© 2004 by Benjamin Dykes, Ph.D., AMA IntroductionIn this brief essay I will explain the history and some of
the meanings and uses of the astrological decans. It is not a complete survey, and there are other sources I
have not checked. It is mainly
designed to give a student of the Western Mystery Tradition a general
introduction. The decans originally started out as calendar devices:
they were ways of keeping track of how much of the heavens had
turned, day to day. And since
they were measured by the rising and setting of certain stars or groups
of stars, and since stars were often thought to be alive or have intelligent
power, the decans were associated with deities.
Later, when horoscopic astrology was invented, they were thought
of as astrologically very important for a few centuries.
Then their importance clearly waned.[1]
Their earlier status as important divisions of the heavens and
as associated with star beings remained alive in talismanic magic (e.g.,
the Picatrix), but in astrology they became only minor dignities
and played special roles only in astrological medicine and physiognomy.[2]
Section
I: Astronomy and Horoscopic Astrology Before the Greek invention of horoscopic astrology in the first
few centuries B.C., the Babylonian and Egyptian traditions of star-gazing
and omens did not focus so exclusively on the zodiac. As the heavens turned from east to west (called “primary motion”
in astrology), different constellations rose, culminated, and fell, depending
on one’s latitude and the season of the year.
Originally, the Egyptians associated 36 constellations with the
calendar (non-zodiacal).[3]
They were also used for calendrical purposes:
each day, for ten days, the Egyptians would note what stars were
rising with the sun. After
ten days, they’d consider it the start of the next decan.
But it is clear that the Egyptians hadn’t regularized the decans
into degrees.[4]
For it makes sense geometrically to have 36 decans of ten degrees
each. But since the year
is 365 days long (actually 365 ¼), the actual length of the year in days
(by which they measured the decans) does not match the number of degrees
in a circle. Very quickly
the calendar would break down.[5] When Greek scientists and astrologers began to synthesize prior
traditions and added systematic innovations of their own, dividing the
sky according to the zodiac became more common, and the decanal system
was shifted onto it. They
immediately became part of astrology, with three decans of 10 degrees
each being assigned to each zodiacal sign.[6] The decans also seem to have been associated with star deities
during this period. The ancients
not only attributed divine power to planets, but also to stars (or at
least, significant stars). The
decans were, or represented the power of, star deities, and pictures of
the deities associated with them can be found.[7]
Bruce Malina (see bibliography) shows in great detail that virtually
every being and image in the Revelation of St. John in the New
Testament is a celestial object, from constellations, to comets, to planets,
to individual stars, including the decans (whom he associates with the
24 Seniors),[8]
all of which reaches back to Babylonian star-gazing and star-worship.
On the ancient view, it made sense to read stories of intelligent
drama into the stars, based on the relationship of the stars to each other,
and if Malina (and others) are right, John is reinterpreting stars’ and
comets’ natures and relationships to reveal God’s plan. Hellenistic AstrologyIt was in Hellenistic astrology (from the first few centuries
B.C. until approximately the 1st century A.D.)
that the decans played a prominent role in astrology.
The Roman astrologer Firmicus Maternus (3rd - 4th
century A.D.) says the decans have “infinite power and freedom in indicating
the fates of men.”[9]
But the Greeks didn’t get very far with the matter (Firmicus p. 36).
Following are a few ways astrologers used them: Unlucky/Lucky Births and the Ascendant. As a holdover from the Egyptian era, some of the decans were
considered lucky or unlucky.[10]
Consequently, the decan that was rising on the horizon at birth
was taken to indicate whether a native would have a good or bad life.
This was the basis for the later importance of the horoscope (the
zodiacal degree on the horizon at birth) and the Ascendant (the zodiacal
sign rising at birth) and the houses.[11] Medical Astrology. The notion of the decans as indicating lucky or unlucky lives,
along with the Stoic notion of the heavens as being a sort of cosmic body
(corresponding to our human bodies), led to the idea that each decan was
associated with a certain part of the human body. Consequently, the decans in which the malefic planets (Mars
and Saturn) or the horoscope were at birth, indicated the parts of the
body one could expect ailments to strike.
The first decan of Aries was associated with parts of the head,
and so on through the zodiac, whose last decan in Pisces related to the
feet. Astrologers also used these medical notions to predict whether
children would have birth defects (“monstrous births”).[12] Ultimately, the decans were used to predict the health, success,
body structure, and personality of the native.
