Decans and Chakras: Towards an Astrological Path of Practice
Part 3: The Astrological Decans
Hi Everyone,
The Figma links went to the wrong file in the first version I sent out. I’ve updated them. The links in this version will take you to the right place.
Note: The text in some of the images below is pretty small. I apologize for that. It is an artifact of the design constraints for the decan wheels. I decided to use the wheels in the article because I feel the visual information they convey is helpful, and in some cases essential.
If you read the article on your desktop, whether the email version or the web version, you should be able to click on any image and see an enlarged view of it. The text will still be small, but it should be readable. If you’re reading it on your phone, you should still be able to click on it, but the enlarged view may still be too small there.
Other options include right clicking and downloading or saving the image. When you then open the image on your desktop, it should be a larger size and thus more readable. This option, however, can have issues in that, when you enlarge it, the details will tend to blur. Thus, I have also made the wheels available for viewing in Figma.
The link just provided will take you to the main Figma file. In the article, I have included links to the specific parent frames. Ideally, the links would take you to the specific graphics, but those links kept converting to the parent frame link. Nevertheless, once you are at the parent frame, you should be able to easily spot the graphic in question and zoom in to see it more clearly. If you have any questions, please free to ask.
Introduction
This article is the third in a series on the decans. It begins to address the question of how to bring together astrology and practice. By practice, I don’t mean reading charts. I mean how can we use our knowledge of astrology to incorporate concrete practices that can help us heal, grow, and develop.
The more I go along the more I feel that we humans have made a mistake in the spiritual arena. Somehow, we have come to see our human-ness as a problem we must escape or transcend. Yet, more and more I believe that what’s really true is that our human-ness provides our Spirit with the substrate it needs to grow in ways that can only happen through our human organismic experience. What I see now is that our developmental path as humans is not a hindrance preventing us from transcendence. Rather, it is the spiritual path our beings signed up for so we could enrich our spirit by learning to ride the waves of our human unfolding.
The question is, what are the practices we can do that can help us as we move through our everpresent now, seeking to continually realize our highest authentic expression in these human forms. I believe understanding the language of astrology, the developmental unfolding of the human, and the spiritual wisdom of the sages can help in this endeavor.
Vedic astrology has a long established and esteemed tradition of correlating signatures and interventions. Something in me yearns for a tropical astrology practice tradition, one that I envision evolving into an organic practice arising from one’s relationship with one’s chart together with the energies at play in a given extended moment, including and perhaps especially an extended developmental moment. We have a ways to go before we get there, which I touch on in the disclaimer in the section just preceding My Person Practice Experiment. But for me it is a compelling vision.
What I think might support the evolution towards that approach is to establish a framework of developmental and technical knowledge, philosophical and spiritual perspectives, and the relationships among these pieces that lends itself to the fostering of an individualized engagement with astrology from which practices can emerge. The final part of the article where I share a personal practice I have been doing that has emerged from my exploration of the decans will, hopefully, illuminate what I mean by a framework of developmental and technical knowledge, philosophical and spiritual perspectives, and the relationships among these pieces.
The practice I share is not meant to be prescriptive, but I hope it conveys the possibilities of the framework and perhaps inspires you to develop, or contemplate developing, a practice relationship with tropical astrology, one that supports you on your path. That, to me, is the value of sharing information, current understanding, and practices.
Review of Decans
As discussed in the first article in this series, the decans, as originally conceived by the ancient Egyptians, did not correlate to the signs of the zodiac but to the stars in the sky, which they saw as gods, not objects. They tracked these stars so that they could plan and perform their sacred rituals to these gods. In total, they identified and tracked 36 stars, or decans.
The Greeks took this Egyptian system and married it to the Babylonian zodiac, creating the decans we know today. These are the three 10-degree segments of the zodiac that make up each 30-degree sign. That gives us thirty-six decans total, matching the number in the Egyptian system.
As explained in the second article, the decans today are incorporated into a system known as the essential dignities and debilities. In this article, I will not be talking about their meaning within that system. Instead, I will be walking through how their rulerships are determined and then sharing an insight about them that has come through for me as I have been exploring them.
The Two Decan Rulership Systems
In the Greek and modern tradition, each decan is assigned a planetary ruler. Which planet is assigned to which decan depends on the system used, of which there are two primary ones. One is known as the triplicity system. The other is known as the Chaldean system. The wheel on the left below shows the triplicity decans. The wheel on the right shows the Chaldean decans. While the wheels look identical, if you look closely enough, you will notice that they are not. The difference is in the order of the planet glyphs, shown just inside the outer, dark ring with the sign glyphs. These glyphs represent the planet rulerships of the decans.
(To see these wheels in Figma, use this link.)
In this article, we will be looking in detail at the differences between these two systems. For context, the triplicity system tends to be favored by modern astrologers. The Chaldean system tends to be favored by traditional astrologers. I, myself, am moving away from the triplicity system to the Chaldean system as I appreciate more and more the elegance of the system created by the Greeks.
A third system uses signs instead of planets as rulers. This system was espoused by the Roman astrologer, Marcus Manilius. As far as I know, this system is not in use today. Thus, I won’t be covering it here.
Let’s start our detailed look at the decans with the triplicity system as it is easier to grasp and call up on the fly, making it easier to use.
