And here comes the 1st decan of Taurus in decan walk…
Ready, steady, go but take it easy!*
“…Arriving there is what you’re destined for.
But don’t hurry the journey at all…” Ithaka – C.P.Cavafy
A few years ago I was reading ‘The Island of Missing Trees’ by Elif Shafak and the lines above hit me strong! The whole poem is beautiful but these lines, these lines are absolutely striking…So striking that it is part of my signature in my e-mails to remind me that every time I get anxious or feel frustrated when things don’t move, I first slow my mind down, and then tell myself ‘Teri, take it easy!’ It is quite intriguing that the lines of this accomplished poet who had Sun in the 1st decan of Taurus (Constantin P. Cavafy was born on April 29, 1863 in Alexandria, Egypt and passed away on the same day 70 years later) always help me to calm my racing ideas and take a deep breath…
So, what is it about the 1st decan of Taurus? We are talking about the first ten degrees of this fixed, earth sign. With Sun entering into Taurus, in the Northern Hemisphere, we finally start feeling the warmth of spring (not necessarily in Edinburgh but that’s another story:))), the flowers bloom, the trees are dancing with colours, it’s like a nature show to be cherished with the ruler Venus infectious with its symbolism of beauty, harmony, artistry, love and values expressed in various ways…And this year, when Sun starts its journey in Taurus on April 20, Venus will be still enjoying its time at home, home sweet home.
The decan rulers are Mercury and Venus in Chaldean/Descending order and Triplicity order respectively. In this regard, if you have any natal placements in the 1st decan of Taurus, there could be an additional meaning and flavour coming through Mercury and/or Venus in Taurus and making an impact on that related placement. Not only natal placements; this would be valid for the current sky as well. With Mercury in Taurus, you might have these practical ideas which could be the fruit of a slow, steady thinking process. and voicing your opinions could be very important. And with Venus in Taurus, you may understand the value of nature, earth, and what is produced by nature much better than the others. There could be a big appreciation of art, beauty like owning a masterpiece or just enjoying whatever is bringing peace, harmony to your soul…As we are talking about a fixed sign, sometimes it may not be easy to let go, to part ways with our ideas even though they might not be working or walk away from what we love since the attachment might overrule everything else! Sometimes…However, in both cases an image of a beautiful singing or talking voice forming in my mind. These are my musings, if you have a natal Mercury and/or Venus in Taurus, you may confirm me or you may tell me ‘Oh come oooon, Teri!’ (Not the latter, not the latter please!) At the end of the day, this could be the possible impact on the placements in the 1st decan of Taurus.
Having said that, I have been lately trying to find more sources to understand the images and meanings attributed to the decans throughout the centuries. One of the new sources I added to my online library is Benjamin N. Dykes, PhD complete Arabic edition and translation of Abu Ma’shar ‘The Great Introduction to the Science of the Judgments of the Stars’. In the fifth book, there is a referral to the faces and their lords according to the Indians and they are called darijan. Quoting from that section: “The Indians agree with others in the division of each sign into three divisions, in the manner of the faces; but they call each division of it a darijan. And they call their lords the “lords of the darijan,” except that they differ with others about their lords…Taurus: the lord of the first darijan of it is Venus (its lord), the lord of the second darijan of it is Mercury (the lord of Virgo), and the lord of the third darijan of it is Saturn (the lord of Capricorn).” This seems to be in line with triplicity order.
Going back to Liber Hermetis, the association is made in terms of Chaldean order and it goes as follows for the first decan of Taurus: “…has the face of Mercury. Its name is Jaus. It has the whole body of the buried Osiris, adorned with gold and dark tie-strings. It has the head of a bull and a queen’s crown and two elephants’ trunks. In the middle of the horns stands the goddess herself…”
As per a possible image, in Picatrix Book 33, Chapter 11 we have “There rises in the first face of Taurus a woman with curly hair. who has one son wearing clothing like flame. and she is wearing garments of the same sort. This is a face of plowing and working on the land, of sciences, geometry, sowing and building. This is its form.”
What about the 5 of Pentacles, the Minor Arcana card associated with this decan?
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pents05.jpg
In general, on this card there is a sense of hardship. Cold weather, people in need of help passing in front of an institution from which help could come. The question is that are the people inside the building aware of what is going in front of their window? The feeling for the people outside might be more like the feeling of exclusion, not being cared about…What if there is a way out? What if they can make their voices and needs be heard by the people inside? The question is how…Maybe a knock at the window and saying ‘Is anybody in there? Maybe…I believe that even though it may not be always easy, probably could be even challenging, when we don’t give voice to our real thoughts, to our real words, we may face the reality of being the passers-by not being noticed by the people we would like to take the attention of…But, the moment that we use our voice to express what we think and/or what we value, the scene may dramatically change. Not 100% but worth the try! This card as it is could be a card symbolising poverty, being in a less advantageous position or it could sometimes give us the feeling like we are not included in the circle over there in a certain situation or in a specific environment…Why or depending why not? When we are seeking the answers, let’s calm the racing voices down in our mind and think in a slow, steady way and as a bonus if we manage to look at both side of the coins, we ‘may’ find a solution…
I hope that it makes sense and I can say that The Inexistent Library Andrea has a different approach for this card in his new deck. I was amazed by his idea and I am really looking forward to sharing his version of the 5 of Pentacles when the deck is out!
All the best,
Teri
by Teri Nudelman a.k.a. amethystastrotarot as in www.amethystastrotarot.com
*Original article published on my Substack account on Apr 18, 2026.