The Finger Of God. (Yod)

Dear reader(s).
Today, I am trying learn about the 'Finger Of God'.
Two planets (they must be slower moving than the apex planet) that are seperated by a sextile. These two planets both create a quincunx aspect to a third - which is known as the apex planet. So, the resulting image in the chart is like a rather narrow triangle. The moon can not be one of the sextiling planets as it is the fastest planet, and Pluto can not be the apex planet as it is the slowest, if the configuration is to be considered a 'true' Yod, or Finger of God configuration. (Basically the apex planet must be faster than the 2 sextiling planets!)
It is considered that this is a stressful and challenging configuration, but once mastered wonderful results can be yielded.
I have this configuration in my chart (I only realised after a friend pointed it out, can't believe I never realised before!)
My pluto is sextiling my neptune. Both these planets are in quincunx to the sun. Pluto is in exact conjunction with my IC at 22degrees. Neptune is in saggitarius in the 5th at 24 degrees. My sun is in taurus at 22 degrees 10th house. My sun is in opposition to uranus - hitting the midpoint of the sextiling pluto and neptune!!!! I am at a complete loss as to how to 'decipher' what this means. The areas of my life which are blocked are creativity/emotional/career, which makes sense when considerng this configuration. I do not know what to do with it though..... anyone care to help me untangle the Finger of God?!
Kind regards
Vivienne.

Vivienne,
Firstly, welcome to the forum.
I'm very interested in yods...With transits we have been having a couple of yods operating lately for all of us.
I think it might be helpful for us if you can post up your chart. I think more clearly with the image in front of me.
Here's a link explaining how you do it.
http://www.astrologyweekly.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12126

Cheers
Lilly

Hi Lilly!
Many thanks for replying and the warm welcome
I have got my chart up in my pictures, do I need to post it as an attatchment to the topic? Sorry, technically challenged! I'll have a read of the link you posted in your reply.
Vivienne.

I hope this works - my chart should be attatched here....

1. Prior to your birth, Neptune/Pluto were last conjunct in Gemini around 1890.....Starting a cycle that appears to be about "worldwide social changes"......And your Sagittarius Neptune/Libra Pluto sextile may be about disolvnig "religious" taboos which prevent equality in relationships.

2. Uranus/Neptune were last conjunct in Capricorn around 1821.....Commencing a cycle of government reform/improved conditions for the masses......And your Scorpio Uranus/Sagittarius Neptune semi-sextile may be about breaking down the psychological fear which prevents the disolving of religious taboos.

3. Uranus/Pluto were last conjunct in Virgo around September 1965.....Perhaps beginning a cycle of "original thinking about change".....And your Scorpio Uranus/Libra Pluto semi-sextile might focus this upon breaking down the psychological fears that prevent change.

4. So, we might conclude that Uranus/Neptune/Pluto are working together to remove the fears/phobias/taboos of society which are restricting "individual growth"........And, that all your generation are engaged upon that task...(whether consciously, semi-consciously or unconsciously).

5. However, for you, sun at the Yod apex personalises this task.....focusng on Taurus/10th house (career).........So, you may be here to break down the fears relating to "loss of security/career" which inevitably accompany social changes.

sometimes it's easier to break them down into quincunxs to start analysing

Info on Yod’s
http://www.bobmarksastrologer.com/TheYod15.5.htm
http://asphodelea.com/yods.html
http://www.drstandley.com/astrologycharts_yod.shtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yod_(astrology)
http://realastrologers.com/?p=331
http://medicalastrologybyeileennauma...t-and-yod.html
http://thezodiac.com/yod.htm
http://medicalastrologybyeileennauman.blogspot.com/2009/03/inconjunct-aspect-and-yod.html

I also notice you are having your saturn return, a very poignant time

Saturn Return
Saturn takes 30 years or so to complete its circuit around the zodiac so events that occur around the age of 29-30, 58-59 and 80-81 will be of great significance to the native, depending on the strength and aspects to natal saturn.
http://www.newage-directory.com/saturn.html
http://www.astrologycom.com/saturn.html
http://www.saturnreturn.net/what_is.html
http://www.examiner.com/x-2766-Atlan...-Saturn-return
http://www.lynnkoiner.com/astrology-articles/dysfunctional-saturn

