Declination for BeginnersBy Paul Newman
In a nutshell, declination is a form of latitude rather than longitude. It is the measurement of planets north or south of the celestial equator, which is the Earth"s equator extended into space. It is worth remembering that when we talk of an exact conjunction of planets in a zodiac sign—for example the Moon and Saturn in Leo—these would not necessarily be conjunct in the sky. They would be conjunct by longitude (maybe appearing one above the other) but not necessarily conjunct by latitude or declination.* Similarly, the Moon and Saturn may be conjunct by declination (parallel to each other) but from different zodiac signs and therefore not conjunct by longitude. Separately either of these types of "conjunction" (longitude conjunction, declination parallel) has an equal force, but the strongest possible conjunction in astrology is when two planets are conjunct by longitude and parallel by declination at the same time. They would then appear to be conjunct in the sky. This may also help to explain why some transits seem stronger than others. The tropical zodiac signs of Aries to Virgo are called northern signs because they are situated north of the celestial equator while the southern signs of Libra to Pisces are situated south. As a general rule any planets on a chart in the signs of Aries to Virgo will be in the declinational range of 0° to 23° 27´ north, and planets in Libra to Pisces will be somewhere from 0° to 23° 27´ south. The highest degrees north or south will be found around the solstice degrees: planets situated near to zero Cancer or zero Capricorn on the tropical zodiac will have the highest declinations, while those situated near the equinoxes (zero Aries-Libra) will have the lowest declinations. As an example a typical Western-style birth chart is shown below with the planets given in zodiac longitudes and then with their declination measurements north and south of the equator shown separately underneath. (Declination measurements can be obtained from Raphael"s Ephemeris and certain other printed ephemerides and almost all astrology computer programs). The example chart in this instance is that of the Astrological Association.
The Astrological Association was born on midsummer"s night, just hours before the summer solstice when the Sun is at its highest northern declination. On the longitude (zodiac) chart we see the Sun is at 29° 54´ Gemini, almost at the solstice height of zero degrees Cancer. In the northern hemisphere the summer solstice marks the highest point that the Sun can reach in our sky and so the corresponding declination figure is the highest possible for the Sun: 23° 27´ north of the equator. On the globe this measurement is called the Tropic of Cancer because the Sun is overhead here when it reaches zero degrees of Cancer.
We can note on the Astrological Association chart given above that there is one planet shown with a higher declination than the Sun"s midsummer height of 23° 27´ north, and that is Mercury at 24° 49´ north.
Certain planets travel out of bounds periodically (no matter where the Sun is positioned at the time) and when and if they do their energies are more extreme. They become wilder and their forces more magnified, either for good or ill. As they are beyond the limits imposed by the boss (the Sun), they can operate independently and without restraint. The Moon, Mercury, Venus and Mars, all occasionally travel out of bounds. Uranus and Pluto also do, although their slower movements are more generational as they could be out of bounds for months on end. Saturn and Neptune never travel out of bounds and Jupiter only occasionally by a tiny amount. There is also a difference between being out of bounds in the north and in the south. Generally speaking, and this applies to all planets whether out of bounds or not, northern declinations are more outward in effect while southern declinations are inward and have more effect on oneself. It is quite normal to find that no planets are out of bounds on a birth chart. However by progression a natal planet may move out of bounds during the course of a person"s life and during that time the planet could operate more independently and freely.
Hopefully this brief account has given some idea of how declination can start to give an extra breadth of meaning to chart analysis, whichever particular type of astrology you use.
Paul Newman has been a member of the NCGR Declination Special Interest Group since its inception and is a regular columnist for its journal The Other Dimension. His new book Declination in Astrology: The Steps of the Sun is a full account of the techniques of declination, exploring the solar festivals, the out-of-bounds phenomenon, hemisphere anomalies, antiscia, star declinations and much more. It is now available from astrological bookshops or direct from The Wessex Astrologer www.wessexastrologer.com |
The
"tropical" zodiac is so-called because it is derived
from the declination of the Sun as it moves within this band
of 23° 27´ above and below the equator, between the
tropics. When the Sun is at zero degrees of declination it would
be directly over the equator, the moment of equinox, when day
and night are equal. When this occurs with the Sun heading north
we begin our zodiac. Zero degrees of declination equates to
zero degrees of Aries. And six months later zero degrees of
declination equates to zero degrees of Libra when the Sun crosses
back over the equator to start its journey south. Its farthest
point south will be the winter solstice at zero degrees of Capricorn,
when the Sun is at 23° 27´ south and overhead at the
Tropic of Capricorn.
On
the chart of the Astrological Association, with Mercury out
of bounds in the north we might expect concepts like communication
and spreading of ideas to be enhanced factors. Interestingly
there is similar Mercurial empathy in the charts of the two
early long-running editors of the Astrological Journal: John
Addey and Zach Matthews each had a natal Mercury out of bounds.
(As does our present editor Gerasime). Two planets situated
at the same degree of declination, both in the north or both
in the south, are said to be in parallel, a parallel having
a force equal to a conjunction. These two planets may be in
different zodiac signs however. When the Sun is climbing in
height in the sky as it travels from zero degrees at the spring
equinox to 23° 27´ north at the summer solstice, it
will move through the zodiac signs of Aries, Taurus and Gemini.
After the solstice it will move downwards to zero through the
signs of Cancer, Leo and Virgo. In declinational degrees Aries,
Taurus and Gemini are reflected by Virgo, Leo and Cancer. 15
degrees Taurus for instance is exactly parallel to 15 degrees
Leo. 28 degrees Gemini is parallel to 2 degrees Cancer. 5 degrees
Aries is parallel to 25 degrees Virgo. The same happens in the
southern hemisphere with Libra, Scorpio and Sagittarius reflecting
Pisces, Aquarius and Capricorn respectively. Declinational parallels
are like days of equal daylight either side of a solstice. If
you divide a normal longitude chart by drawing a line from zero
Cancer to zero Capricorn (or fold the chart in half along this
line) each degree will reflect another on either side of the
this line. These mirror degree points derived from declinational
parallels are called antiscia.