Degrees in Astrology: Meaning, Critical Degrees, Decans | Astrology.com (2024)

With 360 degrees in a birth chart, a lot can be misconstrued. Let’s say you’re new to this and you just start learning about zodiac signs, the birth chart, and even the Houses in the birth chart. Did you know the degrees in the Houses in the birth chart mean something too?

If you’re ready to go deeper, we asked astrologer Maisy Bristol to tell us more about degrees, why they’re so important to the birth chart, and how to interpret them.

Degrees in a Birth Chart

As mentioned above, there are 360 degrees in a birth chart—which means 30 degrees, per sign, per House. “It’s a lot to take in,” Bristol says. “But, once you understand a few very important degrees, you can apply it to every House and sign.”

While there are 360 degrees in the chart, astrologers look at them in segments of 30. So, really, there are just 30 degrees to define, remember, and use while looking at charts.

READ MORE: Houses in the Birth Chart: What Do They Mean?

Meaning

As Bristol mentions, there are a few very important degrees in the birth chart, called “critical degrees.” According to her, “the critical degrees represent the three modalities of the zodiac: cardinal, fixed, and mutable.”

So, why is this important? Well, any time a planet lands within a critical degree, it suggests that we’ll have some extra challenges there to overcome. And, of course, all of this is in relation to the modality of the critical degree, the zodiac sign that the planet is in, the meaning of the planet, and the House that it falls in.

“This may sound daunting,” says Bristol, “but critical degrees are there to provide insight into the life lessons that you are meant to learn in this life. They can be really insightful!”

Critical Degrees

To make things easier, Bristol broke down the critical degrees for us:

  • 0, 13, 26 degrees = cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn)
  • 8–9, 21–22 degrees = fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius)
  • 4 and 17 degrees = mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces)

How to Interpret Degrees

Depending on which modality your critical degrees fall, you might tend to: over-express (cardinal), under-express (fixed), or choose a path of ambivalence (mutable). Here, we’ll cover what each means and how it may pose challenges.

READ MORE: What’s My Big 6 in Astrology?

0, 13, 26 Degrees (Cardinal)

If you have planets that land in one of the cardinal critical degrees, this means that you’re likely to overexert or overestimate in those areas. For example, if your Venus sign (planet of relationships) is stationed at 13 degrees Aries in your birth chart, that means you may be overly impatient, risky, or bored in your relationships—and will likely be hard to pin down.

Bristol points out that whenever a sign is at 0 degrees (or 29 degrees, for that matter), the sign is working at its fullest potential, according to Bristol. “Any sign placement at 0 degrees is likely to embody all of what that sign stands for,” she says.

8-9 and 21-22 Degrees (Fixed)

For the fixed degrees, this will likely appear as a shield, according to Bristol. “Fixed critical degrees give that placement a sense of restriction, restraint, or fear about the possibility of ‘letting loose.’”

The sense here is that to express or to openly show vulnerability is to be weak or to risk getting hurt. So, you can apply this kind of sentiment to the sign and planet shown in the fixed critical degree.

She gives an example of the moon at 9 degrees Virgo. This person might be so critical of their feelings, and of others, that it might be extremely difficult for them to share.

READ MORE: Types of Full Moons

4 and 17 Degrees (Mutable)

With the mutable degrees, these placements do not provide a sense of “overdoing” or of “restraint.” Instead, they provide indifference, according to Bristol. She explains that this placement has much more trouble taking a hard stance on the energies provided here—whereas the other two placements have more trouble either doing too much or avoiding entirely.

An example of this might be if Mars was placed at 4 degrees Cancer. This individual would likely experience great challenges regarding bringing up feelings and how others have affected them.

FAQs

What is ‘degree theory’ in astrology?

Degree theory is different from critical degrees. Invented by Nikola Stojanovic, this concept suggests that every degree in the 30-degree Houses have a purpose or tell a story. Her notion was that as you get farther away from 0 degrees, the energy of the sign becomes less and less or more transformed into something different.

This can be applied to the energy of the sign but also to the energy of the planet that the sign is in. For example, Venus at 0 degrees Taurus would show up much differently from Mercury at 0 degrees Taurus. Likewise, Venus at 0 degrees Taurus would show up differently than Venus at 0 degrees Gemini.

