Yod, super important or not important at all?

The OP's Yod is DEFINITELY tight-enough Orb for an out-of-sign Yod.

Here's my two cents on the yod: My only practical experience with the yod is from a writer called William Styron. For those who don't know, William Styron was best known for his book Darkness Visible, which for the first time offered a humane look into depression. That doesn't mean his other books are not notable. He wrote Lie Down in Darkness, Sophie's Choice and Confession of Nat Turner, all are pretty depressing and about controversial topics. Styron seemed to be on a personal quest to bring all dark things into light as much as possible. He suffered from melanchony for most of his life, and his personality was rather difficult.


Styron's yod is super-charged. The Yod consists of Jupiter as the focal point, the Sun and Neptune. Jupiter also opposites Mars, which also forms two semi-sextile with Sun and Neptune. The four planets are in 12H, 5H 7H and 6H respectively, and there are three masculine planets (not to mention a Jupiter/Pluto opposition). 12H Jupiter has a mission to find the ultimate truth, that is related to the self (5H Sun) and mystery of human connection (7H Neptune), and the determination is amplified by Capricorn, Mars and Pluto. Sun sextile Neptune gives him an ability to put himself into others' shoes, and Gemini Sun wants to write about it. Mars in Cancer wants to fight for comfort, what is close to him. And in 6H, Mars wants to be of service to people, which is the drive for Darkness Visible.


But the yod is normally not felt by the owner in their early stage. They know they have a mission to strive for, but they don't know exactly what it is. We can see Styron's frustration in his difficult personality and his melanchony. Some of his work was written to release his anger (Set This House on Fire), other work was just to satisfy his melanchony (Sophie's Choice). In a way he was fulfilling his mission, but he had no idea what he was doing. It wasn't until Darkness Visible that he finally found the peace he was looking for. Darkness Visible contained all the frustration he had about himself, and was also a tool to express his view to the world.



But then again Styron's yod is so prominent in his chart so...


https://www.astro.com/cgi/chart.cgi...aTZS0x-rbBPuqqsM2pYMu9NqEqPpl0xmpedFU3b8PizkT

There is a book called The Yod Book by Karen Hamaker-Zondag that covers yods more than any other source I know about. I've noticed that different people have different definitions for what counts as one. Some say all the parts must be planets, while others count points and other objects. Some say the apex planet must be further out (have a larger orbit) than the base planets. Some say the opposite of that, that the apex planet must have the smallest orbit. I have one by some accounts, but the orb on one of my legs is 3 degrees, which some consider too wide. My yod "counts" according to the definition given in The Yod Book, but I don't recall if she addresses your type of yod. Usually yods are made up by planets of different modalities and elements.

I do think the yod is significant. It usually doesn't get triggered until midlife. I'm still unsure if I've been experiencing my yod, some other return or transit, or just straight-up midlife crisis, but the past few years have been difficult and have challenged all my preconceived notions about myself. In some ways, I'm a baby all over again.

Thank you so much for this information!

A yod consists of a sextile, as base, with two quincunxes, one from each of the two planets forming the sextile, to a third planet. [150 + 150 + 60 = 360].

Disagree that it doesn't normally "get triggered" until midlife.

Any critical aspect often waits for maximum effect until native is in high position to become quite obvious. Two examples: Bill Clinton, with his Mars/Neptune/Ascendant had "sex scandals" all along, but the Big One came after he was seated in the White House. I think we're seeing similar activation of aspects in Trump's case as well...his chickens are coming home to roost.

I have a "double" yod, with Pluto in Leo and Neptune in Libra at the base, and Merc/Mars at the point, 2 degrees apart. The center-point of the Merc/Mars conjunction is at 10 degrees Pisces, and all the orbs are inside of 2 degrees. My only real obsession is with the Astrological Ages, which "informs" my entire astrological viewpoint. I'm not seeing the connection between those nearly coincidental yods and this laser-like focus on the Ages though. My question is, can one predict what Sense of Purpose will be caused by a yod, or just that you'll have one? I do have Moon/Venus conjunct in Aquarius trine in Gemini, which relates back to Merc at the tip, so maybe that's it, because my comprehensive interest in the Ages was originally driven by the up-and-coming Age of Aquarius.

I have multiple YODS in my chart, and have had success with deciphering them.

What does negativity/darkness mean to you?

The construct of the YOD is the inconjunct. The paradox. What Scorpio/8th house does is push the buttons on ********. Someone with Mercury in the 8th house seems like someone who likes to call foul or have great considerations about things that are simmering under the surface.

Can you spot any paradox between your 1st, 3rd, and 8th houses?

