What is the vertex? The vertex is a theoretical point in the heavens where the ecliptic-the apparent orbit of the Sun around the earth-crosses the prime vertical-the plane that runs at right angles to the meridian and divides the celestial sphere from front to back. Already, it sounds fishy. A theoretical point?
The vertex/anti-vertex is only theoretical to the degree that the Ascendant and Midheaven are as well. The Ascendant is the point were the ecliptic intersects the horizon (instead of the prime vertical). The North and South Nodes of the Moon, also points of theoretical intersection, are found were the path of the Moon rises and falls across the ecliptic. They are all illusory because there is nothing really out there at that point in space-no fixed star, no asteroid, no planet-not to emphasize that the ecliptic itself is the imaginary path of the Sun around the earth.
Illusory or not, the vertex falls on the western side of the chart, with the anti-vertex found exactly 180 degrees away, on the eastern side. As with the Ascendant and Midheaven, an exact birth time is necessary to calculate the vertex. There is no point working with it unless you have one. That is the first rule.
What does the word vertex mean? The word vertex comes from the Latin root word vertere, meaning to change, to turn, turn frequently or spin. It also can mean a crowning point, summit, top or crest. Words having this Latin root include vertebrae, (joint, having something to turn on) vertigo (dizzy, disoriented, spun out) vertical (from top to bottom) versatile (doing many things at once, to turn from one thing to another) and verticil (a circular arrangement around a fixed point, a whorl). The common theme here highlights change or movement, from one point to another, where the center remains fixed or the same.
VertumnusCan mythology reveal anything about the vertex? Yes. The Roman god Vertumnus has roots in the Latin word vertere, to change, turn or spin. Vertumnus was a lesser god of gardens, fruit trees and seasons. Youthful and alluring, he had the power to change himself into various forms, just as the seed changes from root, to branch to leaf to fruit. Vertumnus used this ability in his avid pursuit of the goddess Pomona.
As the myth goes, Vertumnus fell in love with a strikingly beautiful goddess (in some versions nymph) named Pomona. Although she rejected all suitors, he fed his passion with the sight of her by changing his form and passing her gardens daily as a soldier, a harvester, a fisherman, etc. Ignoring him, Pomona remained devoted only to the cultivation of fruit trees. Vertumnus persisted and one day he altered his form to that of an old woman, greeted her with a passionate kiss, and proceeded to enter her gardens.
Vertumnus, (as the matron), talked to the goddess, attempting to convince her of the rewards of relationship and the dangers of rejecting love. The qualities and integrity of the youthful god Vertumnus were discussed. Finally, "she" told Pomona the story of a young man who cruelly took his own life after being spurned by his hard hearted love. He told of how the gods turned the rejecting woman into stone, but still Pomona was not persuaded.
Finally in exasperation, Vertumnus dropped his disguise and stood naked before Pomona in his true form. She thought she was seeing the sun immerge from behind the clouds and in the glorious light of Vertumnus, she opened her heart and reciprocated his love. Together still, they attend the gardens and fruit tress of the countryside.
The theme of this myth centers on a seemingly chance moment where an outstanding event occurs. To Pomona, it was like an epiphany, a sudden turn of fate, a radical awakening of perception. To Vertumnus, it was at first a well planned strategy, then finally an act of spontaneous desperation. Imagine his surprise when Pomona finally received him!
Love, relationship and union are highlighted here, not just in the desire of Vertumnus, but also in the story he told of the young man's rejection and the tragic consequences that followed. The imagery of the gardens, fruit and vine add to the feeling of ripeness, an event finally ready to happen, a fruitful experience.
How significant is the vertex astrologically?Here lies the debate. Some well-versed astrologers will say the vertex means relatively nothing. Others will say it is a point of great significance. If it does have meaning, what is it?
The vertex appears as a sensitive point linked to fateful encounters with others, seemingly sudden epiphanies, turning points in life and a destiny over which we have no control. Activated, it can synchronize with an experience of another whose effect registers as some degree of profound or extraordinary.
A strongly placed natal vertex (conjunct the horizon, in close aspect to a personal planet, in a critical degree or in the degree of the nodes) can indicate more consistent results.
What activates the Vertex? Three things can trigger, coincide or activate the vertex: transits, people and places.
Transits to the vertex can bring inner and outer events corresponding to a pivotal point, significant encounter with another or a sudden change of perception. The transiting planet activates the symbolism of the vertex, coinciding with a major or minor event. Keeping orbs tight and sticking mainly to the conjunction will bring more consistent results. A transiting conjunction from Mars would likely be more noticeable than a transiting trine from Uranus, although sometimes that is not the case. The magnitude of the effect depends on the prominence of the vertex itself, its relationship to other factors in the chart and the occurrence of other transits, commensurate or disparate. Along with transits, students are encouraged to consider progressions, converse progressions and directions.
Meetings with significant people, as seen through synastry and composite charts, may also link strongly to the vertex. (Think of people as constant transits.) When one person's inner planets or asteroids (Sun through to Jupiter), angles, nodes, vertex or certain Arabic parts conjunct the vertex, there can be a feeling of fate, destiny, rightness or wrongness about the encounter. Something in the contact with that person may have the ability to create profound change in the native, over a long or short period of time. The change may be perceived as pleasing or acrimonious, the conjunction often reflecting the former, the opposition the later.
Our location on the planet can awaken the vertex as seen through relocation charts and astro-carto-graphy. When we relocate, the vertex may become more prominent by changing house or aspect to an angle. The relocation vertex can signify places where meaningful encounters of a particular nature seem to happen more consistently.
What about the sign and house position of the vertex?The house positions of the vertex/anti-vertex can offer clues as to where we may experience turning points, meetings with destiny or fateful encounters in life. As noted earlier, the vertex falls usually between the fifth and the eight house, on the western side of the chart, with the anti-vertex 180 degrees opposition.