Holden’s translation of Hephaestio of Thebes’s view of the 2nd
decan of Cancer reads that a native with this decan rising will be reared
“richly and of better parents, and he will see the deaths of his brothers;
and he will be a public man and he will be held in honor…[and] small in
stature, swarthy, his beard thin,” et cetera.[13] Leitourgoi: Rulership by Spirits? Early on in the development of Greek astrology, each decan
was further divided into three parts (making nine per zodiacal sign),
which were called leitourgoi (ministers) or munifices (duty-officers).[14]
It is unknown where this division came from, but they clearly derive
from the earlier Babylonian star-worship and attribution of deities to
the decans. Firmicus says
they are attributed to the decans by “some who wish to elaborate [the
decans] in more detail.”[15]
Holden says they may have been the origin of the Hindu division
of signs into ninths, called navamsas.[16] Now, munifices or leitourgoi in politics were
officials who carried out official duties assigned them by a superior.
And so Firmicus says that the munifices have an infinite
number of powers of divinities, decreeing accidents, pains, sicknesses,
unexpected events, and monstrous births.[17]
Holden reports the Hermetica as saying there are stars which
travel in heaven and obey the decans (viz., the leitourgoi); the
leitourgoi are servants and private soldiers under the command
of the decans.[18] It is unclear what exactly the ancient astrologers thought leitourgoi
or munifices were. Were
they just further subdivisions of the signs, so that the notion that they
were “divinities” or “officials” was meant to be metaphorical, like planets
“ruling” signs or “receiving” one another?
Or did they believe that celestial spirits, possibly accessible
through magical means, were influential through certain parts of the sky? Weather Prediction. Some ancient and medieval sources also say that weather can
be predicted by the decans, though they incorporate fixed stars outside
the zodiac, along with complicated rules for weather prediction.[19]
In this case, we are probably seeing a combination of old Babylonian-Egyptian
omen and weather prediction, and new zodiacal Greek astrology. Mundane Astrology. The decans were also used, along with fixed stars and other
constellations, to predict world events. Al-Biruni says the Greeks also associated some of the 48 constellations
to the decans, depending on what was rising at the time.
But they did it for the purposes of mundane astrology peculiar
to a given country, and they left no instruction as to how to do it.[20] Systems of Rulership. There were two versions of rulership given to the decans in
the ancient world: I will
call these Chaldean rulership,[21]
and rulership by triplicity.[22] The Chaldean rulership orders the planets by planetary speed,
and associates them in order with the decans, starting with Mars as the
ruler of the first decan of Aries, and then working around the zodiac:
In this scheme, Mars winds up ruling both the first decan of
Aries and the last decan of Pisces, thereby ruling two decans in a row. The scheme of rulership by triplicity assigns the domicile
ruler (the sign ruler) to the first decan of any given sign, and then
the domicile/sign rulers of the other two signs of that element to the
remaining ones, in order. For
instance: Aries is a fire
sign, ruled by Mars. So Mars
rules the first decan of Aries.[23]
The next fire sign, in order, is Leo, ruled by the Sun.
So the Sun rules the second decan of Aries. The
next fire sign is Sagittarius, ruled by Jupiter; so Jupiter rules the
third decan. Taurus is an
earth sign, ruled by Venus. So
Venus also rules the first decan, Mercury the second, and Saturn the third. What may be unfamiliar to modern students of astrology in these
schemata is a layered notion of rulership. Traditionally, any given degree of the zodiac has multiple
rulers, depending on whether it is considered as a member of the sign,
or a member of a decan – or a member of a triplicity, term, or exaltation
(three other traditional types of rulership).
Similarly, in real life we all have many masters, some more powerful
and some less. Decline of the Decans in Horoscopic AstrologyAs time went on, the decans declined in their significance
for astrologers. So Firmicus
Maternus does report that if a planet is traveling through a decan it
rules, it acts as though, and accomplishes the same things as when, it
is in its own sign.[24]
But astrologers were rarely if ever considering the decans as being
so influential.[25]
They often considered the term rulers as important, but more often
than not the decans were the least and last of the rulerships considered
in astrological judgment – aside from special techniques such as in medical
astrology.[26] Section
II: The Images of the Decans (“Faces”) The decans were also called (or had associated with them, it
is unclear) “faces” or “figures,” because the Greeks, Hindus, and Babylonians
attributed a human or divine figure to each one.[27]
These figures clearly have a religious background, as some sources
attribute gods to them[28]
(and my guess is that they could be related to the leitourgoi or
munifices, see above). Later,
the images were used for magical purposes (i.e., the Picatrix,
and Agrippa). Following are three versions of the images associated with
the decans:
a. Ibn Ezra’s description of “the Hindus’” images.
