nature that goes its own way quietly, and does not always say so first.
The boundary between decans moves by a day or so from year to year, so a birthday on the edge can fall either side. The birth card page settles it from an ephemeris rather than a table.
Which tarot cards are Aquarius?
Six, in the Golden Dawn's scheme. The Star is the card of the sign itself. The Five, Six and Seven of Swords are its three decans. And two court cards hold thirty degrees each across it: the Knight of Swords over Aquarius I and II, and the King of Cups over Aquarius III and the first two decans of Pisces. A reading here that turns any of them says so.
Why a sign has three cards and not one
A decan is ten degrees of the zodiac, a third of a sign, and there are thirty-six of them around the year. Book T (1888) gave one to each numbered card of the minor arcana, which is the whole reason a card can carry a date. All thirty-six · where the Sun is today · who rules each decan, in both orders.
Aries · Taurus · Gemini · Cancer · Leo · Virgo · Libra · Scorpio · Sagittarius · Capricorn · Aquarius · Pisces