Astrology Articles Article Title: Introduction to Declination

- by Kt  Boehrer

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.

KtB, the Declination Lady

Copyright: Kt Boehrer

Bio: Kt  Boehrer

Kt Boehrer had her first lesson in astrology at the age of five and hasn't finished the course yet.

In the interim she qualified as a medical technologist, specializing in hematology, blood chemistry, serology and x-ray-all the while studying astrology. She attended the University of Virginia, the Sorbonne and the Alliance Française, taking selected courses and studying astrology. She says that she thinks she must be a slow learner because she hasn't finished the course yet.

Her hobbies are music, painting, miniatures (as in complete houses of many rooms built and completely furnished on the scale of one inch equals one foot), travel and history. Bowling is her sport (because it is conducted in air conditioned buildings and doesn't mess hair and makeup like some sports).

Born in central Texas, Kt has lived in California, Indiana, Wisconsin, Virginia and the D.C. Metropolitan Complex, and Europe where her husband was attached to the State Department and the United States Embassy in Paris for several years.

Formerly an editor, researcher and writer for the "Stellium Quarterly, An Astrological Journal," and a practicing astrologer who devoted 18 hours a day to her astrology practice for 25 years, that practice was abruptly terminated while she took a couple of years off to kill a few cancers. Happily, she is now back in business again.

Her book, DECLINATION: THE OTHER DIMENSION, was published in 1994 and was the best selling new book at the AFA 1994 Convention. It continues to be one of their best sellers. In April, 1995, the NCGR approved the establishment of a Declination Special Interest Group and the first issue of their newsletter, 'THE OTHER DIMENSION' was published. This SIG was the largest special interest group in the NCGR family of SIGs and remains one of the largest even into the millennium. In fact, with the introduction of the internet and astrology lists, astrologers all over the world are eager to learn all about declination and discovering greater precision and exactitude in their work as well as causative activity that can never be revealed by longitude alone.

Other articles by Kt Boehrer:

Delving into Declination    3/1/2001Delving into Declinations #3    4/1/2001

Astrology Articles Article Title: Delving into Declination

- by Kt  Boehrer

Parallels of declination have been discussed in many astrology books. In fact, that old classic The A to Z Horoscope Delineator by Llewellyn George, provides three references to parallels. Everything he said is good and valid, but it was incomplete. Much more recently, Ivy M. Goldstein-Jacobson devoted a considerable amount of space to this subject in almost every one of her numerous and excellent books. William Lilly mentions it and even Ptolemy discusses parallels of declination – very briefly.

It is a subject that has been around for a long, long time during which no one ever really addressed or understood the dimensions and import of declination and its parallels. But even more importantly no astrologer and no astrology book ever (at least in the last thousand years or so) has really defined and described the overpowering importance of declination until my 1975 book, Declination: The Other Dimension appeared. No one has ever recognized the definite and definable influence of declination which would then allow us both finite and infinite knowledge about the reality that is taking place in the heavens around us. This subject is not an old technique rediscovered – unless we are referring to thousands of years old and long-lost techniques (in astrology this is always a possibility.) My work is a 'current' look at the heavens and declination in a novel fashion.

The most remarkable aspect of this work is the fact, manner and means of examining/understanding and applying a new comprehension of the importance of the extremity of the orbit of the celestial objects that comprise our charts. This extremity is of major importance in defining the effect of the planets in each chart. Some of the planets are capable of such extreme orbits that they almost intersect the Equator at a right angle, and in doing so they often swing far into space beyond the maximum declination of the Ecliptic.

These orbits are enormously important in the influence or lack of influence of aspects. In addition, these orbits identify those periods when a planet is Out-Of-Bounds (OOB) because it has escaped from the maximum limits of declination of the Ecliptic. In going OOB these planets have a very definitive influence on the character, personality and intelligence of the individual born at the time that a planet was OOB.

