The Yod

I had the pleasure to work on the Yod with one of my clients. As always, it is the height of excitement to explore another topic in Astrology. More exciting still is how the chart plays out with exact precision in the life of the native. I will discuss the Yod and put this out there for your consideration( and discussion, if you care to)

When one explores the Yod, one has many layers to traverse. One must look at the houses, the signs and each of the aspects making up the Yod. I will give an example to illustrate these separate factors and how they go together.

The Yod is a triangle. It’s base is a sextile. Each side is a quincunx. The apex of the triangle is the key to the Yod. The planet which sits at the apex must change to accomodate both of the quincunxes. The planet at the apex is assaulted( if you will) by two quincunxes. The quincunx is one of my favorite apsects. Not all astrologers agree. To me, it is like a magical fairy. She can change you, with her magic wand. With the quincunx, you must change, anew. You must take two planets in signs and houses which do not, normally, go together and MAKE them go together. You must forge your own “new” whole. That is the nature of the quincunx. it is akin to giving birth. If you never have, it hurts. The quincunx hurts. Nobody likes change, especially when it is a revolutionary change at one’s core. The quincunx is just that.

Hence, we have the sextile which is an aspect of ease. It connects two planets at the base of the triangle. I will give an example. We have Uranus in the 10th house and Mercury in the 9th( but a 60 degree orb, as defines the sextile). Coming off from Uranus is a quincunx to the moon in the 3rd house. Coming off Mercury is a quincunx to the moon in the 3rd House. The Moon is our pivotal planet, here. The moon is the actor in our drama, the hero or the protagonist that falls flat and does not meet his call. There is always free will with the Yod, as with everything in the chart.

Lets take our example a bit further. Say we have Moon in the 3rd House in Aries. This one placement tells us quite a bit. We know the person cares to communicate. We know the person is, probably, someone who wants to be in a community and to communicate there. The 3rd house rules the neighborhood. The Aries Moon is a direct, honest, brave, courageous and up front kind of person. The Moon in Aries is a warm person. If you want a friend who will go to bat for you, find a Moon in Aries. It is one of my favorite placements for the Moon.

Now, we will go on to the quincunx. In this example, one quincunx is Uranus in the 10th house in Scorpio quincunx the moon in Aries in the 3rd house. Lets explore this, in detail. The moon in the 3rd conjuncts the IC, in this case.

So, when the Moon conjuncts the IC, the native would want to bury his Moon in the childhood regions of himself ( and we all have them). The native may want to keep his deepest heart within himself( or his immediate environment) The Moon that is conjunct the IC is opposite the MC. Hence, the moon wants to stay away from the spotlight of the MC. Uranus in the 10th house shows us that this person will show his rebellious side, in his career. A persons stamp of individuality/ rebellion is in the House in which Uranus resides. Are you starting to see the nature of the quincunx? This person wants to keep his heart to himself, yet has demands to be a unique individual in his career and society. Can you feel the push and pull of the quincunx?

The quincunx involves both house and sign. In this case, The moon sign of Aries is quincunx the Uranus sign of Scorpio. Aries wants to shout out his truth. Scorpio wants to hide behind dark shades a la the Secret Service. Hence, this native must find a way to deal with the house disparities, as well as the sign disparities. Therein, lies the rub of the quincunx.

We have only done one quincunx up to this point. There are two, as you know. I will go on to the second quincunx.

Mercury in Virgo in the 9th house quincunx the Moon in Aries in the 3rd house. This quincunx combines very different signs and houses, as do all quincunxes. In this case, Mercury in the 9th must find God. This mercury will not rest until it finds it’s spiritual nature i.e why am I on earth? What is my purpose? The Moon is conjunct the IC, in this case. (It would not have to be, in all cases) Hence, this person wants to hide his heart under his bed. The quincunx to Mercury will force him to study about god and then to communicate about God in either words or writing.

So, we have the skeleton of our Yod, here.

For this person, he must make his moon (heart) adjust to having a wild, ground breaking Uranus in the 10th house( House of Career). He must adjust his moon to incorporate God and the meaning of life. THEN, HE MUST COMMUNICATE ALL THIS. The bold print words are the purpose of the Yod in this person’s life. He wants to be a song writer. I think he will make it, as he is a very talented, successful person in the other fields he has mastered, which are separate from his life long dream of song writing.