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It is really necessary to address certain aspects
and conditions relating to declination, its understanding,
use and application. There are several areas that we
need to discuss because in some ways we are still working
with declination in a makeshift fashion. The methods
and means that were the epitome of accuracy and the
most modern systems available in 1975 are no longer
good enough today, although we are forced to continue
to rely on less than the most up-to-date computer programs.
Our technical computer geniuses have (and have had since
the mid ‘70s) the ability to facilitate the calculation
and location of declination but only one has been willing
to address the subject and provide a needed program.
What I am going to suggest to you will, at first,
appear very radical. For this reason I ask you to pause
here and remember that before our traditional round
chart there was the traditional square chart. Charts
can come in many shapes. Certainly as we look back at
the square chart I am sure that every one of us is grateful
to the inventor of the round chart. I am also sure that
it took a while for astrologers to adjust to such a
revolutionary new chart form. And now, here I am, asking
you to do the very same. Believe me, if astrologers
several hundred years ago could make a logical and helpful
change - so can you! It is a fact - the circular chart
is not a reality. The
elliptical chart is the way it really is.
Remember that our ‘traditional’ round chart actually
‘represents’ the ecliptic which is actually an oval
- not a circle. Still and all it was a vast improvement
over the ‘square’ charts. Now what I am going to propose
is an elliptical chart - a true representation of that
all-important Ecliptic where all the action is. In such
a chart each planet would be shown by both longitude
and declination in one position. This is a feat that,
for the first time in the history of the world, is easily
possible in the world of the computer. But let me begin
at the beginning.
John Halloran, in 1994, almost 20 years after I introduced
declination to contemporary astrology, designed a computer
program that would translate declination into longitude
and longitude into declination and allow us to view
these placements in a traditional round chart.* His
program is enormously helpful to the astrologer who
understands the use of declination. I am very grateful
to John for his foresight and willingness to take a
chance on an unknown facet of astrology. I say ‘unknown’
advisedly because prior to the publication of my work
with declination in 1975 through 1994 no one knew, recognized
or even questioned the declination of planets and this
was particularly true in reference to those planets
that had achieved a declination greater than the maximum
declination of the Ecliptic.
In the beginning (in the ‘50s and ‘60s) I sought information
from various experts of the astrological world, in regard
to the influence of and how to handle planets whose
declination was greater than 23N/S28 declination. I
was uniformly told to forget about it - it could have
no influence or importance of any kind. As a result,
prior to the publication of my work with Out Of Bounds
(OOB) planets this important aspect of planetary motion
and influence was completely ignored.
Fortunately I then turned to the astronomers who, when
I described my quandary to them, immediately produced
answers to my questions - even to the point of informing
me that celestial bodies that achieved a declination
greater than the maximum declination of the Ecliptic,
formed aspects that astronomers called ‘anomalous aspects’
because they were beyond the Ecliptic limits therefore
were making aspects to the Ecliptic of a different type
or an unusual nature. This information made it possible
for me to solve the problem of calculating the angle
at which an Out Of Bounds planet would aspect the Ecliptic
and/or any planet in that degree of longitude and/or
declination. I look back now with laughter at the rudeness
and total derision that some of the experts in both
the astrological world and the computer world exhibited
toward this work with declination as recently as 1994.
I look back with gratitude that astronomers treated
my research with respect in 1974!
I recount this petite histoire because I now have something
to say that relates to the attitudes of the past and
to our place in space in relation to declination at
the present time. Since 1994 when my little book was
published the use of declination has proliferated enormously.
People all over the world are using declination now
but we are still working with inferior tools and inadequate
computer programs. At this point in time Solar Fire
has added a program that allows the construction of
a linear graph for declination of all planets and I
understand that it is accurate even to the extent that
it recognizes those periods when a planet goes beyond
the maximum declination of the Ecliptic.** [Matrix’
Win*Star programs have tools for calculating and displaying
planets in their declination with graphic ephemerides.
No doubt others do also, or soon will.] I am very pleased
to hear about this - it will certainly be very helpful.
So now, we have John Halloran’s AstrolDeluxe which gives
the declination/longitude equivalents and produces a
traditional round chart with these equivalent placements
and we have a linear graph to show when the planets
cross the ecliptic and intersect other planets orbits..
Believe me, these are wonderful computer aids and I
am delighted to see their development.
However, both of these tools, helpful as they are,
and they are very helpful, fall short of producing the
chart and/or the information that we truly need and
that a good computer program could put at every astrologer’s
fingertips.
All of this brings me back to the round declination
chart. This is a helpful chart but it is not the ultimate
declination chart. It is, in fact, a pretty poor substitute
for the correct declination chart that I designed, copyrighted,
published and produced in tablet form in 1975. That
chart combines both the planet’s longitude and declination
in a chart that allows the astrologer to see, with vivid
clarity, the relationships that exist among planets
by both longitude and declination in a chart that immediately
identifies the planets that have gone beyond the ecliptic
and/or the planets that are situated exactly on the
ecliptic at a very critical moment.
