The third decan of Taurus, spanning from May 11th to May 20th, is a unique segment of this zodiac sign. Ruled by Saturn and influenced by a multitude of fixed stars, this decan boasts individuals who are both grounded and deeply creative. This part of Taurus is home to bohemians and temperamental, artistic types due to it being jam-packed with so many challenging/volatile/inspiring stars.
Planetary Influence: Saturn's Guiding Hand
Taurus decan 3 is ruled by Saturn (Capricorn triplicity.) It is appropriate that the dark lord of time Saturn rules this decan twice over since Taurus 3 contains the infamous star Algol. Saturn, the planet of discipline and structure, lends a unique flavor to this earthy sign.
Ptolemy associated all the stars in Eridanus the River with Saturn (Achernar is the exception). It brings into this decan the love of science and a need to experiment and quantify. These people are clever enough to realise they must underpin their go-with-the-flow lifestyle with a solid structure. On the surface, they can seem flaky as hell, but these people actually do have a backbone, you can lean on them pretty hard and they don’t snap.
Decan 3 bovines then are much less set in their ways than the classic Taurus archetype because of the influence of the dashing hero Perseus here. Taurus 3 can be daring, but they are still very much fixed in their determination to pursue their dream.
Fixed Stars of Taurus Decan 3
The sun twists and turns through the constellations of the Ram, the River, Perseus the hero, Queen Cassiopeia, Medusa’s head and some of the Pleiades from May 11 to 20. This part of Taurus is home to bohemians and temperamental, artistic types due to it being jam-packed with so many challenging/volatile/inspiring stars. Most of these stars are incredibly emotional since we also have so many weeping sisters of the Pleiades.
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This decan is heavily influenced by a variety of fixed stars, each adding its own unique energy to the mix. Here's a list of the prominent fixed stars within Taurus Decan 3:
Taurus Decan 3 Fixed Stars
- Taurus 20º 51’ ~ Botein in the flank of Aries the Ram 4.5
- Taurus 20º 52’ ~ Rana in Eridanus the River 3.7
- Taurus 23º 52’ ~ Zaurak in Eridanus the River 3.2
- Taurus 24º 12’ ~ Capulus in the sword hand of Perseus 4.4
- Taurus 24º 46’ ~ Segin in the left knee of Queen Cassiopeia 3.4
- Taurus 26º 09′ ~ Alpha Caelum in Caelum the Sculptor’s Chisel 4.5
- Taurus 26º 10’ ~ Algol in Medusa’s Head 2.1
- Taurus 27º 41′ ~ Misam in the left arm of Perseus 4.0
- Taurus 28º 42 ~ Miram in the right arm of Perseus 3.9
- Taurus 29º 25’ ~ Electra in the Pleiades on the shoulder of Taurus the Bull 3.8
- Taurus 29º 26′ ~ Celaeno in the Pleiades on the shoulder of Taurus the Bull 5.4
- Taurus 29º 26′ ~ Beid in Eridanus the River 4.1
- Taurus 29º 34′ ~ Taygeta in the Pleiades on the shoulder of Taurus the Bull 4.4
- Taurus 29º 41′ ~ Maia in the Pleiades on the shoulder of Taurus the Bull 4.0
- Taurus 29º 42′ ~ Merope in the Pleiades on the shoulder of Taurus the Bull 4.2
- Taurus 29º 44′ ~ Asterope & Sterope in the Pleiades on the shoulder of Taurus the Bull 5.8
- Taurus 29º 53′ ~ Theemim in Eridanus the River 3.
* Magnitude. Star positions are for the year 2000
One of the most notable stars is Algol in Medusa's Head, known for its intense and sometimes challenging energy.
Taurus decan 3 has a tinge of sorrow and melancholy about it since some of the stars here are associated with tears (Electra) and pain. (Algol). Saturn being the ruler here is also no stranger to melancholia, but combined with Taurus it gives great stoicism.
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There is a theme of precious metal here when you look at the stars. So as well as the obvious artists of Taurus 3 there can also be money-lenders and porn-brokers. There are inheritance and sorrow connected with money, so Taurus 3 has to be aware of greed and excess turning in on itself and becoming destructive. Fame can also breed indolence and entitlement. Maybe the hard lesson for Taurus decan 3 to learn is that money doesn’t buy happiness.
