Encyclopedic Guide to 36 Faces: History, Astrology, and Magic of the Decans

History of the Decans: Introduction

The decans represent an esoteric thread stretching across over four millennia of astrological and magical history, connecting ancient Egypt to the Hellenistic world, India, the Arabian Empire, Renaissance Europe, and the modern era. Physically, the decans are a division of the earth’s sky into $36$ sections. Historically and spiritually, these "36 faces of heaven" have served as a clockwork mechanism for astrology and a key to accessing legions of spirits, including gods, angels, and demons.

Chapter 1: Ancient Egypt - The Body of Nut

• Egyptian Origins: The decans began in ancient Egypt, appearing in pharaohs' tombs during the early 3rd millennium BC. This calendar served as the backbone of Egyptian time-keeping for at least $1800$ years.
• Solar and Lunar Time: Solar time is a result of complex measurements, but it was preceded by lunar time. The visible lunar cycle of $29.3$ days falls nearly $10$ days short of the $365.25$ day solar year. To bridge this gap, many cultures utilized intercalary "leap" months every $3$ years.
• The Stellar Clock: Toward the end of the 3rd millennium BC, the Egyptians divided the year into $36$ sections based on the rising of marker stars. These stars acted as a stellar clock to divide the night hours. The rising of these stars also divided the solar year into $36$ roughly $10$-day weeks.
• The Intercalary Days: Outside the $360$ days ($36 \times 10$) of the standard year were $5$ extra days. According to myth, the god Thoth gambled with the Moon god Khonsu for $1/72$ of his light ($5$ days) to cure the barrenness of Nut (the night sky). Over these $5$ days, Nut birthed Horus the Elder, Osiris, Set, Isis, and Nepthys.
• Precession and Slippage: A flaw in the Egyptian system was precession—the shift of stars by $1/72$ of a degree each year. While this equates to only $20$ minutes annually, after $720$ years, each decanic week began $10$ days later. Consequently, more than $50$ different decan lists have been recovered, divided into $5$ major table families.

Chapter 2: The Hellenistic Era - Planets, Gods, Demons, and Daimones

• Alexandrian Synthesis: Alexander of Macedon’s conquest ($327\text{-}325$ BCE) forged a Greek-speaking cultural sphere in the Eastern Mediterranean. Alexandria became an international hub where Babylonian, Egyptian, and Greek lore merged.
• Astrology’s Nativity: In the 1st century BCE, Hellenistic astrology emerged, anchoring the decans to the mathematically regular $360$-degree Tropical zodiac ($10$ degrees per decan). The name "decan" comes from the Greek dekanoi, rooted in deka ($10$).
• Planetary Rulership: Hellenistic texts largely replaced Egyptian gods with planetary rulers assigned in Descending Ptolemaic Order (from slowest to fastest): Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Sun, Venus, Mercury, and the Moon. Because $36$ is not divisible by $7$, every planet rules $5$ decans except Mars, who rules a $6$th and both begins and ends the cycle ($30$ Pisces to $10$ Aries).
• The Five Forms of Dignity:
  1. Rulership: A planet in its own sign (monarch in their kingdom).
  2. Exaltation: A planet as an honored guest ($19$ Aries for the Sun).
  3. Trigonal (Triplicity) Rulership: Based on element (Fire: Sun/Jupiter/Saturn; Air: Mercury/Jupiter/Saturn; Water/Earth: Moon/Venus/Mars).
  4. Bounds (Terms): Unequal divisions of each sign among the five non-luminary planets.
  5. Decan: Likened by Guido Bonatti to the dignity of a foreigner who makes a name for themselves through skill.
• Spirits and Sorcery: Firmicus Maternus ($4\text{th}$ century) claimed decans house "ministers" (liturgi) with power over bodily diseases. Liber Hermetis provides anthropomorphic images and spirit names, such as Tzabaoth (Lord of Hosts) for the second decan of Aries. The Corpus Hermeticum (Stobaeus fragment $7$) places decans beyond the zodiac, ruling over plagues, famines, and the downfall of states.

Chapter 3: India - The Science of Light

• Arrival: Decanic material reached India in the $4\text{th}$ century via the Yavanajataka. The Greeks' dekanoi became the Sanskrit drekkanas.
• Sidereal Zodiac: Unlike the West, Vedic astrology uses the sidereal (stellar) zodiac. By the $21\text{st}$ century, the difference between the West's Tropical and India's Sidereal zodiac grew to nearly $27$ degrees.
• Systems of Rulership:
  • Parasara Drekkana: Triplicity-based (1st decan = same sign; 2nd = next sign of same element; 3rd = final sign of same element).
  • Jagannath Drekkana: Used to focus on passion and results.
  • Paravritti-traya: Assigns signs in zodiacal order to the decans (Manilius system).

Chapter 4: The Arabian Empire - Within the Temple of the Moon

• Sabians of Harran: The Harranian Sabians, followers of Hermes (Idris), preserved Hermetic and Babylonian astral magic. Harran hosted the Temple of the Moon for nearly $500$ years.
• The Godless Image: Under monotheistic pressure, Arabic decanic images shifted from gods to human situations (e.g., a man working copper). The Ghayat Al Hakim (Picatrix) remains the definitive Arabic astrological grimoire, detailing magical images and Indian opinions on the faces.

