Understanding the declinations of Planets in the Natal chart

The declination is the degree North or south of the celestial equator a planet is at time of birth. At the time of the spring equinox the sun is on the celestial equator and is at 0 degrees, as the days get longer the suns declination increases in the Northern hemisphere until the summer solstice where it reaches 23 degrees North it then decreases to 0 again at the autumnal equinox before reaching a height of 23 degrees South at the Winter Solstice.

As you may have guessed these degrees mark important points and any planets found at them have a heightened importance in the natal chart.

Lets start with planets at 0 degree declination this is the point of the equinox, when Pisces moved onto the point of the Sun at the spring equinox it heralded the Age of Pisces, when Aquarius moves to the point of the Sun at the spring equinox it will herald the start of the age of Aquarius. We can see that the point of the equinox sun defines the tone of the era and the point of the equinox sun in your chart is similar so any planets at 0 degrees declination are in aspect to that point and will define the tone of the natal chart in general and as a whole that person will be particularly defined by the planet in question which will form the basis of their personality.

Planets above 23’28 degrees either North or South are beyond the point of the sun at its most extreme position these are said to be out-of-bounds. They have gone beyond the extremes of the sun and are out of its reaches metaphorically.  These planets are thus considered mavericks that denote the possibility of extreme forms of behaviour both positive and negative expressions of the planet in question may be a characteristic of the individual.

Planets between 20 – 23’28 degrees are close to the extreme point of the sun and these energies will be very strong in the natal chart and those planets are likely to create a very visible expression of this energy and may be seen as a signature of the individual in question.

Planets at the same degree in the same direction are said to be parallel and this is equivalent to being in conjunction in the natal chart. Planets at same degree but in opposing directions are said to be contra-parallel and this is equivalent to being in opposition in the natal chart.

©neptunes aura astrology