Astrological Choices – Personal Sensitive Points – Midheaven, Ascendant, Nodes

There is a big difference between the intersection points in space and the physical bodies we call planets. A planet occupies a specific location and has mass, orbit, velocity, energy, influence, and orb. An intersection point in space has none of that. There is no body, no mass, no orbit, no energy of its own, yet astrologers and astronomers award such a point with both movement and influence. Why? As an astrologer, how would you feel if you didn’t have the ascendant, midheaven, or lunar nodes to work with? That got your attention, didn’t it? I can’t imagine a chart without a precise ascendant because I’m not a solar chart astrologer. I cannot imagine a chart without a precise midheaven, nor can I imagine a chart without lunar nodes. Most astrologers use those three points regularly and they are not physical objects, they are simply intersection points in space.

The ascendant in a chart is an intersection between the ecliptic (Earth’s orbit around the Sun), which is the center line of the zodiacal belt, and the eastern horizon of Earth at the time of birth. We look to the eastern horizon at birth to determine the degree and sign of the ascendant. Usually there is no object there. Most of the time it is a point of empty space. Occasionally a planet will rise along with the ascending degree and the planet and the void point will be considered individually. Each individual body or intersection has value and each can overlap in influence. For example, Gemini is the ascendant degree, so communication and information will have a strong influence on the individual. If Mars is also rising at that time, Mars will add its influence and the communication and information indicated by the rising of Gemini will be faster, more active and can be belligerent or assertive at times. Most astrologers use the rising sign as if it were a planet and it is not a planet. It is, however, an important personal sore point, which we would not want to lose by interpretation.

The same goes for the midheaven. The midheaven represents the highest point to which a planet can ascend at the time of birth. It is that point before the planet begins to move towards the point of descent or setting. The midheaven is commonly confused with the zenith. Zenith is the 90 degree angle with the horizon (directly overhead). The midheaven may or may not be at that 90 degree angle at the time of birth. Sometimes the zenith and the midheaven coincide. If you were locating the zenith or the midheaven, either would be an empty point in space. Each of these points has influence and movement even without a planet at that location or point in space. The distinction is important because each successive four minutes of birth time brings a subsequent degree of the zodiac into the midheaven. The zenith moves with a slight variation depending on the actual movement of the ascendant.

In my astrological study and practice, the Ascendant and Midheaven are primary locations. Slightly less prominent are its axis companions, the descendant and the 4th house (IC) cusp. I use all these points in my readings. What about the lunar nodes I mentioned above? The intersection points used for the north and south node of the Moon are path points of the crossing of the ecliptic. The north node travels in a south to north direction and the south node uses a north to south direction. I use these lunar points a lot in my readings and I wouldn’t want to lose their guidance just because they are intersection points instead of physical bodies.

The ascendant, the midheaven, the lunar nodes, the zenith and many other points are also used astronomically and the tables used by astrologers come from astronomical tables. Scientifically and allegorically, these points of empty space are useful for measurement and meaning. The ascendant and the midheaven are determined by large circular intersections such as the horizon, the ecliptic, or the main vertical. There are other large circles that are not as well known.

If you are a practicing astrologer, you should be familiar with the Vertex and Anti-Vertex in a wheel. You can choose not to use them, but to study, learn and choose whether the information is useful to you. Do not deny or ignore such positions simply because they are unfamiliar or do not involve actual physical bodies. Ignorance is never your friend and these points and their study will greatly enhance your knowledge and understanding of astrology.

The apex is usually (not always) on the western (left) side of a wheel. I use it as a point for relationships, karma, and environmental expectations: my choice of meanings is based on years of study, research, and application. The Anti-Vertex is the opposite axis to the Vertex. Less is known about the position other than that it seems to cause the vertex. Once again, any point is just that, there is no physical body. The intersection point itself is sensitive and can be read.

These are just some of the personal sore points and there are several other points, definitely less well known, but astrologers are working diligently to discover their meaning and application. Like I said, ignorance is never our friend, so we’ll take a quick look at some other PSPs. If you were starting your studies or choosing which tools to study, I suggest you focus on the ascendant, midheaven, and lunar nodes. Once you are comfortable with your knowledge and application of those personal points, turn your attention to the Vertex and your partner. Then you can decide if the PSP balance is of interest to you.

The Aries Point is so easy to determine, just find 00 Aries on any wheel and you have your Aries Point. It is always 00 Aries and is considered quite useful by cosmobiologists and trans-Neptunian practitioners. The other three PSPs are called Co-Ascendant, Polar Ascendant, and Equatorial Ascendant and all three are intersection points determined by specific combinations of great circles. Most of today’s astrology programs will report or insert these positions automatically, but you’ll have to do some research yourself to apply them. I am going to limit myself to the points mentioned, but keep in mind that there is more.

I have researched two projects on all PSPs including the Aries point. The two studies were the 43 US Presidents and my research project on serial killers. The common PSPs, the ascendant, the midheaven, and the lunar nodes seemed to be more specific than the less common PSPs. These are ongoing projects and I am far from reaching a conclusion on any, but I am diligently researching all PSPs through those two main projects and will report back once conclusions are reached.

There are clear differences when it comes to a planet and a point. The planet has the ability to affect or be affected by the energy of another planet. Venus and Saturn will act and will be acted upon by each other. For example, Venus will influence and learn from Saturn and Saturn will influence and learn from Venus. A personal natal point can also be influenced or modified by a planet, but the point does not influence the planet in the same way that a body would. There may be influences that have not yet been formally studied, but for the purposes of this article, the point is simply a location in space.

What about the influence orb for these points? Would the same planetary orb be justified or should some modification be made? I use traditional orbs, eight grades on majors, but I have a tendency to lower those influence orbs if there’s a point involved. I am a person with two planets square my ascendant and I can see them both working in my life and each orb is six degrees. I can clearly see how the planets affect my ascendant but I can’t see the effect of my ascendant on the two natal planets as clearly. That to me is the distinction between planets and points.

Think of the home planet (A) influencing or being influenced by the home planet (B). Then do the same mental exercise using the natal planet (A) with the personal natal point (C) to note any differences in expression and participation. Be sure to look at all possible combinations, such as planet A with planet B and planet B with planet A, and determine the effect each has on the other. If a natal planet aspects a personal natal point, it influences that point, suggesting planet A to point C as an example. For me that is very readable. Does point C (intersection point in empty space) also influence planet A? This reminds me of the old adage about a tree falling in the woods with no one around to listen… does it make a sound?

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