The real declination chart brings the critical information
to the astrologer’s immediate attention. Unfortunately,
producing this chart is a tedious process because the
planets must be inserted in their correct longitude
and declination position manually - we have no computer
program that will produce this marvelous chart and only
a very few astrologers who are willing to do the manual
work, no matter how valuable and helpful it is! It only
takes one such chart with planets in exact parallel
to the ecliptic and clearly in their specific degrees
of longitude, to focus the attention wonderfully on
the important matters and make the point clear to the
astrologer for the combination of both longitude and
declination provides a most powerfully impressive chart
- much more informative and much more accurate than
the round declination chart that is our only option
at this point in time.
I continue to hope that some computer programmer will
see and understand the value of this chart and produce
the program we need so seriously. The round chart does
not, cannot, present a realistic chart of the declination
relationships. Much is lost in the translation, so to
speak. The correct chart presents the planets in their
correct declination and longitude so that relations
(aspects) are vivid and quickly identified with a much
more complete comprehension of the dynamics of the action
and interaction. It does provide a view with another
dimension!
I feel that I must say a few words about the actual
calculation of declination prior to 1994 (with the sole
exception of my own published work.) Before that time,
the astrologers who were working with declination were
quite accurate until they encountered planets that were
Out Of Bounds (OOB) - my own terminology to describe
those planets which have exceeded the maximum Ecliptic
declination and are orbiting outside the Ecliptic.
Prior to my work this condition was simply not recognized.
We were informed that some planets did occasionally
have extreme orbits but no further attention was paid
to this phenomenon and, indeed, such orbits were ignored
- treated as if they never happened and had no import.
As a result, astrological calculations of planetary
movement never included these extreme orbits and never
attempted to account for them, creating some serious
mathematical errors as well as serious errors in the
calculation of movement and position as well as delineation
and timing of events as a result. That is to say that
the same criteria were used to calculate planetary movement
and influence regardless of whether the planet was in
a speeded up, extreme orbit and OOB or whether it was
still moving at normal speed in a normal orbit within
the Ecliptic limits - all calculations were done for
the norm. As a result some serious errors in calculation
were made. Any work that did not and does not correctly
address the planetary movement beyond the maximum ecliptic
declination is faulty and cannot be relied upon.
There is another matter that is not well understood
at all. Planets may be parallel or contraparallel from
virtually any/all aspect positions. Ancient astrologers
recognized only two aspects in respect to the parallel/contraparallel;
the conjunction and the opposition, and as a result
many astrologers still consider that the parallel must
be either a longitudinal conjunction or opposition.
We now know, because we are much more capable astronomically,
that planets may be parallel and trine or sextile or
square, etc., ad infinitum. This being true the first
thing to remember about delineation of parallels (and
that is the most important facet of the aspect) is that
it intensifies the effect of the aspect – the more exact
the parallel is the more powerful is its influence.
Thus, if planets are parallel conjunct, expect affairs
to concentrate wonderfully, to coalesce, in fact, to
come together most emphatically. If planets are parallel
opposition expect confrontation, opposition and separation.
However, if planets are sextile parallel North or sextile
parallel South they should function together to provide
the very best opportunity BUT if sextile parallel North
to South or South to North the opportunity will be accompanied
by difficulties that must be overcome, the various components
may not be able to function without friction or difficulties
of some kind.
Have you ever wondered why a lovely trine didn’t work?
In all likelihood the cause may be found in one of two
conditions: IF the trine involved planets that never
made a parallel at all it is quite likely that nothing
would come of the aspect (remember that it is declination
that ties the event to the ecliptic, where the action
is) or if there was a contraparallel that may well have
made it impossible for the aspect to manifest in a normal
fashion. Planets in trine and parallel North or South
should perform with ease and acuity. and, in fact, in
those conditions where the parallel is never perfected
it is quite likely that nothing at all will take place.
And so every parallel may be, must be, judged on more
than one level: exactitude by declination as well a
exactitude by longitude and the timing of events because,
if the planets are not within minutes of exactitude
by declination (I allow a maximum of one degree 30 minutes
orb of aspect but really prefer a maximum 1 degree orb)
their longitudinal position will be of little value
- in short - longitude may disappoint. Declination rarely
disappoints even when the declination aspect is exact
at a different time than the exactitude of the longitudinal
aspect.
There is a reason for this; we are told repeatedly
that the action is on the ecliptic which is energized
by the Sun as it moves through space OR, if you prefer
and more accurately, on the Ecliptic which is energized
by the planet we live on, the Earth, as it moves through
space around the Sun, thus, with declination we have
more than a chance aspect in space between two or more
planets. We have a specific aspect to a sensitized degree
of space through which we (on our planet Earth) orbit
and this will precipitate the activity indicated by
two or more planets and the Ecliptic, that highly energized
area where all the action is. That is to say that the
longitudinal aspect may take place at some remote place
in space from which remote place it may not have any
influence on planet Earth at all but because the aspects
by declination will inevitably take place on the ecliptic
it is much more likely that a declination event alone
will make itself felt on planet Earth than that a longitudinal
event without a strong declination tie will ever manage
to achieve.
4/01/2001, KtB, the Declination Lady
Copyright: Kt Boehrer
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