The Triplicity System
In the triplicity system, planets are assigned rulership of decans based on their association with the elements. This association is by way of the signs and the planet rulerships of the signs. The elements, of which there are four into which the signs are grouped, are known as the triplicities, thus the name of this system.
When I was starting out learning astrology, I found it confusing that the four elements were called the triplicities. But it makes perfect sense once it occurs to you that there are three signs per element. It makes more sense when you realize that every sign in a given element is 120 degrees apart from every other sign in the same element. The fire sign Aries, for example, is 120 degrees away from both Leo and Sagittarius, the other two signs in the element. This distance of 120 degrees is arrived at when you divide the wheel into three equal parts. Thus, the triplicities are derived from and carry the essence of the number three.
The approach to assigning rulers in this system is intuitive and easy to work out. The quick explanation is that you start in the sign under consideration. From that starting place, you assign the ruler of that sign to the first decan, the ruler of the subsequent sign in the element to the second decan, and the ruler of the remaining sign in the element to the third decan. Let’s take a step back, though, and work it out from the very beginning.
The first step in the process is to identify the three signs in each element. I have included wheels below to show these correlations. The wheel on the upper left shows the fire signs (highlighted in red). These signs are Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius. The wheel on the upper right shows the earth signs (highlighted in green). These signs are Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn. The wheel on the lower left shows the air signs (highlighted in violet). These signs are Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius. The wheel on the lower right shows the water signs (highlighted in blue). These signs are Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces.
(Here is the link to view these graphics in Figma.)
The next step is to identify the rulers for each sign. Below, I have included wheels showing the sign rulers by element. In this article, I will be focusing on the traditional planets, so the wheels show the traditional rulers, but you can substitute the modern rulers where appropriate. Modern astrologers typically do that.
Here is a list of the signs and their traditional rulers with modern substitutions in parentheses:
Aries: Mars
Taurus: Venus
Gemini: Mercury
Cancer: Moon
Leo: Sun
Virgo: Mercury
Libra: Venus
Scorpio: Mars (Pluto)
Sagittarius: Jupiter
Capricorn: Saturn
Aquarius: Saturn (Uranus)
Pisces: Jupiter (Neptune)
As you can see in the wheel on the upper left below, the planets that rule the fire element are, in zodiacal order: Mars (Aries), the Sun (Leo), and Jupiter (Sagittarius). The wheel on the upper right shows the planets that rule the earth element. They are: Venus (Taurus), Mercury (Virgo), and Saturn (Capricorn). The wheel on the lower left shows the planets that rule the air element. They are: Mercury (Gemini), Venus (Libra), and Saturn (Aquarius). Finally, the wheel on the lower right shows the planets that rule the water element. Those planets are: the Moon (Cancer), Mars (Scorpio), and Jupiter (Pisces).
(Here is the link to view these wheels in Figma.)
Knowing the zodiacal order of the signs in each element and the rulers of each sign is key to assigning decan rulers in the triplicity system. Once you know them and the system of rulership assignments, you can quickly identify the ruler of a given decan on the fly. Below, I have included two quick methods for determining the triplicity decan rulers. But let’s start by doing a thorough walkthrough of the first method, using the fire signs as our example.
Determining the Ruler of the First Triplicity Decan
Using the above knowledge of sign order and sign rulerships for each element, we can work out the decan rulers for each sign. As stated above, for each sign, the ruler of the sign under consideration is assigned as the ruler of the first decan of the sign. Looking at the first fire sign, Aries, its ruler is Mars. Thus, the ruler of the first decan of Aries is Mars. The ruler of the second fire sign, Leo, is the Sun. Thus, the ruler of Leo’s first decan is the Sun. The ruler of the third fire sign, Sagittairus, is Jupiter. Thus, the ruler of the first decan of Sagittarius is Jupiter.
The image on the left below shows the rulers of the first decan of each of the fire signs. You may need to click on the image to enlarge it so you can see it clearly. To view it in Figma, use this link.
Determining the Ruler of the Second Triplicity Decan
To determine the rulers of the second decan of each sign, shown in the middle wheel above, we start at the sign itself and scan forward in zodiacal order to the next sign in the element. The ruler of that sign becomes the ruler of the second decan of the sign under consideration.
For Aries, we start at Aries and scan forward in zodiacal order to Leo, the next fire sign on the wheel. The Sun rules Leo, so it becomes the ruler of the second decan of Aries. For Leo, we start at Leo and scan forward in zodiacal order to Sagittarius, the next fire sign on the wheel. Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter, so Jupiter becomes the ruler of the second decan of Leo. For Sagittarius, we start at Sagittarius and scan forward in zodiacal order to Aries, the next fire sign on the wheel. Aries is ruled by Mars, so Mars becomes the ruler of the second decan of Sagittarius.
Determining the Ruler of the Third Triplicity Decan
To find the ruler of the third decan of a sign, shown in the wheel on the right above, we continue the process of scanning forward from where we left off. For Aries, we left off in Leo, so we start there and scan forward to the next sign in the element. The next, and only remaining, fire sign after Leo is Sagittarius. Jupiter rules Sagittarius, so it becomes the ruler of the third decan of Aries.