These are more motley images, often featuring animals and humans
with animal parts.
b. The Picatrix’s images.
These often include the animals or unusual features of “the Hindus’”
images, but come with more explicit meanings similar to Agrippa’s.
c. Agrippa’s versions of the images, along with what they signify.
These lose their animal symbolism, are more streamlined, and come
with specific meanings relating to human emotions and pursuits. I have compared the descriptions to the constellations that
rise with the decans, as well as the two systems of decan rulership (by
Chaldean order or speed, and by the rulers of the triplicity), but have
so far been unable to find consistent reasons why the images and meanings
are what they are, both between different decans and in terms of how the
three sources differ. The
answer may lie in the divinities associated with the decans, sources for
which I have so far not consulted. First
Decan of Aries
a. Ibn Ezra: A head in the form of a dog with a candle in its left
hand and a key in its right hand.
Banbakha[29]
says it is a Moor; his eyes are black, and his eyebrows are stright, and
he is of the giants’ race. He
is self-laudatory and is wrapped in a large white cloak with a rope girdle
on it; he is irascible and stands on his feet.
b. Picatrix: The form of a black man, restless and great
in body having red eyes and holding a cutting axe in his hand, girded
about with white garment; and there is great worth in this face.
And this is a face of strength, high rank, and wealth without difference.
c. Agrippa: A black
man, standing and clothed in a white garment, girdled about, of a great
body, with reddish eyes, and great strength, and like one that is angry;
and this image signifieth and causeth boldness, fortitude, loftiness,
and shamelessness. Second
Decan of Aries
a. Ibn Ezra: The figure of a women draped in clothes and a mantle,
and she has one leg, and she has the form of a horse.
b. Picatrix: A
woman dressed in green clothes and lacking in one leg.
And this is a face of high rank, nobility, worth, and kingship.
c. Agrippa: A woman,
outwardly clothed with a red garment, and under it a white, spreading
abroad over her feet, and this image causeth nobleness, height of a kingdom,
and greatness of dominion. Third
Decan of Aries
a. Ibn Ezra: A yellow man whose hair is reddish, and he is irascible
and contentious, and in his hand are bracelets of wood and a wand, and
his clothes are red, and he is a blacksmith, and he desires to do good
but he cannot.
b. Picatrix: An
inquiet man holding in his hands a gold bracelet, and dressed in red clothes,
who desires to do good and is not able.
And this face is one of subtlety, and of subtle professions, and
of new things and instruments, and the like.
c. Agrippa: A white
man, pale, with reddish hair, and clothed with a red garment, who carrying
on the one hand a golden bracelet, and holding forth a wooden staff, is
restless, and like one in wrath, because he cannot perform the good he
would. This image bestoweth wit, meekness, joy and beauty. First
Decan of Taurus
a. Ibn Ezra: A woman with hair, who has a son, and who wears clothes
partly burnt.
b. Picatrix: A
woman of curly hair, having a single child who is dressed in clothes like
unto fire, and she herself dressed in similar clothes.
And this is a face of plowing and working the earth, of sciences,
geometry, of sowing seed, and making things.
c. Agrippa: A naked
man, an archer, harvester, or husbandman, and goeth forth to sow, plough,
build, people and divide the earth, according to the rules of geometry. Second
Decan of Taurus
a. Ibn Ezra: A man
that resembles a ram in his face and in his body, who has a wife that
resembles an ox. His fingers
are like goat’s hoofs, and that man is very hot and gluttonous, and does
not give his soul any rest. He
builds land and drives the oxen to plow and sow.
b. Picatrix: A
man like the figure of a camel and having on his fingers are hooves like
those of cows, and he is covered completely with a torn linen sheet.
He desires to work the land, to sow, and to make things.
And this is a face of nobility, power, and of rewarding the people.
c. Agrippa: A naked
man, holding in his hand a key; it giveth power, nobility, and dominion
over people. Third
Decan of Taurus
a. Ibn Ezra: A man
whose feet are white and so are his teeth, which are so long that they
can be seen outside his lips. His
complexion is reddish and so is his hair, and his body resembles that
of an elephant and a lion, and he is not reasonable, and all his thoughts
are toward evil, and he is sitting propped up.
