Exploring the soul of the middle 10° of Cancer.
Welcome to the second decan of Cancer! Before we jump in, if you want/need a refresher about the decans themselves, check out the introductory post in this series and then meet me back here so we can dive head first into this post together. Here's a quick overview of everything we'll be covering:
Planetary ruler of the decan
Descriptions from Ibn Ezra, the Picatrix, and Agrippa
The tarot card associated with the decan
An exploration of the decan's soul via Sun placement
Again, if you want to know the meaning of the decans themselves, what they are, and how they can be of use to us, then definitely read the first post in this series before continuing on. You all know I like to teach from a solid foundation, so knowing exactly what the decans are and the rationale behind them will be important in their interpretation. If you're solid on the concept of decans, then let's get started with the planetary ruler.
Planetary Ruler
Our next decan is an oddly auspicious one— at least when it comes to wealth, material matters, or having people skills. These 10° of Cancer are ruled by Mercury and anything that passes through these degrees comes alive with Mercurial energy. These degrees feel wise, compassionate, and able to call on Mercury’s talents for more intuitive means. Cardinal Water gives Mercury direction and focus, while Mercury lends its skills and finesse to the emotional landscape. Placements here will have to get used to working with emotions and logic at the same time. This is the decan of both the heart (the Moon) and the mind (Mercury), so both avenues need to be utilized and taken into account when trying to get the most out of placements in this decan. Leaning too far into Mercury’s logic won’t suit the Moon and leaning too far into emotion will stifle the logical skills of Mercury. Together these energies form a 10° segment of strong intuition that’s unmatched in a lot of ways. It’s both emotional and emotionally intelligent.
One of the things we need to remember about Mercury is that its a merchant. It’s good at business and it’s also important in the exchange of money and material goods. This decan is very strong with merchant significations. People with placements here can be savvy with money or have great soft skills in business. Each planet/placement will utilize these skills differently, but let’s say we have Mercury here. Mercury is going to LOVE being in these 10° of Cancer. It’s a place where it gets to swim in intuitive waters and use its logic in new and exciting ways. Talking about emotions and being a strong communicator towards family and friends in general can be seen when Mercury is here. Emotions flow easily, but again, we have to be sure we’re emotionally intelligent as well as emotional. If someone would lean too far into the lunar side of things, Mercury would drown in emotional depths. Utilizing logic as well as emotion is key when Mercury passes through these degrees. Since both Mercury and the Moon have fast planetary speeds, we’ll see thoughts and emotions come and go like the wind. Emotions are a passing phase and more will always be on the horizon, so don’t expect placements here to stay “stuck” or dwell on one thing for too long.