DECAN DELINEATIONS
The Sun Through the 2nd Decan of Sagittarius
On December 1st the sun will move into the second decan of Sagittarius, which is to say through degrees ten to twenty—reaching the twentieth degree on the 11th.
The second decan of Sagittarius is associated to the 9 of wands in the tarot—a card that describes a setback…
Tarot writer/reader Theresa Reed writes that these energies can suggest “a situation that you thought was behind you, but uh-oh, it’s baaacckkkk!—you’ve got to hit reverse snd finish what you’ve started; ugh—but once it’s done, you can move on…”
Reed also adds that ‘paranoia’ can become an issue, as well… “an old betrayal that haunts you, that loss you never quite got over, the wound that won’t seem to heal no matter how hard you try…”
Fun.
You know what they say—with Sagittarius: always a good time!
Astrologer Austin Coppock writes of this decan that it embodies an inherent need to defend, that there is hero without a nemesis…
Coppock writes that there is a “ struggle to maintain that unity under assault of contrary forces…”
And tarot writer TS Chang writes that, through this card, years ago, the idea came to her, out of nowhere… “8 of wants-fashion… and changed my life—if I’d articulated it as a statement, which I didn’t at the time, it would have sounded something like this: each day, I can expect myself to do One Brave Thing…”
Chang writes that this daily One Brave Thing is quite flexible—though constant, in that it is something she motivates herself with daily; a constant that is always-changing… “it’s OK if it doesn’t happen, and I can do more if I want, but the idea is that it’s reasonable, once a day, to ask myself to do one thing that I feel nervous or uncomfortable about… and then I can feel good about it afterward…” She maintains perspective in that the One Brave Thing can be anything that’s not life-threatening or hurtful.
Life-threatening need not be an alternative when Chang writes that the Picatrix comments upon this card with the likes of “fright, loss, lamentations, grief, misery, troubles, fear for the body…”
Oh my.
Chang furthers upon these concerns, that a typical reaction with this card can sometimes resemble: am I okay? am I all in one piece? “…perhaps he has just had a frightening encounter, or had to do something well out of his comfort zone.”
Self-preservation amidst contrary forces.
Specifically, though—Chang writes that the 9 of wands can represent the “peak power in the realm of ambitions and drives… here we find [previously untapped resources within ourselves to do the One Brave Thing…”
Both Coppock and Chang regard this decan/card to represent the notion of strength…
Chang eloquently remarks the strength required to draw a bow to an arrow, as the Archer does—that this strength isn’t exactly physical… that this strength the Archer bestows—and that this card/decan demand—is tensile, which Chang writes, “tensile strength depends not on hardness or toughness, but elasticity…”
Ahh, that Sagittarian mutability… it shall be tested through this decan, yes?
Coppock writes that “the strength pictured here is the strength to defend what one has established—the ability to keep the body and mind in line with intention, despite contrary forces…”
Chang shares, of this card, that is certainly “a character-building card—one Brave Thing at a time…”
Coppock adds that “yet while its fruits are virtuous, they are not moral, for naught guarantees that the great strength generated be put to a noble cause…”
Further, Chang writes that “it is the Lord of Strength, but it’s not the kind of strength that just sits around—it’s the kind of strength you need to meet challenging situations, which inevitably arise despite your firmest convictions that they won’t…”
Finally, “you may find yourself being tested to what seems like your limits—stay flexible!—and know that you have the capacity to handle whatever it is… use past experiences to inform future choices—and be assured: in retrospect, the journey will prove to have been worthwhile…”
Tarot writer Jessica Dore describes this card as a living example of healthy boundaries and actual limitations…
Dore writes “A thing to know about personal limits is that they can be wildly inconvenient. The situations we like to think of ourselves as equipped for and our actual limitations don’t always line up, so at the end of the day, having boundaries is a reality practice. It’s an acceptance practice. Bad boundaries often emerge from a wish that we had fewer limits, were more flexible, durable, unfazed… but when a line’s been crossed, when you can’t bend anymore, when it just doesn’t work for you, when it disturbs you work in this world, none of that matters…”
Ultimately, Dore surmises the 9 of wands to be a significant reflection of needing personal boundaries, and observing the circumference of the boundaries of others… that “it’s scary to be close with people who give indiscriminately without a sense of their own limits…”
Through these ten days, the sun will connect to Chiron by trine on the 2nd, oppose Mars on the 7th, and connect to Saturn by sextile on the 11th…
On December 2nd—the solar connection to Chiron occurs through a degree that describes adjustment, and transformation; this degree ‘speaks to the struggle every individual experiences in trying to maintain his identity, on the one hand, and as a unique individual on the other…’ and any necessary adjustment indulged now should cooperate with overall concerns regarding personal boundaries and previous hurts—you may even feel the need to share something precious or private.
On December 7th—the opposition to Mars is illuminated through a degree that is associated with renewal… there may very well be a need to readdress personal boundaries, as there may be a relational repeat of some kind—keep in mind the integral theme, here, of ‘contrary forces’.
And on December 11th—as the sun moves into the third decan of Sagittarius, the sun connects to Saturn by sextile (and I will include this next time, as well—only including it as an effort of forethought) through a degree that forewarns of blurred lines… and the need for clarity, and to have a clearer grasp in objectivity.
Chang, T. ‘36 Secrets.’ Anima Mundi Press; 2021.
Coppock, A. ‘36 Faces.’ Three Hands Press; 2014.
Dore, J. ‘Tarot for Change.’ VIKING; 2021.
Reed, T. ‘Tarot: No Questions Asked.’ Desire Books; 2020.
Roche, D. ‘Sabian Symbols.’ Astrology Classics; 1998, 2010.