The Astrology of Algol: The REAL Meaning Behind the Most Infamous Fixed Star in the Sky
Characteristics of Taurus Decan 3 Individuals
People born under this decan often possess a unique blend of traits:
- Chivalrous and Sophisticated: They have impeccable manners and a great deal of class.
- Artistic and Creative: They possess superb taste and appreciation of the aesthetic.
- Thrifty and Resourceful: They are incredibly thrifty and can be creative on a tiny budget.
- Determined Dreamers: Taurus 3 can be daring, but they are still very much fixed in their determination to pursue their dream.
Artistic Alchemy & Life’s Troopers
Perhaps Taurus 3 are so creative precisely because they are faced with restrictions and hardship. Ironically, with more choice and a larger budget, they are more likely to stagnate artistically. They seem to enjoy the challenge of having someone or something to overcome, like Perseus slaying his Medusa.
Taurus 3 is a mix of Fire (From constellation Aries) and water (From constellation Eridanus). Fire is their boundless, heroic passion and water gushes forth creativity and swelling emotions. Taurus decan 3 need to be able to express emotions and release their pain and sorrow into some creative outlet.
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Taurus decan 3 are life’s troopers, they get knocked down, but they get up again, and again and again. Irrepressible, irresistible and iridescent, they have the ability to bewitch. The Bulls sensual energy combined with Algol’s dark edge makes them very alluring. The men can play the dark knight (but in very shiny armour) and the women are smoky-eyed gipsies with wild Medusa hair.
The nearer one gets to Algol by degree the shadier it gets, but generally, this zone is still earthy and you can get a handle on it. These folk are not really “evil” or deliberately malicious in any way. In fact, they wear their demons on their sleeve for all to see and are quite proud of them. Love me, love my depression/addictions/rampant curly hair…
The Seven of Pentacles: Karmic Harvest
The tarot card associated with this decan is the seven of pentacles.
So there is reward here, as this is a card that is about harvest and hard work beginning to pay off. It all depends just how much work you really have done. In this decan, one reaps what one sows and there is no way to cheat nature.
Karmically it shows a succession of lives that have been extremely physically and emotionally demanding. You have been working so hard for such a long time that you probably haven’t had much time to think about such things. If you don’t, then you run the risk of being a slave to your goals forever or just working for the sake of working. You do not need to make any drastic moves or any changes that will destroy all you have worked so hard for. However, you now have the time to raise your head from all the heavy work and take stock of how you proceed from here.” ~ teachmetarot.
Fixed Star Meanings in Detail
Let's delve deeper into the meaning of one of the fixed stars:
- Botein 20º: is found in the belly of Aries the Ram, this constellation shares the bravery and courage of Perseus. But it has also become more Taurean. All the Aries stars have been in the sign Taurus for 200-300 years now. Hamal just over 600, (Botein year 505AD) and in this same period we have seen large-scale aggression change its nature from barbaric raiding and migration of earlier centuries to the building of large empires which had to be administered and kept in peace and good order, as well as exploited by their conquerors. This is typical both of the sign Taurus and of the planet Saturn. This is a Saturn decan too.
Sun in Taurus 3
Saturn rules this decan and its combination with the Sun only emphasizes the leadership qualities and also the ‘head’. These folk need to be the at the very top of their game, reflecting the Capricorn influence of the decan. If Sun Taurus 3 can’t be the very best, there can be a tendency to depression. Austin Coppock supports this saying “The light of the Sun illuminates a struggle between hubris and humility, disaster and recovery. Those born with their Sun here have their character tested and shaped not only by events but their response to them.” In medieval magic, this decan is used to make talismans that ward off evil.
Most of the examples below certainly have that ‘X-factor’ about them. Some alluring, some unusual-looking with great sex appeal and some definitely carry a dangerous type of attraction. Controversial, yes, but there is great success here too and not too much of the misfortune you would expect from a decan that contains both Algol and the Pleiades. We have no solo ‘evil serial killers’ here either, but it seems that if these Sun Taurus 3 do go down the ‘evil Algol’ route then they must do it on a grand scale. There are some dictators here with the power to hypnotize a great many followers. Cult leader Jim Jones is a good example of the outcast turned ‘Saviour’. Childhood acquaintances later recalled Jones as being a ‘really weird kid’ who was ‘obsessed with religion … obsessed with death”. [3] Jim was responsible for the mass suicide of 909 people. 300 were children. They all died of cyanide poisoning. On a brighter note you can see great talent and creativity here amongst the many artistes.
