Decan Walk: Second decan of Aries and the mighty Sun

is on the stage this time!*

I don’t know about you all but my mind keeps humming when I am walking and when I am sleeping…Believe it or not the best ideas are come to fruition in these times! Like today, I was just out for the school run and I saw this flower blooming. Yellow and red…A fiery red flower containing its core energy in its heart with that shade of yellow which reminded of me Sun in Aries. Isn’t Aries the best environment for Sun to shine as it’s exalted there? Nothing better than that for the mighty Sun! (This is the image I obtained after playing with the framing of Prisma app. I wish that I could have one flower for each decan but I don’t think so that it’s possible!)

So, what do these all have to do with the 2nd decan of Aries? According to both Chaldean/Descending and Triplicity orders, the decan ruler is the Sun. We have this shift from Mars-Mars to Sun-Sun. The shift from stamina, courage, drive, energy into identity, self-expression, the place where we shine still with Aries qualities! This is the moment we see the impact of a pioneering personality fully charged to move forward, to take initiative steps, in a brave, energetic way though sometimes either being impatient or aggressive…It’s also a sense of having focus more on self other than anyone else and the instant when we hear that clear and loud ‘It’s my way or the highway!’. If you have any placements in the 2nd decan of Aries (2nd 10 degrees of Aries), you may carry traces of what I have just described.

Interestingly, in ‘Decanates – A Full View’ Bernice Prill Grebner talks about the second decan in general being associated with mental influence so she mentions the possible impact of Mercury and Uranus natal placements. That’s interesting…

In Picatrix it goes as follows: “There ascends in the second face of Aries a woman dressed in green clothes, lacking one leg. This is a face of high rank, nobility, wealth and rulership. This is its form.” (Book 33 Chapter 11 p.113) However, I believe that compared to the definition of 1st decan of Aries in Picatrix, there is more maturity, more power, more confidence in this decan. Not that limbo impact of a new start, not knowing where to put your hands or how to proceed despite of the existing strength.

Greenbaum now makes us travel to a different place in her book ‘The Daimon in Hellenistic Astrology Origins’ and Influence’ and in one part she talks about Decans in Cosmas of Jerusalem. “Cosmas, an eighth-century bishop and hymn-writer, ascribes the hierarchy of gods and daimons in astrology to the Zoroastrians (‘Zarathustra’). He writes of the ‘36 airs’ into which the zodiacal circle is divided, clearly a reference to decans.” And according to this representation while the 1st decan of Aries is associated with Hades, the second is associated with Persephone…It’s quite interesting when we think about the myth and the connection between these two deities…

When we look at ‘Liber Hermetis’ of Hermes Trismegistus translated by Robert Zoller, the description of 2nd decan of Aries takes a different form (I quote a shorter version): “The second decan has the face of the Sun. Its name is Sabaoth. It has a two headed face and a lotus of the kings open on its head. In the compass of the lotus there are stars of the splendor of gold.”

It’s possible to say that as we go through the centuries, the images change in line with the era…As we approach our times, more human forms are observed! (This is a general statement- the sources mentioned above are not in chronological order)

Having said that, now let’s look at the 3 of Wands, Minor Arcana card which is associated with the 2nd decan of Aries.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wands03.jpg

From the person who is asking ‘what next?’ with the globe in hand, with the urge of conquer in the 2 of Wands, we get Lord of Virtue in the 3 of Wands. From conqueror to someone who oversees what is going on, more like a managerial role! I believe that the description in the ‘Tarot History, Symbolism, and Divination’ by Robert M. Place is quite fitting: “ The knight may be setting in motion the plan that was envisioned in the last card or he may be witnessing the ships returning with news of their success.” Either way, instead of someone in action or planning, we see someone either executing a plan from the comfort of his throne or armchair and waiting for the results!

My research will continue more and we may see different quotes, different approaches in the 3rd decan of Aries.

All the best,

Teri

by Teri Nudelman a.k.a. amethystastrotarot as in amethystastrotarot.com

For the 1st decan of Aries you may revisit my following article: “And the decan walk starts – by Teri Nudelman” https://amethystastrotarot.com/?p=5796

* Original article published on my Substack on Mar 30, 2026.

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