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Yods and Boomerangs
August 2nd, 2014
There are many different types of aspect patterns that can be found in a chart, and this article will cover two: yods and boomerangs. A yod is when you have two planets in a chart that sextile each other (60 degrees apart), and those two planets also quincunx a third planet (150 degrees apart). It forms a Y configuration. Some believe that the planet that’s quincunx the other two (called the apex planet) must be the fastest moving planet of the three planets involved, but that can get tricky depending on the planets involved (you’d have to go through and see the speed at which each planet is moving at the time of the chart to make sure the apex planet is the fastest moving). If your apex planet is a faster planet and the sextile planets are slower ones, it’s easier to determine, but if you have the Sun, Mercury, and/or Venus involved, they can move around the same speed. So it’s really up to you to decide if that rule applies, and will likely be dependent upon the chart.
A yod is often called “The Finger of God.” It’s an aspect pattern that’s closely tied to your fate, your destiny. The energy of a yod can be difficult to get control over though, so it’s usually something you have to work on throughout your life, and you struggle with in your youth. The quincunxes being made in this aspect pattern are what make it so difficult. Quincunxes are erratic, unfocused, and hard to get to work properly, and even when you think you’ve got it, it can flip right back, so it takes time to master the energy and learn how to work with it. When you resist the yod, or fight against it, you can suffer consequences over and over again as a result, sometimes resulting in someone who repeats the same mistakes. This can play out in your own life, or over multiple lifetimes. The key to the yod is the apex planet, because that’s where the energy is being directed. Whatever planet is the apex planet, consider what that planet rules, the house it’s located in, and what that house rules to get an idea of what your yod wants you to do. The quincunxes involved show the problems you’ll encounter with the energy, and the sextiles show what you’ll have to bring to the table.
A boomerang is an extension of a yod. In this aspect pattern, a yod is formed, but there’s a fourth planet involved that opposes (180 degrees apart) the apex planet. You have similar energy involved with a boomerang, but it can be easier to manifest because you have an “out” with that planet opposing the apex planet. That opposite planet shows you how you can utilize the energy of the apex planet to your advantage, so you’re not quite as lost with a boomerang. It helps bring focus. The only problem is, it can also be easier to manifest the energy negatively, and the extra planet involved can be something completely ignored or emphasized too much.
If you’re one of those lucky people who have more than one yod in your chart, or have a yod and a boomerang, it can be easy to be overwhelmed by these aspect patterns, but don’t despair. You just have extra to work with. (*whispers* Is that a bright side?)
Author:
Nic Gaudette
Filed under General Astrology, Learn Astrology | Comments (3)
| Nic Gaudette is a Florida-based astrologer who enjoys helping those new to astrology, and writes lessons and articles to help them learn. She also created the website, thedarkpixieastrology.com. |
3 Responses to “Yods and Boomerangs”
Hi Nic,
Happy to see discussion of the Boomerang and wanted to chime in (though only abstractly due to paucity of examples in the charts of familiars).
I’m liking your “easier to manifest,” “out,” and “helps bring focus” (compared to the Yod) and thinking attribution of such traits to the opposition may be only one-third of the story. Assuming the fourth planet apex/midpoints the Yod’s sextile base (and why wouldn’t one so assume), two semi-sextiles are composed, super-strengthening the benign power of such base into a 30-60-30 micro-trine and ameliorating the 2:1 (challenging-to-supportive) aspect ratio of the Yod into the Boomerang’s 3:3 ratio, thereby further strengthening your above-quoted conclusions.
I suppose, statistically, there’s tons more Boomerang’s in the wild with wilder-orbed oppositions than ones in which the opposition is constrained to, say, plus/minus one degree from exact (to match-up with the limited orb generally accorded the 30 and 150), and so the head of most natives’ “boomerangs” will not compose a micro-trine but, rather, e.g., a septile-60-undecile (so significantly eroding the above-mentioned aspect ratio that abstract conclusions about the nature of the config may become dodgy).
But I understand your conclusions refer only to the unleaky-orbed version of the Boomerang and, therefore, that the mentioned “focus,” etc., derives not only from the oppo being so tight but also from the sharp-tooled nature of the pair of semi-sextiles, gracing its head.
This article is of particular interest to me. Thanks for writing it…I have often wondered what yods signify. I am one of the lucky folks with two of them in what I suppose you could call mutual reception. One is composed of the Moon in Taurus sextile Uranus in Cancer, both of which are quincunx to Mars in Sagittarius. The second yod consists of Mars sextile Neptune in Libra, both of which are quincunx the Moon. The Moon is in my seventh house. Uranus is in the ninth house. Neptune is in the twelfth house and Mars is in the second house. My ascendant is Scorpio. All of my planets are located between the Moon and Mars. Four are located in the ninth house, which hosts a Mercury-Jupiter conjunction in Cancer. Uranus and the Sun are also located in such…I have always suffered difficulty with girlfriends, friendships, partnerships, and making and keeping money. Again and again, girlfriends, friends, and partners betrayed me (Moon square Pluto in Leo, which is trine to my Mars). Keeping jobs was also a problem largely due to my allergy to authority figures (Sun in Leo square Saturn in Scorpio). Those jobs that I did not quit, I got laid off or fired from. And so, I formed my own company and stuck with it for twenty-six years. I am now doing what I like best–writing. Anyway, if you have any thoughts on the dueling yods or whatever else, please share them with me….
Yes, Yods will throw the individual’s life into havoc and it is certainly pointing to something specific for them. It’s like a major riddle to figure out. I also believe that the person has to be under specific conditions and circumstances in their lives in order to improve it. The ruler on the apex is the one who needs correcting, and a big part of the solution lies at the bottom(the sextile)area.