A s t r o l o g y - Mandala

Although the Sun's declination is always consistent with its longitude -- 0 degrees Aries and 0 degrees Libra are always 0 degrees in declination -- the other planetary bodies behave in a different manner. This is especially true of the Moon. As a satellite of the earth and not the Sun, its apparent orbit is much more complex; thus its declination cycle often differs considerably from that in longitude.

The progressed Moon through the signs of the zodiac is often used as a basis for prediction. The transiting Moon returns to the same place in the zodiac every 27-1/3 days or so, beginning a new progressed cycle every 27-28 years. The lunation cycle phases from new to full and back again in about 29-1/2 days, making the progressed lunation cycle about 29-30 years long.

Yet there is even more variation in the Moon's cycle in declination. It moves from 0 degrees to maximum north, maximum south and back again in about 28 days. But the length of this cycle can be as short as 24 or as long as 30 days or symbolic years. In addition, the Moon will stay within bounds, inside the limits of the ecliptic (approximately 23-1/2 degrees north and south of the celestial equator) for an average of nine years. Then for the next 10 years or so the Moon will go out of bounds -- beyond 23-1/2 degrees north or south -- for about 2 days every 10-14 days. Kt Boehrer has related the Moon out of bounds in natal charts to alienation from the mother and even some degree of mental, emotional or physical abuse. (1)

The astrologer John Hansen had an out of bounds Moon in his birth chart and became interested in astrology when the Moon again progressed out of bounds. He studied the Moon's progressions in declination, and identified an earnings cycle. Hansen felt that when the progressed Moon headed north in declination, the native was more likely to earn; when it tended south, earning became more difficult.
Hansen cited the example of a young man going to school near the top part of his cycle. He was offered a tremendous business opportunity, but turned it down in order to complete his education. By the time he graduated, his progressed Moon had passed maximum north and was tending south. He found a job, but several years later was not making nearly as much as the fellow who had taken the position he was originally offered. The latter had already made an immense fortune and was presumably on the upswing!
Al H. Morrison often lectured on this topic, and elaborated on the interpretation:
On the upsweep, the individual is optimistic and thinks well of himself and is encouraged and is taught the work ethic: the idea that to be useful you have to be making things which can be sold. And employment tends to be fortunate and is easily got. So we get out of school and think we're gonna go make our fortune; we're on the down cycle. In the down cycle, people get cheated of their wages, underpaid, subject to discrimination. If they get a raise it only partly compensates for the rising inflation. Their self-esteem suffers all the way down. And this is universal for everybody, and it's a long haul, these 14 years of it, and so we finally get here at the bottom, miserable! Quite miserable. Don't think well enough of ourselves and so we hinder ourselves in the upward climb by hanging onto these habits from the long march.
And here the astrology can help the client. If you can show the client that he's at or near the bottom of the cycle, on his way up, the encouragement that comes from this simple astronomic fact is worth all the tea in China. It may make the difference in getting this thing organized right for the upsweep. The thing to do on the down slope is to let a wealthy mate support you while you do some non-employment thing: you keep house, raise children, study something, get a research grant. (2)

To construct a graph of the Moon's declination cycle, we use day-per-year progressions. The top to bottom axis of the graph represents the Moon's declination in degrees; left to right are symbolic years. Let's look at an example: Patricia was born on March 25, 1960 (11u10 AM EST, 73°W47' 40°N43').(I'm not going to be too particular about mathematical accuracy here; we're just trying to get a general idea of how this cycle works.) If we turn to the declination section of the ephemeris, we'll see that on her birthday the Moon was at 7S50 at midnight (3). This and all successive points are plotted on the graph (see Figure),

and one can immediately see how the Moon moves through its cycle: it crosses the equator (0 degrees) at age 2, reaches maximum north declination at age 9, then heads south and crosses the equator at age 16, and so on.

