Recently, declinations in astrology have come up a WHOLE bunch in different places in my professional life (questions from clients, podcast interviews/conversations, etc.); you name it, it’s probably come up there. So….WTF is Declination in astrology, anyway?! Declinations are the movements of the planets North and South of the celestial equator. The regular natal chart wheel that we are used to seeing measures longitude (2D) along the ecliptic while Declinations measure the planets latitude North and South of the celestial equator (which brings it into 3D). Declinations are another way of seeing where a planet is in space, and where the planet is relative to other planets. Here is a picture to illustrate what I’m talking about:

First! A few basic things!
Question: How do you find the declinations of the planets in an astrology chart?
Answer: You have to pull the table that lists the declinations! To do that (on free software), go to astro.com and enter your chart info/create your account. Assuming you have already done this, pull the chart wheel up. On this page you will see something that says “PDF” towards the top – click on it. Then you will see something that says “PDF Additional Tables” – click on it. The next page will say “planet positions;” go to the last column and you will see “Declinations.”
**And if you would ever like to have me read for you (declinations or otherwise),
you can get a reading from me by clicking here.
Question: What can I do with declination? Why do I want this in my astrological toy box?
Answer: You are able to see aspects and things in declination that add another layer/dynamic to chart weaving/reading. The kinds of things that I’m talking about are the parallel and contra-parallel aspects, and planets out of bounds (OOB).
**The northern declination signs are Aries through Virgo. The southern declination signs are Libra through Pisces. Planets are at their highest northern declination in the signs of Gemini & Cancer. Planets are at their highest southern declination in the signs of Sagittarius & Capricorn. The higher the planet’s declination (north or south) the more likely the planet is go out of bounds.

You can have planets that are in a parallel aspect and contra-parallel aspect. The parallel aspect functions like a conjunction. Planets that are in a parallel aspect will both be North or both be South. For instance, someone with a planet that has a declination 14° N 21′ and another planet with a declination of 14° N 05′ would say those two planets are parallel. The contra-parallel aspect, on the other hand, functions like an opposition. Planets that are contra-parallel will have one planet north and one planet south. For instance, if someone has a planet at 14° N 21′ and another planet at 14° S 05′, those two planets would be contra-parallel.
***When planets in a chart are BOTH conjunct AND parallel, that makes this particular aspect REALLY STRONG in a chart (a “double whammy” if you will). Same thing can be said about planets that are BOTH in opposition and contra-parallel.

In the table above, you will see that I have the declination of the Sun and Mercury circled in red, and a pinkish/purple line going from the declination of the Moon to the declination of Chiron. Both of these are examples of parallel aspects. Because the Sun and Mercury are conjunct one another via longitude (what we are used to seeing when we look at the degrees of the planets), the parallel aspect STRENGTHENS and EMPHASIZES this conjunction. The Moon and Chiron are NOT conjunct one another via longitude, but when looking at declination they ARE parallel. This means that they are more blended together (or fucking each other) like a conjunction than they might initially appear (and should probably be read that way, even as undercurrent). Essentially there is a high likelihood that this person may carry the same flavor with them that Moon conjunct Chiron (via longitude) people carry.
**It’s not circled or whatever, but Venus’ declination is contra-parallel the declinations of the Moon and Chiron. This person has their natal Venus and Moon opposite one another via degrees of longitude which is STRENGTHENED and EMPHASIZED by the contra-parallel aspect in declination. The declinations also bring Chiron into the equation in a way that wouldn’t be seen without looking at the declinations.

Declination is where and when out of bounds (OOB) planets come into play. Any planet is considered OOB that has a declination of more than 23°26’28” North or South. The reason for that is the Sun’s maximum declination is 23°26’28″…meaning that any planet OOB is not under domain of the Sun and can give it the middle finger. The person above has both Mars and Jupiter OOB. Without going TOO much into things about this person, they can really DO whatever they want with that Jupiter + Mars conjunction in Capricorn since those planets can function in whatever way they want. This has both been used to their benefit and to their detriment at different times in their life.
**It’s really important that when a planet is OOB that the person taps into the highest possible expression of the planetary energy of the planet (in whatever sign it happens to be in). Because the planet can function basically however the hell it wants to function, if it’s functioning at a lower vibrational expression the planet can do a lot of damage. OOB planets very much feel like the quote “with great power comes great responsiblity.” Wield it wisely.

Have any planets parallel, contra-parallel and/or OOB in your own chart? Leave your thoughts on them in the comments if you’d like. I’d love to read what anyone comes up with ????