Decan
Tarot glossary
Decans come from ancient Egyptian star-timekeeping and later entered Greek astrology as the three ten-degree parts of each sign, 36 around the zodiac. The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn gave each to one of the 36 numbered cards from Two to Ten, in sign order beginning with Leo, and gave each decan a ruling planet. So the Five of Wands is Saturn in Leo and the Two of Wands is Mars in Aries. These pairings are printed on Thoth cards and lie behind many Rider–Waite–Smith meanings. They are not part of the original deck. See tarot and astrology.