There also ascends a horse, and a dog, and a small calf.
b. Picatrix: A
man of ruddy coloring with large, which teeth appearing outside of his
mouth, and a body like an elephant whose legs are long; and there ascends
with him one horse, one dog, and one calf.
And this is a face of laziness, poverty, misery, and fear.
c. Agrippa: A man
in whose hand is a serpent, and a dart, and is the image of necessity
and profit, and also of misery and slavery. First
Decan of Gemini
a. Ibn Ezra: A beautiful
woman standing in the air, and she can sew.
b. Picatrix: A
beautiful woman, a mistress of sewing; and with her ascends two calves
and two horses. And this
is a face of the art of the scribe, of reckoning, of number, of giving
and receiving [i.e., trade], and of the sciences.
c. Agrippa: A man
in whose hand is a rod, and he is, as it were, serving another; it granteth
wisdom, and the knowledge of numbers and arts in which there is no profit.[30] Second
Decan of Gemini
a. Ibn Ezra: A black
man with his head bound in lead, and a weapon in his hand, and an iron
helmet of his head, and on the helmet there is a silk crown, and in his
hand a bow and arrows. He
likes ridicule and mockery, and he walks around in a garden that has trees
and flowers, and in his hand scales stones.
He strikes them with his hand, and plays music, and picks flowers
from the garden.
b. Picatrix: A
man whose face is like an eagle and his head is covered with a linen cloth;
he is garbed and protected in a leaden cuirass, and on his head an iron
helmet upon which is a silken wreath; and he is holding in his hand a
bow and arrows. And this
is a face of burden and also of evils and of subtlety.
c. Agrippa: A man
in whose hand is a pipe, and another being bowed down, digging the earth;
and they signify infamous and dishonest agility, as that of jesters and
jugglers; it also signifies labours and painful searchings. Third
Decan of Gemini:
a. Ibn Ezra: A man
seeking arms who has a bow and a quiver, and in his hand an arrow and
clothing and golden ornaments, and he desires to play music and laugh
and mock in all sorts of ways.
b. Picatrix: A
man garbed with a cuirass holding a bow and arrows, and a quiver.
And this is a face of boldness, honesty, and the division and alleviations
of labor.
c. Agrippa: A man
seeking for arms, and a fool holding in the right hand a bird, and in
his left a pipe; and they are the significations of forgetfulness, wrath,
boldness, jests, scurrilities, and unprofitable words. First
Decan of Cancer
a. Ibn Ezra: A handsome
young man, wearing clothes, and he has some sickness, and in his face
and fingers there is some crookedness, and his body resembles that of
a horse and an elephant, and his feet are white, and on his body are hanging
ornaments in the shape of trees, and he sits in an orchard that grows
fragrant stalk.
b. Picatrix: A
man having twisted and crooked fingers and head; and his body is like
the body of a horse, and having white feet and upon his body fig leaves.
And this is a face of teaching, knowledge, of love, subtlety and
of skills.
c. Agrippa: A young
virgin, adorned with fine clothes, and having a crown on her head; it
giveth acuteness of senses, subtlety of wit; and the love of men. Second
Decan of Cancer
a. Ibn Ezra: A beautiful
maiden with pleasant speech, on her head a myrtle crown, in her hand a
wooden stick, and she desires wind and music.
b. Picatrix: A
woman of beautiful visage, and having on her head a green wreath of myrtle,
and in her hand is the stem of the planet which is called the water lily,
she is singing songs of love and joy.
And this is a face of playing, and of wealth, joy and abundance.
c. Agrippa: A man
clothed in comely apparel, or a man and woman sitting at the table and
playing; it bestoweth riches, mirth, gladness, and the love of women. Third
Decan of Cancer
a. Ibn Ezra: A man
whose foot resembles that of an animal, and on his body there is an animal,
and he intends to enter a ship to go to sea and bring gold and silver
to make rings for his wives.
b. Picatrix: A
Celhafe[31]
and he holds a serpent in his hand holding before him golden chains. And
this is a face of running, riding, and acquiring in war in strife and
contrariety.
c. Agrippa: A man,
a hunter with his lance and horn, bringing out dogs for to hunt; the signification
of this is the contention of men, the pursuing of those who fly, the hunting
and possessing of things by arms and brawlings. First
Decan of Leo
a. Ibn Ezra: A large
tree on whose branches there is a dog and a vulture, and a man wearing
pretty clothes, though dirty, and he is about to hit his father.
b. Picatrix: A
man dressed in filthy garments; and there ascends with him the figure
of a lord of the horse looking toward the north; and his figure is like
the figure of a bear and the figure of a dog.
