JULY 2 0 0 5   

by Maya del Mar

Quincunxes connect, by aspect, signs and modalities which have no particular affinity for one another. Yet they must act together. Therefore constant awareness and adjustments are necessary. Patience is a requirement. I have 7 quincunxes in my chart, so I’m quite familiar with them. Once when I was involved in data collection, I did a survey of Sun signs of married couples. Surprisingly, a quincunx relation was most common in my little sample!

Sometimes we have a double quincunx, i.e., from one planet there radiate two quincunxes, with a connecting sextile. This looks like a scissors, and is called a Yod, or a finger of God. It indicates sudden, unpredictable shifts which can drastically change conditions.

A quincunx is the dominant aspect in July. That quincunx is between unpredictable Uranus in water sign Pisces and expansive Jupiter in air sign Libra. On most July days, one or two other planets get into the quincunx ring, and we have one or two Yods, adding another element of unpredictability. Yods are considered fateful because one does not have much, if any, control over them.

Quincunxes and Yods will figure prominently in the controversy around the Supreme Court justice selection.

But now I want to talk about the double quincunx on Sunday, June 26, as a personal example of a Yod in action.

At 1:00 p.m. on Sunday I was suddenly struck with a huge plumbing problem, signaled by my toilet overflowing. I could not reach my landlord, so called a plumber. After much effort to get the problem resolved, it is still not solved one week later, and it looks as though it will take awhile. In the meantime, we are making many adjustments to live with the situation.

This is a typical Yod situation. Something happens suddenly which results in major change. It is like a stroke of fate. Adjustments are necessary to live with the new situation.

Sunday began with Mercury conjoining Saturn, showing obstacles blocking communication and movement. This conjunction was in the water sign of Cancer, and an out-of-bounds Moon ruled the Cancer-rising chart. Moon itself, in water sign Pisces, was heading for a conjunction with Uranus, the energy of surprises. This conjunction would be exact at 1:51 p.m. PDT.

Both the flow of water, and communication with my landlord were blocked.

In the meantime Ceres, in the water sign of Scorpio, was turning direct. Exact stations of planets result in instability as they turn. Scorpio is a sign of underground, the dark places, and getting to the bottom of things. Scorpio also is a recycler. It rules garbage and sewage.

Ceres at that time was at the focal point of a Yod. The Yod included Mars and Vesta. Mars can attack, especially in Aries, and Vesta protects the home. This was certainly happening from my point of view. At this time Vesta had her exact square with Uranus, who was greatly upsetting her. It took Moon to get into the act (by joining Uranus) before manifestation occurred for me.

There was a second Yod, with Jupiter at the focal point. Jupiter’s Yod helped expand this situation. Jupiter made quincunxes to Uranus and to Juno in Taurus, who wants to hang onto what she values, in this case my working plumbing.

All of these Yod planets aspected my progressed Mars, at 11 Pisces, in my 8th house of crisis. This is a water sign in a water house.

Planets opposite the Yod’s focal planet, if there are any, become outlets for the Yod stresses. Each Yod here does have an outlet, which happens to be part of the other Yod, tying the two Yods inextricably together. Those planets were pushy Mars and possessive Juno. And I surely did act out both of those energies.

As I said, July has many quincunxes and Yods. Most of their components are not fast-moving planets, so they remain in place for some time, and strengthen their action. PATIENCE is the key word.

How long will it be before my plumbing is fixed? I don’t know. One of the most operative quincunxes now, Jupiter quincunx Uranus, will be exact on July 8. That could—or could not—mark the end of this particular saga. We’ll see what the other quincunxes have to say! Yes, patience.