Western astrology methods

Decans and Faces

Three ten-degree sectors and declared face-ruler sequences. This guide gives a reproducible rule, worked example, illustrative near miss, and explicit limits.

Term
Decans and Faces

Editorially reviewed: · Reviewed by OpenFate · Editorial Methodology

Overview

Decans divide each sign into three ten-degree sectors, while face rulers depend on a stated Chaldean or alternative scheme and should not be confused with modern sign decan narratives. The page separates calculation from interpretation and keeps this worked result conditional: the placement is in Leo’s third face, assigned to Mars in the declared sequence. Verification follows this declared method: Map 0°–9°59′, 10°–19°59′, or 20°–29°59′ using full precision, then show the selected sequence and ruler.

At a glance

Topic
Decans and Faces
Method family
Decans and Faces · traditional and specialist methods
Case inputs
23°♌; Chaldean face sequence declared; zero-based degree interval 20°–30°
Measured finding
the placement is in Leo’s third face, assigned to Mars in the declared sequence
School frame
Decans and Faces · traditional procedural method
OpenFate tools
Decans and Faces · knowledge reference only

Definition and exact scope

decans divide each sign into three ten-degree sectors, while face rulers depend on a stated Chaldean or alternative scheme and should not be confused with modern sign decan narratives

Calculation or decision rule

map 0°–9°59′, 10°–19°59′, or 20°–29°59′ using full precision, then show the selected sequence and ruler

Worked case and illustrative near miss

23°♌; Chaldean face sequence declared; zero-based degree interval 20°–30°. the placement is in Leo’s third face, assigned to Mars in the declared sequence.

Illustrative near miss: Calling 23° Leo the second face by counting sign sections from 1° rather than the 0° boundary.

School and variant boundary

Tables and procedures differ by author, era, translation, and sect; the selected authority must remain visible.

Product, safety, and verification boundary

OpenFate presents Decans and Faces as a sourced knowledge method and does not claim a dedicated calculator or generated reading for it. Verification retains failed measurements and uncertainty, then revises interpretation rather than the receipt. Decans and Faces cannot diagnose a person, remove consent, or guarantee an event.

Sources and editorial basis

  1. NCGR-PAA Level II Curriculum
    PDF pp. 4–5, lines 104–119, “Classical Astrology — Beyond the Basics”.A professional curriculum naming sign classifications, five levels of rulership, reception, dispositors, sect, minor aspects, declination, antiscia, fixed stars, lots, and time-lord systems.
  2. William Lilly: Christian Astrology, Books I and II
    Book I, dignity tables pp. 104–105 and p. 112 definition; face/decan rulership.A public scan of a seventeenth-century primary text used to verify Lilly-era terminology, tables, and worked rules without presenting that historical system as universal.
Was this article helpful?

Search the Wiki