The three decans of Libra.
The Sun is in Libra about 23 September to 23 October each year, ten days in each of its three decans. The Golden Dawn gave each decan a numbered card, so a Libra birth is one of three: the Two, Three and Four 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 Libra am I?
Two of SwordsLibra I · Moon · 0° to 10° · Lord of Peace RestoredBorn about 23 September to 3 OctoberThe Moon in Libra. The old reading is a peacemaker who keeps the balance by not looking too closely at either side.
Three of SwordsLibra II · Saturn · 10° to 20° · Lord of SorrowBorn about 3 to 13 OctoberSaturn exalted in Libra. The old reading is a nature that takes fairness seriously enough to be hurt by it.
Four of SwordsLibra III · Jupiter · 20° to 30° · Lord of Rest from StrifeBorn about 13 to 23 OctoberJupiter in Libra. The old reading is a diplomat who knows when to stop, and rests before the next round.
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 Libra?
Six, in the Golden Dawn's scheme. Justice is the card of the sign itself. The Two, Three and Four of Swords are its three decans. And two court cards hold thirty degrees each across it: the Queen of Swords over Libra I and II, and the Knight of Cups over Libra III and the first two decans of Scorpio. 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.
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