People are starting to figure out that there is no special “2012 alignment” in the sense of something lining up with the Great Pyramid or the Galactic Center on Dec. 21. I am however starting to get inquiries about the yod pattern that’s in the solstice chart, which is illustrated here, highlighting only the planets in this discussion.
The yod is that triangle pointing at Jupiter. It consists of Saturn in Scorpio (yellow glyph, above left) and Pluto in Capricorn (red glyph lower left) making a sextile, which is then met by Jupiter at a 150-degree angle to both of them. Not shown is the hypothetical planet Poseidon, which is very close to Saturn in Scorpio.
Most astrologers consider yods (of which there are several other exotic varieties — this is the garden variety) to be powerful aspects. Let’s give them the benefit of the doubt. I will note that they are not especially rare; they happen a lot and you can find one on many charts. But this is a pretty hefty one, made stronger by the fact that Saturn and Pluto occupy one another’s signs of rulership. I covered this in the subscriber edition two weeks ago.
The Saturn-Pluto aspect is all about getting clear about sex, sexual abuse, the confusion of power and desire and the use of sex as a source of power over other people. We are used to being confused about all of these issues, and using sexual power as a kind of entitlement. After all, if it’s the only power you have, then why not use it? There are good reasons not to, including the fact that if you go to the power side of the spectrum, you go away from the pleasure side of the spectrum.
If you apply an ancient rule to modern astrology, Saturn and Pluto are in what’s called mutual reception — they are in one another’s signs, and can therefore switch places. This is a reminder that we have options, and that we can change perspectives. Most of our problems come from the idea that we don’t have any options and cannot change our perspective. If we could see that, we could do something about it, but the problem stems from being stuck in one’s viewpoint.
Given that the focus of the 12/21/12 chart is relationships, and in particular, the role of frustrated but power-obsessed Juno in our relationships, this aspect gives us a key to work with. In a yod pattern, the planet at the end is sometimes thought to resolve the issue described by the aspect structure. That points us to Jupiter, which is retrograde in Gemini. Jupiter is in its sign of detriment, opposite one of the signs that it traditionally rules.
Jupiter in this position is telling itself stories. These stories are past tapes (retrograde). They also don’t add up to anything that makes coherent sense, but we keep telling them to ourselves. There are two sides to the story (a Gemini factor) but we may only be seeing one of them, or one at a time, and not reconciling both sides of the issue.
Saturn and Pluto are saying go deep. That is to say, go deeper, then go deeper again. If you’re not willing to share your reality with someone you say is a partner, then it’s not an honest relationship, or at least not a useful one, except to preserve the false version of events that you’re repeating. The idea is not to tell yourself new or better stories, but to see these stories for what they are, when it actually helps to do so.
Jupiter is opposite Venus, which arrives in Sagittarius Saturday. This provides a clear, alternate point of view, perhaps in the form of a friend or exemplar who has already been through what you’re going through. You may feel like you’re in this by yourself, but I assure you that you’re not. Many other people face the kinds of issues that you do, and they are willing to share their wisdom. Your role is to get out of your head; get out of your thought loops; stop the argument; and honor the process of growth and healing.
This is not theoretical; it is real — and the best thing you can do is find examples of sanity that you can use as your reference points. One way you will recognize them is that no topic is off limits. And sex is not a moral issue, it’s a practical and cosmic one.
There is one last aspect in this chart that I will cover separately — Mercury in Sagittarius opposite Vesta in Gemini. Check next Tuesday’s edition of Planet Waves FM for that. I will also discuss the yod pattern further.
« Get out of your lines of thought; put an end to the dispute; and honor the process of growth and healin »
This is exactly what I work currently, thank you Eric for your clairvoyance
Good Weekend and Merry Christmas with your family and friends
I would like to add a couple of thoughts to this potent moment….along the lines of the Saturn Pluto aspect with Jupiter and Venus, and the need to expand our point of view and how they can help us now. In addition to all that has been said about this being a moment for getting clearer regarding the relationships between sex and use and abuse of power in that arena, it could also be said that the same is true for the relationship between Death and power/rules/authority. Now in this moment, the fear of Death (and all the rules we make around Death) and the power of wielding death are all up for discussion. And we can’t forget taxes either, those are very much part of this discussion, quite literally and globally; how we are increasingly enslaved and indebted to this Death-centric military-industrial complex that is trying to rule the world. Saturn and Pluto are so deep and dense, Jupiter is so huge, the Sun is pure power and Venus is the biggest dollop of Love there is……this is no foo-foo fluffy moment here!
I see the discussions that are happening everywhere now regarding assault weapons, what rules are we going to live by as a society and the need to CHANGE because of the horrific deaths of so many innocents as a direct example (result?? dare we hope?) of this Yod. The deaths of so many have brought this long-overdue conversation forward. And Jupiter, who to me can represent “entertainment” on big scales, especially now since he is sitting in Gemini, (movies, myths, blockbuster anythings etc, – things that influence society by their grandiosity) is having to take a good hard look at his part in all the Death-lust, Power and Rules we’ve created for ourselves…and since the motion is retrograde, the squirm factor is high. THANK GODDESS!!
