The Yod








A Yod is formed when two planets make a sextile aspect and a third planet is opposite their mid-point. That third planet must make angles of 150 degrees with the other two. If you drew lines on the chart connecting the planets, you would get a Y-shaped formation that seems to point to one part of the horoscope.

That 150 degree angle is called a quincunx, a strange minor aspect that, by itself, is off again, on again, favorable, unfavorable. The two planets making the quincunx seem to be out of joint. Imagine two waves going into and out of phase, first adding and then canceling each other out and you have the picture. Because of this, it is always difficult to say what the effect of a quincunx will be at any particular moment.

The result is steadier in a Yod since the power is focused. The “energy” of the two planets making the sextile seems directed to the house and sign containing that third planet. The effect of a Yod is said to be “fated” or show some special destiny.

Oh sure, it sounds really impressive when you tell a client  “Hey, you have a special destiny!” However, that’s nothing more than a “Barnum statement” and really says nothing. All that is really going on is an emphasis on one particular area of the life. Nonetheless, this focus frequently seems driven, compelling.

By contrast, the T-Cross sets out a problem and pushes you to a find a solution in the “empty leg” of the cross. The Yod just pushes you and the solutions are seldom simple. It’s not nicknamed “The Finger of God” for nothing

Here are some examples: 

Ted Turner has Mars (action, energy) in his 10th house (career) making a sextile with Mercury (communications). The planet that completes the Yod is Uranus (originality, independence) in his 5th house (creativity). Uranus rules everything electrical, including television.

People with Uranus strong in their horoscopes instinctively try to do things that others say are impossible and will never work. Turner was among the first to put a local station on satellite. He also started the Cable News Network (CNN) which was expected to flop.

How about the great number of other people born on the same day as Ted Turner? Why aren’t they all rich and famous? First of all, that Yod doesn’t promise fame and fortune. It simply adds energy and originality to communications. In many areas of the world, these things are frowned upon and aspects like this will only get you into trouble.

Secondly, we have no way of knowing what success the most of those others have had since they are not famous.

Turner’s Yod gets an extra boost because Uranus sits on top of the Moon’s South Node. This adds extra comfort to what we are doing, do much in fact, that it may also seem like we’ve been doing that same thing all our lives.

Henry David Thoreau had Mars (energy, action) making sextile aspects with Mercury (communications) and the Moon (emotions, feelings). The point of the Yod is formed by Jupiter, which rules more than “luck.” Optimism, wisdom, philosophy, and publishing are other things in the domain of this largest planet in our solar system. Thoreau, of course, became famous for writing (Mercury) about his philosophy (Jupiter) of freedom and independence (Mars aspecting Jupiter in Sagittarius).

Gary Hart became famous for blowing his 1988 run for the Democratic presidential nomination by telling the press “Follow me all you want. I’ve got nothing to hide.” They caught him in a tryst with a woman who was not his wife. Back then, in that unenlightened age, this was the kiss of death for his political ambitions. Since that time, of course, Bill Clinton showed us all how to use extramarital affairs to increase your popularity. Gary Hart was born with the Sun in Sagittarius, a sign famous for saying whatever is on its mind. There is a direct channel between the Sagittarian brain and mouth with no filter in between. His Sun is sextile Mars (energy, action). The Yod is formed by the planet Uranus (the unexpected). When someone with a strong Uranus gets in trouble, they are likely to deal with it by ejecting from  the situation. Senator Hart found himself faced with reporters who only wanted to ask about his non-political affairs. He abruptly dropped out of the race. A short time later, he tried to get back in again, but it was too late.  Ah, if only he had gone on “60 Minutes” with his wife and told Mike Wallace that his private life was nobody’s business!

Oh yes, his Sun, which is part of that Yod, happens to rule his 5th house (romance) and is making a quincunx aspect with Uranus (the unexpected). He should have gone into media, like Ted Turner, instead of politics. Then nobody would have paid much attention to his monkey business. Coincidentally, “Monkey Business” was the name of the yacht that he was on when someone took a picture of Ms. Rice sitting on his lap.

Temporary Yods by Transit and Progression

Let’s say you don’t have a Yod in your horoscope. But if you have two planets making a sextile aspect (60 degrees) you still have a potential Yod. As the planets transit around the zodiac, they eventually reach the degree that is opposite the midpoint of that sextile and a temporary Yod is formed.

The Moon, for instance, will be at that point once every month for several hours. Take note of when it does this. For several hours on that day, it will most likely be a bad time to make major decisions. Too much emotion. The area of your life where this will tend to happen depends on the particular house that the Moon is transiting as well as the houses occupied by the two natal planets which make the sextile. And be certain to check the houses that those planets rule as well.

This is a good time to remind you of the cardinal rule for making an astrology forecast:

Always Check Everything Before Making A Forecast!

Progressed planets passing over that midpoint will have the same effect as transiting planets. However, they will hang around for a longer time.

