The Second Decan of Pisces

This is the second ten-degree segment of Pisces, the mutable water sign, spanning 10 to 20 degrees. Its ruler in the Chaldean order of faces is Jupiter, the traditional ruler of Pisces, so here the face ruler and the sign's own ruler coincide. Historically the decan is the most ancient layer of the tradition: the thirty-six were Egyptian stars, painted on Middle Kingdom coffin lids as a night-clock, and were fitted into the twelve zodiac signs only after Babylonian astrology reached Egypt.

The Golden Dawn of 1888 assigned the thirty-six minor arcana to the decans; this segment bears the Nine of Cups, titled Happiness, its Jupiter-in-Pisces planet taken from the face ruler, benevolent Jupiter at home in the water sign giving the traditional wish card its abundant contentment. The tarot mapping is a modern overlay laid over the far older decan scheme rather than part of the inherited astronomy.