Astrology Encyclopedia

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Day House. v. Ruler.

 

Day of Week, to determine v. Dominical Letter.

 

Daylight Saving Time. v. Time, Daylight-saving.

 

Day Triplicity. Older authorities deemed that in the daytime some planets are stronger when posited in Signs of a certain element; i.e. Saturn in an Air-Sign, the Sun in a Fire Sign, Mars in a Water Sign, and Venus in an Earth Sign.

 

Debility. An embracive term, preferably applied to any planet disadvantageously placed by virtue of its House position, but frequently employed loosely as a synonym of Detriment.

 

Decade. Ten consecutive years; any grouping of ten.

 

Decanate, Decan. A term applied to a subdivision of Sign into 10° arcs, referred to as the first, second and third decanates or decans. The interpretation of Decans is based upon a system of rulerships, of which there are two in common use. One method ascribed Mars to the first Decan of Aries and thence carried a fixed series throughout the 36 Decans, ending again with Mars ruling the third Decan of Pisces. The series is Mars, Sun, Venus, Mercury, Moon, Saturn, Jupiter; as follows:

 

..............First Decan..Second Decan..Third Decan

...Aries........ Mars ........ Sun ....... Venus

...Taurus....... Mercury ..... Moon ...... Saturn

...Gemini....... Jupiter ..... Mars ...... Sun

...Cancer....... Venus ....... Mercury ... Moon

...Leo.......... Saturn ...... Jupiter ... Mars

...Virgo........ Sun ......... Venus ..... Mercury

...Libra........ Moon ........ Saturn .... Jupiter

...Scorpio...... Mars ........ Sun ....... Venus

...Sagittarius.. Mercury ..... Moon ...... Saturn

...Capricorn.... Jupiter ..... Mars ...... Sun

...Aquarius..... Venus ....... Mercury ... Moon

...Pisces....... Saturn ...... Jupiter ... Mars

 

The other method employs the Ruler of the Sign as specifically the Ruler of the First Decan, with the Second and Third Decans associated with the Rulers of the other two Signs of the same triplicity. Thus the First or Aries Decan of Aries is ruled by Mars; the Second or Leo Decan, by the Sun; and the Third or Sagittarian Decan, by Jupiter. This gives this series:-

 

....................1.............2...........3

...Aries..........Mars..........Sun.........Jupiter

...Taurus.........Venus.........Mercury.....Saturn

 

and so on.

 

Decatom: a Dichotome (q.v.).

 

Decile: v. Quintile.

 

Declination. The manner of indicating distance N. or S. of the Celestial Equator. The maximum possible declination of the Sun is 23° 28' which occurs at the Solstices, when the Sun passes the Tropics (0°) of Cancer and Capricorn, the limit of the pole's greatest inclination from the plane of the Earth's orbit. The first degrees of Aries and Libra have no declination, since at these points the ecliptic intersects the equator. However, planets at this longitude may have declination. (v. Celestial Sphere.)

 

The declination of a body whose longitude and latitude are known is found by this formula:

 

1. Radius (10,000): Tangent of Ecliptic (23° 27'):: sine of longitudinal distance from equinox: tangent of Angle A.

 

2. Cosine of Angle A: cosine (latitude plus/minus 90°- minus Angle A):: cosine of Ecliptic Obliquity (23° 27'): sine of the Declination. (In this equation the latitude is taken from go, if the latitude and longitude are of different denomination; but when of the same denomination they are added, and from this sum Angle A is subtracted.)

 

The Moon, Mercury, Mars reach a declination of 27° north, and on rare occasions Venus reaches 28°. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune have practically the same declination as the Sun.

 

Decreasing or Increasing in Light. From the New to the Full Moon the Moon is increasing in light, and from the Full to the next lunation it is decreasing in light. In a Figure measured from the Sun position, if the Moon is less than 180° counterclockwise from the Sun it was waxing, or increasing in light; if less than 180° clockwise from the Sun it was waning or decreasing in light. Although generally applied to the Moon, it is also applicable to any planet when passing from an opposition to a conjunction with the Sun. It usually occurs when approaching the Sun in the order of the signs; but Mercury and Venus, after they have reached their greatest elongation East or West and are retrograding toward the Sun, decrease in light against the order of the signs. It is generally accepted as weakening the planet's influence.