And this is a face of strength, liberality, and victory.
c. Agrippa: A man
riding on a lion; it signifieth boldness, violence, cruelty, wickedness,
lust and labours to be sustained. Second
Decan of Leo
a. Ibn Ezra: A man
whose nostrils are fine, on his head there is a shape of a crown of white
myrtle, and a bow in his hand. He
is fierce like a lion in his anger, and he is wrapped in a cloak that
looks like a lion.
b. Picatrix: A
man having a crown of white myrtle on his head and in his hand a bow.
And this is a face of beauty, of riding, and of the rising up of a man
who is ignorant and vile; and it is a face of war, and of naked swords.
c. Agrippa: An image
with hands lifted up, and a man on whose head is a crown; he hath the
appearance of an angry man, and one that threateneth, having in his right
hand a sword drawn out of the scabbard, and in his left a buckler; it
hath signification upon hidden contentions, and unknown victories, and
upon base men, and upon the occasions of quarrels and battles. Third
Decan of Leo
a. Ibn Ezra: An ugly
black man, laborious, intelligent, with delicacies in his mouth and meat
in his hand.
b. Picatrix: An
old man black and foul, holding fruit and meat in his mouth and a jug
covered with copper in his hand.
And this is a face of love and delight, and trays [of food?][32] and of good fortune.
c. Agrippa: A young
man in whose hand is a whip, and a man very sad, and of an ill aspect;
they signify love and society, and the loss of one’s right for avoiding
strife. First
Decan of Virgo
a. Ibn Ezra: A maiden
wrapped in a cloak, and wearing worn out clothes, with a jug in her hand,
and she stands in myrtle, and she wants to go to her father’s house.
b. Picatrix: A
beautiful girl covered over with a woolen sheet and holding in her hand
a pomegranate. And this is
a face of sowing, of plowing, of the making of trees to sprout, of gathering
bunches of grapes and of the good life.
c. Agrippa: The figure
of a good maid, and a man casting seeds; it signifieth getting of wealth,
ordering of diet, plowing, sowing, and peopling. Second
Decan of Virgo
a. Ibn Ezra: A black
man, all covered with hair. On
him are three garments, one of leather, the second of silk, and the third
is a red mantle, and in his hand an inkwell in order to reckon.
b. Picatrix: A
man of beautiful color, dressed in leather and upon the vestment of leather
another vestment of iron. And
this is a face of petition, of desires, and of wealth, of tribute and
the denying of things that are just.
c. Agrippa: A black
man clothed with a skin, and a man having a bush of hair, holding a bag;
they signify gain, scraping together of wealth and covetousness. Third
Decan of Virgo
a. Ibn Ezra: A white
woman who is self-laudatory; she is wearing a dyed mantle, her hands are
leprous and she is praying to God.
b. Picatrix: A
pale man of large body wrapped in a white linen cloth, and with him a
woman holding in her hand black olive oil.
And this is a face of weakness, old age, illness, sloth, the injury
of limbs, and the destruction of the people.
c. Agrippa: A white
woman and deaf, or an old man leaning on a staff; the signification of
this is to show weakness, infirmity, loss of members, destruction of trees,
and depopulation of lands. First
Decan of Libra
a. Ibn Ezra: A man
in a shop in the market with scales in his hand, and he wishes to buy
and sell.
b. Picatrix: A
man holding a lance in his right hand but in the left a bird hanging by
its feet. And this is a face
of justice, truth, good judgments, the completeness of justice of the
people and weak person, of doing good for the indigent.
c. Agrippa: An angry
man, in whose hand is a pipe, and the form of a man reading in a book;
the operation of this is in justifying and helping the miserable and weak
against the powerful and wicked. Second
Decan of Libra
a. Ibn Ezra: A man
in the form of an eagle, and he is naked and thirsty, and he is about
to fly in the air.
b. Picatrix: A
black man having a journey of marriage and joy.
