Part II observations of the decan: The days have been strangely quiet, but it is winter here.
While there are all too many examples of the wealth, power, and avarice associated with the Four of Disks in the media, especially as applied to rulers and CEOs, in daily life not so much. Well, not so much wealth and power anyway, though I’m well aware it is all relative. There is a fair share of avarice occasionally though.
I have been aware of my own craving for material things – though mostly it is just noticing things that I wish I had but cannot afford, or for some reason will likely never have. Things that would increase my quality of life, or so I think in the moment of craving.
I associate the Devil, major arcana of Capricorn, with craving, and life force.
Excerpt from Scions of 777:
“The Devil’s groin area is covered by the face of a horned Green Man, whose overlong protruding tongue suggests the erect male member. Many medieval depictions show gastrocephalic devils and demons with a leering or voracious face over the belly or groin area, or the phallus replaced by a serpent. The face over the belly or groin was said to represent the intelligence descending to the lower half of the body, or surrendering to base instincts. The open mouths of the faces show craving for things of this world; the cycle of Saṃsāra that leads to physical rebirth.
The mouth is also a reference to the Tower (letter Peh, mouth), called the “House of God,” which is also the “House of the Devil.” The Tower is Mars, the planet exalted in the Devil’s sign of Capricorn.
The entire gateway behind him, bordered by Dionysian vines, looks a bit like a fanged mouth. But it is also a reference to one of the Devil’s Hermetic titles: Lord of the Gates of Matter, the controller of desires causing birth into the material world. It is also not the “gate” of matter, it is the gates of matter, which are myriad. A small duplicate of the large gate is mirrored below, showing the spiral of DNA, incarnation’s building blocks.”
The Sun rules the decan, and is also associated with life force. I’ve been being pretty good during this time to foster health-giving habits of fresh air, activity, and proper rest. Health is wealth, and all that. It really is true and something you don’t always appreciate until you or someone you love isn’t healthy. Then all those material things no longer seem so important, and one is ready to give it all up, if only health was restored. Something one learns over time and with age (Capricorn); it takes many trips around the Sun (in other words, birthdays) for that lesson to sink in. Wealth and power can help with quality of life, until they can’t.
The Sun in this decan is in my 12th house, so it is all behind the scenes. Next decan the Sun moves into my first house, and usually that feels a lot different.