The three decans of Aries.
The Sun is in Aries about 20 March to 20 April each year, ten days in each of its three decans. The Golden Dawn gave each decan a numbered card, so an Aries birth is one of three: the Two, Three and Four of Wands, 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 Aries am I?
Two of WandsAries I · Mars · 0° to 10° · Lord of DominionBorn about 20 to 30 MarchMars at home in Aries. The old reading of a birth here is the first to move, and the least patient with anyone who is not.
Three of WandsAries II · Sun · 10° to 20° · Lord of Established StrengthBorn about 30 March to 10 AprilThe Sun exalted in Aries. The old reading is someone who takes the head of the table without asking, and holds it.
Four of WandsAries III · Venus · 20° to 30° · Lord of Perfected WorkBorn about 10 to 20 AprilVenus in Aries, in its detriment. The old reading is warmth that comes fast and wants the thing finished and celebrated by the weekend.
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 Aries?
Six, in the Golden Dawn's scheme. The Emperor is the card of the sign itself. The Two, Three and Four of Wands are its three decans. And two court cards hold thirty degrees each across it: the Queen of Wands over Aries I and II, and the Knight of Pentacles over Aries III and the first two decans of Taurus. 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