Succedent Decan of Cancer: A beautiful woman wreathed with myrtle. She holds a lyre and sings of love and gladness.

We just passed the 10th degree of Cancer, so now we are firmly in Cancer decan 2. Cancer: ruled by the Moon. Cancer decan 2 ruled by Mercury in the Chaldean order used in tarot; under the triplicity system it would be Mars. Threes ruled by Saturn.

The artistic inspiration for the figure was goddess Saraswati, she of the great river who has many Mercury-like attributes.  Her name in Sanskrit includes saras, which can mean both “pooling waters” and “speech,” and “vati,” meaning she who possesses. Thus, she is known as “one with plenty of water,” and as “she who possesses speech.”

She has many of the gifts associated with Mercury/Hermes. Like Hermes she is a deity of learning, the arts and sciences, music, poetry, languages, and culture.  She is also associated with both purity and motherhood. In her four arms, she normally holds prayer beads, a waterpot, a book, and an instrument called a veena which is in the same family as the lyre. Here she keeps the instrument and holds aloft three cups. In the background, the three major light-emitting lunar phases are shown.

The 36 Airs deity for the Cancer 2 decan is Herakles, “Hera’s Glory” of the abundant exploits and labors. In my book I explain that in association with this card, I think there may be some correspondence to a similar figure known as Herakles Mel-kart, a Phoenician precursor to Herakles who was the source of many of the Herakles Greek myths.

The deity per 777 is Hecate. Some depictions of Hecate show her as three-faced or triple-bodied, as guardian of the three-way crossroads, just as the herm pillar of Hermes (Mercury) honored Mercury at crossroads. .  Like Hermes, she helped Demeter navigate the underworld in search of Persephone, guiding her with her torches, and having keys to open the gates of Hades and Tartarus. Some of her many epithets include Trimorphe, “three-formed,” Propylaia “before the gate,” Aglaos “bright and beautiful,” Erototokos, “bearer of love,” and Soteria, “savior.”

Where the Picatrix mentioned Cancer decan 1 for summoning rain, Cancer decan 2 can be used to banish it. I imagine this might be as the Picatrix text uses triplicity rulers, in this case, Mars (fiery and drying).

But we use Chaldean ruler Mercury. Magically speaking, this is a face for matters of abundance and increase, of riches and friendship, and the protection and nurturing of growing things. It is associated with mirth, joy, and celebrations, especially gatherings of female relations and friends. Games, gladness, jollity, and singing, are positively affected. It is a card of gestation and ripening fecundity: Abundance.

It reminds me of an affirmation said to create a feedback loop that creates abundance: “I give eternal thanks, for abundance that is mine.” I forget where I first heard it, but it is a good one to practice when you can.

That decan ruler Mercury is capricious, and has chthonic associations, and with the Threes corresponding to Saturn, is a reminder to enjoy the good times and experience gratitude for them, but not to cling to them: the ol’ doctrine of impermanence and change. Celebrate it, toast to it, be thankful, and enjoy it while it lasts!