The Quincunx

(Glyph courtesy of Wikimedia commons)

All aspects are “phase relationships” between any two points in the zodiac. Some aspects challenge “right realization” or “right action,” while others bring forth harmony, understanding, and unique potentials involving those two points. So what makes the Quincunx so powerful yet so obscure?

A quincunx is an aspect of 150 degrees, with an orb of 2 to 2.5 degrees. It represents adjustment, with elements of loss and forced expansion accompanying those adjustments. It should not be called an “inconjunct.” That word literally doesn’t describe the Quincunx.

All quincunxes have four possible ways of the two planets interacting, as measured where the applying (faster) transiting planet makes the aspect to the receiving (slower) transiting planet. This also applies in natal quincunxes.

A waxing forming quincunx, which takes on a 5th house quality.
A waxing separating quincunx, which takes on a 6th house quality.
A waning forming quincunx, which takes on a 7th house quality.
A waning separating quincunx, which takes on an 8th house quality.

The primary keyword for the quincunx is adjustment, whether for expressive and/or utilitarian purposes (the waxing quincunx) or eliminating and/or regenerative purposes (the waning quincunx). As adjustments almost always accompany some sort of sacrifice, I have found one keynote to be “expansion through sacrifice.”

So a quincunx is a creative-expressive adjustment when it is forming waxing, a functional adjustment in the “health” of the two planets in quincunx when separating waxing, a relational adjustment when forming and waning, and a loss/regenerative adjustment when separating and waning. That’s why quincunxes are often associated with health issues and/or loss of some kind.

Here we must regard “health” as having a physical component, an emotional component, and a mental component. With a quincunx, one or more of these must be adjusted in some way, and perhaps a sacrifice of some sort is required, at that phase in “the whole cycle.” It may involve an adjustment in our style of relating to others, such as a mediator or diplomat or some other function which involves adapting to “others.” However, there are productive voids created by a quincunx which can be used for positive growth in one or both planets in quincunx.

Each quincunx has its own unique quality, since the waxing quincunx from Leo to Pisces is fundamentally different than the waning quincunx from Leo to Capricorn. I see it operate like a Knight in Chess. Forward or backward then to the side, or to the side and then forward or backward. At its best, it allows us to “see around corners” and make corrections as needed.

The zones are directly related to the special evolutionary configuration known as the Yod, or Finger of God, which involves two planets in sextile with a third at the inverse midpoint making or receiving quincunxes to both the planets in sextile. The Yod has a quality of multiple “expansions through sacrifices,” with the sextile showing the productivity available via the two adjustments shown by the quincunxes. A Yod adjusts or squeezes out whatever isn’t needed in that productive relationship.

Productive Voids Created By Any Quincunx

I believe we have tremendous control over how it operates, as there are two productive zones generated by a quincunx between two planets. Whenever there’s a quincunx, there are also two zones created which make sextiles to the two occupied points leaving the other to be the focus of the Yod.

For example, if there is a quincunx between a planet in Leo and a planet in Capricorn, then the productive voids are found in Gemini and Pisces. Gemini sextiles Leo and quincunxes Capricorn; Pisces sextiles Capricorn and quincunxes Leo. Of note is that the Summer and Autumn of 2025 have featured numerous Yods between Virgo transits and the Saturn/Neptune in Aries sextile Pluto in Aquarius.

Another example is a quincunx from early Scorpio to Neptune in Aries and Uranus in Gemini. These are Yods, but when not in direct operation via a transit the Scorpio/Aries quincunx generates two productive voids are created in Virgo and Gemini, as each of these makes a sextile to one of the planets in quincunx and a quincunx to the other. In the case of the Scorpio quincunx to Gemini, it creates productive voids in Capricorn and Aries. However, even though there’s always a pull to productivity via the voids, it’s still an interactive field involving the “departments of labor” of all three planets in quincunx.

Are All Quincunxes Equal?

To address a question, I favor planet to planet aspects, and tend not to use any points except the Ascendant and Midheaven when calculating important aspects. Planets represent inner lights which test our ability to be productive rather than dysfunctional in each department of life. The Ascendant represents our “sense of self” while the Midheaven shows our public persona and general reputation.

While the Nadir and Descendant are important point of phase shifting in the “Whole Cycle,” I’m not sure that aspects to those points are as important as aspects to the Ascendant and Midheaven, since aspects to the Ascendant are useful for showing us where we’re at with ourselves and how we regard our public self. Remember the houses are relatively subjective projections of our view of self/not self into life affairs. Houses represent a totally different realm than the planetary lights.

I don’t use aspects to obscure bodies and points since they are in fact obscure. For example, I use only conjunctions to the Arabic Parts as they are abstract formulaic point in space dependent on the planets used to calculate the Part. Not all bodies used in astrology have an equally strong effect in our lives since how we respond to life events is entirely dependent on some component of personality as shown in the “Sacred Seven” visible planets.

An Example or Two

A way that a natal quincunx to the Midheaven might work (we’ll say Venus quincunx the MC) is that it could show a variety of ways at specific points in time when the MC is being conjuncted by a planet. Venus (likes, attractions, affections) is in an adjustment/sacrifice relationship with the general public self-representation. That could be anything from a career forcing the sacrifice of a relationship to someone else creating something which forces an adjustment in your public/professional self to your likes occasionally jamming your public self or profession. The possibilities are infinite. Significant transits to your MC would show the quality of the required adjustments or sacrifices.

In another dynamic example, we’ll say a planet at 30 Virgo quincunxes the MC at 30 Aries. Every time a planet conjuncts either of these points, an adjustment or sacrifice of some sort must be made, either in the Saturn function or something related to the profession. This quincunx opens up voids at 30 Scorpio and 30 Aquarius. The Scorpio void sextiles Saturn and makes the MC the nozzle of the Yod. The Aquarius void sextiles Mercury and makes Saturn the nozzle of the Yod.

Current Quincunxes and Yods

Besides all the previous possibilities, in each transiting sextile there’s also the possibility of Yods being created. Along with the recent early Virgo transits creating Yods with Saturn/Neptune in Aries and Pluto in Aquarius, as well as early Scorpio transits creating Yods with Uranus in Gemini and Neptune in Aries, we always have other quincunxes going on in other sectors from other transits.

For example, right now we have Jupiter transiting 25-26 Cancer from now through early December. That creates quincunxes at 25-26 Sagittarius and 25-26 Aquarius. Any time a planet transits through those zones it creates the need for a Jupiterian adjustment as well as voids creating potential Yods.

As Saturn will occupy 26-28 Pisces from now through late January, it creates quincunxes at 26-28 Leo and 26-28 Libra. Transits through late Libra will all form quincunxes to Saturn, affecting where this happens in our charts AND the houses ruled by Saturn and whatever planet is moving through Libra.

You can see how we have been in a series of heavy “multiple quincunx/Yod” zones since late August which will last into the Aquarius/Cancer quincunxes in February 2026! And that’s just transit to transits aspects. Obviously if you have planets in any of the zones mentioned above, those will be put under the pressure of quincunxes through the transits.

So if you have a quincunx (or even a sextile!) in your chart, whether natally, by progression, or by long term transit, the voids will be triggered multiple times a month by the Moon as well as by the transits, according to the season. The possibilities are infinite, so enjoy seeing how various quincunxes and Yods have come and gone throughout your life. While they bring adjustments and sacrifices, and sometimes reveal health conditions we didn’t know we had, they always serve a productive end if we can orient toward the sextile points.

Copyright © 2025 Robert Wilkinson

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