 

Decumbiture. Literally, a "lying down." A horary figure erected for the moment when a person is taken ill, wherefrom to judge as to the possible nature, prognosis and duration of the illness.

 

Deductive Type. Referring to a certain quality or habit of mind that characterizes those born when the Sun was in a Mutable sign: Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius or Pisces. v. Signs.

 

Deferent. In Ptolemaic astronomy, an imaginary orbit pursued by a celestial body, around which another body moved in an epicycle (q.v.). A deferent was employed in conditions wherein the natural motion of the body was not involved. The term reflects the fact that Ptolemy was ignorant of the Earth's motion.

 

Degree. One 360th part of the circumference of a circle. The rough measure of an angle of one degree is the apparent diameter of a dime held at arm's length from the eye. The apparent diameter of the Sun and Moon is about 0.5°. The longest dimension of the bowl of the Big Dipper is about 10°. A degree is divided into 60 equal parts called minutes of arc. The length of a degree of latitude on the Earth's surface increases from 68.71 miles at the equator to 69.41 miles at 90°. The length of a degree of longitude on the Earth's surface varies from 69.65 miles at the Equator to 53.43 at 40°. Degrees are equally applicable to the Zodiac or the Ecliptic. As a time unit it is applicable to the Equator thus:

 

Degrees of Arc......Hours and minutes of time

......360°...............24 h.

.......30° (1 Sign).......2 h.

.......15°................1 h.

........1° (60')..........4 m.

........1' (60")..........4 s.

 

Degree Rising. The degree of the zodiacal Sign posited on the Ascendant (q.v.), or cusp of the First House at birth, and generally considered the most important in the Nativity. The rising degree is based upon the exact moment of birth, or of the event for which the Figure is cast, and the correct geographical latitude and longitude. Should either factor be unknown the Figure is usually cast for sunrise, which places the Sun's degree upon the horizon, resulting in what is termed a Solar Figure. As it is based only on the Earth's apparent motion around the Sun some authorities term it a Heliard Figure.

 

Degrees, Individual. Several works, symbolical, speculative and statistical, treat of influences presumed to repose in certain individual degrees. Maurice Wemyss in the four volumes of his "Wheel of Life" even introduces some hypothetical and as yet undiscovered planets to account for certain qualities and effects. It is probable that many of the qualities ascribed to individual degrees have to do with sensitive points created by Eclipses, major conjunctions, or a close conjunction in both longitude and latitude between a solar system body and a fixed star, which points are accented by the transit of another planet at a later date. For ready reference a list of such points is arranged in a zodiacal sequence, which includes: (1) the degrees created by important stars, nebulae and clusters; (2) the planets' Nodes; (3) the points of the planets' Exaltation and Fall; (4) the major planetary conjunctions from 1940 to 1946 inclusive; to which others can be added at will from the Ephemerides; (5) Solar Eclipses, from 1940 to 1946, inclusive; and (6) such other degrees which from experience appear to exert a decisive influence.

 

Delineation. (1) Applied to the generally accepted composite interpretation of specific influences, such as a planet's position in a Sign or House, an aspect between two planets, or a configuration of planets; (2) Sometimes applied to the interpretation of the Figure as a whole, but such a summing up is more properly termed a synthesis. (q.v.)

 

Depression. Distance of a celestial body below the horizon: its horizontal distance North.

 

Descendant The opposite point to the Ascendant (q.v.). The cusp of the 7th house. The western angle. Loosely applied to the whole of the seventh house.

 

Descending. Said of a planet in any house from the Fourth to the Ninth. While one may speak of a body as "setting" when it passes below the Western horizon, it is "descending" from the time it passes the Midheaven until it reaches the opposite point, or Imum Coeli.

