Decan Walk – Connecting Astrology and Tarot

Astrology and Tarot are connected with each other. As many of you know, I have been flirting with astrology for some time now. Recently, I decided to learn it properly. I tend to view everything through the lens of Tarot, my first love. So, this year, I decided to embark on a journey, a “Decan Walk,” to understand astrology through the Tarot. Starting in March 2025 and continuing until March 2026, this year-long journey will help me learn and understand Astrology through the Lens of the Tarot. The plan is to learn the basics of Astrology through the connections between Astrology and Tarot.

To help make sense of this, I want to share some foundational knowledge that I’ve learned about the relationship between Astrology and Tarot.

Connecting Astrology and Tarot

Astrology and Tarot have been connected with each other since the very beginning. We can trace the origins of this relationship to a secret society formed in the late 19th century, called the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.

The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn

The founders of this society were Freemasons and Rosicrucians. They structured this order similarly to that of the Masonic Lodges. However, they also made significant changes, like including women in their society, which was a pretty cool move back then. They were involved in various occult studies, including Kabbalah, Astrology, Tarot, Geomancy, Alchemy, Scrying, and Astral Travel, among other topics.

The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn deeply influenced modern Tarot. Notably, Arthur Edward Waite and Pamela Coleman Smith, who created the Rider-Waite Tarot deck in 1910, and Alastair Crowley and Lady Freda Harris, who published the Thoth Tarot deck in 1969, were part of this society.

Both these decks carried influences from the teachings and studies of the Golden Dawn and included imagery that connected Tarot and Astrology. They have since become the foundation for all modern Tarot decks.

Major Arcana and Their Astrological Associations

While studying the Tarot, we learn that every Major Arcana card is connected with either a Zodiac Sign or a Planet. I created a chart to illustrate these connections:

We can see that the cards for each of the Zodiac Signs are connected to their Ruling Planets.

• The Emperor: Aries, ruled by Mars, The Tower card
• The Hierophant: Taurus, ruled by Venus, The Empress card
• The Lovers: Gemini, ruled by Mercury, The Magician card
• The Chariot: Cancer, ruled by the Moon, The High Priestess card
• Strength: Leo, ruled by the Sun, The Sun card
• The Hermit: Virgo, ruled by Mercury, The Magician card
• Justice: Libra, ruled by Venus, The Empress card
• Death: Scorpio, ruled by Mars and Pluto, The Tower card and Judgment card, respectively
• Temperance: Sagittarius, ruled by Jupiter, **The Wheel of Fortune*
• The Devil: Capricorn, ruled by Saturn, The World card
• The Star: Aquarius, ruled by Saturn and Uranus, The World card and The Fool card, respectively
• The Moon: Pisces, ruled by Jupiter and Neptune, The Wheel of Fortune card and The Hanged Man card, respectively

Wherever you see two planets ruling a Sign, those are additional associations. Traditional Astrology only considered seven planets. Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto were added later on to the list.

Apart from the Moon and the Sun, all the planets typically rule two signs. Originally, The Fool card was linked to the element of Air, The Hanged Man was linked to Water, Judgment was linked to Fire, and The World card did double-duty as Saturn and Earth.

When the newly discovered Outer Planets got added to the mix, the Fool card was linked with Uranus, who was also assigned to be the co-ruler of Aquarius. The Hanged Man was connected with Neptune and assigned to be the co-ruler of Pisces, and the Judgment card was connected with Pluto and was assigned to co-rule Scorpio.

Astrology and the Tarot Minor Arcana

The connection between Astrology and the Minor Arcana is more complex. Let’s learn step-by-step how these connections were created.

The Decan System

In Western astrology, the zodiac signs are arranged in a circle of 360 degrees, with each Sign occupying 30 degrees. Each Sign is divided into three parts of 10 degrees, known as Decans. This division allows for a more nuanced understanding of the astrological influences.

Building Blocks of the Correspondence between Astrology and Tarot

To understand the connections between Astrology and the Tarot Minor Arcana, we need to consider the following building blocks:

1: The Numbers of the Minor Arcana Cards
2: The Zodiac Signs and the Seasons of the Year
3: The Order of the Planets
4: The Dates of the Year

Let’s begin…

1: The Numbers of the Minor Arcana Cards

The minor arcana consists of cards numbered from Ace to 10. From a numerological perspective, 10 adds to a 1 because 1 + 0 = 1. However, the meanings of these numbers differ significantly. While the Ace represents Beginnings, the 10 signifies Transitions. The Ace was, therefore, assigned the energy of the Root of the Powers of the Element that it represented, and it was separated from the rest of the numbers.