Examples of Sun Taurus 3:
- Academy Awards
- Mark Zuckerberg
- Che Guevara
- Ayatollah Khomeini
- Idi Amin
- Malcolm X
- George Lucas
- Sofia Coppola
- Liberace
- Stevie Wonder
- Grace Jones
- Alison Goldfrapp
- David Byrne (Talking heads!)
- Cher
- Dame Nellie Melba
- Andrea Corr
- Burt Bacharach
- Pete Townshend
- Brian Eno
- Enya
- Mike Oldfield
- Marshall Applewhite
- Madeleine McCann
- Pierce Brosnan
- Cate Blanchett
- Laurence Olivier
- Katherine Hepburn
- Dennis Hopper
- Harvey Keitel
- Natasha Richardson
- Tori Spelling
- Tony Hancock
- George Carlin
- Salvador Dali
- Dante Gabriel Rossetti
- Margot Fonteyn
- Eric Satie
- Debra Winger
- Zara Philips
- Wreckless Eric
- Florence Nightingale
- Pierre Curie
- Miriam Stoppard
- Jim Jones (cult)
- Pope John Paul II
- Socrates
- Elsbeth Ebertin
- Deborah Houlding
- First Miracle at Fatima (1917)
- Efron/Hudgens Davison
Interpreting the Intense Energy of Taurus III
Taurus III is the first decan in the zodiac assigned to Saturn, the greater malefic. The entire sign of Taurus is still the world of Venus, but this particular locality is heavy with Saturn’s dark gravity, his preoccupation with control and limitation, and his often brutal approach to showing us how suffering can make us indomitable.
One of the most consistent uses of the decans has been identifying and communicating with daimons, semi-divine beings that act as intermediaries between the gods and human beings. The decans weren’t just a section of sky and stars, “They were personalized entities with names, physical features, and healing or, conversely, malevolent powers over their dominions, which had to be summoned or else averted, often by means of amulets.” (Decanal Iconography and Natural Materials in the Sacred Book of Hermes to Asclepius. Piperakis, Spyros.)
The first three are more loosely defined and mysterious; their descriptions alone are much of what we know about them, but they have this arcane opacity that seems numinous. “Its image is that of a dog-headed man with curls on his head. In his right hand he holds a sceptre and his left hand touches his buttocks. He wears a belt that falls at his knees. He rules the mouth and throat. Engrave him on a hyacinth stone and place a bugloss plant under it, enclosing the whole in a gold or silver ring and wear it on you. Avoid eating eel.”
Notably, the recurvation of the back caused by the daimon of this decan has become the most iconic image of demonic possession. This pose, the “arch of hysteria,” was gendered and pathologized by early psychoanalysts; look at the 19th-century neurologist Charcot’s drawing below, what he calls the “Arc de Cercle,” an obvious visual influence on The Exorcist.
In contrast to the other daimons of Taurus III, the Litai are pretty well-documented and defined mythological figures, mentioned in both The Iliad and The Odyssey. Their name is usually translated as just “prayers,” but I want to flesh out the archetype by analyzing what kind of prayer they represent since the word prayer alone can mean almost anything and end up feeling hollow.
To be someone who sets aside their dignified facade could mean embracing being cast as the other, finding belonging in abjection, among the outcast and rejected. It’s no coincidence that the Litai are disabled, slow, a collective, acting responsively to Ate’s individual, senseless dance of ruin.
These same supplicating gestures formed the first phase of the mourning ritual for the recently deceased: The preparation of the body for burial was marked by the violent expression of grief, performed by the women closest to the deceased. In this phase, the women would wail, beat their breasts, tear their necks, faces, hair and breasts, disarrange their clothes, and fling themselves onto the corpse.
The Litai remind us that the fury of mourning is explosively powerful, perhaps an unstoppable force. Remember that there are two sides to the Litai and their decan: acts of supplication, extremes of emotional release and surrender, are what appease the Litai and relieve suffering; but the Litai don’t only bring healing.
Conclusion
Taurus Decan 3 is a complex and fascinating blend of earthy practicality, Saturnian discipline, and artistic expression. Individuals born under this decan are often strong-willed, creative, and determined to achieve their goals, making them truly unique individuals.