 

Destiny. The end to which all unrestrained forces lead. The aim of most religions, including Astrology, is to help one to become the master of his Destiny. Lacking this mastery, Destiny largely determines the part we play in the scheme of things. Destiny vs. Will adds up to experience, as a result of which we can be said to evolve, and become a developed or remain an undeveloped child of Destiny. The shrinking statue of the character Destiny from scene to scene in Maeterlinck's "Betrothal" was symbolic of the diminishing power of Destiny as man evolves in character through the experience of the will and as the fruit of experience. The Consciousness of Purpose, which is a fundamental of MacDougan's system of Psychology, compares to the Astrological sense of Destiny that is imparted through the sign position of the Sun. The individual feels but fails to identify that Destiny until after a long search he "finds himself" - his place in life. But the demand for self-expression through that Destiny is the driving and sustaining conviction that spurs his search until he does find it. It is well described in Browning's "Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came." The search for self-expression is hampered or helped: by the desire nature, determined by the Moon position; and by emotional urges conditioned by the positions and aspects of the planets which deliver by reflection an altered solar spectum, consisting of combinations of energy frequencies. These stimulate the unequal development of the endocrine glands which results in the state of glandular imbalance that is now recognized as the cause of so many mental and emotional complexes and physical ills.

 

Detriment. Properly employed it applies to the placement of a planet in the opposite Sign from that of which it is said to be the Ruler; although it is frequently applied to Debility by Sign position, which includes the opposite Sign to that in which it is in its Exaltation, as well as to those of which it is Ruler.

 

Dexter. Applied to an aspect which is computed backward, against the order of the Signs; in which the aspected body is elevated above the aspecting body. If this appears opposite to what you sense it should be, remember that Ptolemy, who originated the term, knew only apparent motion - that of the daily motion of the heavens because of the Earth's rotation; therefore the one ahead, was on the right hand - dexter; and the one behind, was on the left hand - sinister. There is some controversy as to which are the stronger, although the ancients gave preference to the dexter. Today, some differentiation can be had by application of the Doppler effect noted in spectroscopy, wherein the ray from a body whose position is becoming increasingly distant is displaced toward the red end of the spectrum, while with lessening distance the displacement is toward the violet end. Since the dexter aspect is forming as the result of increasing distance it would show a displacement toward the red end, which would tend to introduce into the aspect a measure of Mars energy; while the sinister aspect, forming as the result of decreasing distance, would show a displacement toward the violet end, which would tend to introduce into the aspect a measure of Venus or Jupiter geniality. From this one might infer that the relative desirability of a dexter and sinister aspect is somewhat dependent upon the nature of the planets that are involved.

 

Dhanus. The ninth. The Hindu name for the sign Sagittarius.

 

Dichotome, or Dicotome. (Gr. cut in half.) Applied to that phase of the lunar orb, or of an inferior planet, in which only half of its disk appears illuminated, i.e. the First and Third Quarters, in which the body is assuming the shape of a half-moon, and in which the Moon is said to be oriental.

 

Dignities and Debilities. Conditions of placement wherein a planet's influence is strengthened, are termed Dignities; if weakened they are termed Debilities. These are of two varieties: Essential and Accidental.
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Dionysian Period. The 28-year cycle of the Sun, on which is based the Dominical Letter, brings the Sun back to the same day of the week. The 19-year Metonic Cycle restores the new moon to the same day of the month. Therefore 28 X 19 = 532 years - the period on which Lunations recur on the same day of the month and the same day of the week. This is the Dionysian Period, so called after Dionysius Exiguus; also called the Victorian period, after Victorius of Aquitain. Its use in determining Easter Sunday was discontinued with the Gregorian reformation of the Julian calendar.

 

Directions. Progressions:  No phase of Astrology is subject to such differences of opinion and practice as that which treats of the changing influences resulting from the various moving bodies of the solar system, as they affect the individual through the sundry sensitive points produced by the impact of planetary rays during his first day of life. Chief among these are three basic systems: Transits, Primary Directions, and Secondary Progressions.  Read the Full Article

 

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