Decan: 0°-9° Aries

Dates 2024: 21 March-30 March

Ruling planet/luminary: Mars ~ The Red Planet & Roman God of War

Zodiac Sign : Aries ~ Cardinal Fire

Tarot card: 2 of Wands

Golden Dawn Title: Lord of Dominion

Associated Major Arcana:

The Tower XVI (Mars) & The Emperor IV (Aries)

Happy New Zodiac Year!

After the creative spark… must come positive, inspired action

The 2 of Wands can represent the vision, optimism and motivation that comes with the beginning of something – a work or creative project, a relationship, a journey, a new routine or regime, or maybe something that needs to be re-ignited or started again from scratch with renewed energy.

It is the card for exploring the potential in a situation when your passion has been stirred (Ace of Wands). And it reminds us that passion, ambition and drive must be not only well-intended but also positively directed to bring about the best possible outcomes for all.

I’m not 100% sure how this Decan Walk is going to play out over the year, but I’m going to start today (highly motivated and energised at the beginning of this trip) by taking a look at Mars and Aries to see what they tell us about 2 of Wands.

That’s a lot of testosterone, right there

The stolid stance of the figure in the 2 of Wands, as he looks out over his domain to horizons beyond, belies the very dynamic, action-oriented nature of Mars in Aries. His stillness is deceptive.

On the face of it, in Smith’s image of the 2 of Wands we see someone, Wand firmly in hand, calmly contemplating their next move from the safety of their Tower. But that story doesn’t seem to fit with the list of attributes for Mars and Aries above, or with the title ‘Lord of Dominion’. Nor does it fit with the very masculine influences of The Tower and The Emperor and the levels of testosterone that they bring.

Isn’t that one of the challenges that The Emperor brings? How do you lead without using force or control tactics? How do you bring stability and security when The Tower is on fire?

The Key is in the Ignition

With Mars in Aries it feels like the key is in the the ignition. The symbol for Mars even looks like a key ♂

We are about to go somewhere but what is the trip going to be like?

Mars is the ruler of Aries so it might follow that this combination in this card is a licence for Aries to be as fully Aries as Aries can be.

Full on and unfiltered. Buckle-up, it’s going to be a ride.

And with that thought I realise that I have the song ‘Born to be Wild’ in my head… I’m not sure how long it’s been there. A little while. It’s not one of my favourites (I’m not much of a rock chick) but, could the lyrics be anymore Mars in Aries? And, they were written by Mars Bonfire (ha! I didn’t know that) and first performed by the band Steppenwolf (I probably knew that).

So, here are the lyrics and, I couldn’t resist, the famous sequence from ‘Easy Rider.’ Great film. And just listening to it, has given me a bit of a boost.

Born to be Wild

Prompts for 2 of Wands ~ Mars in Aries

If you have a new horizon, new opportunity, new idea or new relationship/phase in a relationship in front of you, to pursue or not pursue…

Ask yourself:

• Is this something you feel passionate about? Does it light your fire? Are you inspired?
• Do you have the energy/resources for it? Can you sustain the energy/resources for it? (what Pentacles are supporting here?)
• Are you required to/can you take the lead or the initiative here?
• Are you ready to take action? To lead? To inspire?
• Are you rushing in? All guns blazing? (watch out for the Knights of Wands here)
• Are you trying to control or force a situation?
• Is this a constructive idea or a destructive idea?
• Will this be creatively fulfilling? (look for supporting Cups)
• Looking ahead, do you have the commitment, resources and the vision to see it through?
• Do you need help to bring it to life? (a 3 of Pentacles would bode well for collaboration)
• Can you inspire others to get on board with your vision?
• How can you get organised?
• What are your first steps?
• What action can you take today to get this show on the road?
• How can you ground your plan in reality? Make sure that ideas become realised?

Observations and synchronicities ~ the 2 of Wands and self belief

I’m making a space here to return to over the coming days of Aries I, to add any thoughts, ideas and synchronicities as they arise…

As I start to read around the subject of Decans, Decan Walking and how it all relates to Tarot I find I am becoming more intrigued by where this study might take me over the coming months.

One of the suggestions that I found was to check out what is going on in my birth chart in a given Decan. I have Chiron, the wounded healer, in Aries I in the 3rd house. This is the house of communication and early education. This placement is suggestive of someone who struggles with asserting themselves, trusting and voicing their opinion and expressing their needs and desires. And a fear of judgement for speaking their truth.

Hmm. Well, it’s not wrong.

Clearly, this is all very personal and I should explore it further somewhere more private. But for the purposes of this particular post, I’m wondering out loud if it might helpful to channel the 2 of Wands and the energy and bravery of Mars in Aries in moments when I am doubting myself or my judgement, or worrying about what people might think and say if I come out and say what I think.

What’s the worst that could happen? Might I get struck down by lightening? I doubt that The Emperor second-guesses or agonises so much over speaking his mind.

Is the 2 of Wands an antidote to imposter syndrome? A key to self-belief and authenticity.

Notes on the Decan Walk 2024/25

Needless to say, the idea of undertaking a Decan Walk at the beginning of a new Zodiac cycle is not a new one, but it’s new to me. I started thinking about doing this a while back (I thought for a fleeting, brilliant moment I’d had an original idea hahahaha) and have been patiently waiting to begin, while doing no actual preparation (which is my way)…

… then all of a sudden the Spring Equinox is upon us here in the N. Hemisphere, and I needed to get my shit together.

I went in search of company for the journey and found, of course, that whole books have been written on the subject. The first one I came across was T. Susan Chang’s 36 Secrets: A Decanic Journey through the Minor Arcana of the Tarot

If you don’t know what a Decan is, let alone a Decan Walk ffs, and what it’s all got to do with Tarot, please read this Substack article by Rebeka Kulcsar-Kurdi.

So, for the next solar return you’ll find me on Facebook and Instagram hanging out on the corner of #decanwalk2024 and #decanastrology And I will be following @astroco_op and @tsusanchang

Here’s to another trip around the Sun!