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Yes
But! What about the Vertex?
By:
Cecily Bazak
And
well you might ask - what about the Vertex? Just how much
consideration should we, as astrologers, give the Vertex remembering
that for hundreds of years astrologers spent entire careers, without
so much as a passing thought to this fictitious chart point? Then
again, up until the 30's it wasn't known so how could it be used?
Lorne Edward Johndro, began experimenting with it in the 30's and
40's, joined by Charles A. Jayne, et al They eventually concluded it
to be a 'fated' point, representing matters beyond our control and
most effective when looking at relationships between individuals.
Unfortunately, not much has been written about it and very little
research has been carried out since that period. The following is
pretty much my own take on this point in the chart, through some
research I have been carrying out for a couple of years.
There
are still many astrologers who do not use this chart point at all,
however, I have found it invaluable when looking at Relationship and
Election charts, particularly when looking at karmic connections.Like
the descendant, the Vertex is a theoretical angle on the Western side
of the chart where the ecliptic (the apparent path of the Sun around
the Earth) crosses the Prime Vertical (the plane that runs at right
angles to the Prime Meridian, dividing the Celestial Sphere from
front to back). The point directly opposite on the Eastern side is
the Anti-Vertex, sometimes called the other Ascendant. The
Vertex/Anti-Vertex is an axis, same as the Ascendant/Descendant, the
MC/IC and is considered to be the other angle in a chart. If you
consider it as an axis and not as separate points the
Vertex/Anti-Vertex represents 7th/1st house issues others vs self,
commitment vs independence.
One
definition of the Vertex (from the latin word 'vertere' meaning
"to turn" or "to change") is the point where we
have arrived at a crossroad or turning point in life. This is the
point when people come along to assist in bringing about these
changes. It is not necessarily a very comfortable experience, but
deemed essential according to universal law. Based also on the Vertex
being located on the Western side of a chart (ie. 5th-8th houses) it
seems safe to assume it's connected with "meetings with
others". Sometimes it may have a predestined or fated feel about
it, an encounter with Karma, but one that cannot be avoided. It has
been said Robert Hand described the Vertex as "fateful or Karmic
encounters with persons or circumstances over which we have no control".
The
opposite point The Anti-Vertex, appears to be our comfort zone,
where we feel most at ease and gather around us people who share our
beliefs and mind-set. By doing this we achieve a certain ease of
existence and avoid confrontations or challenges, so it is much
easier for us to identify with the Anti-Vertex or the Eastern side of
the Natal Chart.
My
own recent experience of the Vertex (Capricorn/8th house) was with
the Tax man &ldots; definitely not a comfortable experience, but one
through which I learned a vital lesson, always read through your tax
return and check everything before you sign and send it in or, get an
accountant. Furthermore, this was an error I made back in the year
2001, so they do check you out and eventually they get you, even if
it's something very minor and for a very small amount of money, as in
my case! These meetings do not necessarily need to be of a personal
nature, it might be simply through a communication. To really get the
feel for what this chart point is about it's interesting to take a
look at the Mythology of the Vertex. I have done some research myself
and the Myth that generally appears to fit this chart point is the
myth of the Roman God, Vertumnus.
The
Roman god Vertumnus was a lesser god of gardens, fruit trees and the
seasons. Young and appealing, he had the power to transform himself
into many shapes, just like the seed changes from root, to seedling,
to branch, to leaf, to fruit, Vertumnus employed this skill in his
ardent pursuit of the goddess Pomona. As the myth goes, Vertumnus
fell in love with this beautiful goddess (nymph) and even though she
rejected all her suitors, he fed his infatuation just through the
sight of her. He altered himself, passing her gardens daily in
different guises, and she continued to ignore him, remaining
dedicated only to the cultivation of fruit trees. However, Vertumnus
persisted, finally altering to the guise of an old woman.
He
greeted Pomona with a kiss, and entered the gardens. In the guise of
the old woman he tried to convince Pomona of the advantages of
relationships. They discussed the qualities and integrity of the
youthful god Vertumnus, but to no avail. Venturing further, Vertumnus
(in the guise of the old woman) told Pomona the story of a young man
who cruelly took his own life after being rejected by his love and
how the woman was turned into stone, but still Pomona was not
persuaded. Finally in frustration, Vertumnus abandoned his disguise
and stood naked before Pomona in his true form. She believed she was
seeing the sun emerge from behind the clouds and in the glorious
light of Vertumnus and opening her heart she fell in love with this
beautiful young God, finally reciprocating his love for her. Now
together they tend the gardens, the fruit trees of the countryside
and watch over the seasons. I just love this myth/legend - there are
others but this one is my favourite.