In the fifth/eleventh house axis, there could be a propensity to experience fateful romantic or creative encounters (fifth house) through contacts with friends or groups (eleventh house). In the sixth/twelfth house axis, the turning point, or spin out, could effect our day by day living, or our link between psyche and soma (sixth house) through contact with those in the helping professions, those less fortunate or through dreams and creative fantasies (twelfth house). In the seventh/first house axis, sudden epiphanies could radically effect socially significant partnerships (seventh house) through an experience of projecting ourselves out into the world (first house). In the eighth/second house axis, destiny may arrive in the form of an erotic encounter or intense research (eighth house) perpetrated by a desire for pleasure, security or peace (second house).
The vertex/anti-vertex by sign can signify the way we may experience activation to this axis. Aries/Libra could indicate issues between personal will and sharing, where Taurus/Scorpio may be about security verses risk. Gemini/Sagittarius could contrast knowledge and vision, where Cancer/Capricorn could emphasize protection verses enterprise. The Leo/Aquarius axis might highlight self-expression as opposed to group participation where the Virgo/Pisces might compare structured boundaries and limitless longing.
VERTEX: The Vertex has delineation notes for the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th houses only and does not appear to be considered as worthy of house delineation in any other houses. Delineation by sign still applies. There will be times when the vertex falls in other houses.
VERTEX IN THE FIFTH HOUSE:
You have a childlike orientation, in all of its manifestations, toward relationships on an internal
level. That implicit trust, or perhaps naivete, that was instilled in our childhood persists far into maturity. The concomitant explosions and occasional tantrums when these constructs are violated also accompany this position. You have a need for fun, creativity, and excitement in a committed
relationship, no matter how many years it has endured. You often have deep fears, typical of children, of abandonment, as
well as a need for universal acceptance, no matter how you act, which you need your partner to respect and nurture, rather than rebuke, especially in adulthood.
VERTEX IN THE SIXTH HOUSE
You have an attitude of duty, obligation and sacrifice when it comes to heartfelt interactions. Here we often find associations unconsciously based on a medical or religious model of service and sometimes even sainthood. The negative side is the tendency to become hypochondriacal or martyristic to get the love so desperately wanted. There is a need for others to appreciate the sincerity of your intentions, to the daily tasks you execute in a conscientious and caring way and for others to know that your actions, no matter how routine they may seem, are based on devoted love.
VERTEX IN THE SEVENTH: The Vertex in the seventh house is the classic position for those who are always in a partnership of one kind or another (if only in our heads), desperately seeking one, or have decided that it isn't worth the risk since our expectations will never be met. This position indicates a sense that we are not really complete unless we are intimately involved with someone. On some levels there is an irrational fear of ending up alone. The dark side is that you can get highly self-righteous about acceptable modes of behaviour in interacting with others and thereby alienate the very people you long for. Your parental role model was less than secure in your subconscious perceptions, though it may seem fine on an external level.
VERTEX IN THE EIGHTH HOUSE. Indicates an internal yearning for an inseparable union with and total commitment from another, come what may. This need is so intense that we may fantasise all manner of unspeakable actions and reactions if the final dream, once attained, is even threatened. The dark side is that when the reality of our partner does not fit this model (and it rarely does totally) we have a difficult time adjusting if faced with a breach of contract of any sort. Once badly hurt there is a tendency to become jaded and guarded in future relationships, thereby passing up the opportunity to explore interactions which might just fulfil out intense needs perfectly.
VERTEX IN ARIES: The planetary placement of the Vertex reflects the needs and desires that we secretly yearn to have satisfied in a relationship with another.
The Vertex in Aries indicates a deep desire for raw, unbridled passion. The internal drama which people experience involves an obsessive lust for true adventure and excitement, exploring new territories in a hell-bent and determined way to get what they are driven toward, no matter what the consequences to others in their lives. There is an extreme repulsion for routine of any sort when it comes to intimacy. Here we have a true pioneer as far as sexuality goes - there is always something greener as the phrase goes. If you dare to jump behind this one's saddle, whether it is on a horse or a harley, it's important that you have boundless energy and are a bit headstrong yourself. If you fit this model your partner will never seek "strange" elsewhere.
VERTEX IN TAURUS
You have a sensual love of natural resources and a lust for precious possessions. A dreamy walk through the forest becomes a fantasy of acquiring it and moulding a legacy from
it, no matter how modest or grand. Your inner senses are ignited by interacting with and transforming material things in an artistic, dignified, and elegant way.
VERTEX IN GEMINI
You have an all consuming need to communicate with your partner. Here, intimacy is equated with communication on a daily basis, whether the conversation involves daily matters or deep issues of a psychological or spiritual nature. If your partner is prone to innuendo and subtle gestures you will not notice, you require that communication be verbal and straight to the point.
VERTEX IN CANCER: In cancer we have a vertex that represents a dream for an almost womblike environment that shuts out all discordant noise or interference from the outside. There are very deep desires regarding the ideal structure or family and home life. When you do commit yourself in a relationship you are really deeply committed and if you feel that your partner is not similarly serious then you will strike out at them in defence. Perhaps your expectations of others are unrealistic and are based on your own feelings of insecurity.
VERTEX IN LEO
There is a regal need to be recognised for one's innate superiority on all levels. As such, this placement reflects the fantasies of a child who works incredibly hard to be praised and loved. The desire to be cherished and almost worshiped is intrinsic, and the truth is that such approbation might well be deserved. You bestow a loyal commitment on your partners and in your eyes they can do no wrong.
VERTEX IN VIRGO:
The purity of intention in Virgo as far as intimacy goes is unrivalled. The sub-conscious conjures images of the high priest or priestess, a union which will take one to ultimate salvation or spiritual initiation, based on a shared ideal of dedication and service. There is a fantasy of joining with someone who has unique psychic and/or healing powers and the focus is on the practical work which will make everything all right. If your love has the vertex in Virgo you must be sure of your innate talents and have a good plan as to how you can make good use of them to serve your mate and mankind at the same time.
VERTEX IN LIBRA: In Libra we find a vertex that longs for a union of souls that is based on a model of pure peace and justice. Images come to mind of a mythical life on Venus, the planet of love, where there is never a discordant beat between lovers, but rather, continual harmony even if played in the minor chords. Physical lust is certainly a necessary aspect of two beings eternally intertwined, but the platonic component far outweighs it in importance. If someone whom you are magnetically attracted to has this position, be stalwart and aggressive in your approach for his or her love, but always assume a non-combative attitude when matters of conflict arise.
