Read an Excerpt
The Yod Book
Including a complete discussion of unaspected planets
By Karen Hamaker-Zondag Samuel Weiser, Inc.
Copyright © 1998 Karen Hamaker-Zondag
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-57863-163-6
CHAPTER 1
What Is a Yod?—Technical Background of the Yod Configuration
A yod is an aspect configuration where one planet (MC, Ascendant, or a planet) forms an inconjunct with two other zodiacal points, while these two planets form a sextile between them. In a yod either the MC or the Ascendant can participate, but because we don't draw aspects between the MC and the Ascendant, they can never be involved in a single yod at the same time. [Jod comes from the Hebrew word [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] 'jod' = hand.]
Astrology recognizes a number of different aspects that form a "closed" configuration; for instance, we recognize the grand trine (whose points connect three signs of a single element), or the grand cross (or square), whose points connect the four signs of a single mode, and so on. The direction the interpretation of any aspect configuration takes is determined, for one, by the meaning of the kinds of aspects involved, and by the planets involved. More is going on though. In order to understand thoroughly what aspects are all about, aspect configurations in general, and the yod in particular, we will sidestep a bit and look at other astrological rules and interpretive factors so we can bring these together later on at a deeper level in discussing the yod configuration.
Aspects
Technically speaking, an aspect is an angle a planet forms in relation to another in the sky, as seen from Earth. There are countless possible angles, but history has taught us that particular angles exhibit a clear effect and others do so less or not at all. After Kepler, classification according to so-called major and minor aspects was recognized; the major aspects were traditionally the conjunction (0°), sextile (60°), square (90°), trine (120°), and opposition (180°). These are all angles divisible by 30, the number of degrees comprising a whole sign. At that time, aspects were considered exclusively with reference to sign. The only two aspects missing from this list of major aspects that are also divisible by 30 are the semi-sextile (30°) and the inconjunct (150°). These used to be minor aspects.
By combining music and numerology with the concept of astrological aspects, Kepler created many new aspects. He was familiar with the inconjunct (also called a quincunx), but also made totally new ones. Because Kepler came up with quite a few aspects whose angles were no longer divisible by 30, the problem arose, for instance, that you could get a quintile (72°) between the signs Aries and Cancer (i.e., a planet at 29° Aries, and the other 72° further at 11° Cancer), but also one between Aries and Gemini (i.e., a planet at 2° Aries, and the other 72° further at 14° Gemini). He gave aspects their own meaning based on music and numerology, and the angles that belong to the aspects were, from Kepler's time on, pretty much considered from a strictly mathematical point of view, rather than from the sign where the planets were placed. This meant changing the traditional manner of reading the chart, where a planet was inseparably linked to its sign and where the sign was of considerable importance when thinking of aspects. In the old days, as Greek sources report (think of Ptolemy), it was even the case that aspects were not seen as having an orb, but only used as "whole-sign" aspects.
For example: every planet in Aries, regardless of the degree was considered to be sextile to every planet in Aquarius, again regardless of the degree in which that planet was located. The reason for this was that Aries and Aquarius are sextile, and any planets located in these signs, because of their background, will also have a sextile-tendency to each other.
However, if you ignore the background sign when interpreting aspects, you will arrive at very strange combinations and encounter conflicting readings. For example: if you only look at the angle (the distance in degrees) as a mathematical given, then you'll see the 120° angle (with an orb, of course) between 29° Aries and 1° Virgo as a trine because the aspect is 122°, and falls within the effective range due to the allowed orb. However, the planets involved never work on their own; they are also colored by the sign in which they are placed.
Although Mercury always remains Mercury as such (representing such things as our way of talking, combining facts, and thinking), it will inevitably exhibit itself differently and express itself differently in Aries than it will in Taurus. So when interpreting an aspect, we can't just say that Mercury is in this or that aspect, but must first describe Mercury in greater detail in connection with its sign.
Let's say that in our example, we have Mercury at 29° Aries and the Moon at 1° Virgo. What are these planets doing? Mercury in Aries will talk and think in the way of fire—rapidly and in broad terms. This is a Mercury that wants to take the world by storm, sees countless possibilities, smells adventure, and in this way combines facts and comes up with ideas. This Mercury will almost stumble over words when speaking, which he does enthusiastically, at full throttle, and with zeal. He might even blurt out all kinds of things. Details and the concrete material world are completely lost sight of. But not Moon in Virgo. This Moon will feel the most comfortable if it can direct itself at concrete reality, at what is tangible and can be experienced by the senses—at that which offers security. This Moon in Virgo has the most trouble with the insecurity of adventure and chasing after countless still intangible possibilities. A Moon in Virgo feels safe if it can calmly weigh things mentally and act cautiously. In fact, it is totally different and, with respect to feelings, even in conflict with Mercury in Aries. What are the implications for the trine without reference to sign?
