The Decan Log
A 10-Day Journaling System Aligned with the Stars
What if your journal tracked not just days but cosmic cycles? A 10-day rhythmic system connecting ancient stellar wisdom with modern self-awareness. Track patterns, honor rhythms, become antifragile.
Available Chapters
What if your journal tracked not just days but cosmic cycles? A 10-day rhythmic system connecting ancient stellar wisdom with modern self-awareness. Track patterns, honor rhythms, become antifragile.
Introduction: Living by the Stars
You are traveling through space at 53.5 million kilometers every 10 days. This is not metaphor—it's physics. Learn why the ancient Egyptian decanal system of 36 ten-day cycles aligned with bright stars offers a better framework for personal growth than modern seven-day weeks.
Fomalhaut: Clarity & Renewal
Fomalhaut, the Lonely Star of autumn—25 light-years distant, surrounded by a planetary debris disk, representing both ancient light and future potential. A decan of clarity and renewal.
Scheat: Innovation & Risk
Scheat, the unstable red giant of Pegasus—196 light-years distant, pulsating and shedding mass, representing transformation through risk and innovation from instability. A decan of daring and creative destruction.
Markab: Foundation & Legacy
Markab, the cornerstone of Pegasus—133 light-years distant, anchoring the Great Square, representing stable structure and enduring legacy. A decan of building systems that last.
Enif: Aspiration & Vision
Enif, the orange supergiant at Pegasus's nose—690 light-years distant, expanded to maximum scale, representing aspiration and far-reaching vision. A decan of sensing horizons and extending reach.
Alpheratz: Liberation & Empathy
Alpheratz, the corner star of two constellations—97 light-years distant, chemically peculiar, belonging to both Pegasus and Andromeda. A decan of breaking chains and recognizing others' constraints.
Mirach: Decan 27 - Reflection & Compassion (December 5-14)
The photons entering your eyes right now left Mirach around 1825. For thousands of years this warm orange star marked the girdle—the center, the waist, the place where forces balance. December 5-14: allow reflection to reveal what action concealed, let compassion tend wounds liberation exposed.
Algol: Decan 28 - Renewal through Challenge (December 15-24)
The photons entering your eyes right now left Algol in 1932. For three thousand years called cursed, this eclipsing binary star reveals how challenges follow rhythms and obstacles become fuel. December 15-24: face what blocks your light, consume its mass, emerge brighter.
Alderamin: Decan 29 - Leadership Through Authority (December 25 - January 3)
The photons entering your eyes right now left Alderamin in 1976. In 7,500 years, this star will be the North Star. Leadership isn't about control—it's about being the fixed point others navigate by. December 25 - January 3: bear the weight, build for succession, become the foundation civilizations use to find their way.
The Decan Log
A 10-Day Journaling System Aligned with the Stars
Track patterns. Honor rhythms. Become antifragile.
The Decan Log is a journaling framework built on 10-day cycles called decans, ancient Egyptian divisions of the zodiac that tracked the heliacal rising of stars. Each decan is named for a star and carries a theme that shapes how you observe, reflect, and grow during those 10 days.
This isn’t astrology. It’s a rhythmic structure for intentional living that combines ancient astronomy (36 stars marking the year’s progression), modern psychology (pattern recognition and antifragile growth), quantified self-tracking, and optional AI-augmented reflection. Think of it as an operating system for consciousness: modular, extensible, built for those who want more than daily logs but less than rigid productivity systems.
About This System
The Ancient Foundation
The decanal system originated in ancient Egypt around 3000 BCE. Egyptian astronomer-priests divided the celestial sphere into 36 segments of 10° each, tracking the heliacal rising of stars (their first appearance at dawn after being invisible). Each 10-day period was ruled by a specific star or constellation.
36 decans × 10 days = 360 days
+ 5 epagomenal days (outside time) = 365 days
The Egyptians used this system for:
- Timekeeping - tracking hours of the night by decanal stars
- Agriculture - the rising of Sirius (decan 36) marked the Nile flood and new year
- Spiritual practice - each decan had ruling deities and protective magic
- Architecture - major temples aligned with decanal star risings
The most famous decan is Sirius (Egyptian: Sopdet, Greek: Sothis)—its heliacal rising synchronized with the Nile’s life-giving inundation and marked the Egyptian New Year.
Modern Adaptation
We’re not just tracking days. We’re tracking cycles. The 10-day rhythm creates natural phases (Initiate → Flow → Reflect) that mirror how humans actually work, not how calendars pretend we do.
Each decan is named for a star. Each star carries a theme. Each theme shapes your observation practice, your reflection questions, your growth focus. Over 36 decans (360 days), you complete a full stellar cycle while building a rich dataset about your own patterns.
This isn’t astrology—it’s astronomical timekeeping. The stars provide structure, themes provide scaffolding, and the 10-day rhythm provides natural work/rest cycles. You’re synchronizing your personal operating system with Earth’s actual motion through space.
