Decan: 20°-29° Aries

Dates 2024: 10 April – 19 April

Ruling planet/luminary: Venus – Roman Goddess of Love & Beauty

Zodiac sign : Aries ~ Cardinal Fire

Tarot card: 4 of Wands

Golden Dawn Title: Lord of Perfected Work

Associated Major Arcana:

The Empress (Venus) & The Emperor IV (Aries)

At last some feminine energy brings balance, beauty and pleasure

It’s time to take a break from all that unadulterated yang activity brought by the first two faces of Aries and allow Venus to welcome us into her Decan of Aries before handing us over to the Taurus – a sign she is most compatible with.

It’s almost as if she has invited everyone in to take a well deserved rest from the super-creative, initiative work and relax for a while to enjoy a few earthly pleasure and celebrate what they have accomplished. I’m getting a vision of her, fragrant and luminous, floating around her party in a voluminous silk maxi-dress, the gracious hostess, making sure all guests are being taken care of and putting everyone at ease. She encourages connection, enjoyment and fun.

Let’s take a look at some keywords for Venus and Aries to see what they tell us about the 4 of Wands.

Love & passion. Partnership, stability & abundance

Venus is the ruler of two zodiac signs: Taurus and Libra. And it is the energies of these signs that she brings to this last Decan of Aries. There is a focus of energy on love, romance and partnerships and sustainable material abundance.

The 4 of Wands, of course, depicts some kind of celebration. A Spring festival maybe, or a wedding party? For all her gracious charm, Venus in Aries will be urging people to show passion and initiative, and take action in their relationships. With the Emperor IV and 4 of Wands, The Empress/Venus also encourages consolidation and stabilisation of partnerships in any sphere of life in order to create lasting abundance and wealth.

Thinking forward to future Decans, the next time Venus shows up is in the 2 of Cups (love, partnership and creativity), and the 9 of Pentacles (wealth, abundance and independence). There is a fascinating pattern there… for a nerd like me.

Prompts for 4 of Wands ~ Venus in Aries

If/when you experience a period of growth, when new endeavours or relationships are starting to stabilise…

Ask yourself:

• Who or what needs celebrating in your life right now?
• What are you grateful for today?
• What blessings are flowing your way? And how can you keep that flow of lovingkindness moving?
• What have you achieved that you are proud of?
• What relationships are you grateful for?
• Who do you like spending time with?
• How do you show those people that you appreciate them?
• How do you celebrate them and yourself?
• Who needs nurturing?

Observations and synchronicities ~ on Aries III

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

OK so this has brought the 4 of Wands to life for me a bit. Now when I pull this card, I will also be looking out for The Empress and The Emperor as well as other Minor Arcana under the influence of Venus: the 2 of Cups (Venus in Cancer) and 9 of Pentacles (Venus in Virgo) in readings. The study of Aries III has deepened the connections for me here.

To take it further, I shall also be looking out for Venus when she appears in the more challenging Minor Arcana cards: 7 of Cups (Venus in Scorpio) and 5 of Swords (Venus in Aquarius).

On a personal note

I have never been married, I am a single Mum (to a bright and wilful teenager who just happens to have been born with her Sun in Aries III) and a happily single woman with a Libra Sun – so, you know, relationships are key for me.

When I read for myself I often see the 4 of Wands, especially if it turns up with the 9 of Pentacles, as an opportunity to acknowledge where I am and how I got here and to celebrate my motherhood, all the precious moments and milestones, and all the important relationships I hold, especially with the wonderful women in my life.

I also take it as a moment to celebrate my independence and freedom – which is an absolutely sacred thing to me. I’m Sag rising… go figure.

My biggest takeaway ~ Aires III

I feel like I want to consolidate, to look back over the previous two faces of Aries and make sure that I have done what I have set out to do. One of those was to shine a light on myself… and I’m going to need all of Venus’ wit, charm and self-love to achieve that.

…

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!