Decans of Pisces

Tarot Minor Arcana Cards Eight, Nine and Ten of Water

Tarot Eight Water, Tarot Eight Cups, Minor Arcana, First Decan Pisces

The Tarot Eight of Water, also known as the Eight of Cups, along with each of the Minor Arcana cards numbered 8, highlights the ability to intellectually discern between beneficial and disadvantageous outcomes when taking action.

This is because 8 is the number of Hod, the sphere associated with Mercury on the QBL Tree of Life.

Sephirothic Planetary Correspondence

The planetary correspondence of Hod is Mercury and each of the minor arcana cards numbered “Eight”, exhibit qualities of this planet colored by their corresponding elemental suit of fire, water, air or earth.

These four suits correspond to the four worlds of the QBL: Fire: Atziluth, Water: Briah, Air: Yetzirah and Earth: Assiah.

Keep in mind the influence of Eight is a backdrop to all the other qualities expressed within this card. Hod has the attribute of splendour and with splendour can come complacency due to a false sense of achievement. This is the situation when submitting to the previous card Seven Water, Illusionary Success. Loss of interest in a project or boredom are other signatures of this state which are fear of failure that will bring pain.

Astrological Decan Allocation

This card is allocated to the First decan of Pisces whose planetary attribution is Saturn, the planet whose tarot major arcana correspondence is Universe.

The combination of Pisces and the decan planetary ruler of Saturn is summed up in the card’s title of Indolence.

Saturn in Pisces represents a forceful opposition to the balm-inducing qualities normally associated with Water signs. There is disinterest in success and any positive currents will be short-lived and thrown aside without further results.  

We see a personality characterized by a reluctance to engage with a positive social environment, choosing instead to withdraw.

It’s important to recognize that what seems like laziness might be a desire to avoid pain. This can lead to caution and hesitation before taking risks. Reflecting during this time allows individuals to carefully consider their situations. This helps them avoid failure and potential pain in their personal growth.

Considerations

In the card Indolence, we witness the result of a Saturn Pisces combination under the influence of Water.

All present and previous opportunities and achievements are thrown aside as worthless in this malaise condition. 

If there is a positive aspect to this card it is a lesson in understanding that sometimes on our life journey, there will be occasions when we must accept finding a way through an experience to gain knowledge not to return to it.

Eight of Water radiates an atmosphere of despondency where an individual fails to realize or gives little to no value to what they already possess or have achieved. The influence encourages one to roam from one place to another seeking what they feel they are missing but finding it nowhere because their despondency prevents them from realizing they already own it.

Combining these considerations into an image we perceive a stagnant rubbish-filled pool whose incoming opportunities or waterways, have become blocked and toxic because refreshing invigorating currents of stimulation are prevented from entering and cleaning out its pollution.

In this quagmire life withers and rots transforming living things into slime from where new life will eventually rise.

Personality Type

The human personality type behind Tarot Eight of Water is Knight of Water, Knight of Cups. Here is a personality image best suited to exploit the appearance of Eight Water to one’s advantage through translating the specific ancestral voice of the decan.

His graceful and poetic personality tends to be languid and dreamy. However, it can become inspired and enthusiastic when roused signaling that impetus from outside is the trigger for overcoming Eight of Waters’ influence.

To assist in illustrating this character’s nature imagine a languid sea suddenly becoming roused by wind. 

Decan Signature

In our failure to understand what any minor arcana card is saying, we should allow ourselves to be driven back to our specific inner voice of the decan for resolution.

In this example of Eight Water, the conjunction of major arcana cards Moon and Universe corresponding to Pisces and Saturn, are the specific signature of this decan and will be projected through the personality type represented by the Knight of Water whose elemental quality is Fire of Water.

Summary

Minor Arcana, First Decan Pisces: Indolence.

Key Concepts: Intellectual discrimination, complacency, fear of failure, reflection.

Sephirothic Planetary Correspondence: Hod (Mercury): Influences qualities of the eight in minor arcana.

Astrological Decan Allocation: Saturn in Pisces: Represents opposition to the typical comforting qualities of Water signs.

Personality: Tendency towards isolation and reluctance to engage socially. Found in Knight of Water (Knight of Cups).

Considerations: Highlights a need to overcome despondency and recognize existing achievements. 

Tarot Nine Water, Nine Cups

Minor Arcana, Second Decan Pisces, Happiness

Tarot Nine Water, Nine Cups. and each of the Minor Arcana cards numbered nine exhibits qualities of support and justification. This is because nine is the number of Yesod,  the sphere of foundation on the QBL Tree of Life.

