Decan: 10°- 19° Sagittarius

Dates: 2-11 December 2024

Ruling planet/luminary: Luna

Zodiac sign: Sagittarius ~ Mutable Fire 🜂

Tarot card: 9 of Wands

Golden Dawn Title: Lord of Strength

Associated Major Arcana:

The High Priestess (Luna) & Temperance (Sagittarius)

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change…

… the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

The moment I typed the words ‘Lord of Strength’ the serenity prayer came to my mind and I decided to go with it because… ‘trust the words that come’ and all that. So, let’s explore the blend of courage, wisdom and serenity that we see in the 3 cards we see above.

In 9 of Wands, we see a watchful character – wounded, defensive, on guard, leaning on or clinging to his staff for support. He represents the ‘wounded warrior’ archetype. All the dynamic energy of the 8 of Wands seems to be tethered now. How do we get past this? The strength we see in the 9 of Wands needs to be tempered somehow in order to move forward – to not get stuck in the past.

This card reminds us that the wounds of the past and our human ability to overcome them make us who we are. These events build resilience in us over time. However, too much strength, resilience and resistance can lead to disconnection, both spiritual and emotional, and sometimes an overreliance on substances or unhealthy behaviours to fill the void.

I could hardly quote the serenity prayer and skip over the subject of addiction.

The Moon in Sagittarius, the planet of excess, may speak of the need to escape emotional pain and spiritual disconnection through overindulgence, whether that’s substance use or other addictions. These risky behaviours become replacements for connection or fulfilment.

Could it be that in the 9 of Wands, we see an individual facing the consequences of self-destructive behaviour and questioning their strength to move forward? Healing can be a slow process requiring enduring strength and a willingness to confront discomfort.

Resilience and recovery

In that way then, the resilient 9 of Wands is also a card of recovery, setting healthy boundaries (not barriers) and learning from past mistakes.

If the 9 of Wands represents strength and courage to change the things we can change, I see Temperance as the Serenity card. Ruled by Sagittarius, this Major Arcanum represents the freedom of mind that comes with acceptance of ‘what is’ and an understanding of the ‘bigger picture’. And the High Priestess, under the rulership of the Moon, is the card of Wisdom and introspection, your inner ‘knowing’ in this scenario.

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 Sagittarius II.

A 3-pile Serenity Spread for the 9 of Wands

A quick search on the web will bring up many 3-card Serenity spreads. Here’s my take on it. You could use this spread when you pull the 9 of Wands in another reading or a daily pull. Alternatively, you might want to use it when you are in a situation where you feel you are on the defensive, struggling to heal or move on from wounds of the past, or generally feeling the energy of the 9 of Wands around you.

2. Serenity Pile

1. Courage Pile

3. Wisdom Pile

How to use the Spread

Shuffle your cards while focusing on a situation or area of your life or a situation where you feel the negative energy of the 9 of Wands.

Method One

Cut the cards into 3 piles laid out as shown above. Look at the top card and then the bottom card from each deck and consider how they connect with the prompts (see above). Then you might consider how they sit with Temperance, 9 of Wands and The High Priestess.

Method Two

Alternatively, you could shuffle the deck and then look through it until you find Temperance, the 9 of Wands and The High Priestess and then look at the preceding and following cards in the deck to create three mini readings around these cards and the prompts shown above.

If you don’t own a Tarot deck, you could simply use the prompts for journalling or pick your cards here.

Prompts for 9 of Wands ~ The Moon in Sagittarius

When you are feeling wounded and struggling to move on ask yourself…

Ask yourself:

• What are the old wounds that you need to heal?
• How can you let down some of your defences to allow for greater intimacy in your relationship/s, while protecting your precious heart?
• Are you indulging in risky, unhealthy behaviours to replace true connection and fulfilment?
• Do you need to examine your boundaries?
• Are you aware of your deep inner strength and wisdom?
• How can you draw on that to face your current challenges?

Observations and synchronicities ~ Sagittarius II

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

Link to sample Serenity reading to follow.

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!