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.