For Leo, we left off in Sagittarius, so we start there and scan forward to Aries, the next and only remaining fire sign. Aries is ruled by Mars, so it becomes the ruler of the third decan of Leo. For Sagittarius, we left off in Aries, so we scan forward from Aries and land on Leo, the next and only remaining fire sign. Leo is ruled by the Sun, so the Sun becomes the ruler of the third decan of Sagittarius.
The same procedure applies to determine the decan rulers for each sign in the three other elements. I have included wheels below showing the decan rulers for each element. But, first, let’s go over two quick methods for quickly finding the triplicity decans of a sign.
Two Quick Ways to Find the Triplicity System Decan Rulers
The first method for finding the triplicity decans of a sign is the same as the one we walked through above, but here we’ll apply that to one sign. In this approach, we start with the sign under consideration and assign its ruler to the first decan. For the second decan, we assign it to the ruler of the next sign in the element. For the third decan, we assign it the next ruler in the element after that. For Aries, the first decan is given to Mars, its ruler. The second decan is given to the ruler of the next sign in the element. That sign is Leo and its ruler is the Sun. Thus, the Sun rules the second decan. The third decan is given to the sign in the element that follows Leo. That sign is Sagittarius and its ruler is Jupiter. Thus, Jupiter rules the third decan.
In the second approach, we again start with the sign under consideration, assigning its ruler to the first decan. For the second decan, we assign it to the ruler of the next sign in the element, just like we did before. For the third decan, we assign it to the ruler of the preceding sign in the element, i.e., scanning in reverse zodiacal order from the sign under consideration. For Aries, using this second approach, the first decan is given to Mars. The second decan is given to the ruler of Leo, the next sign in the element. That ruler is the Sun, so it rules the second decan of Aries. For the third decan, we start in Aries and scan backwards, in reverse zodiacal order, through the signs until we land on the preceding fire sign. That sign is Sagittarius, which is ruled by Jupiter, so Jupiter becomes the ruler of the third decan of Aries.
Working out the triplicity decan rulers for yourself, see which approach makes the most intuitive sense to you. When you’ve established that, it will make it easier to call up the decan rulers on the fly.
Below are the rest of the wheels showing the decan rulers for each element. I have included Figma links for each trio.
Triplicity Decans: Earth Signs
To see these wheels in Figma, use this link.
Triplicity Decans: Air Signs
To see these wheels in Figma, use this link.
Triplicity Decans: Water Signs
To see these wheels in Figma, use this link.
Table of Triplicity Decan Rulers
The Chaldean System
The Chaldean decan rulership system is based on the Chaldean order of planets. A quick Google search tells us that the Chaldeans lived during Babylonian times and were renowned for their learnedness, including in the fields of astronomy and astrology.
On Planetary Order
Before looking at the order they used, let’s give it some context by looking at the order we typically see when we pull up a chart using an astrology software program. This order is:
Sun
Moon
Mercury
Venus
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
Pluto
In a previous article, I talked about the different ways in which astronomers and astrologers skin the planet order cat. If this information is new for you, it might be helpful to read those sections in that article. As a quick review, the order shared above is based on a group scheme used in astrology. Here’s the breakdown of that grouping:
Luminaries
Sun
Moon
Inner Planets
Mercury
Venus
Mars
Societal Planets
Jupiter
Saturn
Outer Planets
Uranus
Neptune
Pluto
Factoring in Orbital Periods
With the exception of the Sun, this order progresses from the fastest-moving planetary body, the Moon, to the slowest-moving body, which is Pluto. To confirm that statement, here is a list of the planets with their orbital periods, rounded to the nearest whole number:
Sun: 365 days
Moon: 27 days
Mercury: 88 days
Venus: 225 days
Mars: 687 days
Jupiter: 12 years
Saturn: 29 years
Uranus: 84 years
Neptune: 165 years
Pluto: 248 years
Looking at this list, we can see that if we were to prioritize the orbital periods, the Sun, a planet in the ancient Greek sense of an object that, to our eye, appears to wander in the sky, would be out of order. Even within its luminary sub-group, it is out of order as it is listed before the faster-moving Moon. Presumably, we moderns take the Sun out its apparent natural order in terms of apparent orbital period in deference to the fact that it is the central source of light, literally and metaphorically, and the central object around which all the planets orbit.
However, if we were to list the planets in strict accordance with their orbital periods, we would place the Sun between Venus and Mars, right where the Earth sits in the solar system. That correlation, of course, is because what appears to us to be the Sun taking 365 days to revolve around us is in fact the Earth taking 365 days to revolve around the Sun.
This revised order is:
Moon: 27 days
Mercury: 88 days
Venus: 225 days
Sun/Earth: 365 days
Mars: 687 days
Jupiter: 12 years
Saturn: 29 years
Uranus: 84 years
Neptune: 165 years
Pluto: 248 years
Distinguishing between Modern and Traditional Planets
In addition to the matter of where the Sun is placed, there is another question to consider regarding which planets to include. All the lists above include three planets not visible to the naked eye - Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. These planets are often referred to as the modern planets because they were discovered in modern times after the invention of the telescope and/or because modern astrologers began incorporating them into their system of astrology, breaking from tradition.