The remaining nine numbers were then divided into three groups of three. So we get 2, 3, and 4 in the first group, 5, 6, and 7 in the second group, and 8, 9, and 10 in the third group.

🔗 Click here to see a better view/version of this and the other Tables in Google Sheets 🔗

2: The Zodiac Signs and the Seasons of the Year

Each Season lasts roughly three months and contains three Zodiac signs. These signs are categorized as Cardinal, Fixed, and Mutable, corresponding to the signs that appear at the Beginning, Middle, and End of the Season, respectively.

Numbers + Seasons + Zodiac Signs + Elements + Minor Arcana Suits

The three groups of Numbers are then connected with those Zodiac Signs. Thus, we connect numbers 2, 3, and 4 with the Cardinal Sign, 5, 6, and 7 with the Fixed Sign, and 8, 9, and 10 with the Mutable Sign.

If we arrange the Zodiac signs of the year in their order, we can now see how each Season (in the Northern and the Southern Hemisphere) contains three Zodiac signs, which are now assigned a group of 3 Numbers.

Now, connecting those signs with their elements, we can link them with the corresponding Minor Arcana Suit. Wands, Pentacles, Swords, and Cups correspond with Fire, Earth, Air, and Water, respectively.

🔗 Click here to see a better view/version of this and the other Tables in Google Sheets 🔗

We also know that each Zodiac Sign has 3 Decans. So, each number corresponds to a Decan.

In this manner, we get each Decan of Aries linked to 2, 3, and 4 of Wands, respectively. Then, we get each Decan of Taurus linked to 5, 6, and 7 of Pentacles, respectively. Each Decan of Gemini is linked to 8, 9, and 10 of Swords, respectively. And each Decan of Cancer is linked to 2, 3, and 4 of Cups, respectively.

3: The Order of the Planets

The traditional seven planets are arranged in the Chaldean order based on the speed with which they move across the sky. Fastest to the Slowest, this order is: Moon, Mercury, Venus, Sun, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.

Aries is the first Sign in the Zodiac. Mars rules Aries. So that’s where our sequence of planets begins. Now, starting from Mars, if we look at the sequence of the planets, we get Mars, Sun, Venus, Mercury, Moon, Saturn, and Jupiter.

Let’s add this data to our table.

Now we can see that 2 of Wands is associated with Mars in Aries, 3 of Wands is related to the Sun in Aries, and so on.

Aces and the Court Cards

We’ve already seen in our Numbers chart that the Aces are connected with an entire Season. Similarly, the Pages from the Court Cards are assigned to an entire Season. That is because the Pages also represent the energy of Beginnings, just like the Aces.

Meanwhile, the remaining 12 Court Cards are linked with 3 Decans each: one Decan from the previous Zodiac Sign and two Decans from the next Zodiac Sign. This way, they create a linking overlap, connecting the Zodiac signs.

🔗 Click here to see a better view/version of this and the other Tables in Google Sheets 🔗

4. The Dates of the Year

The final step is to add the Dates of the Year into the mix.

Since each Zodiac Sign is roughly 30 days long, we can divide those into three groups of 10 days each. Thus, we can link a Decan with 10 Days of the Year.

Aries, for example, begins around 21 March and ends around 20 April. So the first Decan of Aries will start on 21 March and end on 30 March, and that will connect with the 2 of Wands, which is associated with Mars in Aries. The second Decan of Aries starts on 31 March and ends on 10 April, which is connected with the 3 of Wands, which is associated with the Sun in Aries. And so on.

Astrology and Tarot: Connecting the Building Blocks

If we add this chart to the Major Arcana chart, we can see the distinct connections between Astrology and Tarot.

🔗 Click here to see a better view/version of this and the other Tables in Google Sheets 🔗

At this point, I’m sure many of us will wonder: Do these planetary placements occur every year on these specific dates?
The answer is: No. They do not. These dates are simply assigned to these cards because those cards are connected with those Decans. Nothing more, nothing less.

To summarize, the 12 Zodiac Signs are distributed around a circle of 360 Degrees, divided into 12 sections of 30 Degrees each, further subdivided into 36 Decans (3 for each Sign) of 10 Degrees each. These Signs and their Ruling Planets are associated with a Major Arcana card, respectively. Each Decan is associated with a Planet, a Minor Arcana card, and also a Court Card, a Page, and an Ace.