The book unfolds in four parts. Foundation (chapters 1-4) establishes why 10-day cycles work, explores the ancient calendar, maps the three-phase rhythm, and shows you how to start. The 36 Decans (chapters 5-40) detail each decan’s star, theme, observation practice, and tracking methods. System Design (chapters 41-44) covers transitions between decans, pattern recognition across cycles, dual rhythms (decans overlaid with weeks), and data science integration. Advanced Practice (chapter 45) introduces agent mode for AI-augmented journaling.
What Makes The Decan Log Different
The system uses 36 stars as a framework: 36 themes across 360 days of intentional observation. The 10-day rhythm creates natural reflection phases that match how humans actually work. Quantified tracking reveals patterns over time, turning subjective experience into objective data. Ancient Babylonian astronomy meets contemporary systems thinking. Optional agent mode provides AI-augmented guidance and pattern analysis. The design is antifragile: obstacles become fuel, friction transforms into growth.
Who This System Is For
System thinkers who want structure without rigidity. Pattern seekers tracking personal rhythms and growth. Star observers connecting inner work with celestial cycles. Data scientists of the self, quantifying what matters. Antifragile practitioners who use challenges as system fuel. Those interested in AI collaboration can leverage agent mode for guided reflection.
Chapters Published
Part II: The 36 Decans
Winter Stars (December-March)
- Chapter 28: Decan 28 - Algol (Renewal through Challenge) - Dec 15-24, 2025
More Decans Coming
This is a living book, evolving through 2025-2026 as each decan unfolds in real-time. New chapters publish at the start of each 10-day cycle.
The Living Book Approach
Unlike AgentSpek (completed manuscript → published chapters), The Decan Log is dynamic and evolving. Each decan chapter publishes as we enter that decan’s dates, making this both a guide and a journey we’re taking together.
You can:
- Follow along in real-time - Journal through current decans as they publish
- Start from any decan - Jump in wherever the calendar places you
- Use agent mode (optional) - AI-augmented reflection for deeper pattern analysis
- Track your own data - Build a personal dataset across 36 cycles
System Principles
1. Rhythm Over Calendar
10-day cycles align with natural human productivity rhythms better than arbitrary weeks or months. You’re not fighting the system—you’re flowing with it.
2. Stellar Themes as Scaffolding
Each star provides a lens for observation. Not mystical—practical. Themes like “Renewal through Challenge” (Algol) or “Leadership through Service” (Alderamin) give structure to reflection without prescribing outcomes.
3. Data as Self-Knowledge
Track energy, mood, tasks, insights. Over 36 decans, patterns emerge. You’re not just journaling—you’re building a dataset about yourself.
4. Antifragile Growth
Use obstacles as fuel. The stepson’s laundry becomes humility training. The frustration becomes productive edge. Challenges aren’t problems—they’re the system working.
5. Agent Mode (Optional)
For those with the means and interest, AI-augmented journaling provides deeper guidance, pattern recognition, and contextual reflection. Not required, not necessary for everyone, but transformative for those who embrace it.
How to Use This Book
If you’re starting mid-cycle:
- Read Chapter 1-4 (Foundation) to understand the system
- Jump to the current decan chapter
- Begin tracking today using the decan’s framework
- Watch the stars at night—observation anchors practice
If you’re exploring the system:
- Read any decan chapter that resonates (they’re semi-independent)
- Check if that decan’s dates are coming soon
- Prepare to enter the cycle when it begins
- Use the chapter as your guide through those 10 days
If you’re already journaling:
- Review your current tracking against decanal rhythms
- Notice how 10-day cycles might reveal patterns daily logs miss
- Try one decan using this framework
- Decide if the stellar scaffold enhances your practice
What You’ll Gain
One full stellar cycle (36 decans) yields 360 days of structured reflection with thematic coherence. You build a rich dataset revealing personal patterns and rhythms. Star observation connects you with cosmic timescales. You develop antifragile capacity to transform obstacles into growth. You gain system literacy: understanding your own operating system. Optional agent mode provides an AI partnership that grows smarter with context.
Daily journaling asks: “What happened today?” Decanal tracking asks: “What patterns am I seeing across this 10-day theme?”
Daily logs accumulate. Decanal data compounds.
Technology & Tools
The system works with plain markdown files (air-gapped, future-proof, readable forever), spreadsheets for data analysis (CSV exports), Python scripts for aggregation and visualization (optional), agent mode for AI-augmented reflection (optional, requires Claude or similar), and star apps for celestial observation (Stellarium, Star Walk). You can start with just a notebook and a star app. The system scales to your needs.
Start Your Journey
Current Decan: Decan 28 - Algol (Renewal through Challenge)
Dates: December 15-24, 2025
Star: Algol (Beta Persei) - The Demon Star
Theme: What eclipses you is part of your system
Begin tonight. Find Algol in Perseus. Write down what’s challenging you. Track it for 10 days.
The obstacle and the way are one—two sides of the same coin. One cannot exist without the other. Together they form the whole of all existence.
© 2025 Joshua Ayson. All rights reserved. Published by Organic Arts LLC.
The Decan Log is a living system, evolving as we journey through the stellar cycle together. All content is protected by copyright. Personal use encouraged. Commercial reproduction prohibited.