VERTEX IN SCORPIO:
Positioned here, the vertex indicates a desire or continual need for feeling irresistible and irreplaceable on all levels of intimacy, whether spiritual, intellectual, emotional, or physical. From the fires of hell to the heights of heaven, the further and deeper the range of interaction this person can experience with another the more fulfilling. When you are involved with someone who has this placement, what you see is never what you get - there is always more than meets the eye. Prepare yourself for considerable intrigue, endless fascination and an interactive intensity that will challenge you to the maximum.
VERTEX IN SAGITTARIUS: The vertex in sagittarius reveals a person who dreams of the pinnacle of adventure when it comes to mating. The psyche yearns for being carried away to the ends of the earth or being exposed to every manner of religious and/or philosophical theory known to man and then some. The yearning is strong and really deep when it comes rarefied experiences of any sort. Encountering and wanting to join with these people demands that we always have an itinerary that will provide them with the maps to explore the roads that they have not yet travelled, to say nothing of the different worlds they have dreamed of but not yet experienced.
VERTEX IN CAPRICORN This indicates a searing need for the partner to understand and respect the trials and
tribulations they have long endured, as well as the misunderstandings from others they have encountered throughout
their lives. The ultimate union will have elements of societal status and power, but they will wield it in a way that has always been denied to them. If you happen to fall in love with someone who has this position, meet these needs and the sex will be beyond anything you ever imagined possible. It is important to be acutely aware of their highly attuned sensitivity, particularly in social situations. Always stand behind them through thick and thin in the role of the good and loving authoritative parent they never had.
VERTEX IN AQUARIUS. The vertex in Aquarius yearns for completion of itself through the highest ideal of friendship. Hidden in the inner recesses of this soul are desires for a union that will impact the world in an almost utopian sense. The dreams for ideal relationship are entirely alien if compared to conventional soap opera images. There is a yearning for each act of intimacy to reflect a conviction of how all relationships should be in order for the world to be a better place. If you feel a spark for this person there is no place for exhibitions of jealousy. Join them in their lofty dreams and you will have a companion for life.
VERTEX IN PISCES: You have an internal yearning to personally interact with humankind. Your unspoken concept of intimacy blends in an almost mystical way with a need to alleviate suffering, accompanied by an indescribable capacity for compassion. You can empathise with the tribulations of others. Your sexuality is often intense only because it is a natural part of human interaction and sometimes the only way to alleviate another's pain, however, briefly. There is a limit to how much you can put up with, after all you only human too.
ASPECTS - NATAL, TRANSITS AND SOLAR:
VERTEX TO SUN
NATAL: Managerial qualities. It enhanced the personality, particularly those in public life such as politicians and actors. depends on hard or soft aspects.
SOLAR: Can indicate new ventures, employment or residence as well as improvement in status.
TRANSITS: only last one day and would need other planetary configurations to be activated.
VERTEX TO MOON
NATAL: It is important with this aspect to relate to parents with emotional sensitivity. Intense emotions are also indicated.
SOLAR: The focus will be on emotional issues such as love affairs, marriage fidelity. Family influences can be strong
TRANSITS: too fast moving to be of consequence.
VERTEX TO MERCURY
NATAL: Skills in communication as well as intellectual ability indicate a mentally active person. Scholastic achievements depending on aspects.
SOLAR: Changes in career, many short journeys possible.
TRANSITS: New thoughts and objectives to improve status.
VERTEX TO VENUS
NATAL: Happy love relationships are necessary for physical well being. Marriage for money or status can be a goal.
SOLAR: Social activity, increases status through marriage or promotion.
TRANSITS: New love affairs, marriage prospect or engagement.
VERTEX TO MARS
NATAL: Often found in those who join the armed forced. Desire to carry fire arms or act in an aggressive manner.
SOLAR: Forceful actions can interfere with ambition. Accidents and/or domestic violence.
TRANSITS: Restlessness, breaking down of blood cells in eyes or gums. Thrombosis can occur.
VERTEX TO JUPITER:
NATAL: often improves the social standing through family connections or business achievements. Fame can also be associated with this link.
SOLAR: Financial stability with optimism and expansion of interests.
TRANSITS: Favourable for real estate purchases and sales.
VERTEX TO SATURN
NATAL: The ability to work hard to achieve success. Political interests. Serious nature.
SOLAR: Forced changes within the environment, a sad mood, re-assessment of wealth.
TRANSITS: Separation, feelings of loneliness or depression due to outside influences. Can bring delays in real estate settlements or the starting of real estate projects.
VERTEX TO URANUS
NATAL: Many environmental changes, sometimes seen when people change from their birthplace to reside in another country. Frequently in charts of airline pilots and people whose employment is connected with travel.
SOLAR: Major changes in lifestyle. Marriage or divorce is possible. Sudden events can be unsettling. Research scientists can benefit from this aspect.
TRANSITS: Irritability, nervous tension and prone to accidents.
VERTEX TO NEPTUNE
NATAL: Often found in charts of actors, artists and musicians as well as bishops and clergy. Danger through drug, alcohol or gambling addiction.
SOLAR: Deception and disillusionment can occur. The need to take care in money transactions, losses through theft or fraud
TRANSITS: Travel, interests in religion, psychic ability, the desire to escape from reality.
VERTEX TO PLUTO
NATAL: A powerful configuration for good or ill. The feeling of being controlled by outside forces. The ability to be successful in large organisations.
SOLAR: separations from loved ones. The loss of elderly parents or grandparents.
TRANSITS: Could last for several years. Major changes in the environment can occur.
VERTEX TO NORTH NODE:
NATAL: Achievements through co-operation with family. Success through group activity.
SOLAR: Important family decisions which can last a year. An increase within the family through births or marriage.
TRANSITS: Depend on other planetary configurations. On the positive side, new associations could bring benefit. On the negative side, the loss of a friend or relative.
Most astrologers who have ever lived spent their entire careers without taking into account the vertex. This node-like point was not postulated until the 1930's-40' when L. Edward Johndro coined the name. He, and his followers, did attribute significant meaning to the vertex, although Johndro apparently grappled with its relative value more than once. Is the vertex really effective? The following article invites students to consider this question, experimenting with their own charts to find answers for themselves.