Astrology and Tarot: The Tools and Techniques for the Decan Walk Journey

To explore and understand the connection between Astrology and Tarot, I plan to use various Tarot decks and books to deepen my understanding of the subject.

Tarot and Other Decks

The Tarot decks I plan to use are:

• The Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot [Buy this Deck on Amazon]
• The Thoth Tarot [Buy this Deck on Amazon]
• The Tarot de Marseille [Buy this Deck on Amazon]

Note: These links are my Amazon Affiliate links. You get to buy the decks at their regular price, and I get a small commission. Thank you!🙏

Additionally, I found a lovely deck that features images corresponding to each Decan. These descriptions of the energy of each Decan are from a book called The Picatrix. Originally called “The Ghāyat al-Ḥakīm,” this was an Arabic book about Magic and Astrology. The Arabic title translates to “The Goal of the Wise” or “The Aim of the Sage.”

Link to Picatrix Wikipedia Page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picatrix for more information.

• The Picatrix Decans Card Deck is an amazing visualization of this Decan imagery. [Buy this deck on Etsy.]

I also plan to use two astrology-based oracle decks:

• The Oracle of the Radiant Sun [Buy this Deck on Amazon]
• The Starcodes Astro Oracle Deck [Buy this Deck on Amazon]

If I find any other interesting decks, I will certainly add them to the mix. And if you want to share any interesting decks with me, please drop a line in the comments.

Books

To support my studies, I will reference several books, including:

• Tarot Correspondences by T. Susan Chang [Buy this Book on Amazon]
• Tarot Deciphered by T. Susan Chang and M. M. Milleen [Buy this Book on Amazon]
• 36 Secrets by T. Susan Chang [Buy this Book on Amazon]
• The Stars Within You by Juliana McCarthy [Buy this Book on Amazon]
• Cosmos and Psyche by Richard Tarnas [Buy this Book on Amazon]

Note: These links are my Amazon Affiliate links. You get to buy the books & decks at their regular price, and I get a small commission. Thank you!🙏

I will also refer to the books accompanying the Oracle of the Radiant Sun and the Starcodes Astro Oracle Decks.

As with the Decks, if you would like to recommend some books, please drop a line in the comments below.

Understanding Astrology and Tarot: The Plan

I plan to focus on a specific decan every ten days, starting with the Two of Wands, which corresponds to Mars in Aries. During that time, I will explore the relevant Astrological information and see how it shows up in the associated Tarot Cards.

For instance, the first Decan is Mars in Aries. So I will study up on Mars and Aries and then see how that energy shows up in the cards associated with that Decan. Those cards will be the 2 of Wands, The Tower (Mars), The Emperor (Aries), the Queen of Wands, Page of Pentacles, and the Ace of Pentacles. I will also include the relevant cards from the Oracle of the Radiant Sun, the Starcodes Astro Oracle, and the Picatrix Decans Decks to round it all up.

Sharing the Journey

I have also recorded these thoughts and discoveries in a video, transcribed the audio, and converted it into this blog post. I plan to do this with all the cards. 🤞🏼 Fingers Crossed. I hope I can accomplish this goal.

I would like to invite you to join me on this journey. I have created handouts and worksheets that you can use to participate.

🔗 Click here to go to the Google Worksheet 🔗

Please note: this is a work in progress. So be gentle. If you have any suggestions or ideas, please share them in the comments or via email.

This study and exploration will be a year-long process, and I may not be regular if life intervenes. However, I am committed to this learning journey.

The Purpose of This Journey

The world is devolving into a crazy mess around us, and this was the only way that I thought I could cope in a healthy manner. Typically, stuff like this sends me into a depression spiral. But I’m consciously choosing to handle things differently this time around.

I figured I would learn something new (and complex) instead of suffering and despair. Embracing this adventure may even reveal new insights. As a coping mechanism, it is undoubtedly much better than the alternative.

In the End…

This year-long Decan walk journey is about understanding Astrology through the lens of the Tarot. Hopefully, it will provide a fascinating insight into both while also helping me explore the fascinating connection between Astrology and Tarot. I hope you can join me in this adventure!

Stay tuned for the first Decan exploration. Until then, stay good, be good, and play with your cards!