Chapter 5: Medieval and Renaissance Europe - A Fluorescence of Images

• Transmission: Astrological lore entered Western Europe in the $13\text{th}$ century via Crusades and Latin translations.
• Renaissance Art: Decans appear on the walls of the Palazzo Schifanoia (Ferrara, Italy) and in the Sistine Chapel as the $33$ ancestors of Christ plus $3$ additional symbols.
• Occult Literature: Published in $1525$, Henry Cornelius Agrippa’s Three Books of Occult Philosophy became a foundational text for decanic imagery, depicting literal human scenes without spirit names.

Chapter 6: The Enlightenment - Reason’s Torch and Pitchfork

• Persecution: The Inquisition and Witchcraft Acts (such as the law used to trial John Dee in $1555$) forced astrology into secrecy.
• The Machine Paradigm: Proponents like Copernicus, Newton, and Descartes established a mechanistic worldview. A "dead universe" without subtle intelligences left little room for traditional magic. Traditional astrology’s phase is generally noted to end with William Lilly ($17\text{th}$ century).

Chapter 7: Modernity - Synthesis and Neglect

• The Occult Revival: In the late $19\text{th}$ century, the Order of the Golden Dawn (founded $1887$) synthesized decans with the Tarot $36$ minor arcana cards), the $72$ angels of the Shem ha Mephoresh ($216$ letters from Exodus $14:19\text{-}21$), and the demons of the Lesser Key of Solomon.
• Tarot Syncretism: The Rider Waite Tarot (Pamela Coleman-Smith and A.E. Waite) remains the most influential deck using decanic themes. The $2\text{-}10$ cards of each suit are mapped to the decans of corresponding elemental signs (Wands/Fire, Cups/Water, Swords/Air, Pentacles/Earth).

Part II: The 36 Faces - Aries through Gemini

• Aries I: The Axe: Controlled by Mars. Symbols: The Three headed face ($Liber Hermetis$), Two of Wands ($Tarot$), the umbilical cord. Meaning: Primordial splitting, asserting selfhood from the collective yin.
  • Saturn: Forceful karma, might makes right.
  • Jupiter: Liberating abundance of personality.
  • Sun: Warrior king, fierce independence.
• Aries II: The Crown: Controlled by the Sun (exaltation), Spiritually governed by Tzabaoth. Three of Wands (Virtue). Meaning: Success through the habits of virtue and vice; the world-field an individual emanates.
• Aries III: The Burning Rose: Controlled by Venus ($Descending$) or Jupiter ($Triplicity$). Eros ($Ancient Greek$). Meaning: Charm used to overcome hostility; the performer before a crowd.
• Gemini I: The Apple of Eden: Controlled by Jupiter ($Descending$). Eight of Swords (Interference). Meaning: The discovery of duality and analytic logic; the art of the scribe and calculation.
• Gemini II: The Hermaphrodite: Controlled by Mars ($Descending$). Cybele/Attis. Nine of Swords (Despair/Cruelty). Meaning: Reconciling inner angels and demons; life-or-death union and separation.
• Gemini III: An Executioner’s Sword: Controlled by the Sun or Saturn. Ten of Swords. Meaning: Final polarization, sacrifice of one possibility to make another real; the death of the Sun at the Solstice.

Part II: The 36 Faces - Cancer through Virgo

• Cancer I: The Mother and Child: Two of Cups (Love). Nike ($Ancient Greek$). Meaning: Intimacy, nourishment, and the vehicle ($chariot$) of the soul.
• Cancer II: The Walled Garden: Three of Cups (Abundance). Nekhbet ($Vulture Goddess$), Heracles. Meaning: Incubation of something precious; protection of the fertile garden.
• Cancer III: The Overflowing Cup: Four of Cups (Luxury). Hekate. Meaning: The struggle between scarcity and excess; acquiring wealth through competitive strife.
• Virgo I: The Tree Bearing Fruit: Eight of Pentacles (Prudence). Themis (Divine Law). Meaning: Humility before nature, patient craftsmanship, and the difference between the touched and untouched.
• Virgo II: The Hammer and the Anvil: Nine of Pentacles (Gain). Hephaestus. Meaning: Labor concealed by the finished product; the encasement of spirit in a dense body.
• Virgo III: The Sarcophagus: Ten of Pentacles (Wealth). Meaning: Finality of all material processes; the dialogue between wealth and the tomb; sorrowless embrace of impermanence.