StelliumNoise said:

I have multiple YODS in my chart, and have had success with deciphering them.

What does negativity/darkness mean to you?

The construct of the YOD is the inconjunct. The paradox. What Scorpio/8th house does is push the buttons on ********. Someone with Mercury in the 8th house seems like someone who likes to call foul or have great considerations about things that are simmering under the surface.

Can you spot any paradox between your 1st, 3rd, and 8th houses?

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What's your Sense of Purpose from your Yods, if any? Also, do the Yods conflict with each other or work together?

david starling said:

What's your Sense of Purpose from your Yods, if any? Also, do the Yods conflict with each other or work together?

Click to expand...

I have no clue what my sense of purpose is but I'm in the middle of what I would term spiritual revolution. SN in the 12th (Leo) was when everything started getting strange. I've undergone a serious awakening process. And as far as religious teachings and spiritual experiences go, what we are experiencing now as a collective is huge and I do find myself smack dead in the middle of it, which took me by surprise because I was atheist/agnostic up until last year. Also want to note that Sedna is in the 9th house, and I've been finding interesting revelations/connections between Sedna placements vs. a persons complete chart.

My awakening started with the question "what is the story of this world" and what I've found is that truth is stranger than fiction.

I was never religious because I couldn't find a link that fit for me because of who I am, there was reason to doubt things, but this all changed. Saturn was activating my YODs in 2017. Also a huge shift happened for me when Mercury crossed the activation point in November of last year. That was probably the most significant turn of events/indoctrination into this massive spiritual craziness.

I think Mercury was huge for me because I have 4 planets in Gemini (Sun Moon Jupiter Venus). My YOD is between my 10th house (Sun, Moon apex), my 3rd house (Pluto/Scorpio) sextile 5th house (Saturn & Neptune/Capricorn).


Although I believe that the YOD speaks to purpose, I also believe that it is a warning about something in your personality, something about your life, (I have Pluto conjunct IC), that is in severe conflict with the world around you but also its in conflict with you.

Also believe that it is a generational habit or trait, that you incarnate with in order to break the chain. I believe this is the reason for the paradox because it forces awareness that something is off. So YOD bearers may experience this feeling of needing to overcome to become. How this plays into the vastness of their purpose, I don't know because a purpose can be silent, done for the expansion of the soul and not necessarily some external manifested destiny.

What I can say however, is that my experiences and knowledge of things does not appear to be common. And I don't really know anything else beyond this.

My YODs personally seem to speak to a shedding or burning off of dark energy for the purpose of soul expansion. I find that my sextile between Pluto, Neptune, and Saturn on the IC/3rd house and the 5th house, have definitely interfered with 10th house matters. Most of my planets in the 10th, so it's been affecting me immensely.

I also think that people with YODs who do amazing things or groundbreaking things, its because they have overcome huge obstacles and most people who overcome huge obstacles don't want to keep it a secret. But it could very well be a personal purpose. Depending on the location.

If I come out on the other side, I'd definitely be interested in writing books. I have a lot of spiritually related ideas, but again I do have a lot of planets in the 10th.

As far as working with each other, you know we all have balancing energies in our chart so we are very rarely bearing more than we can carry. Your energy protects you in strange ways. I have a lot of Gemini energy and I am thankful for that.

I've been told that I have a Yod between Mercury-Uranus-Pluto. Mercury at 2.18 degrees Cancer, Uranus at 3.05 degrees Aquarius, and Pluto at 0.42 degrees Sagittarius. If there's any significance to this Yod, which has Mercury in House VII as the focal point, I believe it may have to do with how my committed relationships / marriage has to cope with changing global and generational forces that challenge Cancer's wishes. I am not very convinced yet on the Yod being a thing, but if my interpretation of this Yod is at least somewhat accurate, I am scared.

BaoSanniang said:

I've been told that I have a Yod between Mercury-Uranus-Pluto. Mercury at 2.18 degrees Cancer, Uranus at 3.05 degrees Aquarius, and Pluto at 0.42 degrees Sagittarius. If there's any significance to this Yod, which has Mercury in House VII as the focal point, I believe it may have to do with how my committed relationships / marriage has to cope with changing global and generational forces that challenge Cancer's wishes. I am not very convinced yet on the Yod being a thing, but if my interpretation of this Yod is at least somewhat accurate, I am scared.

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Where are your Sun, Moon, and Ascendant Signs? Checking the Aspects.

Sun: 11.45 Cancer

Moon: 13.55 Aquarius

ASC: 18.03 Sagittarius with Jupiter in I and at 12.54 Capricorn

Saturn...?