The Chaldeans did not include these modern planets in their list. Instead, they stopped with Saturn, the last planet reliably visible to the naked eye. Thus, the planets they included in their system, listing them in our modern order, were:
Sun
Moon
Mercury
Venus
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
The Chaldean Approach to Ordering Planets
While the Chaldeans included these seven planets, they preferred a different order. First, they preferred to place the Sun where it belonged in terms of its orbital period, i.e., between Venus and Mars. Second, for reasons I don’t know, they reversed the order, arranging the planets from slowest-moving to fastest-moving. Thus, their list of planets started with Saturn, ended with the Moon, and placed the Sun in its natural order according to orbital period. The graphic below shows this Chaldean order of planets.
Assigning Chaldean Decan Rulers
To assign planet rulers in the Chaldean system, we use the Chaldean order of planets. Like in the triplicity system, assignments begin with the start of the zodiac, which is Aries, the first sign of the zodiac. Likewise, Mars, ruler of Aries, is assigned as ruler of the first decan.
But that is where the similarity to the triplicity decans ends. While there is coincidental overlap in the decan rulerships for each system, the procedure of assigning rulers in the Chaldean system is fundamentally different from the triplicity procedure. Unlike in the triplicity system, in the Chaldean system, decan rulership assignments are strung together like beads, each decan ruler following the preceding one in Chaldean order around the wheel.
Following Mars as the first decan of Aries, we note which planet comes after Mars in the Chaldean order of planets and assign it as ruler of the next decan. From there, we continue the procedure, cycling back up to the start of the list when we’ve reached the last planet on the list.
Let’s look at this procedure in detail, following it from Aries to Taurus to Gemini. That will provide a complete understanding of how the system works.
Chaldean Decans: Aries
We’ve already established that Mars is the ruler of the first decan of Aries. (For a visual, see the first wheel below.) For the second decan, we choose the next planet down on the Chaldean list. That planet is the Sun, so we assign the Sun as the ruler of the second decan of Aries, as shown in the second wheel below.
The Sun also rules the second decan of Aries in the triplicity system, but this correspondence is, as far as I can tell, entirely coincidental. In the triplicity system, it just so happens that the Sun rules the fire sign that comes after Aries. In the Chaldean system, it just so happens that the Sun comes after Mars in the Chaldean order of planets. Beginning in the third decan of Aries, we begin to see a divergence between the triplicity and Chaldean decan rulers.
Looking at the third decan of Aries, we look again to the Chaldean order of planets. We note that the next planet after the Sun on the list is Venus. Thus, we assign Venus as ruler of the third decan of Aries, as shown in the wheel on the right below.
(To see these wheels in Figma, use this link.)
Now let’s move on to Taurus.
Chaldean Decans: Taurus
In Taurus, we start where we left off in Aries. The next planet on the list after Venus, which was the ruler we assigned to the final decan of Aries, is Mercury. Thus, we assign Mercury to the first decan of Taurus, as shown in the image on the left below. The Moon follows Venus, so we assign the Moon to the second decan of Taurus, as shown in the center image below.
At this point, we’ve reached the end of the list - there are no more planets after the Moon. To determine the next ruler, we solve this issue by cycling up to the start of the list. The first planet in the list is Saturn, so we assign Saturn as ruler of the final decan of Taurus, as shown in the image on the right below.
(Use this link to see the wheels below in Figma.)
Chaldean Decans: Gemini
We continue the process in Gemini. The planet in the Chaldean order after Saturn, ruler of the final decan of Taurus, is Jupiter. Thus, we assign Jupiter as the ruler of the first decan of Gemini, as shown in the image on the left below. The next planet on the list after Jupiter is Mars, which brings us back to where we started. We assign that to the second decan of Gemini, as shown in the center image below. Completing Gemini, we move to the next planet on the list, which is the Sun, and assign that as the ruler of the final decan of Gemini, as shown in the image on right below.
(To see the wheels below in Figma, use this link.)
So that is how it’s done. See if you can complete the decan rulership assignments using this Chaldean order. When you get to the end, you should find that the ruler of the final decan of Pisces is Mars.
Below I have included a screenshot of a table listing all the Chaldean decan rulers for each sign. Notice the continuation of the Chaldean order from one sign to the next.
Table of Chaldean Decan Rulers
That brings us to the end of the nuts and bolts information on how the decan rulerships are assigned in the two established decan systems in the astrological tradition. In the next part of the article, I share some speculative ideas about the decans based on the patterns they form on the wheel and correspondences to the chakras, both of which I find compelling. I will be focusing especially on the Chaldean decans as those have provided me with the most insight. After that section, I share a practice I’ve been doing that has emerged from my reflections on these ideas regarding the Chaldean decans.
We’ll start with the chart patterns.
Decan Chart Patterns
One thing to note about the triplicity versus the Chaldean decan rulerships is that they each form distinct patterns in the chart.
Triplicity Decans
In looking at the wheels I included in the section above showing the triplicity decans, the highlighted decans for each element show a clear triangle pattern. To my eye, this pattern looks like a ribbon or pinwheel or peace sign.
This triangle pattern is a function of the base number of the triplicity decans - 3. Although it goes beyond the scope of this article to explore this numerological correlation further, we may gain insight into the symbolic undercurrent of the triplicity decans by studying the symbolic meaning of the number 3.
Chaldean Decans
The pattern formed by the Chaldean decans is different. This pattern reveals itself when we highlight all the decans ruled by one planet. Looking at the wheels below, we can see that when we do that, we get a pentagram shape in the chart. The wheel on the left below with the yellow highlights shows the decans ruled by Mars. The wheel in the middle with the green highlights shows the decans ruled by the Sun. The wheel on the right with the blue highlights shows the decans ruled by Venus. The colors, by the way, although not immediately intuitive, are intentional. We’ll go over the reason for them in the next section.