And this is a face of quiet, joy, abundance, of the good life.
c. Agrippa: Two men
furious and wrathful, and a man in a comely garment, sitting in a chair;
and the signification of these is to show indignation against the evil,
and quietness and security of life with plenty of good things. Third
Decan of Libra
a. Ibn Ezra: A man
whose face resembles that of a horse, with a bow and arrows in hand.
b. Picatrix: A
man upon a donkey, and before him a wolf.
And this is a face of evil works, sodomites, adultery, of songs,
joy, and of taste.
c. Agrippa: A violent
man holding a how, and before him a naked man, and also another man holding
bread in one hand, and a cup of wine in the other; the signification of
these is to show wicked lusts, singings, sports and gluttony. First
Decan of Scorpio
a. Ibn Ezra: A beautiful
woman, her body is red and she is eating.
b. Picatrix: A
man holding a lance in his right hand, but a human head in his left.
And this is a face of disposition, sadness, evil will, and hostility.
c. Agrippa: A woman
of good face and habit, and two men striking her; the operations of these
are for comeliness, beauty, and for strifes, treacheries, deceits, detractions,
and perditions. Second
Decan of Scorpio
a. Ibn Ezra: A woman
who has left her house; she is naked and has nothing on and she is entering
the sea.
b. Picatrix: A
man riding upon a camel holding a scorpion in his hand.
And this is a face of knowledge, modesty, disposition, of one who
speaks evilly one to another.
c. Agrippa: A man
naked, and a woman naked, and a man sitting on the earth, and before him
two dogs biting one another; and their operation is for impudence, deceit,
and false dealing, and for to send mischief and strife amongst men. Third
Decan of Scorpio
a. Ibn Ezra: A dog,
and two pigs, and a big leopard with white hair, and various prey animals.
b. Picatrix: A
horse and a rabbit with it. And
this is a face of evil works and taste, and joining oneself with women
by force and with them being unwilling.
c. Agrippa: A man
bowed downward upon his knees, and a woman striking him with a staff;
and it is the signification of drunkenness, fornication, wrath, violence,
and strife. First
Decan of Sagittarius
a. Ibn Ezra: A naked
man, from his head down to his havel it is the figure of a man, and from
the navel down, it is in the shape of a horse, in his hand a bow and arrows,
and he is shouting.[33]
b. Picatrix: Three
bodies of men of which one is yellow, another white, but the third red.
And this is a face of heat, weight, of fructifyingi n fields and
on lands, of sustaining and dividing.
c. Agrippa: A man
armed with a coat of mail, and holding a naked sword in his hand; the
operation of this is for boldness, malice, and liberty. Second
Decan of Sagittarius
a. Ibn Ezra: A beautiful woman with a lot of hair, wearing clothes
and earrings in her ear, and in front of her there is an open chest containing
golden ornaments.
b. Picatrix: A
man who leads cows, and holding/having a monkey and a bear before him.
And this is a face of fear, lamentation, mourning, misery, and
inquietude.
c. Agrippa: A woman
weeping, and covered with clothes; the operation of this is for sadness
and fear of his own body. Third
Decan of Sagittarius
a. Ibn Ezra: A man
whose color of complexion is golden, and in his hand [something that looks]
like a wooden earring, and he is covered with a door made of tree bark.
b. Picatrix: A
man holding a cap on his head and killing another man.
And this is a face of evil inclinations, of adverse and evil effects
and of swiftness in these same things and in evil inclinations, of hostility,
dispersion, and of doing evilly.
c. Agrippa: A man
like in color to gold, or an idle man playing with a staff; and the signification
of this is in following our own wills, and obstinacy in them, and in activeness
for evil things, contentions, and horrible matters. First
Decan of Capricorn
a. Ibn Ezra: An irascible
black man, his body is like that of a wild boar, with much hair, and his
teeth are sharp and long as beams, and he has a cattle goad, and he catches
fish.
b. Picatrix: A
man holding a pipe in his right hand but a hoe in his left hand.
And this is a face of happiness, joy, and the scattering of tasks
and laziness with weakness and unceasing evils.
c. Agrippa: A woman,
and a man carrying full bags; and the signification of these is for to
go forth and to rejoice, to gain and to lose with weakness and baseness. Second
Decan of Capricorn
a. Ibn Ezra: A black
woman covered with a mantle and she has a horse.
b. Picatrix: A
man having before him half of a monkey.
