Decan: 10°- 19° Aquarius

Dates: 31 January -8 February 2025

Ruling planet/luminary: Mercury

Zodiac sign: Aquarius ~ Mutable Air 🜁

Tarot card: 6 of Swords

Golden Dawn Title: Lord of Earned Success

Associated Major Arcana:

The Magician (Mercury) & The Star (Aquarius)

Conscious navigation towards a more hopeful place

Here, with Mercury, the planet of travel, communication and adaptability, in the humanitarian and rebellious sign of Aquarius, we meet our boatman. An ingenious friend who we can turn to in a time of need to make things happen – to get us from A to B. To safety.

I wonder if the boatman we meet in the 6 of Swords could be The Magician in disguise, with The Star fixed in the sky as his guiding light, transporting our brave travellers to a more hopeful place. Traditionally, the 6 of Swords is about a journey, moving from turbulence to calm, or, in certain more dyer circumstances, an escape. Perhaps, with The Magician steering the craft, the card’s meaning shifts to a transition that is more guided and intentional.

The 6 of Swords is not just about escaping our problems but consciously navigating to something better, more fulfilling and aligned with our dreams and higher good.

As with previous Decans, I have found it useful to look at some keywords to see what ideas they may spark about the current Decan of Aquarius II.

Boatman or passenger?

When this card comes up in a reading you might ask: ‘Am I the boatman, or the passenger?’. It is a question of agency. Ruled by Mercury, The Magician is the master of his own journey – he’s the boatman and the passenger. Representing conscious creation, he chooses the destination and has what it takes to get there.

The Star provides the faith, hope and purpose for the journey. She offers the vision and the meaning.

Prompts for 6 of Swords ~ Mercury in Aquarius

When you find yourself facing a challenge and you need to see your way to the other side of it…

Ask yourself:

• Are you taking charge of your own journey?
• What is guiding you?
• How is that aligned with your hopes, dreams, and the highest good?
• Is help at hand? Will you reach out and take it?
• If you are running away, what are you running from?
• What are you running to?
• Are you there to offer help to others when it is needed?
• Are you an active protagonist in your own story or simply a passenger?

Observations and synchronicities ~ Aquarius II

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

It took me a while to get to the heart of what I wanted to say here for the 6 of Swords. I always find this a calming, balming card when it appears in a reading thinking: ‘oh, thank goodness, it’s all going to be ok’. No action required, just have faith. Sit back and enjoy the ride. It offers some respite positioned, as it is, between the super challenging 5 and 7 of Swords.

However, the influence and combination of The Magician and The Star suggest the need for action that’s far more conscious and intentional.

This isn’t just about a ‘journey’, it’s about personal agency and mastery. Am I a just passenger in this life or am I going to take the rudder and start to steer? It’s up to me. No one is going to do the work for me. No one is coming to save me.

---

Notes on the Decan Walk 2024/25

For more information on Decans, Astrology and Tarot and how they all synchronise please read this Substack article by Rebeka Kulcsar-Kurdi and T. Susan Chang’s 36 Secrets: A Decanic Journey through the Minor Arcana of the Tarot.

And, if you care to join me for this continuing 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!