With one exception, everything that has been written about parallels of declination has not addressed the subject correctly and completely. The work that Ivy M. Goldstein Jacobson did was almost 100 percent on in mundo parallels - and it was powerful and important and perfectly correct and complete for in mundo work, but was very limited because parallels in mundo are a very different matter from declination and parallels as a whole, as they are presented in my book, Declination: The Other Dimension.

It is precisely this extremity of orb that renders invalid so much of the work that has been done on declination in the past, for the simple reason that no other astrologer has ever recognized, researched or written about the OOB planets. In addition, all mathematical calculations were done on the basis that declination didn't matter, so those periods when one or more planets were OOB were simply ignored. As long as the planet remained within the ecliptic limits the calculations were all right (no guarantees about the correctness of delineation however) but as soon as the planet exceeded 23N/S28 declination the calculations and delineations were incorrect.

In addition, no other astrologer has ever presented a mathematical formula for identifying the exact degree on the Ecliptic that an OOB planet is aspecting from beyond the maximum Ecliptic declination. Strangely, astronomers had the formula but didn't have a real use for it. To them it was a source of information that had no real value or meaning. We astrologers had no formula but did have a great need for it! For us its significance is highly important and informative!

For these reasons it is incorrect to label my presentation in that book as a new way to do old tricks as some have done, and doing so only reveals their lack of understanding.

In future articles I will also provide and explain a 'real,' and 'accurate' declination chart: the Boehrer declination chart designed by the author in 1974 and copyrighted in 1975. There is no other correct and accurate declination chart. Let me add that Linear Graphs are very helpful and very interesting but not nearly as informative as the Boehrer Declination Chart. However, the astrologer who wishes to work with declination will find the Linear Graph of great interest and quite informative, although fairly limited.

'Til the next article, then, I remain, KtB, the Declination Lady

Astrology Articles Article Title: Delving into Declinations #3

- by Kt  Boehrer

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.

*[Editor’s note: readers who are concerned that Halloran programs are incompatible with Win*Star should be informed that this is no longer the case.]

**[Editor’s note: Win*Star Plus 2.0’s Graphical Ephemeris and TimeTables features permit one to make the same calculations, and the Data View feature gives precise declination information for individual charts.]

Copyright: Kt Boehrer

Bio: Kt  Boehrer

Kt Boehrer had her first lesson in astrology at the age of five and hasn't finished the course yet.

In the interim she qualified as a medical technologist, specializing in hematology, blood chemistry, serology and x-ray-all the while studying astrology. She attended the University of Virginia, the Sorbonne and the Alliance Française, taking selected courses and studying astrology. She says that she thinks she must be a slow learner because she hasn't finished the course yet.

Her hobbies are music, painting, miniatures (as in complete houses of many rooms built and completely furnished on the scale of one inch equals one foot), travel and history. Bowling is her sport (because it is conducted in air conditioned buildings and doesn't mess hair and makeup like some sports).

Born in central Texas, Kt has lived in California, Indiana, Wisconsin, Virginia and the D.C. Metropolitan Complex, and Europe where her husband was attached to the State Department and the United States Embassy in Paris for several years.

Formerly an editor, researcher and writer for the "Stellium Quarterly, An Astrological Journal," and a practicing astrologer who devoted 18 hours a day to her astrology practice for 25 years, that practice was abruptly terminated while she took a couple of years off to kill a few cancers. Happily, she is now back in business again.

Her book, DECLINATION: THE OTHER DIMENSION, was published in 1994 and was the best selling new book at the AFA 1994 Convention. It continues to be one of their best sellers. In April, 1995, the NCGR approved the establishment of a Declination Special Interest Group and the first issue of their newsletter, 'THE OTHER DIMENSION' was published. This SIG was the largest special interest group in the NCGR family of SIGs and remains one of the largest

even into the millennium. In fact, with the introduction of the internet and astrology lists, astrologers all over the world are eager to learn all about declination and discovering greater precision and exactitude in their work as well as causative activity that can never be revealed by longitude alone.