Life Is A Quincunx series

"I regard the quincunx as THE most challenging of aspects. Most traditional aspects connect planets occupying signs with at least something in common. (Trining signs share an element. Squaring and opposing signs share a quality. Sextiles link signs of compatible elements as do oppositions. Conjunctions share a sign, usually, and often a house.) Semi-sextiles and quincunxes, in contrast, point to two sides of our nature which have nothing in common. The element, quality, sign and house are all different. With the semi-sextile, however, we have the stepping-stone principle. Each sign (and house) builds on the foundation of the one before, so there is some basic harmony and mutual support involved. With the quincunx, we cross the three major sections of the horoscope: personal, interpersonal and transpersonal. Thus, one basic issue—in ANY quincunx—is striving to balance either personal needs, wants and desires with interpersonal intimacy issues; personal needs with transpersonal, larger-scale views and ideas; or interpersonal needs with the broader perspective of the transpersonals.

For example, the 1/8 quincunx pits spontaneous instincts and desires against the impulse to share the sensual, sexual and financial world with another human being (personal versus interpersonal). The 5/10 quincunx may be experienced as love versus work, desire for attention, admiration and applause at odds with a sense of duty, responsibility, and discipline (interpersonal versus transpersonal). The 2/9 quincunx includes the challenge of blending comfort/security/pleasure/ease/beauty needs with freedom/intellectual/looking for truth needs (personal versus transpersonal).

The above reasons help to explain the challenging nature of the quincunx aspect. Many times, people experience the differing drives symbolized by the quincunx as incompatible: “I CAN’T combine these parts of life. It is just not possible.” And yet, integration is exactly what is being called for!

There does appear to be a restless quality associated with the quincunx. People with lots of natal quincunxes often go through many changes in their lives. (Depending on how they handle their potential, they may interpret those changes as outwardly-forced or inwardly chosen—or, usually, a mixture.) We are striving to combine two very different sides of life, to blend two very divergent parts of our own nature. People are often tempted to suddenly “take off” in a new direction (like the 150 degree angle) rather than integrate their contradictory needs.

However, changes do occur OFTEN with quincunxes. I find this so-called “minor” aspect the most DYNAMIC of all. Over and over again in current patterns, I have noticed people who do nothing with squares, oppositions, octiles and tri-octiles in the charts. Then, a quincunx or yod moves into orb, and the individual finally acts (or feels forced to act).

Ideally, we make the changes associated with quincunxes consciously and deliberately, having carefully analyzed our habit patterns, circumstances, attitudes and actions in order to create a more fulfilling life pattern. Otherwise, the changes may come about more subconsciously (often uncomfortably) where we feel “done to” by the world (or other people). The goal of any quincunx is to harmonize very different needs and drives within our nature. We need to determine what should be fixed to make it more effective, what is worth saving, and what is no longer helpful (garbage) and should be thrown away.

Some astrologers use “adjustment” as a key word for the quincunx, but “adjustment” is a nice, general term which does not give people much an idea of what to do, and also tends to imply that life is forcing one to adjust. The “adjustments” to which quincunxes are a timing key have to do with careful analysis, useful self-transformation, winnowing out the wheat from the chaff and generally distinguishing what is useful in the life (and worth retaining) and what needs to be altered, improved or thrown away.

It is this sort of circumstance that creates the image of the so-called “fated” quality that people ascribe to the quincunx and especially to the yod (or double quincunx). Part of the issue with a quincunx is dealing with deeply rooted emotional needs (Scorpio). Some of these desires are likely to be unconscious. The psyche strives for balance. Buried drives do NOT go away; the unconscious seeks some way in which to incorporate them into our lives. All too often, we dislike the means by which our unconscious includes issues we have been repressing and avoiding. Blaming the quincunx or “fate” for our own garbage which we are confronting is analogous to taking a nonstop flight to Seattle and blaming the airline because they “won’t let me off in San Francisco.”