And this is a face of seeking matters which can in no way be, nor
does anything prevail to touch upon these matters.
c. Agrippa: Two women
and a man looking towards a bird flying in the air; and the signification
of these is for the requiring of those things which cannot be done, and
for the searching after those things which cannot be known. Third
Decan of Capricorn
a. Ibn Ezra: A beautiful
woman, though black, and her hands are skilled in all kinds of work and
spinning of silk.
b. Picatrix: A
man holding a book and opening and closing it, and having before the book
the tail of a fish. And this is a face of riches, the accumulation of money and
the ascent of business affairs tending toward a good end.
c. Agrippa: A woman
chaste in body, and wise in her work, and a banker gathering his money
together on the table; the signification of this is to govern in prudence,
in covetousness of money, and in avarice.[34] First
Decan of Aquarius
a. Ibn Ezra: A black
man who is skilled in copper.
b. Picatrix: A
man who has his head cut short [off?][35]
and who holds in his hand a peacock.
And this is a face of misery, poverty, and of a slave who deals
with crumbs.
c. Agrippa: A prudent
man, and of a woman spinning; and the signification of these is in the
thought and labor for gain, in poverty and baseness. Second
Decan of Aquarius
a. Ibn Ezra: A very
black man whose beard is long and in his hand a bow and arrows, and purses
that contain precious stones and gold.
b. Picatrix: A
man like unto a king who values himself much and who shuns those whom
he sees. And this is a face
of beauty and of position, of having that which one seeks, of completeness,
of harm and of weakness.
c. Agrippa: A man
with a long beard; and the signification of this belongeth to the understanding,
meekness, modesty, liberty and good manners. Third
Decan of Aquarius
a. Ibn Ezra: And angry
and deceitful black man who has hair in his ear, and on him a crown from
the leaves of a tree, and he turns from place to place.
b. Picatrix: A
man with his head shortened [cut off?][36]
and who has an old woman with him.
And this is a face of abundance, of the perfection of the will,
and of insulting behavior.
c. Agrippa: A black
and angry man; and the signification of this is in expressing insolence,
and imprudence. First
Decan of Pisces
a. Ibn Ezra: A man
wearing beautiful clothes, in his hand an iron instrument, and he is going
home.
b. Picatrix: A
man who has two bodies and is like he is going to salute with both hands.
And this is a face of peace and humility, of weakness, of many
journeys, of misery, of seeking wealth, and the lamenting of one’s manner
of living.
c. Agrippa: A man
carrying burdens on his shoulder, and well clothed; it hath his signification
in journeys, change of place, and in carefulness of getting wealth and
clothes. Second
Decan of Pisces
a. Ibn Ezra: A beautiful
white woman, sitting in a ship at sea, and she wishes to go out on land.
b. Picatrix: A
man turned around backwards holding his head downwards, and his feet upwards
lifted up on high, and in his hand a tray of something to be eaten.
And this is a face of reward and of strong will in matters which
are high, burdensome and valued, and of thinking.
c. Agrippa: A woman
of a good countenance, and well adorned; and the signification is to desire
and put one’s self on our about high and great matters. Third
Decan of Pisces
a. Ibn Ezra: A naked
man putting his foot on his belly, in his hand a lance, and he is shouting
out of fear of robbers and fire.
b. Picatrix: A
sad man and of evil thoughts thinking on deceptions and treachery; and
before him a woman and an ass ascending over her, and in her hand a bird.
And this is a face of ambition and of lying with women with a great
appetite, and of seeking quiet and peace.
c. Agrippa: A man
naked, or a youth, and nigh him a beautiful maid, whose head is adorned
with flowers; and it hath his signification for rest, idleness, delight,
fornication, and for embracing of women. Bibliography Abu
Ma’sar, The Abbreviation of the Introduction to Astrology, ed.
and trans. Charles Burnett, Keiji Yamamoto, Michio Yano (Leiden: E.J.