The pentagram shape occurs because of a mathematical fact. When you divide the number of decans (36) by the number of traditional planets (7), you get 5, with one left over. Thus, each planet rules 5 decans, spaced evenly around the wheel by virtue of the rulers being assigned according to the Chaldean order of planets. The leftover decan is taken up by Mars, as shown in the wheel on the left below. You can see in that image that the pentagram shape is retained.
(To see the wheels below in Figma, use this link.)
The wheels below show the pentagrams formed when we isolate each of the other planets in the decan scheme.
(To see these wheels in Figma, use this link.)
The Pentagram
The Human Dimension
We can see from the shape of the pentagram with its head, two arms, and two legs, that it is associated with the human form, and thus speaks to the human journey. Because of this association, we can say that this shape suggests a possible mystical relationship between the Chaldean decans and the human journey. This form is not exclusive to humans. Turtles and star fish come to mind as other examples. Thus, the pentagram may speak to a shared experience or commonality with some other life forms, also.
The Pentagram and Magic
The pentagram has to do with magic, an association that is evidenced by its association with the Wiccan path. Perhaps the association between the pentagram and the human being on one hand and the path of magic on the other, tells us that the human path is a distinctly magical path. I would argue that the many miracles that occur when people tune into the Divine through prayer, meditation, and contemplation gives credence to the idea that the path of human is meant to be a path of magic. Perhaps our bodies are designed to be channels of magic, with our ability to align with this channel being dependent on the quality of our connection to Source energy - or the Divine, or God, etc.
Historically, the decans have been associated with magic practice as we might tend to think of it - a practice of naming intentions, creating amulets, and/or performing rituals relating to our stated intention to bring it about. This form of magic practice has been resurrected in recent times by contemporary traditional astrologers. In the first article in this series, I noted that it struck me that this resurrection correlated with the shift from the downward swing of the Yuga cycle to its current upward swing, suggesting that we are on the upward climb towards reconnecting with the underlying sacredness associated with the decans seen in their early permutations.
Personally, I have not tried this form of magic and don’t foresee doing so. For someone like me who is, developmentally speaking, still sorting out who I am, a path like that would be too dicey, quickly creating a pattern of, metaphorically, being swung about by the tail of a tiger before having learned to ride it (i.e., learned who I am). The magic I prefer is the magic of healing moments and the shifts that come about from that. When I talk about the idea of the human path being a magical path, I mean something more along those lines, magic arising naturally as we restore our connections to ourselves and Spirit. But the more explicit magic practice mentioned above is notable as part of the astrological tradition and for the timing of its current resurrection. Currently, I see it as a transitional step back up the ladder to our sacred roots.
Path and Development
The idea of path, itself, can be seen in the Chaldean order of planets repeating around the wheel as decan rulers. This structure gives the idea of stepping stones. Given my interest in mapping development on the wheel, perhaps the decans can provide us with insight into the subtle and more explicit developmental steps on the human path, what they are about, and how to navigate them. Later, we’ll see how the Chaldean order of planets corresponds to the 7 chakras of the human body. This correlation also speaks to the idea of path, the chakras part of a two-fold path of ascension and descension.
The Pentagram and Venus
Astrologically, the pentagram is associated with Venus. While Venus takes only 225 days to orbit the Sun, it has a larger, 8-year cycle defined by when it reaches the same position in the sky that it was in 8 years prior. During its 8-year cycle, it sketches out a 5-petaled rose in the sky, with successive 8-year cycles sketching a more elaborate rose figure. The pentagram comes in when you draw imaginary lines connecting each point of the 5 petals in a single 8-year cycle. When you do that, you get the shape of a pentagram.
The Number Five and the Quintile Aspect
In astrology, the number 5, which is embedded in the pentagram pattern, is associated with the quintile aspect, or 72 degrees. This aspect results when you divide the wheel into 5 equal-sized segments making up a 360 degree wheel. The number 36, which happens to be the number of decans, is half a quintile. Officially, it is called a decile because it is based on the number 10 (2 x 5): when you divide the wheel into 10 equal-sized slices, you get 36 slices making up a 360 degree wheel. Perhaps we can learn something about the Chaldean decans but studying the numerological symbolism of the number 5.
The Relationship between Magic, Gifts, and Talents
The quintile aspect has to do with our special gifts and talents. Venus, as ruler of Taurus, also has to do with our gifts and talents. Because Venus corresponds to the pentagram and to our gifts and talents, we can posit that we bring magic to the world in the form of our actualized gifts and talents. Thus, this actualization could be understood as a sacred path, one that the Chaldean decans could shed light on.
I would argue that this path of actualization is a fundamentally developmental one, with each step on the path providing a foundation for the next one. The idea is that these steps, when successfully navigated, would culminate in the realization and contribution of our gifts and talents. Faced with failures of actualization, we could look back on the developmental path using the signs and decans of astrology to help us zero in on what foundation needs our loving attention and tending.