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Degrees in Astrology: Meaning, Critical Degrees, Decans | Astrology.com (2024)

FAQs

What does a critical degree mean in astrology? ›

A critical degree in the birth chart can make you more sensitive and intuitive and push you to work harder to attain what you want most. It's important to remember that astrology has no wrong or right aspects. It is just the energy that you are meant to work with in this lifetime.

What are the degrees of decans in astrology? ›

The decans (/ˈdɛkənz/; Egyptian bꜣktw or baktiu, "[those] connected with work") are 36 groups of stars (small constellations) used in the ancient Egyptian astronomy to conveniently divide the 360 degree ecliptic into 36 parts of 10 degrees each, both for theurgical and heliacal horological purposes.

What are the crucial degrees in astrology? ›

Critical degrees are specific points within each sign that are known to have intensified astrological significance. These degrees are 0, 29, and sometimes 15 degrees. Each of these has a special energy and deals with beginnings, endings, and heightened traits or intensity.

What do decans in astrology mean? ›

In astrology, a decan is the subdivision of a sign. In order to give fuller interpretation to the zodiac signs, ancient astrologers subdivided each sign into periods of approximately ten days.

What degree is millionaires astrology? ›

for in your birth chart. If you have 29 degrees cancer, that is known as a millionaire degree. And if you have 29 degrees Taurus, that is known as the bankruptcy degree.

What is the rich degree in astrology? ›

If there are planets in the human horoscope in the 27th, 28th, 29th degrees, such a person can achieve something special in his life. There are many millionaires with planets at 27, 28, 29 degrees in all signs, but most in earth or water signs.

How do you understand degrees in astrology? ›

Degrees follow the order of the Zodiac, with the first degree associated with Aries and its ruling planet Mars. The first twelve degrees continue this archetypal pattern until we reach the thirteenth degree. There, the idea of critical or Anaretic degrees comes into play.

At what degree are planets powerful? ›

Planets that are conjunct or square the Ascendant within 5 degrees (and preferably less) are among the strongest planets in the chart. Planets tightly opposed the Ascendant may have strength too, but usually to a lesser extent.

What are the fame degrees in astrology? ›

Fame degrees, in the simplest terms, are degrees within the chart that determine whether or not an individual has a higher possibility of having a career as a public figure or being well-known in some way. 5°, 17° and 29 are the most well-known variants of these.

How much do degrees matter in astrology? ›

They matter very much - the extent to which a planet exhibits its charactetistics in a certain way within a zodiac depends on te degree of its position within its zodiac. Planets with lesser degrees are said to exhibit lesser characteristics pertaining to that zodiac.

Is 0 a critical degree in astrology? ›

A 0-1 degree ascendant is when the ascendant is between 0 and 1 degrees of a sign. This is considered to be a critical degree, and it can have a significant impact on the reading of a chart.

What does 28 degrees mean in astrology? ›

In an equal house system, a house is 30 degrees in length, hence a 28 degrees means that you have reached a point where you are about to exit the house. Now there could be additional meaning if a certain planet has acquired that length, also the degree of lagna will play an important part in the analysis.

How many degrees are in a decan? ›

To understand decans, you must first understand that each astrological sign occupies 30 degrees of the Zodiac, Lang explains, for a total of 360 degrees (12 signs are each comprised of 30 degrees). Decans are subdivisions of 10-degree increments per sign, which is 30 degrees.

What are the 36 decan stars? ›

ancient Egyptian astronomy

Two other astronomical reference systems developed independently in early antiquity, the lunar mansions and the Egyptian decans. The decans are 36 star configurations circling the sky somewhat to the south of the ecliptic. They make their appearance in drawings and texts inside coffin lids…

What is the description of decans? ›

deacon, (from Greek diakonos, “helper”), a member of the lowest rank of the threefold Christian ministry (below the presbyter-priest and bishop) or, in various Protestant churches, a lay official, usually ordained, who shares in the ministry and sometimes in the governance of a congregation.

Which zodiac is very critical? ›

Virgo is the most critical zodiac sign

The highly perceptive and analytical Virgo tops our list as the most critical zodiac sign. This demanding sign picks up on the smallest details that no one else sees or hears, using each piece of information to come to a conclusion.

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