Declinations: Anyone care to give a short lesson?

milkywaygirl

Well-known member
I have never learnt about declinations in my 10 odd years of being into astrology. I would love to get a quick summary from the more learned members here.

Thanks! :)
 

milkywaygirl

Well-known member
so how do we interpret these relationships of declination? what are their significance? if transits are an outer expression and progressions are an internal expression, where do declinations fit in, in regards to interpretation?
 

JUPITERASC

Well-known member
I have never learnt about declinations in my 10 odd years of being into astrology.

I would love to get a quick summary
from the more learned members here.

Thanks!
:)
Ancient astrologer Dorotheus of Sidon, http://www.hellenisticastrology.com/astrologers/dorotheus-of-sidon/ represents mainstream Greek astrology
and two thousand years ago noted in Carmen Astrologicum Book 3
that aspects between planets are only valid
when both planets are in the same declination :smile:

QUOTE

'......Look at the casting of rays in latitude also
because sometimes a planet is aspecting from opposition
and if you calculed it in latitude
and if you find one planet in south
the other in the North
then this is not in opposition
and also does not casts its rays....'



ALSO

Declination in Astrology -The Steps of the Sun
by Paul F. Newman(Revised edition, 2006)


Wessex Astrologer, ISBN 10: 1902405188, 212 pages; 2006. £15.95 + P&P.

Reviewed by Sarah Fuhro



'......Newman starts off with a clear and simple description of declination,
its rules and the extra space it provides in astrology for finding hidden connections
and disconnects in the chart....'
http://www.skyscript.co.uk/rev_declination.html
 

milkywaygirl

Well-known member
As a friend who no longer posts here once said:

"This is a very broad question. It's like asking "So, what are the main causes of WWII, and what are some of the basic highlights of the war and the results of it?" and then expecting a five minute answer."

This is why people write books instead of putting all their stuff free to anyone on the internet.

OK here goes. When I was running the Zarathu Astrology Forum Katie was still alive and here are some Q & A that she wrote out.


Dear Kt, I have some questions, 

a) I'm studying your book : you speak about anomalous aspects; may I understand it as follows: planets when in an eccentric orbit make anomalous aspects, when I convert the declination positions in longitude equivalent positions; they can make f.e. a trine (or another aspect) in l.e., while in declinations they make a parallel, contra-parallel of even no declination aspect. Therefore using declinations aspects like ......


Hi Zarathu! Thanks for this! Just wanted to mention, i do buy a lot of books, and don't learn off the internet for the most part, and have a bookshelf full by authors from arroyo to green to sasportas to rudyar to hand to bernadette brady. :)

I do appreciate this info you have pasted here, but it does not answer my previous question - how do declinations fit into interpretation? What do the relationships in declination indicate in regards to the individual/chart in qusetion? are they to be considered the same as conjunctions/oppositions? is a parallel between two planets to be considered the same in effect as a conjunction? if there is no relationship between two planets but they are in parallel, is that the same as them being in conjunction? etc? this is the question that I am asking.
 

milkywaygirl

Well-known member
Ancient astrologer Dorotheus of Sidon, http://www.hellenisticastrology.com/astrologers/dorotheus-of-sidon/ represents mainstream Greek astrology
and two thousand years ago noted in Carmen Astrologicum Book 3
that aspects between planets are only valid
when both planets are in the same declination :smile:

QUOTE

'......Look at the casting of rays in latitude also
because sometimes a planet is aspecting from opposition
and if you calculed it in latitude
and if you find one planet in south
the other in the North
then this is not in opposition
and also does not casts its rays....'



ALSO

Declination in Astrology -The Steps of the Sun
by Paul F. Newman(Revised edition, 2006)


Wessex Astrologer, ISBN 10: 1902405188, 212 pages; 2006. £15.95 + P&P.

Reviewed by Sarah Fuhro



'......Newman starts off with a clear and simple description of declination,
its rules and the extra space it provides in astrology for finding hidden connections
and disconnects in the chart....'
http://www.skyscript.co.uk/rev_declination.html


interesting thanks Jupiterasc! that does make sense when you think about it!
 

Zarathu

Account Closed
how do declinations fit into interpretation?

I only use the Out of bound parts.

What do the relationships in declination indicate in regards to the individual/chart in qusetion?

I'd have to see the chart.

are they to be considered the same as conjunctions/oppositions?

Katie Boehrer considered them way more powerful. I do not

is a parallel between two planets to be considered the same in effect as a conjunction?

Close.


if there is no relationship between two planets but they are in parallel, is that the same as them being in conjunction? etc? this is the question that I am asking.

