Aries III

The Four of Wands/Decan 3 of 36/ April 9-19

Venus in Mars’ temple. Venus is the ruler of the decan, yet an exile in the sign

Aries III: 9 April - 19 April

20°00’ - 29°59’ Aries

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Your decan journey continues as Venus enters into the temple of Mars, I welcome you both into Aries III. This place may be familiar to you, but it is far from Venus’ home in Libra. In this decan, she has a fiery story to share, a sultry fable shared with strangers around a ceremonial fire in a far away place.

If you just started your decan walk, you may be sympathetic to the unfamiliar territory that Venus is traversing. Things may seem unfamiliar, you don’t know where to find anything but there’s an excitement to the adventure. No one knows you here, and that’s the liberating piece. In Ancient Astrology, the theory of planetary dignity assigns certain signs the “home” of certain planets.

Mars is at home in the Temples of Aries & Scorpio.

The signs opposite these signs are the home Temples of Venus: Libra & Taurus

So when a planet is far away from home, it experiences unfamiliar circumstances & its condition is called “Exile” or “Detriment”. Consider the following circumstance for yourself: Imagine you are traveling to a foreign place with nothing but the clothes on your back & the wits about you. Having access to resources for the things you need is not readily available to you. You just may not operate at the same speed as the rest of the characters in this new land. The customs that everyone else seems to understand feel foreign to you & there’s conflict of whether you should conform to their ways or stay true to your own. What this will do is make you resourceful, suspicious, alert, expectant, it might force you to develop the ability to ask for help or train you to simply do without. On the other hand, you don’t have the same expectations or obligations as the natives of the sign. You aren’t beholden to the customs or ideas shared, so your perspective of their original condition can be seen with a clear, unconditional vision. This can create conflict, alienation but also aliveness and identity.

I remember flying home through a storm from a work conference many states away & the flight ended up having to be redirected to a city 3 hours away from my own. Luckily, I had friends somewhat close and was able to get a taxi to their house. My luggage wasn’t with me, just my purse & no plans. I hung out with the friends until 4 am, sitting on their 100 year old house's wrap around porch drinking lemon drops & watching the wild storm pass us by because WHAT ELSE TO DO? I was a mom of a young child at that time but my child was hours away (safely with my husband) and the liberation of not being in “mom mode”, not being able to work or needing to do household chores, bedtime routine etc…I didn’t “have” to do anything and so I could just hang out on a stormy porch all night with friends and drink.

That was an Aries III moment.

When Alexis de Tocqueville came to America in the 1850s, he used his outsider, observer perspective to write “Democracy in America” in a way that only a stranger could write. Not being rooted in customs, or even fully invested in outcomes of a particular place can liberate you in a detached way. This is Venus in Aries, a fiery Goddess held a bit captive by the heat of Mars’ passion. ¹

Remember: Decans are a 10 day “week” and at some point during that decan/week if you take the time to honor the things you’re noticing, that is all that is asked of you. Stay calm and keep walking.

Take a pause during this the third “week” of the decan walk to see the environment around you. The Sun is here, illuminating the tension of Venus-Mars. If you consider that the Sun is traveling a new decan in your chart, do you feel that classic tension in the area of life that Aries represents for you? You’re 3 weeks into an Aries story so far & where have those Aries threads been leading you? Has something of your own found it’s voice? You are at liberty to string those threads onto an instrument & sing a sensuous song. This is a passionate decan where you may be called to marry the Venus theme with the Mars theme in a ritualistic way, like a royal ceremony. This decan seeks to solidify the union of worlds after the conquest & governance of the previous two Aries decans. A ritual may devour the tension between the opposing forces here and deepen what began at the start of this walk.

Have you ever performed a ritual for love?

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Aries III:

Tarot card: Four of Wands

Aries III

Planetary Ruler: MARS

Decan Ruler: VENUS

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Aries III is charming, expressive, magnetic, frustrated, desirous, humorous, jovial, liberated, charismatic

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Austin Coppock names it “The Burning Rose”

The Golden Dawn titled it “Completion”

Teucer of Babylon writes that natives born in “the third decan will have many toils, being involved in dangers & imprisonments, and due to hatreds it makes them leaving their home country in their youth and returning late and being separate from it again. For the most part, they have no children”²

The Empress card (Venus) & The Emperor card (Aries)

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Decan Transit:

Venus will have just left this decan (last month) and is now in her earthy home temple of Taurus. She will be connecting mostly with Jupiter in Cancer & the Moon as it travels.

