I fell in love with the Thoth deck over thirty five years ago, around the same time that I discovered astrology, but it was the stars that won my heart at that time and which became my life long passion. I always kept that deck that was gifted to me though, and seven years ago I felt a need to take on the cards and began a new phase in my life, one that has been immensely difficult but also highly rewarding.
As often happens at these junctures in life, I discovered the perfect guide to help me through these challenging times and it was from Emma Sunnerton Burl that I learned the technique of “journeying” into the cards to divine a deeper meaning and to understand the chaos in which I found myself. This process of inquiry took hold of me entirely as I became drawn into the landscapes that I encountered and over the course of two years I journeyed into all of the cards in the deck , writing about what I saw in a collection of stories that was eventually published as the book Thoth Journey.
Of course, as an astrologer, the planetary signification on the thirty six pip cards of the Thoth deck have always had a strong attraction but my interpretative experiences have also been shaped by the decan system of dividing the 360 degrees of the zodiac into 36 divisions of 10 degrees each. This method, described by Ptolemy in his Tetrabiblos, was the foundation of the ancient Egyptian calendar which began at the summer solstice with the sun at zero degrees of Cancer and the fixed star Sirius reappearing on the eastern horizon to signal the yearly flooding of the Nile and renewed fertility; the first 10 degrees or decan is associated with Venus in Cancer and is given in Tarot to the Two of Cups.
The year unfolds from that point in a process where the four cardinal signs (Cancer, Libra, Capricorn and Aries) coming at the beginning of the seasons, take cards 2, 3 & 4 of the equivalent elemental suit, the four fixed signs (Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius and Taurus) which fall in the middle of the seasons, take numbers 5, 6 & 7 whilst the four mutable signs, which come at the end of the seasons (Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces and Gemini) are given numbers 8, 9 & 10. The last card in the year (just before the summer solstice) is the 10 of Swords, Mars in Gemini, and we can see this position clearly expressed through this card’s traditional meaning.
To lay out all the cards to form the circle of the year, you would start with the 2,3 & 4 of Cups (Cancer cards) followed by 5,6 & 7 of Wands (Leo cards) and then 8,9 & 10 of Disks (Virgo cards). Then you would lay 2,3 and 4 of Swords,(Libra cards) 5,6 & 7 of Cups (Scorpio cards) and 8, 9 & 10 of Wands (Sagittarius cards). One continues through the cards until they are all laid, giving you 36 cards, each representing 10 degrees of the zodiac and taking you on a journey through the year and insight can be gained through a seasonal consideration of the process.
Many ancient writers from different cultures have also written of the magical symbolism of the decans, imbuing them with great power and significance, something which remains to this day in the creation of magical talismans. This practice has been written about at various times in history although the main point of written reference for western esoterics has been Picatrix. “Picatrix is the Latin name used today for a 400-page book of magic and astrology originally written in Arabic under the title Ghāyat al-Ḥakīm (Arabic: غاية الحكيم), which most scholars assume was originally written in the middle of the 11th century, though an argument for composition in the first half of the 10th century has been made. The Arabic title translates as The Aim of the Sage or The Goal of The Wise. The Arabic work was translated into Spanish and then into Latin during the 13th century, at which time it got the Latin title Picatrix.” Wikipedia
Modern source books for the decans include Austin Coppock’s “36 Faces” which examines each decanate through the lens of various traditions and T Susan Chang’s “36 Secrets” which is currently on my wishlist. My own study of the decan’s in relation to tarot has inspired me with extensive insights into the mysteries of the “smaller” cards and what I found to be most interesting was that on several of my intuitive journeys into the cards, carried out before I had studied the decan images, I discovered images that bore a remarkable similarity to those seen by sages over a thousand years ago. The argument here might be that as we look through the windows provided by these 36 divisions of the zodiac, we are looking into another world, a world that has been viewed by others, in different times, in different civilisations, a world outside of our modern idea of time, a world that is bound only by the magic of the universe of which we are all a part.
Joanna Grant is an astrologer of some 30 years and was awarded the Diploma at the Faculty of Astrological Studies in 2012. Weaving her knowledge of the stars together with intuitive tarot techniques, she crafts highly personalized guidance for clients who are often navigating difficult life transitions. Her exploration of the Thoth Tarot was published in 2020 in the form of a deck with accompanying book, under the title Thoth Journey-The Oracle of Change. The first edition sold out with good reviews and she is currently working on a second edition which she hopes to release in the spring of 2023.
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