A Glossary of Astrological Terms

Use this glossary to look up the meanings of words you come across on this website, or in your astrological reading. Just select the first letter of the word you need and click on it in the table below to go straight to that sector.

V

Venus

The evening and morning star, a planet symbolising matters to do with love, affection, the arts and so on. Ruler of Taurus and Libra. Exalted in Pisces. The lesser benefic.

More about Venus.

Vesta

The Goddess of the Hearth. An asteroid seen by modern astrologers as significant.

More about Asteroids.

Vespertine

A planet setting in the evening after sunset. See Matutine.

Vernal Equinox

Spring Equinox (northern hemisphere). The first degree of Aries, the beginning of the astrological year, when the Sun crosses the celestial equator from south to north.

Vertex

Point used by astrologers in the 70's, representing the inner life of the ascendant. Calculated by inverting the degree of the Ascendant (ie calculating the degree of the ascendant as if the native were born in the opposite hemisphere and calling this point the Vertex).

Verticle

The prime verticle or circle of observation is the circle in which an observer stands when facing south. This circle is divided into 12 equal parts, comprising the 12 houses through which the signs and planets seem to pass obliquely in their apparent diurnal motion from east to west.

Virgintile (semi-decile)

One of Kepler's minor aspects. 18 degrees, somewhat positive.

Virgo

The sixth sign of the zodiac. Mutable and earthy. Ruled by Mercury. Emblem: The Virgin with a sheaf of wheat.

More about Virgo.

Void of Course

When a planet forms no further aspect for the remainder of its time in a sign in which it is located (before changing to the next sign). Used mainly for the Moon in Horary Astrology, it indicates that nothing will come of the matter. It is a testimony that the horary chart is not radical.

Vulcan

A hypothetical planet supposed to lie inside the orbit of Mercury, but always on the opposite side of the Sun from the Earth, making it invisible. Originally postulated to account for perturbations in planetary orbits, this planet is no longer supposed to exist by science, although some astrologers claim it as a sort of spiritual entity having power in a horoscope.