Part II: The 36 Faces - Libra through Scorpio

• Libra I: A Blindfold and a Sword: Two of Swords (Peace). Maat ($Egyptian Justice$), Erinyes. Meaning: Awakening to injustice; fair trade in the marketplace.
• Libra II: Two Links of a Chain: Three of Swords (Sorrow). Horkos ($Oaths$). Meaning: Binding fates through contracts and marriage; heartbreak as the risk of oath-breaking.
• Libra III: A Gyroscope: Four of Swords (Rest from Strife). Nemesis. Meaning: Maintaining gear-like equipoise in a chaotic world; the eye of the storm effectively managing immoderate passions.
• Scorpio I: A Jawbone: Five of Cups (Disappointment). Meaning: The cycle of hunger and satiation; the "Tao of Desire."
• Scorpio II: Apparatus for Mutual Distillation: Six of Cups (Pleasure). Leto ($Mother of Apollo and Artemis$). Meaning: Circulatory exchange between partners; the mutual distillation of gold or poison.
• Scorpio III: A Crow: Seven of Cups (Illusionary Success). Corvus of the Nigredo. Meaning: Sacrifice of desire from external objects; the release of energy through putrefaction.

Part II: The 36 Faces - Sagittarius through Capricorn

• Sagittarius I: The Poisoned Arrow: Eight of Wands (Swiftness). Viruses/Plague spirits. Meaning: Velocity of vision; directing the vehicle of the body/mind toward a target.
• Sagittarius II: The Bridle: Nine of Wands (Great Strength). Persephone Praxidike. Meaning: Maintaining unity of beast and man under external assault; the role of the nemesis in generating heroism.
• Sagittarius III: A Horse’s Skull: Ten of Wands (Oppression). Ananke (Necessity). Meaning: Carrying a burden to completion; what one is willing to sacrifice for the will.
• Capricorn I: A Headless Body: Two of Pentacles (Harmonious Change). Asklepios. Meaning: Spirit sinking into the density of the world; choosing terrain to lay roots.
• Capricorn II: The Pyramid: Three of Pentacles (Material Works). Hygeia (Health). Meaning: Architecture of civilization; mapping designs onto the earth; the Tower of Babel as hubris.
• Capricorn III: The Throne: Four of Pentacles (Earthly Power). Meaning: Administration of the world; the heavy mantle of power. Mars reaches its maximum exaltation here.

Part II: The 36 Faces - Aquarius through Pisces

• Aquarius I: The Mark of Exile: Five of Swords (Defeat). Dike (Justice). Meaning: Exclusion from the mainstream; the labor of the coppersmith/outsider.
• Aquarius II: Heaven and Earth: Six of Swords (Science/Earned Success). Phobos ($Fear$). Meaning: Bridging the known and unknown; the independent ferryman connecting dual worlds.
• Aquarius III: The Knot: Seven of Swords (Futility). Osiris ($Death/Resurrection$). Meaning: Salvaging value before leaving a situation; paying karmic debts before final departure.
• Pisces I: The Labyrinth: Eight of Cups (Abandoned Success). Meaning: Mapping the invisible walls of fate; discovering that one's unconscious is the maze-maker.
• Pisces II: The Net: Nine of Cups (Happiness). Dolos ($Trickery$). Meaning: Finding harmony between inner beliefs and outer world; the Taoist immortal playing in the material realm.
• Pisces III: A Cup of Blood: Ten of Cups (Perfected Success). Elpis ($Hope$). Meaning: The mad quest for an ideal; martyrdom for love; the conclusion of the entire cycle through agony and ecstasy.

Appendix I: Alchemical Trinities

• Three Fold Pattern: Each set of three decans follows a cycle:
  1. 1st Decan: Introduction of Matter (Salt/Cardinal/Coagula).
  2. 2nd Decan: Harmonious Conjunction (Mercury/Fixed/Conjunctio).
  3. 3rd Decan: Separation or Sacrifice (Sulphur/Mutable/Solve).
• Doubled Intensities:
  • Doubly Cardinal: First decans of Aries, Libra, Cancer, Capricorn—strong initiating forces of seasons.
  • Doubly Fixed: Middle decans of Taurus, Scorpio, Leo, Aquarius—coincide with cross-quarter holidays (Beltane, Lughnasa, Samhain, Imbolc).
  • Doubly Mutable: Final decans of Pisces, Virgo, Gemini, Sagittarius—sacrificial phases leading to equinoxes/solstices.

Appendix II: Decanic Magic

• Talisman-Craft: Talismans utilize the Alchemical structure:
  1. Salt (Body): Appropriate substance (metal/stone) and the image etched upon it.
  2. Mercury (Energy): The bridge established by incenses and the mindset of the operator.
  3. Sulphur (Spirit): The active force summoned at a specific planetary time.
• Rules for Election (Picatrix):
  • The ruling planet must reside within its decan.
  • The operation must occur under the authority of the Sun (Sun in aspect or rising on the planet's day/hour).
  • Avoid hard aspects (square/opposition/conjunction) with the malefics: Saturn and Mars.
  • The South Node must not be in the decan during the work.
• Planetary Imagery:
  • Saturn: Old man with a scythe/hourglass for bindings.
  • Jupiter: Magnanimous ruler with thunderbolt/wisdom implements for blessings.
  • Mars: Armed and armored warrior for curses or fortifications.
  • Sun: Golden-crowned child or Apollo-type for illumination.
  • Venus: Attractive woman with mirror/flowers for attraction/glamours.
  • Mercury: Androgynous figure with Caduceus for travel/divination.
  • Moon: Mature female (waxing) or thin crone (waning) for manifestation or dissolution.