The Chaldean Order and the Foundation-Building Process
An imporant part of the developmental process is that of laying down progressive foundations of support. Venus, as ruler of Taurus, speaks to the importance of creating sound structures that can support the continued development of our innate gifts and talents. The Chaldean decan path might give us insight into how we can create those stable structures and thus access, develop, and express our gifts and talents.
The Chaldean Order of Planets and the Chakras
As mentioned above, the Chaldean decans may have another association with our human path - our energetic chakra system. We can make this connection by way of the Chaldean order of planets. As we saw above, this order is Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, the Sun, Venus, Mercury, and the Moon. If we correlate each planet to a chakra, starting with Saturn correlating to the root chakra and proceeding in Chaldean order up the chakras, we get the following correspondences:
Saturn: Chakra 1 (root)
Jupiter: Chakra 2 (sacral)
Mars: Chakra 3 (solar plexis)
Sun: Chakra 4 (heart)
Venus: Chakra 5 (throat)
Mercury: Chakra 6 (third eye)
Moon: Chakra 7 (crown)
Chakra Colors
The colors I used for the decans in the graphics above come from the colors traditionally associated with the chakras. They are:
Chakra 1 (root): red
Chakra 2 (sacral): orange
Chakra 3 (solar plexis): yellow
Chakra 4 (heart): green
Chakra 5 (throat): blue
Chakra 6 (third eye): indigo
Chakra 7 (crown): violet
Here is a graphic showing these correlations:
Planet-Chakra Correlations
I have come across a few different planet correlations to the chakras but don't remember the details as they have not made intuitive sense to me. As I have reflected on this one, it has come to feel compelling, perhaps because it ties into an astrological system that is meaningful to me. One general observation that appeals to me is that the outermost visible planet, Saturn - the furthest out or highest in the sky, you could say - is assigned to the most Earth-based, or lowest, chakra. Saturn’s work, this association says, is to ground spirit. The work is not to transcend our human incarnation, but to anchor spirit in it. Thus, this association suggests that the integrity of manifestatation that Saturn represents is of the highest spiritual order. That changes the narrative of incarnation as some kind of mistake or proof that we’ve screwed up to that of a worthy spiritual endeavor.
Another insight from this observation that appeals to me is that it embeds within it a mirror image of sorts, speaking to the astrological wisdom of as above, so below. Saturn’s association with the first chakra suggests that that wisdom is not just an observation, but our sacred endeavor.
What follows are some of my more specific thoughts on the correlations between each planet and its associated chakra.
Saturn and the Root Chakra
As touched on above, this correlation makes sense given Saturn’s governance of manifested form. It has also been interesting to me to consider how, in the Christian West, the color red is associated with the lower realms, realms that are presented in a frighteningly negative way. Saturn’s correlation to the root chakra suggests an alternative framing of the lower realms as places of structured effort for the purpose of manifestation. The color red, associated with blood and vitality, suggests that these attributes are needed for grounded manifestation to be possible.
Jupiter and the Sacral Chakra
Jupiter’s correlation to the sacral chakra, the part of the body that includes the womb, makes sense. This part of the body expands dramatically to accommodate the creation of a new being, fitting with Jupiter’s expansive nature and the creative energy of the sacral chakra. Given Jupiter’s traditional rulership of Pisces, its association with the creation of a new being also makes sense, indicating, yet again, that incarnation is an indication of worthiness, not sinfulness. Interestingly, in the system of essential dignities, Jupiter is exalted in Cancer, which is associated with the womb.
Mars and the Solar Plexus Chakra
Initially, I wasn’t sure about Mars being associated with the 3rd chakra as its red color suggested governance of the first chakra. However, Mars is all about energy, action, and willful assertion in the world, which is exactly what the 3rd chakra is about.
The Sun and the Heart Chakra
Just as I was initially thrown off by Mars being associated with the third chakra, so I was initially thrown off by the Sun being associated with the fourth chakra. The reason was because I struggled to see how green fit with the yellow Sun. However, the physical Sun is the central source and regulator of life, which we can also say about the physical and energetic heart center of the body. As ruler of big-hearted Leo, sign of our expressive essence and physical and spiritual heart, the correlation of the Sun with the heart center also makes perfect sense.
Venus and the Throat Chakra
Venus rules the throat and voice, making it a perfect fit for the throat chakra. I had been thinking Mercury would make more sense because of its governance of communication, but the throat isn’t just about verbal communication. It is more about the transmission of our authentic essence. Venus is a better fit than Mercury for that.
Mercury and the Third Eye Chakra
Mercury, ruler of the mind, is a perfect fit for the third eye. Associating it with this chakra, I feel, may help reveal more of its mystical, but often overlooked, side.
The Moon and the Crown Chakra
Associating the Moon with the crown chakra, which represents our spiritual connection, might seem like a stretch at first. It did to me. But when I thought about the Moon’s correlation to the current incarnation of our Soul, as taught in the form of evolutionary astrology I learned, it started to click. Although the chakra correspondences preferred in evolutionary astrology do not include the Moon ruling the crown chakra, I feel it fits. If we think of Spirit as where we come from, the Soul as issuing forth from Spirit, and us (our egoic - lunar - selves) issuing forth from the Soul, we see a logical progression that makes sense of the Moon in this position.