What about the sign and house position of the vertex?The house positions of the vertex/anti-vertex can offer clues as to where we may experience turning points, meetings with destiny or fateful encounters in life. As noted earlier, the vertex falls usually between the fifth and the eight house, on the western side of the chart, with the anti-vertex 180 degrees opposition.
In the fifth/eleventh house axis, there could be a propensity to experience fateful romantic or creative encounters (fifth house) through contacts with friends or groups (eleventh house). In the sixth/twelfth house axis, the turning point, or spin out, could effect our day by day living, or our link between psyche and soma (sixth house) through contact with those in the helping professions, those less fortunate or through dreams and creative fantasies (twelfth house). In the seventh/first house axis, sudden epiphanies could radically effect socially significant partnerships (seventh house) through an experience of projecting ourselves out into the world (first house). In the eighth/second house axis, destiny may arrive in the form of an erotic encounter or intense research (eighth house) perpetrated by a desire for pleasure, security or peace (second house).
The vertex/anti-vertex by sign can signify the way we may experience activation to this axis. Aries/Libra could indicate issues between personal will and sharing, where Taurus/Scorpio may be about security verses risk. Gemini/Sagittarius could contrast knowledge and vision, where Cancer/Capricorn could emphasize protection verses enterprise. The Leo/Aquarius axis might highlight self-expression as opposed to group participation where the Virgo/Pisces might compare structured boundaries and limitless longing.
Conclusions:The vertex is a point in the horoscope that can indicate a sense of destiny working through another person or outstanding event. It may be stimulated by transits, progressions or directions, other people (synastry/composite) or a change of location. The house and sign position can offer clues as to where the change or turning point may take place and in what way. All students are encouraged to watch the vertex in their own charts, determining for themselves the relative value. After all, we never know when Vertumnus might enter our garden in the guise of someone else, offering an unexpected turn of fate!
Calculating the Vertex: Most astrology software programs offer the option of calculating the vertex in the chart. To find the Vertex by hand, you calculate the Ascendant at your co-latitude. That’s the Ascendant at 90 degrees, minus your latitude. The IC becomes the mid-heaven and, using the table of houses, you look up the “Ascendant” (Vertex) associated with the new MC and latitude.OR, you can go to AstroDienstand include it in the many chart options, calculating it on line for free.(I would double check the hand calculations against their computer results at first, just to make sure.)
In the natal chart, it has to do with our work. I am not talking about career status and goals like the MC indicates, but the real actual work situation… where we produce day to day…. Our "output", as Sullivan indicated. Watch the transits (precessed ones I find work better) and you will see noteworthy changes at work related to the planet transiting over the Vertex. You can count on it. Transits to the MC may indicate a change in career status, a promotion, etc, or a change in career goals; but VX is changes in the actual functional work situation.
... In horaries, the VX is the likely outcome of a question as a result of current conditions; i.e. if things continue as they are going now, the Vertex indicates what is most likely to happen. This can be read with the midpoints falling on the Vertex and planets forming 16th harmonic angles to it. I find this consistently reliable. As with all oracles, the horary chart is not immutable, and application of the willpower of anyone concerned can alter the outcome. And no, that is not a weakness of astrology. Our lives are influenced by MANY factors, whether challenging or advantageous: planetary, environmental, social, genetic, karmic, and personal determination. Sorry, astrology does not do it all for us.
The Vertex is almost always found on the right or occidental side of the horoscope. The exception occurs in extreme northern latitudes. The occidental side of the horoscope is co-dependent and other-directed so that the Vertex represents characteristics, attributes, qualities and skills to be cultivated in this lifetime through the demand and urging of other people. For those interested in esoteric astrology, my theory is that the Vertex indicates the Ray energy to be cultivated in this lifetime – a shift in the personality, astral or mental body.
When there are transits or progressed aspects to the Vertex, the qualities of the Vertex sign will be emphasized. Under favorable aspects, we are drawn by people (indicated by the House position) to express the aptitudes of the Vertex sign. Under afflictions, we seem to have problems with the Vertex sign energy.
Aries: In cultivating Aries energy, you will be drawn into taking charge in emergencies, taking the initiative and developing fast solutions to crises situations. There will be no time to coordinate efforts. Circumstances in the life will force you to pick up the reins of leadership and react to emergencies as a trouble shooter. You will be commanded to be your own person rather than stay on the sidelines, waiting for someone else to do it or ducking out completely.
Taurus: You will be forced to develop a sense of self-worth and material self-sufficiency, not relying upon others for support and not being obligated to others. You may be drawn into helping others achieve financial security or make value judgments for another. Freedom is found through financial independence. Esoterically, it is associated with the ability to let go, to simplify that which is complicated and to extricate by eliminating indebtedness. This can be for self, as well as others. Speak your truth when necessary and honor your own values and principles. Be willing to stand up for what you believe to be true.
Gemini: You will be drawn to teach, to present your own ideas and to back up the information with facts. Gemini will draw you into a relationship or work activity that will demand that you learn to be flexible and to do more than one thing at a time. Flexibility is often connected with allowing others to change their minds, something that Gemini does quite easily.
You may be forced to debate and prove your views or to relay the messages of others correctly. You may be forced to prove your believability, choosing your words correctly and not relying upon generalities. Such an individual may not like the pressure of facts but this will ultimately build confidence in communication skills. You will learn that in theorizing you give your power away, being at the mercy of others who fight with the facts.
Cancer: In this life, you will be pulled into dealing directly with the public, with the media, with the emotions of others— often this starts with the emotional issues in the family, depending upon the Vertex House position. In dealing with the emotional issues in your relationships with others, you will be drawn into soothing troubled water and nurturing others’ needs. You may also be drawn into dealing with issues connected with women in general. Cancer is the sign of the masses, mass trends and Universal Consciousness. This position can provide and opportunity to assess and spot trends on behalf of the public interest.
The natural tendency with the anti-vertex in Capricorn is to appear authoritative and unemotional. Now you are to learn compassion for the feelings of others. In this lifetime, you cannot let others down. You must get emotionally involved and care!
