“In my
natal chart I have a T-Square between my Neptune and Jupiter
in Libra (1st House), Sun and Venus in Capricorn (4th House)
and Mars and Saturn in Cancer (10th House). AlthoughI am very aware of the "heaviness" of the
energy in my natal chart, please talk about T-Squares, working
with the energy in as positive of a way as possible, and
about the reactivation of the T-Squares by transiting planets.”
Courtney Asks:
"I've been studying astrology amateurely
for a couple of years now. One thing that I see in my birth
chart that I haven't seen on anyone else's is the amount
of squares. My question is how do I deal with so many squares,
and what exactly is the significance of having so many?"
I hope you don't mind that I'm combining
your two questions into one article, but since you are both
essentially asking about working with Squares in the natal
chart, it seemed appropriate.
Squares are traditionally classified as
a "hard" aspect, mainly because squares usually
involve some sort of friction or discomfort; however, this
friction or discomfort results in us taking action to change
the situation and alleviate the discomfort. The Square aspect
(which occurs between two planets that are 90° apart,
give or take a few degrees) is a 4th harmonic aspect (in other
words, if you divide the 360° wheel by 4, you get 90°).
In numerology, the number 4 represents the cross of matter.
The number 4 is the first time that anything manifests in
the physical. There is a certain stability and structure in
the number 4 it is very stable, and there is also a
certain weight and density. This is a number that relates
to structure, to boundaries, to construction and to limitations.
There are 4 elements (fire, earth, air and water), and 4 cardinal
directions (North, South, East and West). These are necessary
to form and describe anything in the plane of matter.
In other words, squares are ultimately about
manifestation, and about building and creating structures
and limitations. And when we don't understand where our boundaries
are, when we don't know or respect the rules, then we are
limited and restrained by outside forces, which is rarely
pleasant.
If it sounds like there is a strong Saturn-like
quality to squares, there is. (Although, for the record, Saturn
is truly related to the number 8, and the 8th harmonic, which
picks up the themes of the 4th harmonic, but also includes
the idea of balance, perspective and reflection.) The number
4 and the 4th harmonic has been linked to both the planet
Uranus, and to the Earth.
The Three Crosses
The first thing to recognize about Squares
is that there are three different kinds of squares, and each
kind will operate in a very different manner than the others.
The different kinds of squares come from the three different
modalities Cardinal, Fixed and Mutable. Each modality
has its own manner of expressing itself, and its own particular
crisis. Within the modality, each of the elements indicates
the nature and the essence of the particular crisis. Fire
signs are concerned with self-expression; Earth signs are
concerned with the physical and the material; Air signs are
concerned with the intellectual, the mental and the social;
and Water signs are concerned with the emotions and the soul.
The Cardinal Cross, which consists of Aries,
Cancer, Libra and Capricorn represents a crisis in identity.
Cardinal signs are active, initiating and creative, and tend
to encourage planets to act very impulsively. Cardinal signs
can be very pioneering and innovative, although they tend
to have difficulty in completing what they start. On some
level, all Cardinal Squares are asking the question "Who
am I?" Cardinal squares are the most likely to go off
in a new direction or begin a new project or activity in order
to express themselves.
The Fixed Cross, which consists of Taurus,
Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius, represents a crisis in self-worth.
Fixed signs are concerned with sustaining and maintaining
what has been initiated by the Cardinal signs that came before
them. Fixed signs have great stamina and persistence, although
they can also tend to be stubborn and resistant to change,
even when it is necessary. On some level, all Fixed Squares
are asking the question, "What am I worth?" Fixed
squares are the ones that will tend to stand their ground
and fight to maintain their position.
The Mutable Cross, which consists of Gemini,
Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces, represents a crisis in completion
and healing. Mutable signs are concerned with finishing the
cycle, with tying up loose ends, with completing the old cycle
and preparing for the new one. Mutable signs are very flexible
and adaptive, but they can also tend to scatter their energies
and lose all ability to be effective. On some level, all Mutable
Squares are asking the question, "How can I complete
this?". Mutable squares tend to adapt, change and avoid
rather than deal with an issue in a direct manner.
With any of these Crosses, you can have
either a simple Square, involving two signs of the Cross,
a T-Square, which involves at least 3 planets and 3 signs
of the Cross (forming two squares and an opposition), or a
Grand Cross, which involves at least 4 planets, all 4 signs
of the cross, and a grand total of 4 squares and 2 oppositions.
Whatever the configuration, the first and most fundamental
thing to consider is the nature of the Cross and the central
crisis that it represents.
The Four Elements
Signs that are square each other are not
only in the same Modality, but they are in different elements,
and more than that, they are in different polarities. One
sign will always be Positive/Active/Masculine, while the other
sign will always be Negative/Receptive/Feminine. This is where
the conflicts with squares come from.
As I mentioned earlier, each element has
its own frame of reference, it's own preferred medium of expression,
as it were. Although the elements in the same polarity have
at least some common ground (i.e. Fire and Air are both active,
while Earth and Water are both receptive and passive), elements
in different polarities have a great deal of difficulty seeing
eye-to-eye as it were.
I should remind everyone at this point that
the signs do not change the planets. Mars will always be Mars.