A trine is always described as a harmonious and flexible connection between two planets that also work well together. But how is a taking-the-world-by-storm, adventuring Mercury in Aries supposed to work together flexibly and "go well with" an in his eyes inhibiting, sober Moon in Virgo with both feet on the ground who abhors adventure? Mercury in Aries' tempestuous thoughts and wrestling with possibilities are the very things that make cautious Moon in Virgo's hair stand on end! The chance that these two patterns of needs would have lots of trouble with each other and cause tensions in each other is overwhelming. However, had the Moon been located in the last degree of Leo, we would have had a trine whereby both the Moon and Mercury would be working from a fire basis. Aries and Leo are both fire signs, after all. In this case, the Moon would be truly able to appreciate Mercury's need for adventure and new possibilities, in addition to Mercury's enthusiastic way of talking about things. Okay, Leo is a fixed sign and therefore needs a bit more time than Aries, which is a cardinal sign. However, they have so much in common (fire) in terms of their orientation toward life, that they can tolerate a lot from each other. This situation certainly reflects the flexibility of a trine. This flexibility will, however, be missing from trines if there is no reference to sign. If an aspect like this, without reference to sign, no longer fits its basic meaning, is it still that aspect? In other words, can a trine, described as being flexible, still be a trine if it directly elicits tension and irritation? In my view, no, and I think we have to return to the older views, whereby the sign the planet is in is of overriding importance when interpreting an aspect.
Background Sign, Element, and Mode
Planets involved in aspects and aspect configurations are located in a sign, and therefore when interpreting these planets, the sign the planet is in plays a significant role. A sign in turn owes a great deal of its meaning to the fact that it belongs to a particular element, mode, and polarity (positive or negative sign).
Elements form ways of looking that, in Jungian terms, represent the functions of consciousness. Looking at things this way (automatically), is a big help when orienting ourselves in terms of the outside world. Even before we've thought about it, we're already busy ordering and labeling the facts and phenomena coming at us so we can give ourselves a handle on the world. Jung discovered in practice that consciousness has four different ways of orienting and looking, and they turn out to match the astrological elements perfectly. Although Jung was active in astrology, if we study the way he developed his typologies, we see very clearly that he did not derive his four function types from the astrological elements. It is therefore even more archetypal that they correspond so closely.
The four possible functions of consciousness that Jung distinguished we can clarify as follows:
—Sensation Type: Accepting something as it is and looking at how it is, for example: hard, sharp, warm, etc. Perception is primary. Considering anything not perceivable with the senses offers no handle for this way of seeing things, for this type is focused on the security of the concrete world and of the here and now: the future obviously cannot be grasped. This corresponds to the earth element.
—Thinking Type: Asking what the thing perceived actually is and how it can be classified in the current frame of reference. This type likes to look at things theoretically and strictly logically. The actions of those around, as well as this type's own actions, are seen from logical reasoning, and everything is rationally thought out and motivated as much as possible. This corresponds to the air element.
—Feeling Type: Imagining and experiencing all that is evoked by what is perceived, in the way of feelings of pleasure and displeasure, on the basis of which something will be accepted or rejected. Emotional values are important. This way of seeing also entails absorbing very subtle things of which this type is not necessarily always aware. A mood or intention will quickly be detected, and this becomes part of weighing issues. This corresponds to the water element.
—Intuition Type: (Unaware) Knowing or "imagining" where what is perceived comes from and/or how it will develop (as a possibility). In doing so, the object, as such, is often not even experienced with awareness. This is a kind of "grasping" or "seeing" of backgrounds. This is why Jung called it intuition, which is not the same as the astrological Uranus. The intuitive type is always in search of possibilities, backgrounds, and space. This corresponds to the fire element.
Planets located in a single element all orient themselves in the same way in terms of the outside world. In this respect, there is, in fact, a great mutual understanding among planets in the same element. Even when there is no question of a real trine within the allowed orb, a planet in Leo will feel comfortable with a planet in Sagittarius because they have the same orientation toward the world, and order the world around them in the same way. In earlier times, astrologers already remarked on this, and there was a time when all planets in Leo were considered to be trine to all planets in Sagittarius, due to their mutual understanding and the similarity in their way of looking, even though things were described differently back then.
