04/07/2026
Hey guys, and welcome back to Pentagram’s Decan Walk! It’s Dom again with some thoughts on the second decan of Aries, which will be referred to as “Aries 2” as we go forward. Aries 2 is ruled by the Sun, and this is an interesting decan because it’s in Aries where the Sun is exalted. In traditional schemes of Astrology, exaltations are more exact. The Sun specially is exalted in Aries at 15° so we can see that this particular decan is incredibly packed with solar energy. Perfectly fitting the hermetic title of the 3 of Wands, “The lord of Virtue.”
Here in New England we joke about the fake Spring we get before the actual Spring. I always found it funny because it’s in Aries 2 where I really feel like Spring starts to feel like Spring. I feel like Aries 1 being ruled by Mars gives the beginning of heat that we experience in the “fake Spring,” as we reflected on with the 2 of Wands, this new, fiery energy is powerful but quickly burns out. Maybe it’s bold to say, but I believe that when the Sun transitions into Aries 2, the Spring truly begins.
If we can imagine the planets as people, and the zodiac signs as the houses they own, we can understand an exaltation like a planet being treated like a guest of honor in the house owned by another planet. The Sun is the guest of honor in the house of Aries that Mars happens to own, and he pulls out all the stops for our Father the Sun. He rolls out his bloodstained red carpet to welcome the golden king, and the incredibly hot and conquering force we saw in the Mars-ruled decan is now balanced, dignified, and virtuous. When a planet is exalted, it’s able to express its nature in a greater, or even exaggerated, form. It’s interesting to reflect on the holiday of Easter being placed in Aries 2 where its themes are based on resurrection (Sun) of a suffering figure (Mars) while we observe the natural world start to spring back to life.
In the astrological grimoire the “Picatrix,” images are given to each decan. The image of Aries 2 is as follows: “There ascends in the second face of Aries a woman dressed in green clothes, lacking one leg. This is a face of high rank, nobility, wealth and rulership. This is its form.“
I think this image is interesting when reflecting on the tarot card from the Waite-Smith tarot, as we see a figure standing before a radiant expanse dressed in red continuing the marital theme—however, he’s also wearing green just like our figure in the decan.
The Three of Wands is one of my favorite cards. It represents sovereignty and nobility to me: it’s being able to not let our wild passions run (like we saw in the Two of Wands), and instead use them in a dignified way. I like to think of the Two of Wands as the cruel tyrant. Their only focus is on conquest and domination while the Three of Wands is the older and wiser leader who rules with strength and mercy.
For one last musing on the decan, the Sun’s alchemical metal is gold, a metal we normally associate with royalty, and Aries corresponds with the head. I can’t help but think of the symbolic and ritual meaning of wearing a crown. If the Sun is related to the divine and the higher mind, when we dawn a crown on our head during rituals and ceremonies we should be mindful of our own divine and royal heritage that we all share. To wear the crown with wisdom and understanding, and to only look down on someone when you are helping them back up.
But that’s all for this decan. I hope you enjoyed my thoughts on Aries 2, and I’d love to hear your thoughts! See you in Aries 3 where we’ll get to see another example of essential dignity, and get to talk about the great goddess, Venus.