Yods in Chart Comparison

Now what if you meet someone who has a planet in their chart that sits opposite the midpoint of your two sextile planets? This makes a Yod whenever the two of you are together and can add a compulsive note to the relationship.

This was discussed in detail in “The Yod Book” by Karen Hamaker-Zondag, a work that I highly recommend. She goes into detail about how this worked out in the Clinton-Lewinsky-Tripp-Starr affair and I am going to summarize her findings here.

Monica Lewinsky has a sextile in her horoscope between Venus (love) in Leo (28 degrees and 27 minutes) and Saturn (ambition and obstacles) in Gemini (28 degrees and 57 minutes). Venus sits close to the fixed star Regulus, the Royal Star.

An active Regulus in the horoscope is supposed to bring you into contact with royalty or, at least, very powerful people. It depends on the planet contacting Regulus on exactly how this contact is made and which part of the anatomy of the powerful person it will be made with.

Linda Tripp was born with the Moon in Capricorn (28 degrees and 6 minutes) and Jupiter in Capricorn (28 degrees and 51 minutes). This filled in the Yod in Monica’s horoscope and also opposed Monica’s Mercury, which was at 25 degrees and 7 minutes of the sign Cancer. Remember that Monica was born with Mercury in the 10th house and that tends to bring what you say before the public.

So here we have Linda Tripp who doesn’t like Clinton and thinks his behavior is immoral (both her Moon and Jupiter, her Sun-sign ruler in straight-laced Capricorn), she meets Monica, and their charts form that compulsive, fated pattern called a Yod. But the story, as we know, didn’t end here. The question still remains, why did this incident get that big and effect the entire country so strongly? Was it because it involved the president of the United States? So did the affairs he had with Paula Jones, Geniffer Flowers, and a former Miss America.

What’s the difference here? It turns out that Linda Tripp’s horoscope wasn’t the only one that filled in the Yod in Monica’s chart.

Let’s take a look at the horoscope of the United States of America. Yes, countries have horoscopes too. In fact, so does anything that has a beginning on planet Earth. The exact time when the Declaration of Independence was signed is in dispute. However, that doesn’t affect the sign position of the slower-moving outer planets. On the day the Founding Fathers put their John Hancocks on the declaration (including the original John Hancock), Pluto was in the sign of Capricorn, 27 degrees and 15 minutes. This gave Monica the potential to have a great impact on the whole country to the point of obsession (Pluto is the planet of obsessions).

Let’s put Ken Starr into the picture. His chart has the Sun in the sign of Cancer at 28 degrees and 37 minutes. Saturn is also in Cancer just a tiny distance away at 28 degrees and 30 minutes. Saturn making a conjunction with the Sun can make a person upright to the point of being uptight.

Notice how close all of these aspects are. Notice too, the tremendous effect that the combination of all these people had on the nation. All of them had strong contacts to compulsive Pluto in the United States horoscope.

Neptune is the planet of dreams and illusions. On the negative side, it governs self-destructive behavior, “self-undoing.” Neptune is also the planet of scandal. Where was Neptune by transit when all of this was happening?

I know that numbers turn off a lot of people, but please bear with me because detail is important here. Remember that Neptune moves slowly. It stays in the same area of the sky for over a year at a time. This makes its effects drag on and on.

Neptune reached 25 degrees and 15 minutes of Capricorn on November 7, 1996 and kept going until it went retrograde on May 1, 1997 at 29 degrees and 57 minutes of that same sign. Then, it went back to 27 degrees and 10 minutes of Capricorn where it stationed again on October 8. That’s only a tiny fraction of a degree from the U.S. Pluto. Neptune remained in Capricorn until January 28, 1998, which was the month those secretly taped phone conversations were made public and the scandal exploded.

On January 28, Neptune went into Aquarius and immediately made an opposition to Monica’s natal Sun in the 1st degree of Leo. Scandal and betrayal. It also opposed Bill Clinton’s Saturn. Neptune opposite Saturn can make you feel that everything you need for safety and security is dissolving out from under you.

Neptune, planet of illusions and delusions, went back to Capricorn from August 22 to November 27, 1998. The Republicans had the illusion that a scandal about an extramarital affair would be all they needed to sweep to victory. In an off-year election, when the party out of power almost always gains seats in congress, they lost. It turned out that most people didn’t care any more. Clinton survived. Gingrich resigned.

Most likely you won’t see anything this dramatic in your own horoscope or those of your friends and family, but check them out. See if there are any Yods. Be sure to see if you have any sextiles as well.

Remember, anyone who has a planet Opposite the midpoint of your sextile will create a Yod in your chart. It works the same way if one of your planets is opposite the midpoint of one of their sextiles. And don’t forget to look for a lone quincunx in either horoscope.

There are two possible places, in that case, where a planet in someone else’s chart could still form a Yod for you.

And then it’s off to the races. A relationship to remember. Even if you want to forget.