On another level, the idea of the umbilical cord that the Moon invokes in its rulership of the womb and birth gives a sense of our everpresent connection to Spirit and of Spirit as providing us with everpresent life support. Although we may be birthed in physical form and the physical umbilical attachment cut, we remain connected to Spirit. From an experiential perspective, the more I heal, the more I feel that our emotional lives (Moon) are what provide us with that direct connection to our Soul and Spirit. When we cut off from our emotions, we cut off from our Spirit. But we can always restore that connection by restoring a healthy connection to our emotions.
There is also a link to Jupiter. Through its rulership of Pisces, it is correlated to the spiritual realm, the realm to which our seventh chakra connects us. Through its association with the second chakra, it is associated with the lunar realm of the womb. The Moon, on the other hand, ruler of the womb, is associate with Jupiter’s realm through its assocation with the seventh chakra.
Thus, we have a kind of chakral mutual reception between the Moon and Jupiter, with the Moon, ruler of the womb, associated with the seventh chakra and Jupiter, ruler of the Spiritual realm, associated with the second chakra (womb). This correlation suggests that birth is a fundamentally spiritual process, once again countering the notion that incarnation is a form of punishment for wrongs or a sign of our inherent badness - or that women are inferior.
Towards an Astrological Practice Path
These correlative pieces provide us with knowledge resources that we can use to craft practices we can try out to see if they support us on our path of healing and growth. This approach of experimentation to find what is right for us as distinct from a more generalized prescriptive approach seems relevant to our times.
Specifically, we are in a transition time from the Age of Pisces to the Age of Aquarius. Aquarius relates to experimentation, individualization and innovation. Paradoxically, it also relates to collective endeavors. I feel that we can make sense of this paradox by envisioning individuated beings, in full possession of their unique gifts, coming together around shared purposes. An astrological practice path may support us in healing and growing into individuated beings fully able to participate in and contribute to a collective spiritual-human endeavor.
First, A Disclaimer
Before going further and sharing my personal experiment, I would be remiss if I didn’t say that I can’t tell you if my experiment would be a good idea for you to try or even if anything you might come up with on your own would be a good idea for you to try. Energy practices can be quite powerful in their physical, mental, and emotional effects and I am not trained in any healing or medical modality, whether in energy medicine, spiritual medicine, or other modalities.
Regarding experimentation more generally, it is a powerful tool and I’m a big fan of it, but it works best when paired with knowledge and experience. And that's sort of the predicament some of us are in. We don't have the help we need and at the same time have been trained out of our natural knowing, and so we don't know enough to know what we do and don’t know and thus what would be wise to do or not do.
I think this predicament is part of what we are or will be grappling with during these transition times from the Age of Pisces to the Age of Aquarius. More and more, I suspect, we’ll be feeling the pull to experiment. Yet, we may not have the foundations in place to do so safely and may not realize that.
With that potential predicament in mind, what I can say about the practice I describe below is that it is what I've found helpful for my unique situation, but it may not be appropriate for you or anyone else. What is proving helpful for me could in fact be harmful for you and vice versa. It all depends on our individual circumstances, medical and otherwise.
If we do take up a practice, the key for all of us is to pay attention to what we experience, stop when we experience negative effects, and seek assistance from qualified professionals when needed. Saturn’s traditional rulership of Aquarius tells us that part of the experimentation path is responsibility, and these simple steps ensure that we’re fulfilling that part of the equation, too.
My Personal Practice Experiment
The experimental practice I have been doing is an inquiry and energy practice crafted from my current knowledge level of astrology, the decans, the chakras, and some basic awareness of energy and visualization practices. I start by noting the astrological season we are in. At the time of this writing, for example, we are in the season of Taurus. Calendar-wise, the Taurus season generally runs from April 20th to May 20th. The exact start and end dates of the Taurus season will differ slightly from year to year, but these dates are good generic markers.
The Decans and the Calendar
We know from our discussion above that Taurus, like all the signs in the zodiac, is comprised of three equal-length decans of 10 degrees. Because the wheel is 360 degrees and the year is 365 days, we have a close correlation between day and degree. This correlation means that every day in the calendar year corresponds to roughly one degree in the zodiac. That correlation, in turn, means that we can divide the Taurus season into three 10-day stretches, with each 10-day stretch corresponding to one of its decans, as follows:
Decan 1: April 20 - April 30
Decan 2: May 1 - May 10
Decan 3: May 11 - May 20
Determining the Decan Ruler of a Day
We also know from the discussion above that, in the Chaldean decan system, the first 10 degrees of Taurus are ruled by Mercury. The second ten degrees are ruled by the Moon. And the final ten degrees are ruled by Saturn. Knowing the stretches of days associated with each decan, we can assign these rulers to the associated 10-day stretches of time. Thus, we can say that Mercury corresponds to the first 10 days of Taurus, the Moon to the second 10 days, and Saturn to the final 10 days, as follows:
Mercury: April 20 - April 30
Moon: May 1 - May 10
Saturn: May 11 - May 20
The Practice: Incorporating Decans, Chakras, and the Seasonal Calendar
For my practice, I have been contemplating the various questions that are relevant to a given sign, but with a twist. As I ask these questions silently within, I also contemplate the sign ruler and/or decan ruler for the day, allowing their symbolic energies to provide a unique lens to the inquiry.
Let’s look at this in concrete terms. The ruler of Taurus is Venus. That means Venus rules over the Taurus season. The decan ruler for May 12th, the day I’m writing this sentence, is Saturn. So those are the astrological pieces that serve as the foundation for the practice.
