The First Decan of Libra

This is the first ten-degree segment of Libra, the cardinal air sign, spanning 0 to 10 degrees. Its ruler in the Chaldean order of faces is the Moon, following the continuous sequence of the seven planets around the thirty-six decans. The decans are the oldest stratum of astrology, beginning as thirty-six Egyptian stars whose risings marked the ten-day weeks of the year and were absorbed into the Greek zodiac as ten-degree subdivisions of the signs only later.

The Golden Dawn of 1888 assigned the thirty-six minor arcana to the decans in order; this segment bears the Two of Swords, titled Peace or Peace Restored, its Moon-in-Libra planet taken from the face ruler, the balanced air sign and the twos of the mental suit matching the card's image of a tense, held equilibrium. That tarot correspondence is a modern Western overlay on the far older decan scheme, not a feature of the Egyptian or Hellenistic decan material.