Dear EJ53 & astrologer50. Thankyou both for your replies - I will say more after a bit of 'information digestion'!
My saturn return is ok, SO FAR.. nothing disastrous to report. A little while back saturn was conjunct my moon, and that was particuarly horrific , so i'm glad that's over. My dad got ill, and died, his sun was conjunct my moon, so saturn was conjunct his gentle virgo sun, and his rising sign was capricorn. Emotionally it was one of the toughest times in my life, and the result of it being that I have dissolved a fair few relationships with ppl that had been in my life and causing too many upsets. Natal Jupiter conjunct saturn (and saturn in transit) 'lightens' it a bit too, I think - so far the effects are one's of commitments, I got engaged at the start of the saturn return
I look forward to more astro chat with you both soon. I'm still learning how to navigate my way around this site!
Vivienne.

Well Saturn is the Lord of Karma, sorry to hear about your father, was Pluto conj his Asc to?

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Welcome to the World of Astrology!
http://www.astrologyweekly.com/forum/showthread.php?t=14561

There is a 'plethora' of information on AW, espec in the 'stickys' at the top of every forum, our Education forum and Recommendations forum to. Plus we have a good search feature, bit like google using keywords --

vivienne said:

Dear reader(s).
Today, I am trying learn about the 'Finger Of God'.
Two planets (they must be slower moving than the apex planet) that are seperated by a sextile. These two planets both create a quincunx aspect to a third - which is known as the apex planet. So, the resulting image in the chart is like a rather narrow triangle. The moon can not be one of the sextiling planets as it is the fastest planet, and Pluto can not be the apex planet as it is the slowest, if the configuration is to be considered a 'true' Yod, or Finger of God configuration. (Basically the apex planet must be faster than the 2 sextiling planets!)
It is considered that this is a stressful and challenging configuration, but once mastered wonderful results can be yielded.
I have this configuration in my chart (I only realised after a friend pointed it out, can't believe I never realised before!)
My pluto is sextiling my neptune. Both these planets are in quincunx to the sun. Pluto is in exact conjunction with my IC at 22degrees. Neptune is in saggitarius in the 5th at 24 degrees. My sun is in taurus at 22 degrees 10th house. My sun is in opposition to uranus - hitting the midpoint of the sextiling pluto and neptune!!!! I am at a complete loss as to how to 'decipher' what this means. The areas of my life which are blocked are creativity/emotional/career, which makes sense when considerng this configuration. I do not know what to do with it though..... anyone care to help me untangle the Finger of God?!
Kind regards
Vivienne.

Click to expand...

Vivienne, I've never read that one has to discount the Moon or Pluto in the way you suggested or look at faster/slower-moving planets. Can you cite the source? [No, I'm not the copyright police here--I am curious enough to want to look it up.]

I could see discounting the moon if you don't have an accurate birth time, such that it could easily be out-of-orb; and also I note that angles, asteroids, and other sensitive points are not considered: just bona fide planets. As you know, a few billion people have Pluto sextile Neptune, but I believe this aspect is usually counted, as the yod configuration with these two involved is not so common.

The apex planet supposedly represents an energy that must be developed in the person's lifetime. When this happens, sometimes you see a repeat pattern in the chart that reinforces it. I just read a chart for a woman with the Moon as her yod apex, and she also had a troubled 4th house and childhood. Since the moon is also one's mother and family inheritance, it seemed to me that the yod was asking her to come to terms with her mother and family upbringing.

I think if you have Uranus at the midpoint opposing your sun in Taurus, your naturally fixed identity is constantly challenged out of its comfort zone. With the sun at the tip, your identity needs to express itself strongly in your career and public image, but you are being fast-tracked to learn how to balance Taurus's love of stability and Uranus's need for instability and clearing out old-unworkable material relating to the affairs of its house and in the manner prescribed by its sign.

In your case, the significance of your sun is reinforced by it being your chart-ruler, with Leo rising. But the kicker is that Taurus/Scorpio are intercepted signs in your chart. So in the game of life, you've been given a more challenging "course" on which to play.

Supposedly the yods are a little less troublesome to the native than the quincunxes might be individually, due to the involved sextile.

A similar but much more troublesome "pointer" is the Thor's Hammer, where the apex planet is joined by two sequi-squares (135 degrees) joined at the base by a square. Kind of a yod on steroids.

