I've tweeted before that I think that decans are being over-applied in natal astrology. Again, it's not that decans aren't cool or useful, it's just that there is some confusion about what they are for.

Hot take: decans and face are two separate things. I'll explain 1/12

Decans are a subdivision of the zodiac, and the best analogy that I can offer is that they are a solar nakṣatra, a solar mansion. Spirits inhabit each decan and there is an image associated with the decan loosely connected to the planet associated with the decan. 2/12

Decans can be activated by the Sun's placement there, its ruler being placed there, rising, culminating, etc. This is where the astral magic part comes in. Decans are activated like nakṣatras/mansions. Here's where we get to the rift: this has nothing to do with dignity. 3/12

Dignity is a planet's fitness to carry out its own agenda. In a natal context, a planet's dignity refers to its ability to manage the affairs of the houses, i.e. the area of life, that planet rules. So when you speak of dignity you MUST keep in mind that you are referring 4/12

necessarily to outcomes of management styles. There's a hierarchy or dignities and each one has a specific flavor - it's qualitative rather than quantitative ability - the points scheme is useful, but it doesn't tell the story of *how* that dignity affects the outcome. 5/12

My key phrase for the dignity of face is "fake it 'til you make it." There is an appearance of competence and a self-confidence that comes with that perceived competence. That doesn't mean a planet in its own face will be effective, it just means that it has faith in itself 6/12

to try. MAYBE the outcome will align w/ the intention. Bear in mind that face is always combined with other dignities. A planet can be in detriment but have dignity of face. Take Venus in the third decan of Scorpio, where it has dignity of face. Venus is still in detriment, 7/12

and the outcomes of the affairs of the houses it rules will still be corrupted (NB "corrupted" is a fitting keyword when we talk about outcomes of detriment). So what does Venus's dignity of face give it? Bravado. Venus placed as such will have the extra gusto and derring-do 8/12

to do Venus in Scorpio things. Dangerous? Yes.

At this stage, I wish I could tell you more about what a planet in another planet's face means. As the most minor dignity, its influence is most often obfuscated by more functional dignities like term/bounds, which describes 9/12

in what manner of instrumentation a planet will enact its agenda. "Face" is often likened to a costume, and that doesn't say a lot about abilities - so we really only take note when a planet is in its own face.

Note that I have been deliberate about language here - using 10/12

decan to refer to the subdivision and face to refer to the dignity. There is overlap insofar as zodiacal coordinates, but there is, I hope I've demonstrated, a huge gulf between the concepts. How, why, and when those concepts merged into the same zodiacal subdivision... 11/12

I don't know. I wish I knew, and perhaps it's lost to the sands of time (Are you there, Nechepso? Petosiris? It's me, Matthew).

Anyway, long story short, decans are cool, but decans ≠ face. Keep using both for their intended purposes. 12/12