Leo: In this lifetime, you must learn to get personally involved so that you gain recognition for yourself and not share the glory with the group. You are to learn to be creative and to cultivate Self-Expression and Willpower. The tendency is to fade into a group rather than individualize. Individualization is the task at hand. A personal approach to dealing with people is needed rather than a detached and objective orientation.
I have a good friend with the Vertex in Leo. Her natural tendency is to give to the group without individual recognition. I cannot help but feel that there is much frustration when the group and her partner gets the recognition and she does not. Even her writing style tends to be philosophically Aquarian, lacking in a personal revelations. When this point was hit by a transit, she found it impossible to gain the personal recognition. The timing was wrong.
Virgo: In this lifetime, the individual will be drawn to provide a service which brings something to a practical, useful order. Since the anti-vertex is in Pisces, the individual already understands and has experienced confusion but now you must learn to bring order out of chaos. Remember, Virgo rules useful service, not servitude. One client has this Vertex in the 7th and she is an accountant, working on the financial chaos of others.
Libra: In this lifetime, the individual will be drawn into learning how to bridge opposing factions, to mediate compromises, to restore fairness and to bring harmony out of conflicting issues in order to re-establish peace and order. Because the anti-vertex is in Aries, the individual must not allow personal desires to influence the situation. The individual must not take sides or impose the personal ego. The need is to detach the self, make no judgments and establish harmony that would benefit the whole rather than any specific individuals.
Scorpio: In this lifetime, the individual will be drawn into dealing with that which is complicated, matted and ensnared. Plutonian issues connected with the abuses of power can be involved, fighting for the rights involved with exploitation issues. The individual maybe drawn to working with the finances of others, assisting them in achieving security and empowerment. I have one client who was compelled to investigate death/dying issues, learning to transform and heal, learning metaphysics in order to help others.
Since Taurus is the anti-vertex, it is too easy to stay in one’s comfort zone, taking the line of least resistence, not jeopardizing personal security and comfort. You must give strength and courage to the concerns of others, overcoming the fears that make you too comfortable with the status quo.
Sagittarius: In this lifetime, you must go beyond the facts in order to see the Big Picture. You may be drawn to give testimony wherein you must draw conclusions from many facts. The Gemini details may look good for now but they do not serve in the long run. The individual must teach at an expanded or philosophical level based upon the accumulated facts— extracting wisdom from what you know. Go beyond the facts to the truth of the matter. Do not get bogged down with superficial, gossipy information. You will be drawn to deal with philosophical, spiritual or moral issues in connection with the Vertex House position.
Capricorn: The individual will be called to develop skills in responsible leadership. It is essential that you learn to accept duties and obligations for a future control. Leadership and organizational ability go hand-in-hand and you must learn patience to cultivate these skills. Do not allow your emotions and fears to interfere with a realistic attitude in administration. It is essential that the individual not allow the needs of home, family or feelings of insecurity to impede in fulfilling your destiny and thereby rise to a position of respect.
Aquarius: First, you must learn tolerance for the differences in others. This would be particularly true if Saturn and Earth-Water signs are strong in the chart. If Uranus and Fire-Air signs are strong, the individual must learn how to coordinate one’s efforts with other independent, task oriented types. Regulating Uranian people is a hard-learned lesson! Since the anti-Vertex is in Leo, the individual must guard against allowing one’s strong subjective and “MY WAY” opinions to interfere with cooperation. The lesson is to be detached and impersonal.
Any prejudices will come back to haunt you in this lifetime. Learn to be a good friend, to be a part of group effort rather than trying to shine on one’s own. When tolerance is not an issue for the individual, I find that there is some difficulty working with group energy. One client felt that she needed to learn to function and protect herself while working within groups.
Pisces: In this lifetime, the individual is to cultivate sensitivity for the intangibles rather emphasizing the pragmatic, the materialistic and the fine points fo detail. The individual will go through experiences that bring out compassion, the ability to listen with empathy to the concerns of others, and experiences that will make for greater sensitivity to the suffering of others. Another lesson is to let go of criticism. With the anti-Vertex in Virgo, it is easy to zero in on the details, the flaws and imperfections, losing sight of the whole. Learn to go with the flow. Do not judge by rules but rather by instinct and compassion
... With major transits and directions to the Vertex, you will see major changes at work or your method of production; maybe a new job or a new type of work, or new factors that change the way you carry out your work: a change of equipment, methodology, location, co-workers, or clients. Solar arc directed Vertex and planets directed by Solar arc to Vertex also reveal important changes in one's work or work setting.
Does this invalidate the talk about the Vertex being related to concepts of "fate" and "destiny" and "karma"? Certainly not. What we do in our lives, how we carry out or work and what we produce brings about our fate and destiny and creates new karma, and may be in some very important ways connected to our old karma. So the once-prevalent definitions are not wrong; they have however now been integrated and grounded in daily reality. What one might say in a philosophical sense is that the Vertex is an indicator of the paths we are likely to choose in terms of action that will very strongly affect our fate, destiny, and karma. And it is pertinent that significant connections show up in synastry of important relationships, since if we do consider metaphysical and spiritual factors, the close relationships we cultivate often are very tied in with our own personal karmic issues.
The Vertex, like many other astrological characteristics discussed in Karmic Astrology, is about fate. It represents an important life instruction. The Vertex mostly falls between the Fifth and Eighth Houses. Its exact point varies depending on the individual's birth date, time and place.
Astrologically, the Vertex and the Anti-Vertex (the opposite point of the Vertex) indicate karmic events in the life of an individual regarding cause and effect. Be careful of what you wish for, as it just might come true when the Vertex and the Anti-Vertex come into play. Wishes and hopes can be fulfilled in a very perverse manner; you may get what you ask for, but not without suffering, sacrifice or potential tragedy. These are the prices of asking for too much at the wrong time. Personal relationships are especially highlighted.
According to the dictionary, the Vertex is: "the summit, the highest point reached in the apparent motion of a celestial body or other points. Taken from the Latin - vertere, meaning 'to turn.'
In the horoscopic chart, the astrological Vertex is calculated as being the point located at the intersection of the Ecliptic (path of the Sun) and the Prime Vertical, a plane that divides the celestial sphere into front and back.