My
personal take on this myth is that it seems to focus on an
unexpected moment in time where an exceptional happening occurs. To
Pomona, it was like a catalyst, a sudden twist of fate, possibly an
awareness of something beautiful. To Vertumnus, it was initially a
tactic, followed by an act of spontaneous desperation, the final
curtain, which thankfully became his dream come true. I believe we
can apply this reasoning to the Vertex in our chart, especially when
it is being highlighted by a transit in very close orb, particularly
a conjunction or an opposition.
Previously
I wrote about the Mythology of the Vertex. Now I will suggest some
ways the Vertex could operate within the houses on the western side
of the chart.
In
the November issue of the AANSW Newsletter, I described the Vertex
as "a theoretical angle on the Western side of the chart, where
the ecliptic (the apparent path of the Sun around the Earth) crosses
the Prime Vertical (the plane that runs at right angles to the Prime
Meridian, dividing the Celestial Sphere from front to back)".
The point directly opposite on the Eastern side is the Anti-Vertex,
sometimes called the other Ascendant. The Vertex/Anti-Vertex is an
axis, same as the Ascendant/Descendant, the MC/IC and is considered
by some astrologers, to be the other ascendant in a chart. If you
regard it as an axis and not as separate points the
Vertex/Anti-Vertex represents others vs self, commitment vs
independence, or Western vs Eastern side of the chart as opposed to
Eastern vs Western issues. Have I got you totally confused yet?
This
potential for giving away a part of who we are and unconsciously
attracting other people to manifest that missing side, contributes to
what has been called the fated quality of the vertex. Therefore, this
axis points to a basic other/self polarity that must be faced
(remembering that in any opposition, the goal is integration).
It
is often easier to avoid taking full responsibility for ourselves
and blame any inadequacy on others, or attract others to take the
responsibility of dealing with our issues for us. As a result we may
either, overdo one end of the opposition and then in reaction, go to
the opposite extreme. Or we may project one side of the polarity and
deny its opposite, and then attract other people who express that
quality for us, usually to the extreme. The vertex meeting doesn't
have to be personal - it could be someone we really admire or who has
had a profound influence though written publications, life story etc.
Remember the old cliché "be careful what you wish
for", well the Vertex meeting could well be that wish come true,
so that piece of advise should be heeded.
Possible
Manifestations of the Vertex through the houses:
4th
/10th House Axis
It's
not very common to find the Vertex in the 4th house, but if
positioned here you may be challenged to take on the emotional
support of another (often a parent). This is the last thing you want
to do, as you feel you want to save your emotional resources and
devote them entirely to developing your own inner sense of security.
What you gain if you accept the challenge is increased emotional
support of yourself and the ability to be of emotional support to others.
As
an axis across 4th/10th it may represent the dilemma of home vs.
career, of needing to achieve and be important in the external world
but forced to take on the demands of a home life. There are often
significant parental issues of nurturing/discipline, unconditional
love versus conditional love and dependency versus control associated
with this placement.
5th/11th
House Axis
With
the Vertex in the 5th house, you may experience fated romantic
encounters through friends or groups, which may not necessarily be a
comfortable association. There may also be a tendency to be
anti-children, possibly to the extreme. The challenge for you here is
to take on a parental role or be involved in the education of
children, although it's probably the last thing you want to do,
however by encouraging creativity in a child you enhance you own
creativity. Accepting this challenge will assist you in addressing
and changing old behaviour patterns that trap and challenge you as an
adult. This placement of the Vertex could also manifest as difficulty
with self-expression. Perhaps you feel unable to express who you
really are, believing you have to fit in with everyone else, because
they might reject the real you. As an axis across 5th/11th), it may
indicate a freedom/closeness dilemma. Whilst part of you wants to be
independent, unique, and not follow anyone's rules the other part of
you wants to be special, admired and looked up to in a loving
emotional relationship. You may also feel torn between the demands of
lovers/children and friends.