The Moon does describe our sense of security, what makes us feel comfortable, and so should have much to do with how we go about attaining security throughout our lifetimes, and whether financial security is a concern at a particular point in time. The downsweep tends to be a better time to hold onto a secure position, to be self-employed, or to do creative or freelance work, when earnings are not as steady and regular. On the upsweep, when the Moon climbs from maximum south to maximum north once again, one should find money more easily, and be generally free from financial difficulties. People tend to take initiative regarding work during this phase. Important financial developments consistently occur when the Moon is near maximum north or south and also when it crosses the equator. We'll also see that the cycle is not simply limited to earnings: turning points can coincide with major family or domestic changes as well. The orb of aspect is a year or two from these turning points in the declination cycle.
Patricia got a summer job when she was 18, around the time her Moon's progressed declination crossed the equator and turned south. She completed college at age 22, but couldn't find a job right away, and worked temporary jobs for about a year. This is an interesting case, as we see that the Moon reaches maximum south declination at the age of 23! Patricia was exactly in tune with her declination cycle, and she has worked full-time ever since. She had a substantial increase in pay at 35, near the top of her curve, and bought a home at 37. Although she has quite a secure position and will probably be able to hold onto her job for the downslope, we can see that her expenses increased and she assumed debt through this major purchase as she headed into her downslope.
Of course we cannot tell how great the earnings will be! But we'd do well to consider the natal placement of the Moon in the birth chart, too. Patricia's Moon is angular, sextile an angular Saturn. This suggests a need for security, and she has worked consistently since she completed school.
Patricia's declination cycle just happens to coincide with her chronological age: the upswing began right at a time when it was likely she'd begin working. Yet some examples aren't as straightforward, and the cycle can start at any point.

Some usefull remarks:examples of these you can find in the article in Geocosmic Magazine(4):

• It's always important to consider the rest of the native's chart.
• The peak can represent a time of good earning potential, but also a period of domestic change. I have several examples in my files of men who got divorced and set up new homes at their peak.
• While people don't necessarily lose their jobs, there can be unfortunate circumstances on the downslope as well, which will be detailed in the natal chart.
• Couples' cycles can interact in any way. My husband and I have both been on the downslope together for many years, but we hope to share the bounty when we're tending up together!
• The Moon relates to domestic affairs and I found that many women left work to start families on the downslope. While there can be no rules in astrology, this pattern seems very consistent.
• Women often have questions about when to start a family or return to work, and I now primarily use the progressed Moon's cycle in declination in order to answer these questions. In men's charts, the correlation is not nearly as strong concerning children. Perhaps this is because women respond more strongly to the Moon; the progressed Moon could represent a biological or hormonal cycle.
• Like the top, the bottom or southern-most part of the progressed declination cycle is extremely significant.

The out of bounds Moon in natal charts does represent unusual circumstances; I've often found this placement to coincide with afflictions in longitude. For these people, when the Moon again progresses out of bounds, it is likely to bring about even greater than usual life changes. Yet one can also be born with the Moon within the ecliptic limits and have it progress out of bounds. These times, too, are apt to be quite significant.

The progressed Moon's cycle in declination is an essential astrological cycle which deserves more study. It is simple, easy to use, and adds information which the natal chart does not provide. Perhaps its greatest value is in prediction, as it can help us anticipate our own life trends as well as those of clients who need advice.

NOTES

1. Boehrer, Kt, Declination, the Other Dimension, Fortunata Press, El Paso, Texas, 1994.
2. This excerpt is transcribed from a taped lecture Morrison gave to the Irish Astrological Association in 1981. My thanks to Maurice McCann and the IAA for making it available.
3. The popular American Ephemeris does not contain listings of declination. Raphael's and The Rosicrucian Ephemeris, as well as most computer programs, do. Check them out before you buy!
4. The Progressed Moon in Declination by Karen Christino in Geocosmic Magazine (pages 15 -23), Spring issue 1998, National Council for Geoscosmic research, USA.

Karen Christino (CA, NCGR) is a consulting astrologer, writer and teacher. Karen's book, Foreseeing the Future, Evangeline Adams and Astrology in America is available from One Reed Publications. Karen writes the "Choose Your Career" advice column for American Astrology magazine and "Declination in the News" for The Other Dimension. She has also written numerous articles for NCGR's Geocosmic and Journal, Considerations, The Traditional Astrologer, Mercury Hour, The Mountain Astrologer, and Dell's Horoscope; as well as popular astrology features for Marie Claire, Modern Bride and Seventeen magazines.

Karen Christino has a B.A. in English from Colgate University, and is a faculty member of the Online College of Astrology. She does forecasting, horary and electional work, compatibility analyses and horoscope interpretations on tape, and can be reached at christino@starmail.org.