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Already here to Gemini decan 3? Gemini decan 2 flew by! The image above is the original line drawing for the Ten of Swords, known as the Lord of Ruin.

Cadent or declining decan of Gemini.

Gemini is ruled my Mercury; decan 3 is ruled by the Sun; Tens correspond to the Earth. This decan is the last before the Summer Solstice, when the daylight will be at its longest but the days will start getting shorter again. Already??? It’s hinting at the decline of the Sun to come.

It is one of the more sinister looking cards in many decks. It often signifies breakdowns, endings, or death; symbolic and otherwise.

Cadent decan of Gemini: A man in mail, armoured with bow, arrows, and quiver.

The mailed figure in this image could be Orion, whose constellation is next to Gemini in the sky (shown in the image.) Or it could be one of a number of mythological twins.

In Egypt, the stars of Orion the hunter were associated with the god Sah, who was syncretized with Osiris, lord of the dead.  The constellation Orion is right next to that of the constellation Gemini, shining pale in the daytime sky behind the figure. The stars pf Gemini distinctly show two beings, twins. Most often we think of these as Castor and Pollux – one mortal and one immortal. Yet history has many stories of twins or brothers, polarities of light and darkness, one of whom is often slain, sometimes by the other. Castor is associated with the morning star, Pollux to the evening. Celtic mythology has twins Dylan and Lleu, as darkness and light respectively. Genesis has the sons of Adam and Eve; Cain who was cursed for killing his brother Abel. Persian tradition has the good or wisdom god Ahura Mazda (Ohrmuzd) and the evil or destructive demon Angra Mainyu (Ahriman) as twin spirits engendered from primordial Zurvan, god of infinite time and space.

The image also tells the story of Horus and Set, eternally battling over the right for kingship. It is a symbolic battle of light and darkness. In this decan there are both. Solar Horus represents the decan ruler in the Chaldean system, while Set has connotations of Saturn, the triplicity ruler. The hilts of the two swords closest to the foreground have the heads of Set and Horus, facing each other. The slain twin points at the Set sword with his left hand, while in his right hand is a hidden Sun.

Now, if this card appears it does not signify impending death, though it can, even more than the Death card. Most often though it is about the end of something, not necessarily mortality. It is numerically the last card of the Swords suit, so it often comes with some sort of breakdown of logic and reason. It may be the sacrifice of a choice. One twin (one choice) must die; such is the mythology of Castor and Pollux. There is finality; the Oak King has been sacrificed for the land.  There is a symbolic battle of light and darkness. It has the sense that it is darkest before the dawn – but the sun always rises.

There is a humorous saying in my neck of the woods “Dawn breaks on Marblehead,” referring to that moment when something that should have been obvious finally penetrates the dense mind. Maybe it was obvious to everyone but you, that something must end, and it finally gets through,

Though it has decidedly negative associations of endings and sacrifice, it can also signify the end of delusions. If calamity occurs or has occurred, look within, especially at your choices. It is time to give it up, break it off, or end something so that new beginnings can arise.

There are a few magical practices I associate with this decan. Here are two to consider: the Buddhist meditations and contemplation on death, such as the Satipatthana Sutta, and the recitation of Liber Resh vel Helios, the solar adoration said to alleviate fear of death and put one in touch with “that which remains.”