6th/12th
House Axis
Here
you're challenged to step past your ego and be of service to someone
you don't particularly like. This usually manifests in the workplace
around co-workers you can't stand. It's an exercise in ego
adjustment, in getting over it and getting on with doing it your own
way. The realisation that you're offering yourself to the task at
hand is more important than any trivial ego conflict, the latter
being daily and endless. Out of this major shift in attitude, you
will gain a healthier frame of mind and wellbeing. Learning to handle
situations can also lead to increased possibilities of promotion at
work. It may also manifest as significant health issues because of
your inability to be responsible for taking care of yourself through
the small daily routines that are essential for good health i.e.
diet, exercise, hygiene). You may need to constantly keep creating
order out of chaos in order to get anywhere. As an axis across
6th/12th, it shows the need to truly blend your dreams with reality,
learning to be both realistic and idealistic. Realising that your
work arena, or health issues, are often areas where you are learning
to take small reasonable steps to reach your goals. Alternatively, if
you are not doing the wonderful far-sighted work you feel you should
be doing, this might exhibit as conflict at work or as health issues.
7th/1st
House Axis
With
the Vertex in the 7th house your challenge is to be married, in a
relationship with someone you can't stand or a contractual
relationship such as a business partnership. You may feel the need to
get out of the relationship as quickly as possible, however you
benefit more from staying there and working through the problems.
From this you gain maturity and the ability to tolerate different
views and values. You no longer have to dislike someone simply
because they have different viewpoints, principles or value systems,
plus you learn to truly co-operate in spite of having many personal
differences. As an axis across 7th/1st, it shows the pull of the
basic self vs. other, the need for self-assertion i.e. doing what you
want vs pleasing and obliging others. It can be the dilemma of
personal independence vs. closeness and a committed love
relationship. This is also the classic issue of projection and blame,
vs self-responsibility and acknowledgment of the part you play in
creating and maintaining conflict in the relationship.
8th/2nd
House Axis
With
this placement you are challenged to trust or make a commitment to a
person or people you don't like much on a personal level or to become
emotionally, sexually or financially involved with people you'd
prefer not to be around. This is the most difficult placement for the
Vertex because the natural inclination is to distrust others and seek
to manipulate them before they gain power over you. What you gain
from this challenge is the appreciation of intimate personal/business
relating with those who are very different to you. It could also
result in an encounter with an obsessed individual or of you being
obsessed by someone. Accommodating sexual intimacy when you don't
want it or lack of sexual contact when you do could be another
manifestation. Strong feelings of aloneness may be your frequent
companion when what you really long for is deep and meaningful
intimacy. As an axis across 8th/2nd, it focuses on the issue of
managing the physical, sensual world comfortably with others. There
may be a tendency to struggle between self-indulgence (food, sex,
money, drinking, smoking etc.) vs. control of the appetites. This
inner battle could also result in the inability to give and receive
appropriately on a material or intimate level or feeling out of
control when trying to manage your situation, resources or intimate relationships.
9th/3rd
House Axis
It
is unusual for the Vertex to be here, however it is possible. This
placement of the Vertex accentuates your social development,
indicating the possible need for higher education, religious training
or radical restructuring of your belief systems. You are challenged
to expand your world-view by travelling with those you don't like,
being confronted by foreign cultures or developing a broader outlook
through education. You may find that the teacher/guru/in-laws you
learn the most from are the most difficult to cope with.
Communication skills may be forced on you. From these types of
experiences, you can improve your beliefs and attitudes, gaining a
broader social and relationship perspective. As an axis across
9th/3rd, it demonstrates the need for clarity in communication in
order to reach greater understanding. You may be insatiably curious
and collect small bits of information rather than study a specific
subject in depth, but that is exactly what you need to do. Once you
decide you have found the truth, there may be a tendency to become
aggressively evangelical and deny others their own individual truths.
In
the legend of Vertumnus, love, marriage and relationships are the
focus. Clearly, the house position will suggest the area where you
enter "destiny's gate", with the sign, aspects and transits
indicating the person or event plus the how and when this
"turning point" will happen. The Vertex seems to be a
sensitive point linked to fated sudden meetings with people over
which we appear to have no control. When this point is activated by a
transit appears to be when this sudden meeting occurs. So, are these
'fated' encounters connected with issues or potentials not achieved
in a past life?
(c)
Cecily Bazak
References:
Website Article, "The Third Angle", Donna Henson, Website
article Kim Falconer-Mythology, Lecture Notes from Various Talks/Tapes/CD's
and classes. |