The signs simply change how and why the planets are motivated
to express themselves. The planets, in general, don't have
any difficulty in getting long with each other. The signs,
however, give the planets their own hidden agendas, and when
the signs are square each other, these agendas tend to be
at cross purposes with each other.
Consider this: a planet in a Fire Sign is
going to be motivated to express itself in as pure and direct
of a manner as possible. In a sense, the Fire signs are about
life. The planet in a Fire sign is not going to have much
time for a planet squaring it from an Earth sign. The Earth
planet only wants to be practical and grounded, to think before
it acts, and the Fire planet will tend to view the Earth planet
as rather a stick-in-the-mud (as it were), while the Earth
planet will tend to consider the Fire planet to be entirely
too irrational and impulsive. Likewise, a Water planet squaring
the Fire planet will feel that the Fire planet is missing
all of the subtleties and range of emotional experience, while
the Fire planet will consider the Water planet to be a wet
blanket (again, as it were).
A planet in an Air sign which becomes motivated
to be social, to explore, and to operate on an objective,
impartial, mental plane will likewise find an Earth planet
to be incredibly slow and dull-witted, and a Water planet
to be entirely illogical. On the other hand, the Earth planet
will consider the Air planet to be irrational and unstable,
and the Water planet will consider the Air planet to be inexcusably
shallow.
As you can see, the biggest challenge with
working with squares is to find a way that you can get the
two planets to work with each other. It helps to remember
that the planets are really concerned with the same core issue,
except that they are approaching it from different directions.
Internal
Squares and External Squares
One factor that often makes working with
squares more challenging is that we may periodically project
one of the planets onto other people and experience the conflicts
as coming from outside of ourselves rather than from within.
Although any planet can be "disowned" and therefore
projected onto others, this is the most common when either
the 7th or 8th house is involved, or when the square involves
a personal planet and an outer planet. Projection is just
as possible with T-Squares and Grand Crosses, although it's
not quite as easy to identify or predict.
"Owning" a planet that we have
"given away" can be a challenge in itself, particularly
if we have experienced "backlash" from that planet
from other individuals over a long period of time. It is a
difficult but important lesson to learn that our everything
that we see and experience in others is simply a reflection
of ourselves, and that often it is a projection of parts of
ourselves that we are not aware of, or choose to ignore. Until
we begin to take back these planets, however, we can't begin
to work with them constructively or consciously. As long as
we are experiencing a square as "external" we have
no real ability to work with it and make it work for us.
The "internal" squares can often
manifest as arguments between different parts of ourselves.
Whenever we want to express the energy of one of the planets
in the square, the other planet speaks up and complains. Sometimes
this can involve compulsive behavior, other times it can involve
inaction or avoidance (although truthfully, the inaction is
probably most common with the Mutable squares). Again, the
solution is to understand what the ultimate, core issue is
for the square (identity, self worth or healing/completion)
and then understand where each planet is coming from.
The arguments between the planets may not
ever be pleasant, but once we understand the reasons for the
conflicts, we can become a far more effective moderator. The
best way of resolving the bickering is to find a project that
requires the use of both planets. Squares are not about being
at rest; Squares are action aspects (even the Mutable Squares).
The best way to resolve the discomfort of a Square is to find
a way to channel the energy into something constructive.
T-Squares are a little more involved, although
they operate on the same principals. With a T-Square, the
focal planet, the one that is square to the two other planets,
is the key. Working with this planet can help to balance and
integrate the energy of the opposition. T-Squares still require
action, and often the key to where and how to direct this
action lies in the "empty leg" - the point opposite
the apex of the T Square.
Triggers
by Transits
Natal Squares and T-Squares are activated
by transits, just like any other natal planet or aspect, and
just like any other transit, how they are triggered depends
a great deal on the transiting planet and on the aspect that
it is making.
In general, the "Soft" transits
to natal Squares tend to provide opportunities for working
with the Squares (or T-Square) in a more flowing manner. The
transiting planets represent our interactions with the outside
world to some extent, and when we are experiencing Trines
and Sextiles by transit, we are more "in sync" with
the ebb and flow of our lives. The "Hard" transits
are the ones that stir the soup, though.
When we experience a transiting Square (or,
to a lesser degree, Semi-Square or Sesquiquadrate) to a natal
Square, the natal Square is going to get a jolt. The possibilities
are far too many to go into in any detail, so I will try and
end with a few thoughts and guidelines about triggers by transits.
First of all, quite often we experience
transits as involving external influences; in other words,
things happen to us. Transits are no different than natal
aspects, however, and we can learn to "own" the
transits as well as "owning" our natal aspects.
Secondly, consider the pattern formed by
the transit. If you have a natal Square being activated by
transit, it will either be conjuncting one of the two planets
in the Square (in which case it will also be about the start
of a new cycle), or else it will be opposing one of the planets,
forming a transiting T-Square. This functions much the same
way as a natal T-Square does; the apex planet is the key to
balancing and integrating the opposition.
If you have a natal T-Square being triggered
by transit, again, it will either involve new cycles, or else
it will form a transiting Grand Cross (if the transiting planet
occupies the "empty" leg). The key to working with
the Grand Cross is to discover where your boundaries are and
to work within them; this way they will feel supportive and
protective rather than limiting and confining.