I did a google search about 'yods' yesterday. One of my friends pointed out I had one and I knew nothing about them at all. I found an excerpt from a book called 'Astrology: Understanding the Birthchart' by Kevin Burk. On page 282 it says about the speed of the planets etc. I found a few other sites that say the same thing too. I am in no way an expert on anything astrological so how true it is that the apex planet has to be the fastest moving I have no idea! If you google the words 'yods fastest moving planet' then you will see some websites that mention it. I have also read stuff where people say they believe it not to be relevant, so who knows!
'Apparently' i'm very stubborn, hence a taurean sun!! Uranus in the 4th has frequently left me searching for a home I feel 'at home in', although I also have lilith in the 4th. I can only exist in a work/live space - if I can't paint at home then my home doesn't feel like home! Shame it's taken me 14 moves in the past 10 yrs to work out what I want from a home........ I have learnt to love my sun uranus opposition - it certainly scares the living daylights out of my stubborn/fixed sun though at times - ur right!
I have ordered a book about yods from amazon so it will be arriving shortly, I can't wait to read it, and share what i've learnt.
Vivienne.

Thanks, Vivienne" very helpful.

waybread said:

Vivienne, I've never read that one has to discount the Moon or Pluto in the way you suggested or look at faster/slower-moving planets. Can you cite the source?

Click to expand...

(Vivienne is correct about Kevin Burk) but for information, on page 145 of Dynamics of Aspect Analysis, Bill Tierney quotes Al H. Morrison as saying that a true Yod must have the slowest moving planet at the apex.....which caused me considerable confusion on the link below :-
http://www.astrologyweekly.com/forum/showpost.php?p=130243&postcount=52

vivienne said:

Dear EJ53 & astrologer50. Thankyou both for your replies - I will say more after a bit of 'information digestion'!
My saturn return is ok, SO FAR.. nothing disastrous to report. A little while back saturn was conjunct my moon, and that was particuarly horrific , so i'm glad that's over. My dad got ill, and died, his sun was conjunct my moon, so saturn was conjunct his gentle virgo sun, and his rising sign was capricorn. Emotionally it was one of the toughest times in my life, and the result of it being that I have dissolved a fair few relationships with ppl that had been in my life and causing too many upsets. Natal Jupiter conjunct saturn (and saturn in transit) 'lightens' it a bit too, I think - so far the effects are one's of commitments, I got engaged at the start of the saturn return

Click to expand...

A Saturn return simply says that Saturn returns to the same place it was when you were born. It marks a cycle. However, in your chart Saturn is conjunct Jupiter, with both trine Venus and both sextile Uranus.

Your Moon, however, is semi-sextile Pluto and square Neptune. I would think that would have been far more difficult than your actual Saturn return.

My first Saturn return was far less painful than when it transitted my Sun, Neptune and Moon, all conjunct in Libra. That happened later for me, since Saturn for me is in the 12th, and those Libra planets are in the 2nd.

I agree that the natal position of your natal Saturn "lightens the return".

I really hope my yod, is not a yod, rather just a bunch of planets masquerading as a yod! I think my 10th/4th houses are doomed as it is - intercepted, chiron conjunct my sun and mars in 10th Pluto in the IC and uranus making a mess of the other side of the 4th!!!

EJ53 said:

(Vivienne is correct about Kevin Burk) but for information, on page 145 of Dynamics of Aspect Analysis, Bill Tierney quotes Al H. Morrison as saying that a true Yod must have the slowest moving planet at the apex.....which caused me considerable confusion on the link below :-
http://www.astrologyweekly.com/forum/showpost.php?p=130243&postcount=52

Click to expand...

I remember that thread.

I think we can sum up by saying that different people define yods differently, so I find it useful to define all three-planet configurations that contain two inconjuncts and a sextile as yods, then simply think about how they are most likely to work together.

I won't even start to muddy up the waters by discussing whether or not "fastest/slowest" moving is based on the average speed of the planets, or the speed at which they are moving at the time the yods occur.

vivienne said:

I really hope my yod, is not a yod, rather just a bunch of planets masquerading as a yod! I think my 10th/4th houses are doomed as it is - intercepted, chiron conjunct my sun and mars in 10th Pluto in the IC and uranus making a mess of the other side of the 4th!!!

Click to expand...

First of all, the sextile between Neptune and Pluto was around for quite a long time. So it was rather easy for someone born when you were to have some planet form a yod with those two outers.