Well, even without Saturn's placement, this Yod is encouraging you to pay closer attention to the flow of the global currents, and look beyond the surface appearances. In the long run, they're going your way.

Saturn in IV / Cancer. Saturn at 7.12 degrees Aries. What do you mean by they're going "my way"?

BaoSanniang said:

Saturn in IV / Cancer. Saturn at 7.12 degrees Aries. What do you mean by they're going "my way"?

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I can see why you're pessimistic. But, you're looking at the world currents from a Saturnian point of view, which runs counter to the way they're really going. This Yod is pointing you in the right direction....just give it some time. Saturn square Sun isn't easy! Especially in this case, where Saturn rules the Sign opposite that of your Sun-sign.

I feel Saturn has such a powerful presence in my life, and being an emotional Cancer doesn't help ease things. Saturn aspects not only my Sun but also the ruler of my 1st, 5th, and 7th houses. I don't have any natal planet aspects to the 3 outer planets so I feel very grounded but with no interesting personality or thoughts. However, I'd much prefer certainty and security.

Moon in Aquarius is a huge asset for you.

Maybe but I don't feel the energy very strongly. I strongly resonated with descriptions of Moon in Aquarius as a teenager and young adult (and I'm still a young adult, I'm 22), but looking back I realize how I was using detachment and a wall of intellectual superiority to mask all of the hurt and insecurities within. It was a way to numb myself from all the hurt I had experienced growing up and all the hurt, all the frustrations I've experienced in life, but as I grow older my need for rapport, for security, and for a home grows stronger than ever. I realize how foolish I was to be so arrogant, to be so dismissive and detached, thinking I knew it all and I knew better. Aquarius moon tried to cover up and deny, yet at the same time, came up with its own kind of idealism, all of which was working to suppress the deepest needs of me as a Cancer. I don't want to be like that anymore. I don't want to be so at odds anymore. I don't want to keep up my facade of coolness and arrogance anymore. I tried using my moon to numb myself, to make myself stoic towards my emotional needs (had I been born a few days earlier with a Capricorn moon I may well have done the same) and the world, but now I don't want to be like that anymore. I want to be real and find peace and security in this world, rather than being that aloof wanderer.

I want to be happy, to feel safe, to be shown the beauty of the world and of life and no longer numb myself by putting up a mental wall where I keep telling myself I'll be okay as a loner and a wanderer. Part of me will always feel at odds with the world, it's not like the modern world has it easy on water signs (if the world ever has been), but now I want to try and be more at peace. I was once told by a woman I need to be gentler, to be more accepting, to not shelter myself so much.

I once thought I could be a revolutionary, I once thought I cared for the world and its people and that I could do something for people. I wanted to change the world, but it was only within my fantasy. Moon in Aquarius is supposed to have a humanitarian spirit but being honest with myself I have none. I care about my life and the people around me, I just want routine and a settled life with some comforts. That's what I honestly want, at one point I feared being conventional, being the same as everyone else. I tried to deny it, but now I realize how I just want to be normal and like everyone else, yet still be special in the eyes of the few people who love and care for me. I could never bear to be humanitarian, to care for many yet not care nearly as much about the few in my life. I'm not a revolutionary after all, I just want a home. Now I'm deeply suspicious of people with grand dreams, people with very complex and seemingly intangible / unrealistic ideas. Maybe it's another form of suppression I'm using, but now I know I need security more than anything else.

I once thought I could travel, I could live in many places and experience many different ways of life and many cultures. It's only after traveling that I've realized how much I crave home, I crave familiarity, and I crave being nurtured and mothered. I crave nurturing and taking care of someone. I tried to deny that, I thought my intellect would carry me through. Had you asked me when I was 16-20, I would have told you how proud I was of my "smarts" and being "different" (but in a subtle way), but it all sounds ridiculous to me now. I once scoffed at people who lived mundane lives, who took pleasure in the little, daily things and were also frustrated over them. I thought they were so petty, without any grander vision. Now, I've become like them and I can't go back to the way I once was. I feel ashamed for how ignorant I was.

I no longer want to be recognized for my intellect, as it was the impression I gave people for most if not all of the last couple of years. I want, more than anything else, to be recognized for my feelings and my character. I've made mistakes that I still can't let go of. I want to marry (I've always wanted to, but I used to have a far less down-to-earth vision of marriage), to have a home, to be a dad. And I hope I won't have to wait for much longer.

Well, Saturn's on his throne for now. I don't believe Saturn rules Aquarius, so when it moves into Aquarius, it's influence will weaken, and your feelings will most likely change. Moon in Aqua isn't numbness, it's the ability to experience emotion without being overwhelmed by it. Saturn is the source of that not-caring insensitivity you describe.