In an effort to display planetary declinations within the chart in the same way planets' longitudes have been displayed, I have devised a system which I call the Vertical Zodiac (VZ). It neither replaces and interferes with the time honored, traditional way of dealing with declinations, nor negates any of the excellent work that has been done or will be done in that area of astrology using those ways and methods. It merely takes those methods one step further, just like the electric car takes the gasoline powered car one step further. The electric car is still a car as we have always known it, with 4 wheels, seats, an engine, a windshield, a steering wheel, a trunk, etc. The major difference however is, that it uses a different kind of fuel. Likewise, the Vertical Zodiac chart is still the same old chart we have always known, containing the same signs, planets and aspects. The major difference however is, that it displays the planetary declinations in the same way the regular planets have been displayed, in terms of zodiacal longitude. We can actually `see' declinations not in a mysterious, separate, invisible up and down way, but rather in a way familiar to us, i.e. right there, visible within the chart, together with the regular planets.
As of now, the two aspects found in declination are parallels and contra- or counter - parallels. Parallels happen when two planets fall in the same degree of declination, either both north or both south. Contra-parallels happen when two planets are in the same degree of declination, but one is north and the other is south.
In the Vertical Zodiac we have also at our disposal all the conventional aspects between the declination planets and also between declination planets and regular planets. Declination planets can also be progressed using the same method as progressing regular planets, i.e. daily transits and major and minor progressions!
1. The Vertical Zodiac, which is based on the relationship between a planet's declination and the Sun's longitude at that particular declination, also known as the Solar Longitude Equivalent. As mentioned earlier, it displays the planets' declinations in solar longitude within the conventional chart.
2. At present, when a planet reaches a declination larger than the Sun's maximum declination (23º26'22”) it is simply termed out of bound (oob) and THAT'S IT! I call these planets extra zodiacal (referring here to my Vertical Zodiac!) and I have devised a way to show where these oob planets (EZ planets) are located in zodiacal longitude, i.e. display them within the regular chart just like the regular planets. To accomplish this I have used the Moon's maximum declination of 28º23'21”.
The above two systems are based on the Sun's and Moon's declination!
3. I have yet another way to deal with planetary declinations, which I call the Planet Specific Vertical Zodiac (PSVZ). In this system I have created a vertical Zodiac which is not based on the solar and lunar declination cycles, but rather on the planet's own declination cycle.
You may ask `Which of these systems should be used?', or, `Which one is better?', or `Why should I use any of them?'. Good questions. Let me answer these questions in the following way:
You see a dress displayed in a store window and you say: `This is a dress'. Your answer is correct. Then you notice its color and restate `It's a black dress'. Then you notice and comment `It's a full length black dress'. All three answers are correct, but every successive answer provides a more detailed description. You only see its front, but would like to know how it looks from the back. So, you go into the store, walk up to that particular window and now you can see that its back swoops down to almost waist level. You had to change your position with respect to the dress to find out that additional information. It's the same in astrology, when you use different methods on the same chart, every additional method will give you additional information and add to the total picture.
The Vertical Zodiac and Planet Specific Vertical Zodiac are new astrological territory, open for anyone to explore and experiment with. The more astrologers work with it, the more feedback we will get, the more we will learn about it, the more expert we become. It will be a joint effort by all those willing to give this system a try.
Helmut
If you are already working with the Vertical Zodiac and need to access my Solar Longitude Equivalent Table, click HERE.
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