Incarnational Axes – "Openings to Transcendence"
Through the years I came to the conclusion that there were three primary "incarnational" chart axes that tend to be of foremost significance when looking at any type of chart. And we're all, of course, rather familiar with these three incarnational axes...
These three primary incarnational axes are the:
• Ascendant/Descendant axis - magnetic axis
• the Midheaven/IC axis - gravity axis
• and the Lunar Node axis - karmic (or fate) axis
Enter The Fourth Incarnational Axis
The astrological Vertex is actually part of a two point axis comprised of the Vertex and Anti-Vertex... and as a chart axis... if your Vertex is located in 10 degrees of Scorpio, then your anti-Vertex is located in 10 degrees of Taurus.
And like all self-respecting incarnational axes, the Vertex/Anti-Vertex axis generally functions as a "gate," "funnel," or "transcendent opening" into the astrological chart. The Vertex/ Anti-Vertex axis is for good reason (that I'm about to explain) also nicknamed the Electric Axis.
Some astrologers have devised fascinating distinctions between the Vertex and the Anti-Vertex, with the Anti-Vertex generally having the more negative and/or lessor effect. In practical experience, I haven't noticed much of a difference.
Due to the "nature of the beast" - in any astrological chart, the Vertex is normally found lurking around in either the 5th, 6th, 7th, or 8th house.
Vertex In Astrology (the Nitty Gritty)
So anyway, based on the astrological Vertex being located on a "turning point" in your sky chart, it then probably has something to do with "turning points" in your life. It does. Based on it being located in the 5th through 8th houses, then you can also bet it quite often has something to do with "meetings of people." Again, it does.
Here's my personal astrological rule of thumb definition of the Vertex: the astrological Vertex is a sensitive point on the chart (any chart) that during unusual, extraordinary times feels like an electric, fortunate "turning point" or a meeting with "Destiny's Gate."
As mentioned above, all self-respecting axes function as "gateways," "funnels," or "openings" into the astrological chart. As such, when a birth (natal) planet is conjunct your birth Vertex/anti-Vertex axis it may typically add strength to this planet's placement and its potential efficacy in your life.
In practice, the Vertex often feels like a compulsive, yet fortunate experience and meeting up with destiny that you couldn't avoid (even if you wanted to). According to Bill Meridian (Mountain Astrologer, June/July 2001), astrologer, Charles A. Jayne who (along with Lorne Johndro) first proposed using the astrological Vertex, "felt this point was fated and that it represented matters beyond our control."
It was Johndro that nicknamed the Vertex the "electric ascendant."
Destiny's Gate can (among other things) be:
* a person (and how they effect you)
in synastry, the most effective when another person's natal Sun, Moon, Ascendant, Midheaven, Venus or Mars conjuncts your natal Vertex or anti-Vertex. I've gotten a wee bit stingy in my old age - and I only (90% of the time) use conjunctions when looking at the Vertex and anti-Vertex. Also, the slower a planet is... the more narrow my orbs tend to get when looking at cross aspects with the Vertex and anti-Vertex.
* a time (when you meet a special person)
when a transiting planet conjuncts your birth Vertex or anti-Vertex.
Major Chart Axes Rundown and Recap
* The Ascendant/Descendant axis is nicknamed the Magnetic axis.
* The Midheaven/IC axis is nicknamed the Gravity Axis.
* The Lunar Nodes axis is nicknamed the Karmic (or fate) Axis.
* and finally the Vertex/ Anti-Vertex axis is nicknamed the Electric Axis.
The Vertex in Astrology
Encounters With The Inevitable
Encounters With The Inevitable
It sometimes happens that seemingly out of nothing something or someone enters into your life and turns it upside down for good or for bad.
Call it a life changing encounter.
In astrology such karmic or "fated encounters" are said to be indicated by a seldom used imaginary point, the Vertex (Vx).
Most astrological software programs calculate this sensitive and imaginary point, but it's used rarely by astrologers.
We recommend that you use this point in all your astrological work as it may give additional and valuable insight.
What is the Vertex?
In astrology all important planes are created by "great circles" (that pass through the center of a sphere). Where these circles intersect there are some important points.
So it is that the intersection of the Ecliptic (the apparent path of the Sun across the sky) and the Horizon in the east is the Ascendant.
The brilliant and innovative astrologer Charles Jayne wondered why the intersection of the Ecliptic in the west and the Prime Vertical was not used. He called the intersection of the Ecliptic and the Prime Vertical in the west the Vertex. The opposing point is called the "Anti-Vertex" or, more commonly, the East Point (Ep).
The Vertex is a sensitive point that can always be found on the right side (western half) of the horoscope between the 5th and 8th houses.
Because these houses are centered around the Descendant (the sensitive point indicating "encounters and meetings") the Vertex is associated with external or outside influences and encounters that come into our own lives. This way, the Vertex (Vx) acts like an auxiliary Descendant.
After extensive research, Charles Jayne associated the Vertex with "karmic destiny", while other astrologers associate it with:
- "fated encounters"
- "your calling or the Ray energy to be cultivated in this lifetime"
- "a place where we easily give ourselves over to something beyond the scope of our own life and over which we have no control"
- "what you draw into your life"
- "one's work productivity"
- "cosmic awareness"
- "a doorway that gives access to other realities"
- "ESP, psychic phenomena, visions etc."
The Vertex can work in different ways.
- Your natal Vertex can be activated by conjunctions or oppositions of transiting (or progressed!) planets and other sensitive points.
- It can also be activated when the horoscope of another person, place or organization activates your natal or progressed Vertex. In horoscope comparison, synastry, you can find very close conjunctions of the Vertex of one person to a point or planet of the other one when there is some significant interaction between both going on.
The Vertex in the progressed horoscope seems to be more important and should not be neglected. We already mentioned this on our when to find love page! Also, progressed planets or points conjunct your natal Vertex are significant.
So, always check your natal AND progressed Vertex points and always take notice of EXACT conjunctions and oppositions from planets/points (that happen in the same degree in a sign).
For example, if your Vertex is posited at 5°21' Cancer, only take the planets into account that are between 5°00' - 5°59' Cancer or Capricorn.