Sephirothic Planetary Correspondence

The planetary quality of Yesod is the Moon and each of the minor arcana cards numbered “Nine” will express qualities of a Lunar nature coloured by a card”s elemental suit: fire, water, air and earth and its associated planetary decan. In the case of Nine Water, this planetary decan is Jupiter Pisces.

In Astrology, the energies of the Moon are reflective and responsive, representing deep personal needs to achieve security. The influence of the Moon is seen in our spontaneous and instinctive reactions to life situations and is also influential on our creativity and imaginative abilities and the influence of Water suit amplifies these traits.

Moon is the general archetypal voice behind the Eight, Nine and Ten of Water and because of this, all the above-mentioned traits will be intensified. 

The specific archetypal voice for this decan is represented by the combination of major arcana card Moon corresponding to Pisces plus major arcana card Wheel corresponding to Jupiter.

Astrological Decan Allocation

Happiness, the title of Nine of Water is the second decan of the astrological sign Pisces. This second decan of Pisces is ruled by Jupiter, which is allocated to the major arcana card Wheel.  

The effect of the Jupiter Pisces combination provides optimistic motivation for what you desire. 

The quality of foundation derived from Yesod creates a sense of security justifying the card’s title Happiness. This title is indicative that ambiguity and threat appear to have been eliminated.

With the astrological sign Pisces, we are approaching the conclusion of a cycle because Pisces is the final sign of the zodiac.

The closing of a cycle is the foundation of the following cycle. This is endorsed in this card because of the influence of its Yesod character.

Nine Water radiates an optimistic view of the future, the coming new cycle,  grounded on achieved stability as a result of Jupiter’s influence. A sense that all will be well, the root of Nine of Water’s title Happiness.

Considerations

Because of the strong sense of confidence and well-being represented by this card, there is always a possibility of a preoccupation with oneself.

Jupiter also exerts its influence through introducing traits of not being satisfied with limited ideas or achievements thus giving an impression of high-mindedness that others can perceive as self-assumption and vanity.

However,  keep in mind as with most things in life, not all is perhaps what it seems and Nine Water is no exception.

Major Arcana card Moon warns us we need to be cautious when entering new territory.

In tarot card Moon we witness “fear,” a result brought on by the loss of bicameral mind and the appearance of consciousness. No longer hearing the voices of ancestors and gods we feel abandoned. 

Personality Type

Tarot court card Knight of Water Knight of Cups is the human personality type behind Tarot Eight and Nine of Water. Here is a personality image best suited to exploit the appearance of Nine Water to one’s advantage. His dreamy and easygoing persona detracts from any personal traits of self-absorption.

Decan Signature

For greater clarification of Nine Water’s impact upon a tarot reading, listen for the specific bicameral voice of the decan triggered by the combination of major arcana cards Moon, corresponding to Pisces, and Wheel, corresponding to Jupiter and take note of the message they relay through the personality type represented by the Knight of Water.

Summary

Minor Arcana, Second Decan Pisces: Happiness.

Key Concepts: Support, justification, security, optimism.

Sephirothic Planetary Correspondence: Yesod (Moon): Emphasizes reflective and instinctive qualities.

Astrological Decan Allocation: Jupiter in Pisces: Encourages optimism and fulfilment.

Personality: Dreamy and easy-going, open to new experiences.

Considerations: Encourages mindfulness about preoccupation with self; balances confidence with caution in new ventures.

Tarot Ten Water, Ten Cups

Ten of Water Minor Arcana, Third Decan Pisces, Perpetual Success

Tarot Ten Water, Ten Cups. and each of the Minor Arcana cards numbered Ten exhibits qualities of accomplishment and a fixed completion of a project. Whether they are perceived as positive or negative will be determined by the surrounding cards and the reader’s viewpoint. This will become apparent through a closer examination of the context. This is because Ten is the number of Malkuth whose title is Kingdom, the final sphere representing the physical universe on the QBL Tree of Life.

Sephirothic Planetary Correspondence

The planetary quality of Malkuth is the Earth itself and each of the minor arcana cards numbered “Ten” will express qualities of a grounding nature, an achievement whether good or bad, coloured by a card’s elemental suit: fire, water, air, and earth as well as it’s associated planetary decan. The planetary ruler third decan Pisces is Mars.

In Astrology, the energies of Earth are conservative and practical, conducive qualities for coming into being. The influence of the Earth is a crystallization of our journey or work into a physical reality: a point of focus where all becomes clear within a matrix of life situations.