Questions specific to Taurus that I might choose from include:
What do I value?
What is my worthiness?
What grounds me?
What is my source of security?
How do I build inner security?
What gives me strength?
What is my relationship with money?
etc.
If I were to do this practice today (more on that below), I’d choose a question to focus on along with one or both of the rulers for the day - Venus and/or Saturn. I would also focus in on the related chakra and imagine that part of my body being infused with the chakra color. The chakra related to Taurus is the throat chakra, by way of Venus’ rulership of it. The color for the throat chakra is blue.
Lying down with my eyes closed, as I breathe in, I might imagine the distressed energies of the area drawing into the center of the chakra, the chakra color infusing and healing these energies. As I breathe out, I might imagine the color expanding through the area, soothing the distressed parts. The process is organic, so what I do will depend on the energy of the moment and the evolution of the practice, but it will be something along these lines.
Doing this practice, I've been surprised by the layers of understanding it has revealed. Beyond the immediate insights about my relationship with Taurus themes, deeper developmental patterns have also begun to surface, including what I recognize as aspects of the father wound that I'll discuss later. These experiences are promising, suggesting that practices crafted from astrological understanding can help us in our healing journeys.
Below, I list a few of my findings that I feel show promise that this kind of experimental approach can help us find and craft practices that work for us.
Findings
Reckoning with the Limits of the Mind-Body
I have found this practice to be helpful, but also fatigue-inducing. Because of the fatigue, I don’t do it every day. I assume the fatigue is the result of my body processing and adjusting to the focused inquiry and subtle layers activated by the practice. One thing I’m thinking of trying is doing the practice at the start of each new 10-day decan stretch and then coasting for the rest of it to see if that provides a natural rhythm for my body and mind.
Security, Trust, and Timing: Awakening to Wounds and an Age-Old Truth
I have struggled in life with insecurity. One archetype that relates to the theme of insecurity is Taurus and its ruler Venus. Part of the source of my insecurity in life has to do with a lack of trust (Venus) in the efficacy of what I do, especially as it relates to my healing journey. One way this lack of trust manifests is through an all-or-nothing approach to things. If I find something that works, I tend to go all in - and burn myself out. As I have been reflecting on my experience of starting out doing the practice every day, it has struck me that I wouldn’t go to an energy healer every day. I would go for a visit, take time in between to allow my body to adjust, then return later for another session.
Doing this self-prescribed practice is giving me insight and helping me learn something basic - that slow and steady wins the day, that things take time and can’t be rushed, that there’s a rhythm and timing to everything. I’ve understood this truth intellectually. But, as with many things in this lifetime, I haven’t understood it in a realized way, a way where it’s grounded in my being and body and so accessible in practice.
By doing this practice, the understanding is penetrating a little further, creating just a little more inner peace and acceptance, a little more trust in the process of life. I see that as a win.
Awakening to the Father Wound
On a developmental level, as I have tuned into these energies and issues surfacing from the practice, I have become acutely aware of their roots in what I would call the father wound. Just as our culture has resulted in significant wounding to the mother principle in our contemporary world, so it has resulted in significant wounding to the father principle.
The issue of trust, the difficulty I’ve had in grounding in my body, the constant fear of punishment that underlies these wounds - these are all pieces of the father wound for me. Astrologically, as we are on the verge of Saturn (father) moving into Aries (masculine), it is striking to me that this aspect of my inner wounding is surfacing now. I spent years working on the very challenging inner mother wound that hobbled me. Now, it seems, the astrological energies are supporting the healing of the father wound, with my self-prescribed practice, perhaps, providing the opening for it to surface.
Reflectons
While this practice is only one possible practice and will likely evolve, it is proving helpful on multiple levels, including on the levels of habit patterns formed around insecurity and deeply imprinted developmental wounds, as evidenced by the surfacing of the father wound.
To sum up this practice, I would say that the key to it involves weaving together the correlations between decans, planets, and chakras. I hope that my sharing this particular experimental creation offers insight as you find your unique way to the practices that help and support you.
Conclusion
As I explore the decans, they seem to contain a mysterious quality correlating to some mystical connection to the non-physical or Divine. It is a strange concept to consider, yet it is what has been coming through. Perhaps this mystical connection underlies all of astrology and the decans are the particular aspect of it that has captivated me in this way - my in, you could say, to this layer. But perhaps it has something to do with the roots of the decans in ancient Egyptian culture, where the stars in the sky, which the decans originally represented, were revered as gods.
What seems especially promising in terms of a path of practice is the apparent correlation between ancient decan systems and the chakra energy centers. Investigating this correlation through thoughtful experimental practice may be one way to help ourselves create a bridge between the cosmic patterns from which we arise and within which we are held and our human developmental path of unfolding and experience.
Whatever the truth is and whatever the right path is, and practices are, for you, I hope the information in this series has offered insight into the decans. I also hope that this article has helped to stimulate ideas about how to evolve tropical astrology into a practical art that we can tune into to create meaningful practices to support us through life.
Updates
May 14, 2025
I corrected a few typos and also edited a couple of sentences to improve clarity.
In the Introduction, I clarified that the disclaimer is in the section just preceding the section My Personal Practice Experiment, rather than in that section as originally stated.