Depending on where it falls in your own chart, the Vertex brings "attractions and encounters", not necessarily romantic or physical contacts though. It may go from
- friendships and people entering your life (especially with your Vertex in the 5th or 7th house)
- patronage (especially with the Vertex in your 6th house)
- to material gain and spiritual messages from the Universe or psychic connections (especially when the Vertex is in your 8th house).
The Vertex is just about more than love, so, take this into account and don't be disappointed when love does not knock on your door when transiting Venus conjuncts your progressed or natal Vertex. Perhaps you may receive a gift or visit a nice place with some impact as well.
Anyway, expect something important from the external world to enter into your life, for good or for bad.
Also be aware that the most intense and powerful events or encounters only seem to happen when there is a planet conjunct the Vertex in your natal chart and another transiting or progressed planet or point conjuncts this natal combo.
Sometimes the outside influence or encounter can be quite upsetting because what the Universe plans with us may not always coincide with our own plans. The Universe is stronger though, so that you will have to succumb to these higher powers and encounters which enter your life through the Vertex point.
Vertex contacts aren’t necessary for long term relationships, the way Saturn contacts are. In fact, it isn’t common to see Vertex contacts in sustained relationships. Vertex contacts usually bring forth the kinds of experiences that may be intense and life-changing, but often short-lived.
The Vertex is often described as a ‘spiritual ascendant.’ It is said to be a point where we have ‘fated encounters’ that alter our life plans. However, the Vertex isn’t always about relationships. Anything eye and soul opening can enter our lives when the Vertex is activated. It can be jobs, creative projects, health issues, personal revelations. Much depends on what house the Vertex falls in. It is a point where encounters or events will bring some kind of personal enlightenment.
Why do Vertex experiences feel like ‘fate?’ We feel fated when our inner world meets the outer, when something is brought into our lives, seemingly from out of the blue, that feels as if it was meant to be. The ‘fated’ person or event seems to come from a place beyond our everyday reality to change our life direction or alter our consciousness. The Vertex is the place where we taken beyond mundane reality and are reminded that we are always profoundly connected to the greater mysteries and powers of life.
Whatever involves the Vertex will reach beyond ordinary mundane existence to remind and teach us that there is no such thing as ordinary mundane existence. Vertex happenings are a tap on the shoulder telling us that our ordinary perceptions are illusions, and that the truth of our lives is always found somewhere beyond material space and time. And this is why it’s considered a wake-up call to our real identity, our ‘spiritual ascendant’. The ordinary Ascendant causes us to define ourselves by our experiences; the Vertex concerns itself with what we are (or can be) beyond our external circumstances. Vertex contacts feel ‘fated’ because they lead us to roads we instinctively feel, but cannot yet see. Vertex happenings invoke the Watcher in all of us–the one who knows, the one who works hand in hand with the one who experiences. This is the symbolic reason it appears on the opposite side of the chart from the Ascendant. The Ascendant concerns itself with taking in ‘life’ experiences which reflect on soul; the Vertex concerns itself with spiritual experiences which ultimately effect life choices.
It’s the anti-Vertex more than the Vertex that is active in ‘fated’ relationship encounters. If the Vertex is the spiritual Ascendant, the anti-Vertex is the spiritual Descendant. It is ‘other’ through the deepest essence of Soul. If we allow it, if we are ready for it, the anti-Vertex contact can be more powerful than any other contact in the chart comparison. We feel as if this person is absolutely crucial to our soul’s development. The significance of this contact can resonate for years, long after the relationship has ended. However, there is one catch to Vertex and anti-Vertex contacts: we must be at a point where we are spiritually ready for the experience, or the Vertex contact may come to nothing.
People with planets conjunct the Vertex are often driven forward in an almost magical way. I know an actor, an Aries, with Mars conjunct the Vertex in the fifth house. He hasn’t been out of work, give or take a month, since the age of 16. Highly unlikely in any actor’s life, but that’s the Vertex at work. It draws experience which moves us forward.
People with planets conjunct the anti-Vertex, particularly an important planet like the Sun or a ruling planet, are often unusually self-contained. Whereas most people seek to find themselves through ‘other’, the anti-Vertex people have a tendency to be their own ‘other,’ and not be inclined to partnership unless it’s a serious one. Not that relationships will not happen in their lives; on the contrary, the relationships that do occur will be highly charged and deeply significant. But you won’t find people with important planets on the anti-Vertex looking for any old warm body on a Saturday night. The planetary energy, whatever it is, is looking towards ‘other’ for spiritual completion, and nothing else will do. In fact, if the influence is strong, they may have a hard time understanding the day to day relationships and attractions that others experience. The planet involved with the anti-Vertex and the houses it rules will tell you the flavour of the encounters and what area of life will be affected via the anti-Vertex relationships.
In some, the Vertex is very active, in others, not so much. This depends on whether or not the Vertex is heavily weighted, and it depends upon the level of spiritual awareness, which cannot be measured in the chart. Vertices with conjunctions or vertices that hit a number of midpoints are particularly sensitive. It also can be very active by progression. And it is also related to how open and ready a person is for new experiences and turns in the road, something which cannot be completely measured. We all have the ability to turn away from fate.
If others’ planets conjunct our Vertex axis, we may very well feel as if we have waited for this person, for this experience, our entire lives. And that may well be the truth. Entire life directions, entire world views, can change when another’s planets conjunct our Vertex or anti-Vertex. We may divide our lives into ‘before’ and ‘after’ this Vertex-significant other.
If planets square the Vertex angle, then the development of this planet is crucial to whether or not I become aware enough (and brave enough) to meet my fate. For example, if Saturn is square my Vertex angle, then Saturn development would open the gateway for Vertex-inspired experiences. The more Saturn develops and the more we learn to use it constructively, the greater the possibility of Vertex experience. This could happen natally or it could happen through a contact with another whose Saturn squares my Vertex angle. If another’s Saturn squares my Vertex, their planetary development will affect my spiritual development.
Ultimately, interpreting the Vertex axis isn’t very different from interpreting anything else in the chart. Whatever house it falls in indicates the realm of experience the ‘awakening’ encounters will occur in. The sign describes the method/process of the experience and also the general flavour of it. The rulers of the Vertex axis play a part, as do any planets conjunct the Vertex axis and the houses they rule.
