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(Or Yods, Kites, Grand Cross, and other Planetary Configurations)

Oh My Yod Finale
The Yod is sometimes called the Neurotic planetary configuration. Why (you might ask) is the Yod called the Neurotic planetary configuration? Let's take a closer look at what the Yod is comprised of...

The two green lines are both the aspect that is called a quincunx. In a quincunx aspect the two involved planets are separated by 150 degrees. The blue line is a sextile and the two involved planets are separated by 60 degrees. The quincunx is an unusual aspect. In the birth chart - at times a quincunx appears to behave like a nice, easy, and agreeable trine. During those agreeable times, the two planets involved in the quincunx are happy campers. And then other times the quincunx in the birth chart will pull the old switcheroo and behave like a tension filled square. Thus the person with the quincunx can never learn to depend upon any consistency of behavior between the two planets involved.

Good Father/Bad Father
Let's imagine that you're a child growing up... on some days, dad is kind, loving and gentle when he's interacting with you. Then other days (out of the blue) dad can be rather mean, ugly and generally nasty. You never know from one moment to the next whether dad's going to be the "good father" or the "bad father." You can't depend on dad to be one way or the other.

You learn from experience that you can't rely on dad. There are times you secretly wish he'd either just be the "good father" OR just be the "bad father."  Because - even if he were always the "bad father" - at least then you'd know what to expect from the old guy.

Unreliable... Inconsistent.... Never knowing what to expect.... That's the beginnings of neurosis (or worse) in a child growing up... and that's also a good description of the quincunx aspect in a nutshell. Sometimes the quincunx acts like a trine, and sometimes it behaves like a square... and it's the inconsistency that's driving you nuts!

In the Yod, applying a Bowen Family System concept called the "Triangle," you have a family system comprised of three planets where two united parents (with the agreeable, complementary sextile) are focused on their quincunx child, and are driving their child crazy with their lack of consistency when relating to the child.

Using the Bowen Triangle, the two parents (Planets A & B on the far left side) are all happy and cozy in their comfortable sextile (the blue line). Mom and Dad have temporarily agreed to be in agreement (the green lines) against their sensitive, more vulnerable child (Planet C on the far right side). Over time they will manage to convince him/her (Planet C) that he/she is crazy. And poor little Planet C never, ever knows what to expect from Planets A & B.

And that's why the quincunx is sometimes called the neurotic aspect and the Yod is sometimes called the Neurotic planetary configuration.

The Moral of the Story
The moral of the story is that - when looked at in this light - you should probably (grudgingly) be grateful for your birth chart Yods, Kites, and even those accursed T-Squares.

As already discussed, in a Closed planetary configuration such as the Grand Square, spreading tension serves to stabilize the planetary system, but nothing is likely to get resolved.

On the other hand, Open planetary configurations such as the Yod are the parts of your chart that have the potential become conscious enough to recognize that there's a problem. Then, while there are no guarantees, they contain the germinal propensities to recognize a need for outside intervention and (most importantly) change and breaking free of our repetitive unhealthy behavior patterns.

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(Or Yods, Kites, Grand Cross, and other Planetary Configurations)

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