Our physical attributes and capabilities are intertwined with the Earth, and when paired with the influence of the Tarot Water suit, they can result in a creative and fulfilling evolution symbolized by the card’s name, Perpetual Success.

The Ten of Water is represented by the Moon card from the major arcana, symbolizing fear and hidden dangers. Therefore, we must remember that no situation is permanent. It is crucial to take the right steps as we navigate our life, transforming it into a rich and meaningful tapestry.

The fear element associated with the Major Arcana Moon card stems from its path, represented by the Hebrew letter Qoph on the QBL Tree of Life. This path is a leap from Malkuth (10) to Netzach (7). The Moon spontaneously traverses all the paths and spheres in between, encompassing and focusing all teachings and experiences in one monumental leap.

Astrological Decan Allocation

Perpetual Success is the title of the tarot card corresponding to the third decan of the astrological sign Pisces ruled by Mars. The effect of the Mars Pisces combination provides a motivated desire for artistic expression, not for worldly gain but for catharsis, for one’s self and others

With the appearance of this card, we sense we are an embryo within the shell of an egg at the point of exploding out of our protective environment onto the stage of a greater world. Consciousness evokes memory and so comes our ability to learn from our past to impact our future. The card represents both the euphoria and apprehension that comes with the challenges of new opportunities for advancement. We may fear we are not up to the job but we know that not taking the challenge leads to stagnation and death. The natural world teaches us that life is not stationary but expansive.

The eggshell symbolizes the accumulated achievements of past cycles, forming a protective mindset. This allows our growth into a new being at a fresh stage of development.

Here is the danger in this card: preoccupation with achievements at the expense of ignoring where we need to improve. This attitude inevitably leads to a comfortable environment that we are reluctant to move beyond tantamount to a self-imposed prison. Although it may be a comfortable prison, it is still a prison. For our continuing progression the shell has to be perceived as an adventure, a challenge to our ongoing journey that only “we” are bequeathed to accomplish. 

The embryo is the vital burning self anxious to be born and move forward proving its right to exist.  The violent planetary ruler Mars assists in this escape. See Major Arcana cardTower.

In many ways, Ten of Water is an overview of “coming of age stories” where there is no conclusion and where death is synonymous with birth: a constant state of becoming.

Tarot Ten Water Considerations

Perpetual Success means having the courage to follow our desire for the sake of following it, unimpeded by our material obsessions or the restrictions of society’s expectations that we may live within.

In the third and final decan of the astrological sign Pisces, we reach the end of a cycle as Pisces is the last sign of the zodiac.

A completed cycle is the Mother of the following cycle emphasized in this card through the influence of its Malkuth ten character. 

Tarot Princess cards are allocated to Malkuth and with each Princess we witness a vehicle having the potential to receive the seed of the future and become a mother. She thus becomes a Tarot Queen, giving birth to the following cycle.

Personality Type

Queen of Fire is the personality type associated with Ten of Water.

She often radiates the delicacy of a rainbow. Yet, when opposed, she can express the aggression of a lioness in relentless pursuit of her desires. With this Queen as our protector, we unlock the ultimate personality formula. It empowers us to break free from mediocrity and baggage. This transformation allows us to envision any future we desire for ourselves.

In the Tarot of the Morning Star deck, these qualities are represented by the Sumerian goddess Istar. However, she can also be portrayed as the Ancient Greek goddess Pallas Athena, who is famously known for springing fully armed from the brain of Zeus.

Decan Signature

For greater clarification of Ten Water’s impact upon a tarot reading, listen for the specific bicameral ancestral voice of this decan which is the combination of major arcana cards Moon allocated to Pisces and Tower allocated to Mars projected through the human personality type of the Queen of Fire and reflect on the message you receive.

Summary

Minor Arcana Third Decan Pisces: Perpetual Success

Key Concepts: Accomplishment, completeness, new beginnings.

Sephirothic Planetary Correspondence: Malkuth** (Earth): Grounding and practical qualities.

Astrological Decan Allocation: Mars in Pisces**: Motivates artistic expression and self-discovery.

Personality: Embodied by Queen of Fire. Balances delicate emotional expression with fierce determination.

Considerations: Emphasizes courage to pursue desires beyond material and societal constraints. Encourages ongoing self-development.

Additional Considerations

To gain a deeper understanding of each card’s influence during a tarot reading, focus on their Decan signatures. Observe how these signatures resonate with major arcana combinations and personality archetypes.