Before you look at yourself as doomed, you might notice the supporting aspects you have. For instance, your Sun is so nicely trined by the Moon (Chiron also trines you Moon), so I think your yod gets some nice help.

So, it is a yod?!
My comments of 'doom' were said with a bucket full of humour
Vivienne.

EJ53 said:

(Vivienne is correct about Kevin Burk) but for information, on page 145 of Dynamics of Aspect Analysis, Bill Tierney quotes Al H. Morrison as saying that a true Yod must have the slowest moving planet at the apex.....which caused me considerable confusion on the link below :-
http://www.astrologyweekly.com/forum/showpost.php?p=130243&postcount=52

Click to expand...

EJ, thanks. I have a copy of tierney's book.

Although...this raises an interesting question. If someone has the moon [the fastest moving "planet"] forming quincunxes to two planets joined by a sextile....what then?

waybread said:

...If someone has the moon [the fastest moving "planet"] forming quincunxes to two planets joined by a sextile....what then?

Click to expand...

The retrograde Yod......Starlink's Moon/Mars/Uranus.

http://www.astrologyweekly.com/forum/showpost.php?p=130243&postcount=52

EJ53 said:

I'd say they are all "Yods", Star........differing only in the way they behave....we need to consider carefully whether/how each configuration differs in the way it operates and the type of "mission" it might be focused upon....For example, in your case, maybe the "suffering/health" planet and the "transformation" planet are reversed.......so Uranus/7th house would be where you'd experience problems which result in changes in Mars/5th (to make you a more effective "spiritual nurturer" via Moon/12th).

Click to expand...

Hi there,
Yods totally fascinate me-A close friend who was a dancer fell down a stair one day when a yod was formed by transit to her chart.She shattered her ankle (yes Mars and Saturn were involved!) and could not dance again. My friend is also an astrologer and it was when this happened that I started to get serious about yods.(circa 1992)

I too have read very confusing and conflicting info on the Internet about yods.
I see them in natals quite a lot and because of the confusing info I end up having to trust my own feeling about *what it means*.

From my observations any yod will operate in a natal, whether the moon is the apex or whether Pluto is.If it's the moon though at the peak, we could reasonably expect that the yod might not play as big a role long term due to progressions, but every transit to the apex I would carefully look at, because it would activate the energy of the yod (just my opinion, mind you). I also only use very tight orbs when considering whether there is actually a yod.

Any 2 planets inconjunct one another have a great deal of *adjusting* to do to reconcile the dissimilar energies.I think we all agree with that.

The 2 that are sextile at least have a degree of similarity/compatability and transits to the sextile ends don't seem to be as powerful as to the apex. I've observed.

I admit I'm a crazy blend of modern and Traditional astrology sometimes.
If I see a yod in a natal that has the pluto/nept sextile and another planet at the apex I tend to give it less significance.
Gaer, You said
First of all, the sextile between Neptune and Pluto was around for quite a long time. So it was rather easy for someone born when you were to have some planet form a yod with those two outers.

Yes and we may see more yods in charts of those born then, but that in itself is really significant I think-mabe a whole generation has to deal with the finger of god in some way! While it happened more often, it's also no coincidence that some have it and others managed to miss out. So I would certainly consider it in my delineations.

At the moment we have a couple of yods going on in transits.I've been watching these closely of course.(They keep coming up in horary!)

We could use those to discuss whether or not they fit our definitions of a yod:
Mars sextile Saturn with Venus as the apex (only just though). If I saw that in a natal I might look to see what houses Venus is ruling in the chart for clues as to how it may manifest..also noting that as Venus is fairly fast, this might not affect a person as much as their planets progress.

Personally I would count that yod in a natal.

The other yod in the chart has MARS as the apex and Venus and pluto sextile. I think that one might also operate. Yet I'm not sure which astrologers would/would not accept them. I feel concern for kids being born right now with what I see as 2 yods and Venus being involved in both of them, but one day these kids are going to be consulting astrologers about it so it's good that we are doing our homework!!!!

Vivienne, I would definitely count your yod as the sun is also on an important angle, but I would not see it as being as *serious* as a yod that had say the mars/sat (2 malefics) sextile at the base of it.
Your yod could point to *everything that the sun rules* as being a bit more significant in your life with a *generational theme* perhaps, due to Neptune/Pluto factor.
Enjoying this discussion.
Lilly