Stretching further in the alternate Universe way of seeing, perhaps Juno is in the mix in another capacity… since we’ve recently brought forward the idea of Juno as a conduit/connection principal may I suggest that what she might be offering up is her “Queenly” perspective, in the highest sense of the word. Her task as connector in this moment could be to keep reminding us of our highest good, our best impulses and keep us on track with what we KNOW on the inside is right and just. One of Juno’s responsibilities was to care for the smooth cooperation in the realm of human affairs and partnerships of every kind. (Demeter and others took care of the natural world) Being a Queen, (and on her good days) she has to keep the greater whole in mind. Think Queen Bee. She could, in this moment in her role as wise Sovereign be adding those kinds of impulses especially thru our hearts (Sol) to this process… so that what we get from this moment will be a transformation based in higher ideals and frequencies rather than more of what we’ve been doing to ourselves for too long.
ALL of these characters are so big and powerful just on their own…and now, they are sitting there, having to face how things have been in the arenas of Sex, Death, Power and yes, how all of that relates to money…and “entertainment” or the media at the very least. What a moment!! To me, it is all pointing to Jupiter and saying… just look how we use (and abuse)money and the media and how it affects things that are so fundamental to life as we now live it …this is what needs to be changed.
Already we are hearing the voice of Venus in the midst of all this death and taxes talk… people have had enough of the senseless killing…and right on time, here she is…the Daisy in the barrel of the gun … a beautiful young woman with sun in her hair facing down potential Death. She wears no armor, just love and a smile… and the Queen of Heaven is looking on and saying “Yesssss!!! ….just like that…that is how it is done! C’mon people now… ” (you know the song!)
be: Your replies to Don Evans and luckydriver are absolutely be-autiful. i’m in awe and appreciation of your astro-goddess erudition and eloquence.
Don Evans,
Eight degrees of Gemini was also where the last Neptune conjunct Pluto took place in the years 1891-92. It is the same degree where the U.S. natal (Sibly) Uranus sits. Since Uranus is a symbol of surprise, revelations, upsets and breakthroughs, it WOULD be meaningful to have the present transit of Jupiter (conjunct US Uranus) at the apex of a yod with the sextile between Pluto and Saturn in the winter solstice chart. The Sabian symbol for this degree is of a Quiver Filled With Arrows, and we all know that Jupiter rules Sagittarius the Archer.
However, even more meaningful in 2000 was the total eclipse of the Moon that year at 24+ Capricorn with the Sun at 24+ Cancer, which would be conjunct the U.S. Sibly Mercury at 24+ Cancer. Mercury rules data as in what voting machines gather. The south node, where the eclipsed Moon was, at 24+ Capricorn, is a release point, letting things go that are not needed, such as re-counting votes. I’m sure this year’s Jupiter transit to the natal US Uranus will also re-awaken the conjunction of Neptune and Pluto since Pluto is part of the yod aspec. Pluto is now in a minor aspect (septile of 51+ degrees) with Neptune which operates in subtle, repetitive ways. It is an aspect that represents occult and mystical forces at work.
luckydriver, you are correct, a yod is the same as a Finger of God aspect. A yod forms an isosceles triangle (2 sides equal) and resembles the shape of a finger pointing in a chart. A sense of Fate is sometimes associated with the yod; that destiny or “God” is calling the shots.
be
Eight degrees, retrograde in Gemini, was jupiter’s exact position during the November 7th 2000 election of George Bush; almost to the arc minute. Is there any significance there?
I don’t know very much about astrology charts, etc., so pardon an ignorant question: is this yod the same thing as the term “finger of god” that I keep coming across in horoscopes? And what does that phrase “finger of god” really mean?
“Your role is to get out of your head; get out of your thought loops; stop the argument; and honor the process of growth and healing”. Great words, Eric – thanks so much for this piece. Amazing photo!
This yod is touching my chart in intense but clear ways, lighting up a specific part of my chart like a Christmas tree, many aspects. I have Atlantis at 7 Gemini, but I don’t feel the end is near, it feels more like a new beginning (I’ve always seen Atlantis in a positive light though, since I was a child, it’s a long story). I have never been able to work through the knotted ball of this massive issue being lit up, but now I am untangling all the threads with ease and gentleness, and it all is happening within my own mind. I also have psyche at 4 Gemini, and was wondering if and how transiting psyche at 10 Scorpio (conjunct Saturn?) plays into this yod? It all feels very mental to me, in a good way, and then I sense the changes in my physical body just as quickly as the insight in my mind arises. The thought loops are stopping themselves, and accepting my whole being, I am ready to move forward into a new existence, shedding the old divided me, and expanding into my new self-accepting self. And it is helping me to relate to the world with a little less anxiety, and with confidence to face the relationship issues I tend to hide, it’s more that I haven’t had the energy, now it doesn’t seem like such a chore. Thank you planet waves for all the insight you bring into my life.