Take, for example, the individual who is holding down a job that she feels is very boring, routine, uninteresting and not at all challenging. The person feels this work is beneath her and resents being there, but is afraid to leave because of security reasons. She may lack the faith that she could find anything better, so stays in a position which she detests and feels confined and hemmed in. One possible result is that the resentment and anger could lead to minor accidents, breaking out and breaking free. Another option is headaches which can be a form of blocked anger. It is also quite possible that the individual could end up coming to work late a lot, or being a bit sloppy about her responsibilities (NOT consciously or deliberately) until she ends up being fired—and HAVING to find a new job. Hopefully, she then gets work she can LIKE and find challenging or exciting. If not, she is likely to repeat the above pattern. The desire for freedom and stimulation has to be satisfied somewhere. If we do not deal with it deliberately and consciously, the unconscious will find a way to incorporate it into our lives regardless. When we lock ourselves into a situation we detest, we are setting ourselves up for trouble sooner or later. Far better to either change the situation—or find something we CAN like and enjoy about where we are!"

• The 1/6 quincunx: "The 1/6 quincunx crosses the territory from personal needs (I want what I want and I want it now—Letter 1) to interpersonal desires (I wish to be of service, to work productively and effectively with others on the job and in my own body—Letter 6). We have to create the time and space to be ourselves, do our own thing, be free, independent, spontaneous and self-expressive while still leaving time and space to be painstaking, practical, efficient, careful, dedicated, disciplined, hardworking and precise." 
• The 1/8 quincunx: "The 1/8 quincunx crosses the territory between personal needs (I want what I want and I want it RIGHT NOW—Letter 1) and interpersonal desires (I need to relate on a deep, intimate level with other humans, learning to give, receive and share pleasures and resources—Letter 8). The challenge is to be able to be ourselves, be independent, express our instincts and natural identity, to act freely and also to be self-disciplined, masters of our appetites, able to probe deeply into our own psyche (and the psyches of others), and capable of an intense, emotional commitment to another person."
• The 2-7 quincunx: "The 2/7 quincunx tries to put together personal needs (I want to enjoy the material/sensual world—Letter 2) with interpersonal needs (I want to relate to another person as an equal—Letter 7). This quincunx is a bit unique in that the same planet (Venus) rules both the second sign (Taurus) and the seventh sign (Libra). However, Venus in its Letter 2 manifestation is concerned with PHYSICAL, MATERIAL pleasures (from things, from money, from tangible beauty), whereas Venus in its Letter 7 form is associated with pleasure from PEOPLE and RELATIONSHIPS. Yet we can assume that the joint focus on beauty and pleasure is a convenient handle for integration. The shared rulership of Venus implies that perhaps this quincunx is easier to integrate than any of the others! We just have to enjoy sharing and share our joy."
• The 2-9 quincunx: "With the 2/9 blend, we are putting together the desire for pleasure from the material, physical, sensual world (including eating, drinking, smoking, money, sex, and beauty) and the reach for meaning, truth, understanding of life, a world view, the quest for something MORE, something higher in life. [When Venus is part of our picture, it gets a bit more complicated as Venus rules both Taurus and Libra, 2 and 7. The letter 7 side of Venus brings in pleasure from people—the desire for partnership, marriage, one-to-one interaction, etc.]"
• The 3-8 quincunx: "With the 3/8 quincunx, we are trying to combine curiosity, a light touch, flippancy, detachment, objectivity, superficiality, restlessness, siblings/relatives, people near at hand and the need to communicate with privacy needs, intensity, commitment, emotional depths, determination to get to the END of the matter, mates, intimacy instincts and power drives."
• The 3-10 quincunx: "With the 3/10 quincunx, we are striving to make room in our lives for curiosity, theory, learning, relatives, the nearby environment, communication, flippancy, skimming the surface and restlessness as well as for productivity, responsibility, career drives, seriousness, perseverance, accomplishments, realism and facing the limits of life."
• The 4-9 quincunx: "With the 4/9 blend or interaction in a horoscope, we are trying to blend comfortably our dependency, nurturance, emotional vulnerabilities, security needs, drive for mothering, home and family with our faith, trust, values, ideals, philosophy of life, religious or spiritual beliefs and quest for ultimate answers and why we are here."
• The 4-11 quincunx: "With the 4-11 blend or interaction in a horoscope, we are seeking to comfortably combine our dependency, nurturance, emotional vulnerabilities, security needs, drive for mother, home and family with our freedom needs, individuality, urge for the new, risk-taking elements, friends, new horizons and the broadest reach of humanity."
• The 7-12 quincunx: "With the 7/12 blend, we are trying to put together our drive for partnership, equality, justice, fair play, balance, harmony, beauty, visual aesthetics, charm and grace with our drive for infinite love and beauty, compassion, visualization, imagination, fantasy, escapism, transcendence, inspiration and emotional yearning.:"