It’s good to remember that the Vertex axis does work as a point of fate, but it can only allow experiences that reflect in the rest of the chart; it opens doors to rooms we are not yet aware of. It isn’t a magic wand, conjuring up what we wish for. The Vertex impels us forward via the soul’s intention, but it cannot deliver what is not already there in nascent form.
You may think that the Vertex isn’t involved in your relationship, but look again. Was the Vertex active in either of your charts on the day you met? How about on your first date, the day you got married, or the birth of a child? Is it active in the composite? Take a look. You might be surprised.
The Vertex is often described as a ‘spiritual ascendant.’ It is said to be a point where we have ‘fated encounters’ that alter our life plans. However, the Vertex isn’t always about relationships. Anything eye and soul opening can enter our lives when the Vertex is activated. It can be jobs, creative projects, health issues, personal revelations. Much depends on what house the Vertex falls in. It is a point where encounters or events will bring some kind of personal enlightenment.
Why do Vertex experiences feel like ‘fate?’ We feel fated when our inner world meets the outer, when something is brought into our lives, seemingly from out of the blue, that feels as if it was meant to be. The ‘fated’ person or event seems to come from a place beyond our everyday reality to change our life direction or alter our consciousness. The Vertex is the place where we taken beyond mundane reality and are reminded that we are always profoundly connected to the greater mysteries and powers of life.
Whatever involves the Vertex will reach beyond ordinary mundane existence to remind and teach us that there is no such thing as ordinary mundane existence. Vertex happenings are a tap on the shoulder telling us that our ordinary perceptions are illusions, and that the truth of our lives is always found somewhere beyond material space and time. And this is why it’s considered a wake-up call to our real identity, our ‘spiritual ascendant’. The ordinary Ascendant causes us to define ourselves by our experiences; the Vertex concerns itself with what we are (or can be) beyond our external circumstances. Vertex contacts feel ‘fated’ because they lead us to roads we instinctively feel, but cannot yet see. Vertex happenings invoke the Watcher in all of us–the one who knows, the one who works hand in hand with the one who experiences. This is the symbolic reason it appears on the opposite side of the chart from the Ascendant. The Ascendant concerns itself with taking in ‘life’ experiences which reflect on soul; the Vertex concerns itself with spiritual experiences which ultimately effect life choices.
It’s the anti-Vertex more than the Vertex that is active in ‘fated’ relationship encounters. If the Vertex is the spiritual Ascendant, the anti-Vertex is the spiritual Descendant. It is ‘other’ through the deepest essence of Soul. If we allow it, if we are ready for it, the anti-Vertex contact can be more powerful than any other contact in the chart comparison. We feel as if this person is absolutely crucial to our soul’s development. The significance of this contact can resonate for years, long after the relationship has ended. However, there is one catch to Vertex and anti-Vertex contacts: we must be at a point where we are spiritually ready for the experience, or the Vertex contact may come to nothing.
People with planets conjunct the Vertex are often driven forward in an almost magical way. I know an actor, an Aries, with Mars conjunct the Vertex in the fifth house. He hasn’t been out of work, give or take a month, since the age of 16. Highly unlikely in any actor’s life, but that’s the Vertex at work. It draws experience which moves us forward.
People with planets conjunct the anti-Vertex, particularly an important planet like the Sun or a ruling planet, are often unusually self-contained. Whereas most people seek to find themselves through ‘other’, the anti-Vertex people have a tendency to be their own ‘other,’ and not be inclined to partnership unless it’s a serious one. Not that relationships will not happen in their lives; on the contrary, the relationships that do occur will be highly charged and deeply significant. But you won’t find people with important planets on the anti-Vertex looking for any old warm body on a Saturday night. The planetary energy, whatever it is, is looking towards ‘other’ for spiritual completion, and nothing else will do. In fact, if the influence is strong, they may have a hard time understanding the day to day relationships and attractions that others experience. The planet involved with the anti-Vertex and the houses it rules will tell you the flavour of the encounters and what area of life will be affected via the anti-Vertex relationships.
In some, the Vertex is very active, in others, not so much. This depends on whether or not the Vertex is heavily weighted, and it depends upon the level of spiritual awareness, which cannot be measured in the chart. Vertices with conjunctions or vertices that hit a number of midpoints are particularly sensitive. It also can be very active by progression. And it is also related to how open and ready a person is for new experiences and turns in the road, something which cannot be completely measured. We all have the ability to turn away from fate.
If others’ planets conjunct our Vertex axis, we may very well feel as if we have waited for this person, for this experience, our entire lives. And that may well be the truth. Entire life directions, entire world views, can change when another’s planets conjunct our Vertex or anti-Vertex. We may divide our lives into ‘before’ and ‘after’ this Vertex-significant other.
If planets square the Vertex angle, then the development of this planet is crucial to whether or not I become aware enough (and brave enough) to meet my fate. For example, if Saturn is square my Vertex angle, then Saturn development would open the gateway for Vertex-inspired experiences. The more Saturn develops and the more we learn to use it constructively, the greater the possibility of Vertex experience. This could happen natally or it could happen through a contact with another whose Saturn squares my Vertex angle. If another’s Saturn squares my Vertex, their planetary development will affect my spiritual development.
Ultimately, interpreting the Vertex axis isn’t very different from interpreting anything else in the chart. Whatever house it falls in indicates the realm of experience the ‘awakening’ encounters will occur in. The sign describes the method/process of the experience and also the general flavour of it. The rulers of the Vertex axis play a part, as do any planets conjunct the Vertex axis and the houses they rule.
It’s good to remember that the Vertex axis does work as a point of fate, but it can only allow experiences that reflect in the rest of the chart; it opens doors to rooms we are not yet aware of. It isn’t a magic wand, conjuring up what we wish for. The Vertex impels us forward via the soul’s intention, but it cannot deliver what is not already there in nascent form.
You may think that the Vertex isn’t involved in your relationship, but look again. Was the Vertex active in either of your charts on the day you met? How about on your first date, the day you got married, or the birth of a child? Is it active in the composite? Take a look. You might be surprised.