Brill, 1994) Agrippa,
Henry Cornelius, Three Books of Occult Philosophy, trans. James
Freake, ed. Donald Tyson (St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 1993) Al-Biruni,
The Book of Instruction in the Elements of the Art of Astrology,
ed. R. Ramsay Wright (London: Luzac & Co., 1934) Firmicus
Maternus, Ancient Astrology: Theory and Practice [Matheosis
Libri VIII], trans. Jean Rhys Bram (Park Ridge, NJ: Noyes Press, 1975) Holden,
James H., A History of Horoscopic Astrology (Tempe, AZ: American
Federation of Astrologers, Inc., 1996) Ibn
Ezra, Abraham, The Beginning of Wisdom, ed. Meira Epstein and Robert
Hand (ARHAT Publications, 1998) Malina,
Bruce, On the Genre and Message of Revelation: Star Visions and Sky
Journeys (Hendrickson Publishers, 1995) Ptolemy,
Claudius, Tetrabiblos, trans. F. E. Robbins (Cambridge, MA: Harvard
University Press, 1940) Tester,
Jim, A History of Western Astrology (New York: Ballantine Books,
1987) Appendix:
Two Systems of Decan Rulership
[1] Holden confirms this, p. 93. [2] The art of judging someone’s face, body structure, and some personality features by the natal figure. [3] Tester says (p. 22) the quinances come from the Babylonians, who associated pictures with each one. [4] Holden, p. 12. [5] Bruce Malina says that there
were originally 24 decans, hence the 24-hour day.
See bibliography. [6] Tester, p. 20; Holden, p. 12-13. [7] Malina cites the Encyclopedia of World Art, which I have not yet seen. [8] It would be interesting to know if the 24 Seniors of Enochian magic could be correlated with these earlier versions of the decans. [9] Firmicus Maternus, p. 34. But he adds that the Greeks didn’t get very far with the matter, even though other Greek sources do describe the nature of the decans in detail. Perhaps he meant that the methods were not clearly worked out, or perhaps he was referring to the lack of information on the leitourgoi/munifices (see below). [10] Holden, p. 8. [11] Holden, p. 8. [12] Holden, p. 71. But Ptolemy omits discussion of the decans when discussing “monstrous births.” [13] Holden, p. 80. [14] Holden, p. 12-13, 70-71 and n. 168; Firmicus, pp. 34-36. [15] Firmicus, p. 36. [16] Holden, p. 12-13. [17] Firmicus, p. 36. [18] Holden, p. 70-71 and n. 168. Does this mean that planets obey the leitourgoi, who obey the decans in turn? Or is it speaking of fixed stars that fall under the leitourgoi, so that the author of the Hermetica is mixing the old constellational notion of the decans with the new, zodiacal one? [19] E.g., Ptolemy associates different weather with each decan, and notes weather indications of each sign depending on whether one is looking at indications in the northern or southern ecliptical latitudes. He incorporates fixed stars along with other rules (Ptolemy, pp. 207ff.). Ibn Ezra follows Ptolemy (Ibn Ezra, Chapter 2). [20] Al-Biruni, §450. [21] Abu Ma’shar and Firmicus Maternus follow this scheme, as do most Greek, Arab, and Latin astrologers. It is also the version taught in the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. [22] Al-Biruni says this scheme comes from Hindu astrology (Al-Biruni, §451). It is also the basis of a system used for astrological physiognomy. [23] Just like the Chaldean scheme. [24] Firmicus, p. 34. [25] Indeed, I have only seen Firmicus comparing decans and signs in this way. [26] E.g., Abu Ma’shar (Holden p. 115, 120), Albubater (Holden, p. 122) and later medieval astrologers tend to list decans last and attribute to it the weakest sway in astrological considerations. [27] Al-Biruni, §449-50. He seems to say a decan is not the same as a face, although they do coincide. It could be that “face” refers to the mythical-magical aspect of the decan. [28] Wright cites “Hermes’s” list of Egyptian divinities attributed to the decans: v. Ruelle, Rev. de Philol., 1908, p. 247. I have not seen this source. [29] Ibn Ezra says, this is a “learned” Hindu. [30] In other words, knowledgeable pursuits that aren’t subordinated to other purposes, but are noble in themselves. Aristotle held that some philosophical knowledge was more noble because it didn’t depend on external needs and demands like profit-making – a reflection of a society in which people either were free or served someone else. [31] Robert Hand indicates that he does not know what this means. [32] Robert Hand adds this suggestion in brackets. [33] In other words, a centaur. [34] Note that Ibn Ezra and the Arabic author of the Picatrix, do not share Agrippa’s Christian negativity toward the merchant and money trades. [35] Robert Hand adds this suggestion in brackets. [36] Robert Hand adds this suggestion in brackets.
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