However, Leo and Sagittarius each belong to a different mode. Each element consists of three signs, and these three signs all belong to different modes. Modes are involved in the way we tackle the problems we encounter, in our ways of coping with things, and in the flow of our psychic energy. There are three:
—The Cardinal Mode: Signs that belong to this mode cope with their problems best by insuring their place in their environment and/or by directing themselves toward the outside world or to those around them. The ways in which their environment plays a role can, however, vary greatly. For instance, you might need people around you in order to rebel against them, or to play a little contest with them (Aries), in order to be able to experience the impetus of emotions (Cancer), in order to effect compromises (Libra), or to execute them (Capricorn), just to give you a couple of simplified examples.
—The Fixed Mode: Copes precisely by withdrawing inwardly and shutting out the environment outside, so completely opposite to the cardinal mode. Fixed signs can psychically or literally "shut themselves up" and sit and brood until they come out of it. As long as they haven't come out of it, they won't bother about whether they're being "sociable" or "taking those around them into account." Fixed signs are definitely not asocial or antisocial, but need both time and space with problems to collect themselves again. It is not a question of unwillingness if something doesn't work; their inner world just hasn't become activated yet.
—The Mutable Mode: Mutable signs tend to seek out all kinds of ways first, so they can move on, and run the risk of thinking that their problems are already (almost) solved the moment they spot them. Or else they are so busy "clearing rubbish" that they forget to stop and consider the seriousness of their problems. They are capable of continuing quickly and picking up the thread again, but often after the fact will suddenly become aware, on a deeper level now, of what was actually wrong, and may still have to cope with it.
Planets that are located in different signs, but in the same mode, will cope with their problems in the same ways, but they will see their problems differently, because seeing depends on the element of the sign. Let's consider the signs Aries and Capricorn. They look at the world totally differently. However, if they have problems, they will both, each in their own way, want to do something in or with their environment in order to feel good again, and to have the feeling they can handle the world again.
Between Aries and Capricorn, there is another difference at work: Aries is a positive sign and Capricorn is a negative sign. The difference between the polarities is:
—Positive: Tends to take the initiative and to proceed to action. This polarity symbolizes the need to do something and to handle it instead of waiting. Likes to have the helm in hand. This polarity represents a facet of yang. Signs: fire and air signs.
—Negative: Tends to acquire an idea of what all is wrong, first. Needs time and feels more comfortable looking around first, and then responding. This polarity therefore waits for the first action, then proceeds to action—reactive, in other words, instead of taking the initiative. This polarity represents a facet of yin. Signs: earth and water signs.
It is always the case with an aspect that if your psyche is doing something with one kind of subject matter (meaning one planet), and harnesses it, as it were, all the other planets with which it is in aspect will be jumping to join in. And they will quickly start interfering, and so start to color the action or effect of the subject matter you harnessed. The books describe Moon in Taurus as being tranquil, but you should see when a person with Moon in Taurus has Uranus in an aspect to the Moon. Then, most definitely, restlessness and speediness come into play!
So, except when a planet is an unaspected planet, it never stands alone, and will always be involved in other energies. Those other planets, however, aren't located in a void. Their effect bears the stamp of their placement in an element, in a mode, and in a polarity. Then the question is which of the planet's signs will "color" the aspected planet and which will not. In an aspect pattern or configuration, such as a grand trine, a grand square, a kite, or a yod, to name only a few, it comes down to a complicated interaction of all kinds of factors that determine the interpretation.
Backgrounds of Aspect Configurations or Patterns
The planets in a grand trine are always located in a particular element. There are four elements. This means that we have four kinds of grand trines: a fire, an earth, a water, and an air variety. Two of these elements belong to the positive signs and two to the negative. As a result, two of the four possible grand trines belong to the "positive" variety and two to the "negative." The words positive and negative should not be considered in the popular sense, but in the sense of action—yang (positive), and reaction—or yin (negative). If we are talking about the grand trine, we should always keep in mind that there are various kinds, which of course have consequences for interpretation.
Another example: In a grand square, the four planets involved are located within the same mode, so therefore in a cardinal, fixed, or mutable mode. The signs involved, though, are all in different elements. A grand square involves two positive and two negative signs. The structure of a grand square is therefore different in its make-up from that of a grand trine.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from The Yod Book by Karen Hamaker-Zondag. Copyright © 1998 Karen Hamaker-Zondag. Excerpted by permission of Samuel Weiser, Inc..
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