Placements · Aries decans
Aries decans: one spark, three ways to burn
Every Aries starts things. The decan says how: the pure Mars push, the Leo glow, or the Sagittarius sprint toward the horizon.
Urania's Mirror, London 1824 · Library of Congress
At a glance
Aries 1st decan: Mar 20 to Mar 29. 2nd decan: Mar 30 to Apr 9. 3rd decan: Apr 10 to Apr 19.
- 1st decan, 0° to 10°
- Aries · MarsTwo of Wands, Dominion · Mars
- 2nd decan, 10° to 20°
- Leo · SunThree of Wands, Established Strength · Sun
- 3rd decan, 20° to 30°
- Sagittarius · JupiterFour of Wands, Perfected Work · Venus
Aries · fire · cardinal
Why two Aries can feel like different signs
Try this today
- Read only your own decan first and notice your gut reaction before you peek at the other two.
- Ask an Aries friend which decan they are before you tell them what it means. Guessing is half the fun.
You know the Aries who cannot stand a queue, and the Aries who turns every queue into a stage. Same Sun sign. Different decan.
A decan is a 10-degree third of a sign. Aries runs from 0° to 30°, so it has three: 0° to 10°, 10° to 20°, and 20° to 30°. Most modern books lend each slice to a fire sign, starting from Aries itself: Aries, then Leo, then Sagittarius.
That makes Aries the cleanest test case for the whole idea. The first decan is Aries squared, the sign with nothing added. The second softens the edge with a Leo warmth that wants to be seen. The third aims all that fire at somewhere far away.
None of this rewrites who you are. Think of it as a zoom lens: the Sun sign is the photo, the decan is where the focus lands.
The sky behind it
Longitude 0° to 30°. 2026 lines: Mar 20, 2026, 14:45 UTC, Mar 30, 2026, 16:58 UTC, Apr 9, 2026, 20:40 UTC. The 3rd decan holds the Sun longest here, 10.21 days.
Two of Wands, Dominion
1st decan Aries: Mars, unfiltered
Try this today
- Pick one thing you have been circling for weeks and start it within the hour. Start badly. That is allowed.
- Before your next disagreement, count to ten. Not to cool down, just to hear the other side land.
The first ten degrees of the zodiac are the starting gun. In the triplicity system this decan belongs to Aries itself, so its sub-ruler is Mars, the same planet that rules the whole sign. Double Mars, if you like.
This is the most direct Aries of all: quick to decide, quick to act, quick to forgive once the argument is over. The gift is courage on short notice. The lesson tends to be patience, especially with people who need a minute to think.
Mars gets this face in the older Chaldean scheme as well, and the Golden Dawn paired it with the Two of Wands, Dominion: a figure holding a globe, looking out from a castle wall. Both traditions land on the same note: the moment before the first step, when the whole road is still yours.
Typical birthdays: March 20 to March 29.
The sky behind it
Mar 20, 2026, 14:45 UTC to Mar 30, 2026, 16:58 UTC; Mar 20, 2027, 20:24 UTC. March 20-21 · 10.10 days · 23.0 min (New York). Neptune Jan 26, 2026 to past Dec 31, 2027; Saturn Feb 14, 2026 to May 8, 2026; Saturn Oct 21, 2026 to Jan 28, 2027 (retrograde).
Three of Wands, Established Strength
2nd decan Aries: the Leo glow
Try this today
- Share something you made this week, unfinished. Notice who cheers and how good that feels.
- Give someone else the spotlight on purpose once this week. A Leo-flavoured Aries is at its best lighting other people up.
Between 10° and 20° of Aries, the fire picks up a Leo tint. The sub-ruler is the Sun, which gives this decan a reputation for warmth, pride and a soft spot for an audience.
Where the first decan wants to win, the second wants the win to mean something. Expect natural hosts and generous leaders, the friend who organises the trip and then makes sure everyone is in the photo. The shadow side is the Leo one: taking criticism personally and needing the applause a little too much.
