T-Squares and Grand Crosses

A T-Square (or T-Cross) involves three planets. Two planets are opposite one another, and both are square the third planet. When you draw it out, it looks like a T. When people first see a T-Square in their chart, they usually worry because it has those three difficult aspects. In reality, a T-Square offers a tremendous amount of energy that can be controlled with some effort, and because of that, it’s seen in the charts of many prominent people.

In a T-Square, the planet that’s being squared by the two planets that are opposite one another is called the Point Focus, Apex planet, or Focal planet. Basically, it’s where all of the energy of the T-Square is being focused. It can be too much for that planet sometimes. But there is a way to make it all better, and that’s the empty leg. The empty leg is the area that’s opposite the focal planet, the sign and house, and by using the energy of the empty leg, you have a way to make your T-Square a positive in your life.

A Grand Cross (or Grand Square) is like a T-Square, but it doesn’t have the empty leg. There are four planets involved, and the fourth planet occupies that empty space so you have two oppositions and four squares. A Grand Cross is a little more difficult to deal with because there isn’t something to focus on like a T-Square, so it can be a lot of energy bouncing around all over the place.

The way to work with a Grand Cross is by looking at the quality/modality of the planets involved. There are three qualities/modalities: Cardinal, Fixed, and Mutable. The Cardinal signs are Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn; the Fixed signs are Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius; and the Mutable signs are Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces.

Cardinal Grand Cross: The focus is on yourself, who you are, and how you synthesize all parts of yourself. The different parts of yourself fight to have control, and can come out on a whim and erratically. You need to recognize when you’re feeling out of control or are fighting within yourself, and not lose sight of what it is you really want and are working toward.

Fixed Grand Cross: You have difficulty with change, and will resist it at all costs when you’re faced with it. You don’t like to take the next step in life, and try to keep everything as it is. Conversely, once you start doing something, nothing will stop you no matter what. You need to develop a positive self image, learn how to be flexible and allow some change into your life, and not keep everything for yourself.

Mutable Grand Cross: Focusing on anything in probably your biggest challenge in life, and your energy scatters from this to that. You’re interested in so much, but you can gravitate toward too much, and you can’t handle it all. You can bring change into your life easily, but you can change too much. You need to learn to get control over your scattered energy and not give in to the impulse to automatically change when faced with problems.

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