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I began the study of astrology about age three and
have never ceased the study of astrology for any attenuated
period of time since then. Since I was born in 1923
you will quickly see that I have studied and worked
with astrology for nearly 75 years - a fair lifetime.
Eventually I became dissatisfied with certain limitations
and certain failures of astrology to measure up to the
claims and expectations of astrologers. By this I mean
to say that perfectly straightforward astrological events
that should have manifested in a clearly discernible
manner sometimes simply failed to do so. Lunations,
eclipses and progressed or transiting aspects either
simply didn't come off or occurred either too early
or too late.
With a background in medical work I wanted certainty
- exactitude. I could not tolerate anything less in
my profession and, clearly, I should, in fact, I HAD
to be able, for reasons of purely personal satisfaction,
to find the same exactitude in astrology that I found
in the medical lab. It was precisely this mind-set that
led me to the questions and answers that I needed.
In working with astrology, we are working with a constantly
fluid field of energy in which activity occurs in more
than one dimension of space. That, of course, is the
whole story. I realized that in working with longitude
alone we were working on a one-dimensional level with
multidimensional propensities. This is rather like saying
that every person living in the penthouse of a building
at 310 Featherstone Avenue, that has 36 stories with
10 apartments on each level, all have the same address:
310 Featherstone Ave. Technically this is true - all
360 apartments would share the street number and address,
but in order to interact with each tenant we must have
more specific identification of location: some modifying
information of location. That is what declination is
and what declination does for us.
So it is with declination. Every degree of the 360
degrees of longitude may (must) be associated with a
degree of declination. Any degree of longitude will
resonate through 90 degrees of declination (either North
or South.) That is to say that O degrees of Aries may
extend from 0 to 90 degrees of declination. And this
is true with every other degree of longitude for every
individual degree of longitude will extend through 0
to 90 degrees of declination. By identifying a planet's
degree of declination we are able to establish the degree
of longitude that that planet is most strongly influencing.
The process may also be reversed so that identifying
the degree of declination of the planet's degree of
longitude will provide yet another specific longitude
that is powerfully (and invisibly) being influenced.
This kind of comprehension opens up a myriad of possibilities:
we are able to - no! we are required to identify those
influences in both time and space that are being activated
by declination as well as longitude. It is this concatenation
of events that will tell us the specifics of astrological
events - not only where but when and all the flexible
combinations of those two factors. We can begin to understand
why one event works most powerfully while a similar
event hardly works at all, for the identification of
the most powerful places AND times of aspects is done
through the application of both longitude and declination:
either one alone will not suffice, since it takes both
to identify the strength and power of a lunation. A
planet going retrograde in a longitudinal AND declinational
degree will affect those people most strongly who have
placements at that particular degree of both longitude
and declination, whereas the individual whose planetary
placement is not coordinated with the degree of declination
may experience little or nothing of the action.
Longitude identifies placement in space in one dimension.
Declination defines placement in space in a second dimension
and where these two dimensions intersect they interact
when activated. It is this combination of influences
that establishes the power and exactitude of events
in the chart and in the life. And these conditions define
not only the power/impact but also the timing of events.
The combination of longitude and declination provide
us two very powerful tools for prognostication of events:
their magnitude and extent and their timing.
It is important to understand and keep in mind at all
times that there are 360 degrees of longitude and 360
degrees of declination and together they form a grid
of longitude and declination that locates an object
exactly in space in relation to the Sun and the planet
Earth. The 360 degrees of longitude are measured from
East to West around the belt of the Equator but each
degree of longitude extends both above and below the
Equator for 90 degrees.
There are also 360 degrees of declination (two 90 degree
segments North of the Equator and two 90 degree segments
south of the Equator) and the intersection of longitude
and declination define exactly the space in which an
object's influence will be felt most keenly for that
point where a planet 's longitude and declination intersect
will respond most reliably when aspected by another
celestial body or event. It is extremely important to
understand that each degree of longitude will run through
each degree of declination (either North or South) so
that you must keep in mind that an object at 0 Aries
00 might be in any degree from one to 90 of declination
- when this is understood we then begin to understand
just how vague longitudinal placement alone may be and
how important declination really is.
Now realistically we know that the planets 'must' remain
within certain limiting arcs of declination although
some have more eccentric orbits than others - even so
the degree of declination can make a tremendous difference
in exactly where, when or whether a planet or event
will activate a chart and how markedly and when the
event will occur.
Let me suggest an exercise for you: check the lunations
to see how powerful they are - do both Sun and Moon
occupy the some degree of longitude and the same degree
of declination at the same time? If so, that is a very
powerful lunation. If the longitudinal aspect happens
hours before/after the exact parallel it is not as powerful.
In some cases the Moon never achieves the same degree
of declination (or its opposite), sometimes missing
by several degrees. When that happens it is not a very
powerful lunation at all.
This same technique works with planets - a longitudinal
aspect will often be exact although the planets are
never within one degree of the same declination. In
such a case, the aspect is not a very powerful event.
The more particular information we have about the
mechanics of the phenomena of longitudinal/declination
relationship the better able we are to apply our knowledge
practically. In actual fact the area of declination
that is most important lies between the Equator (0 declination)
and about 7 degrees beyond the Sun's maximum declination
which is (at the present time) generally reported as
23N/S28. This solar arc sets the all-important Ecliptic
- the Royal Highway of the Sun - and it is along this
route that life takes place. Most of the planets, most
of the time, circulate within this orbit BUT there are
times when some of the planets exceed the 23N/S28 maximum
declination of the Sun and go Out-Of-Bounds - beyond
the Ecliptic by declination. These planets are very
important and have a considerable impact on the character
and personality as well as the conditions of the person's
life.
There are also times in the life of people born with
no natal Out-Of-Bounds planets when planets go OOB either
by progression or transit and create considerable activity
in the life.
This may be either negative or positive - each instance
must be judged on its own conditions but it is guaranteed
to have an impact on the life. We also find that natal
Out-Of-Bounds planets have a profound effect on psychological
character. This subject is far too complex to discuss
here but the mention is sufficient to alert the serious
astrologer to examine those charts with OOB natal planets
very carefully for indications of psychological attitudes
that are not in step with the average psychology.
We also find OOB planets very active in accidents,
serious illnesses, hair-raising adventures, etc. In
fact, introducing declination into your calculations
adds so much greater depth to your comprehension of
the chart that you will be amazed. Even when NOT OOB,
the planet's declination may reveal matters of great
importance. For example, those periods when transiting
Mars rides the Ecliptic (sits right on the ecliptic
by declination) of a specific chart (your own, perhaps)
are often a warning of accidents, surgery or infection
with fever.
But this is enough for the beginning. In the future
we will look more closely at declination and the Out-Of-Bounds
planets.
8/01/2000, KtB, the Declination Lady
Copyright: Kt Boehrer
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