Here the Chaldean face agrees: Sun again. The Three of Wands, Established Strength, shows a figure on a cliff watching ships already under sail. The work is begun; now it gets to shine.
Typical birthdays: March 30 to April 9.
The sky behind it
Mar 30, 2026, 16:58 UTC to Apr 9, 2026, 20:40 UTC; Mar 30, 2027, 22:41 UTC. March 30-31 · 10.16 days · 23.6 min (New York). Saturn May 8, 2026 to Oct 21, 2026; Saturn Jan 28, 2027 to Apr 26, 2027.
Four of Wands, Perfected Work
3rd decan Aries: Sagittarius on the horizon
Try this today
- Write down the big why behind your current project in one sentence. Tape it where you will see it on a bad day.
- Finish one thing before you start the next. Jupiter loves a launch; Venus loves a finish.
At 20° the archer takes over, and Jupiter becomes the sub-ruler. The fire stops being about the next five minutes and starts being about the next five years.
This is the Aries most likely to start a project because of a belief, to book the flight first and figure out the rest on the plane. Its reputation is an optimistic, philosophical streak and a love of learning by doing. The risk is the Jupiter one: overpromising, or chasing the next horizon before finishing the last.
Old and new systems split here. Venus holds the Chaldean face, bringing charm and taste to all that motion, while the Four of Wands, Perfected Work, shows a garland strung between four staves: a celebration, a finished frame, a home base worth coming back to.
Typical birthdays: April 10 to April 19.
The sky behind it
Apr 9, 2026, 20:40 UTC to Apr 20, 2026, 01:39 UTC; Apr 10, 2027, 02:14 UTC. April 9-10 · 10.21 days · 24.6 min (New York). Saturn Apr 26, 2027 to past Dec 31, 2027.
Find yours
Which Aries decan are you?
0° to 30° of longitude; 71 minutes to rise over New York, 52 London, 143 Sydney, 111 equator.
What do you have?
Already have a chart? Type the sign and degree of any placement: Sun, Moon, Ascendant, Venus, anything.
7°00′ Aries is in the Aries 1st decan.
Your placement
Aries 1st decan
0° to 10° of Aries
Triplicity decan: Aries, ruled by Mars.
Chaldean face: Mars. Tarot (Golden Dawn): Two of Wands, “Dominion”.
More to read
Shorter reads. Each opens in place.
In real life
Aries decans in love
Late-March Aries flirts by challenge: a race, a debate, a dare. Early-April Aries prefers grand gestures and wants to be adored right back. Mid-April Aries falls for people who make life feel like an adventure, and gets restless once it turns into routine. Honesty beats games for every ram. If you are dating an Aries, the fastest way to their heart is still the direct one.
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2026 to 2027
Slow planets in Aries's decans
Neptune, 0° to 10°: Jan 26, 2026 to past Dec 31, 2027.
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Saturn, 0° to 10°: Feb 14, 2026 to May 8, 2026.
Saturn, 0° to 10°: Oct 21, 2026 to Jan 28, 2027, returning by retrograde.
Saturn, 10° to 20°: May 8, 2026 to Oct 21, 2026.
Saturn, 10° to 20°: Jan 28, 2027 to Apr 26, 2027.
Saturn, 20° to 30°: Apr 26, 2027 to past Dec 31, 2027.
Quick answers
What decan am I if I'm an Aries?
March 20 to March 29: Aries. March 30 to April 9: Leo. April 10 to April 19: Sagittarius.
Which Aries decan is the strongest?
None is stronger, they are different. The 1st decan is the most purely Mars, so it is often called the most typical Aries. The 2nd adds Leo warmth and the 3rd adds Sagittarius vision. Strength in astrology depends on the whole chart, not one decan.
Do Aries decans matter for compatibility?
They can add nuance. A 2nd decan Aries often clicks easily with Leo energy, a 3rd decan with Sagittarius energy. For a real compatibility read, compare whole charts: Moon, Venus and Mars say more about a relationship than a Sun decan.
