the-astrology-book

Vesta
the place to begin the zodiac (i.e., 0° Aries). Because of the phenomenon known as
the precession of equinoxes, this point occurs at a slightly different place every year.
VERTEX
In geometry, a vertex is the pivot point of an angle. In astrology, the vertex is the
point in a horoscope where the prime vertical intersects the ecliptic in the west. The
antivertex is the corresponding point in the east. The vertex was discovered/invented
by L. Edward Johndro and elaborated upon by Charles Jayne. The point where the
vertex falls in a chart is said to be the most fated (i.e., least amenable to conscious
choices) part of the horoscope. All major astrological chart-casting software programs
allow one to calculate the vertex.
VESPERTINE
Vespertine (from the Latin vesper, meaning “evening”) refers to the evening, especially
the early evening, and in astrology was traditionally applied to a planet or star that
dropped below the horizon soon after sunset. Vespertine is the opposite of matutine
(which refers to planets and stars that rise above the horizon just before sunrise). Both
terms are rarely used in modern astrology.
VESTA
The asteroids are small planet-like bodies that orbit the Sun in a belt that lies mostly
between Mars and Jupiter. They first dawned on human consciousness in the early
1800s. The first four asteroids to be sighted were given the names of four of the great
goddesses of classical antiquity: Ceres (discovered in 1801), Pallas Athene (discovered
in 1802), Juno (discovered in 1804), and Vesta (discovered in 1807).
Many more asteroids were soon discovered, so that by the end of the nineteenth
century, over a thousand were known. The first asteroid ephemeris (a table listing
planetary positions) was made available to astrologers in 1973 by Eleanor Bach,
and it covered only the original four. Today astrologers have computer software developed
by Mark Pottenger that tracks the placements of over 9,000.
Among the thousands of asteroids known, Ceres, Pallas, Juno, and Vesta have a
special place. While these are not necessarily the largest asteroids, they were the first to
be discovered, and as such they have imprinted themselves on human consciousness in a
significant way. They also complete the female pantheon of goddesses, rounding out the
system of symbols begun in the usual 10 planets. Of the six great goddesses of Olympus,
only Aphrodite (Venus) and Artemis (the Moon) are represented in the conventional
astrological symbol system. The other four great goddesses of Greco-Roman mythology—Demeter
(Ceres), Athene (Pallas), Hera (Juno), and Hestia (Vesta)—were missing
from astrology until they were reinvoked by their discovery in the early 1800s.
After one has been nurtured, gone out into the world, found one’s life partner,
and reared children, the time comes to turn inward to reconnect with one’s spirit. In
THE ASTROLOGY BOOK
[723]