Yes sort of, according to Katie.
 

milkywaygirl

Well-known member
Hi Zarathu! Thanks for your reply. you mentioned that you do not consider them more powerful than conjunctions/oppositions, how powerful do you consider them?

i asked: is a parallel between two planets to be considered the same in effect as a conjunction?

you replied: close.
can you tell me more about your thoughts about that?
 

greybeard

Well-known member
how do declinations fit into interpretation? What do the relationships in declination indicate in regards to the individual/chart in qusetion? are they to be considered the same as conjunctions/oppositions? is a parallel between two planets to be considered the same in effect as a conjunction? if there is no relationship between two planets but they are in parallel, is that the same as them being in conjunction? etc? this is the question that I am asking.

Declination expresses a relationship with the Equator. Planets with equal declination are at equal distance from the equator. All other aspects relate to the ecliptic. Declination offers us a completely different point of view.

What is the symbolic meaning of the equator?

We are not likely to find a description of the significance of the equator in any modern text on astrology. So we'll have to figure it out for ourselves.

We have a principle to guide us: All astrological symbolism derives directly from the celestial facts.

The equator is the midpoint between the two extremes, the poles. We might interpret this as saying that the equator represents "the mean", "the normal", "the expected"....It depicts "what is common or conventional". it tends toward "the collective" while the extremes found at the poles suggest "high individuality", "the deviant", "the extreme". If we consider the nature and qualities of the equator further, we can arrive at other meanings through the judicious use of analogy.

What we find is that as declination from the equator increases, individuality, perspectives differing from the "norm" of the collective, eccentricity and so on become prominent. High declination implies "leaning away from established norms," or salient behaviors, unique or individualized perspectives and perceptions. Low declination implies normality, conventionality, little deviation from what is expected.

Normal conjunctions (the "aspect") are therefore different in quality from the parallel. One is based on ecliptical relationships while the other is equatorial. One suggests "union, confluence of energies" while the other implies what we might call "running on the same track"; the two planets follow the same track but don't necessarily converge as a conjunction does. The energies of the parallel are not necessarily "in union" (they often involve two different signs), but they are "on the same page" insofar as their perceptions go. And as Marshall McLuhan said, "Perception is reality." Lower declinations indicate a sort of "normality" while higher declinations "lean away from the norm."

In practice I treat the parallel as a conjunction. Old-time astrologers claimed that a normal aspect without a supporting parallel was weakened, sometimes to the point of being ineffectual. Also, the parallel can stand on its own and is treated as a conjunction.

In the dictionary, the word parallel has several meanings, among which are: Having a close resemblance; Essential likeness; A counterpart, or match; "beside one another".
 
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milkywaygirl

Well-known member
how do declinations fit into interpretation? What do the relationships in declination indicate in regards to the individual/chart in qusetion? are they to be considered the same as conjunctions/oppositions? is a parallel between two planets to be considered the same in effect as a conjunction? if there is no relationship between two planets but they are in parallel, is that the same as them being in conjunction? etc? this is the question that I am asking.

Declination expresses a relationship with the Equator. Planets with equal declination are at equal distance from the equator. All other aspects relate to the ecliptic. Declination offers us a completely different point of view.

What is the symbolic meaning of the equator?

We are not likely to find a description of the significance of the equator in any modern text on astrology. So we'll have to figure it out for ourselves.

We have a principle to guide us: All astrological symbolism derives directly from the celestial facts.

The equator is the midpoint between the two extremes, the poles. We might interpret this as saying that the equator represents "the mean", "the normal", "the expected"....It depicts "what is common or conventional". it tends toward "the collective" while the extremes found at the poles suggest "high individuality", "the deviant", "the extreme". If we consider the nature and qualities of the equator further, we can arrive at other meanings through the judicious use of analogy.

What we find is that as declination from the equator increases, individuality, perspectives differing from the "norm" of the collective, eccentricity and so on become prominent. High declination implies "leaning away from established norms," or salient behaviors, unique or individualized perspectives and perceptions. Low declination implies normality, conventionality, little deviation from what is expected.

Normal conjunctions (the "aspect") are therefore different in quality from the parallel. One is based on ecliptical relationships while the other is equatorial. One suggests "union, confluence of energies" while the other implies what we might call "running on the same track"; the two planets follow the same track but don't necessarily converge as a conjunction does. The energies of the parallel are not necessarily "in union" (they often involve two different signs), but they are "on the same page" insofar as their perceptions go. And as Marshall McLuhan said, "Perception is reality." Lower declinations indicate a sort of "normality" while higher declinations "lean away from the norm."

In practice I treat the parallel as a conjunction. Old-time astrologers claimed that a normal aspect without a supporting parallel was weakened, sometimes to the point of being ineffectual. Also, the parallel can stand on its own and is treated as a conjunction.

In the dictionary, the word parallel has several meanings, among which are: Having a close resemblance; Essential likeness; A counterpart, or match; "beside one another".

thank you greybeard! that was an excellent explanation! i get it now. :)
 
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