On April 13th, Venus will sextile Jupiter in a beautiful connection of the two benefics.

30 minutes after the exact sextile, the moon will move into Pisces. The moon here will apply to a sextile to Venus & a trine to the Jupiter. I mention this because all three of these planets are in nice positions with each other. They’re getting along. Cancer is ruled by the Moon & Jupiter. Taurus is ruled by Venus & the Moon. Pisces is ruled by both Jupiter & Venus.

Venus & the Moon are in each other’s exalted signs while Jupiter is exalted already. This two day transit of the two benefics coming together in a hopeful sextile with a flowing Pisces moon translating that goodness is a blessing during this time. All of this while the Sun is traveling through Venus’ decan.

We get something a little similar later in the year, when the Sun is in Mars’ other temple of Scorpio…but that’s for another post

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Natal Chart Consideration:

In your own chart, look to see if you have any planets or points in 20°00' - 29°59’ Aries. The Sun will be traveling through & activating these degrees. Also consider if you have your natal Venus in aspect to 20°00’ - 29°59’ Aries: Venus in Libra will oppose the Sun; Venus in Leo & Sagittarius will trine the Sun; Venus in Capricorn & Cancer will square the Sun; Venus in Gemini & Aquarius will sextile the Sun.

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Personal Work:

Being the final decan in Aries, there is a sense of closure here. The Sun is here but once a year and the Sun exalts in this sign. It’s why its energizing during this season, because the Sun has a good time in Aries. Maybe it seems too soon to wrap up a story, time does begin to feel accelerating as the Sun grows in the sky. Take the time to perform a meaningful ritual, a hand fasting to what you hold important, a commitment to keeping two powerful forces in a harmony or cooperation. Whatever you’ve been working on during Aries, take a moment to ritualize what has been illumined. Add a complimentary glow up to the idea that you’ve born. Give it some red lipstick and an iced coffee. Buy your idea a new notebook & pens. Take your idea out for an invigorating night out to an art show, stand up improv & late night train ride. Let your Aries ideas run a bit wild, give them open pasture & find the edges of inspiration. Live a sultry fable of your own.

If you’re writing during this decan, here are some journal prompts for this steamy scene in the decan story:

• What characters are showing up around you? Are they helpers, agitators, critics, fans? What conversations are you having that are challenging/empowering. Is everyone getting your jokes?

• Do you have a sense of place right now, do you feel at home? Are you drawn to wear a mask or disguise to role play as a stranger in a strange land? Do you desire the potential of anonymity?

• How’s your head? Headaches or migraines? If the tension of these days becomes too much, how can you clear your mind? How can you play within your circumstance? Is gallows humor creeping in? What’s your pressure release valve and IS IT FUN?

If you began a project during Aries I, continued to build it out in Aries II, find the champagne bottle to ceremoniously smash it against the project in Aries III.

For further connection to Venus, as the decan ruler, you can focus your practice on the Venus’ Day (Friday) & Venus’ Hour. Two Fridays, April 10th & April 17 are the two Venus days during this decan and you can work within Venus’ hours on any day. Find the planetary hours for your location with this link: Planetary Hours Calculator Link Bonus points for choosing Venus’ hour ON her day for a special honor. She likes flowers btw.

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Resource Articles:

If you need resources, go to the Aries I article where I’ve linked the starter pack. More resources will be shared through the year on the main page.

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As a part of this project, I’ve invited new writers to share their voice on a decan. To close out this post, I hope that you will check out Marvelous Tarot‘s wisdom

Marvelous Tarot | Aries III

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Thank you for constellating with me

End Credits:

Aries III Natives

10 April William Pulitzer 11 April Septimius Severus 12 April Grenville M. Dodge 13 April Guy Fawkes 14 April Loretta Lynn 15 April Leonardo Da Vinci 16 April Charlie Chaplin 17 April Victoria Beckham 18 April Conan O’Brien 19 April Maria Sharapova

1. Interestingly, Alexis de Tocqueville died during this decan.

2. RHETORIUS OF EGYPT “Astrological Compendium” p 169