My Decan Walk: Aries I

 

Detail from the book cover of Shadow and Bone

The various sources about Decans usually describe the first Decan of Aries a large, angry figure (a giant even) with an ax in his hand. Most sources say he wears a robe, often listed as white. The most intriguing version is the one of Ibn Ezra: a figure with a dog's head and a candle in one hand and a key in the other. Ibn Ezra's description has no violent connotation, unless you would think of the figure as a prison guard - which is a different kind of violence than the brutal, impassioned violence of a giant charging at you with an axe. In one version, the figure is injured.

Of course, the presence of Mars as ruler (or minister) of the first face of Aries, the sign of Mars, is a double portion of Mars-violence and action. The figure goes straight towards his goal in a Mars-like fashion. The white robe can indicate mourning, but also the new beginning as this is the first Decan of the year. The figure is injured, so his movement seems motivated by revenge. Something made him very angry and he gathers himself for a counterattack. This image shows the idea of being 'reborn' after being brought down. Interestingly, at 1°03' Aries lies a star from the constellation of Pegasus, the white winged horse born from the blood of Medusa who had been killed. There is a theme of  being reborn out of bloodshed.

We seem to enter the scene in the middle of an action at this first Decan. A lot has already happened before this image emerges (which is true, because yesterday we were still in the Mars face of Pisces). It's a bit like the last moment in the first season of the Netflix series Shadow and Bone, in which the main evil character survived The Fold against all odds even if we thought him to be dead, and emerges from the shadows - full of feelings of revenge. This last cliffhanger preludes the start of the next season of the show, that never has a real 'ending'. 

The image of a key reminds me of opening a door, a new beginning. A candle often symbolizes the sun - coming into Aries, where it is exaltated. 

Perhaps the figure represents the challenges that come our way in life. When one challenge is 'defeated', a new one seems to arise. This Decanic image might represent the ever-renewing, tireless challenges in life throws at us, obliging us to act with hope, resilience, and wisdom.

Now the fun part: seeing how these celestial energies manifest in your own normal little life! 

Right on the moment of the Sun ingress into Aries aka the vernal equinox, my partner and I were watching the finale of our beloved show Shadow and Bones! This wasn't on purpose, it was just a coincidence. All the themes of Aries 1 are there: dying and rebirth (equinox), reviving of the firebird (Mars), the coronation of the Sun Summoner (how much exalted Sun in Aries can you get?) and just when everything seemed fine, a massive cliffhanger nags us when the enemy strikes back with a bloodbath at the coronation and everything starts again! All the themes if this Decan where right there, in the images we were watching. 

Still from Shadow and Bone Season 2

Sometimes you don't have to look far for correspondences in your life. The days right before and after the ingress of the Sun into Aries, people around me talked about ... keys. Very practical conversations about keys that didn't work, how to fix it and which doors  were a problem. It might seem silly example, but correspondences are often to find in very daily stuff.  People in my everyday life were somehow impacted by the symbolism of a new beginning by talking about keys, even if they were not aware of it. 

Aries 1 in short: a (re)birth, a new beginning, without ignoring the trauma that came before, and new challenges that come our way, but also a renewed sense of vitality and a perseverance full of determination and anger. Anger towards/despite your 'enemies' can be a powerful motivator.