The Yod and
Thor’s Hammer
A Yod is an astrological aspect pattern that involves any three planets or points in the horoscope that form an isosceles triangle. More specifically, a pair of quincunxes are tied together by a sextile aspect. A Yod is also called the Finger of Fate or the Finger of God. Interpretation of the Yod is subject to controversy in the astrological community.
Thor’s Hammer is also an isosceles triangle aspect pattern. It’s a pair of sesquiquadrate aspects tied together with a square aspect. Like the Hard Rectangle and the Grand Cross, Thor’s Hammer is part of the dynamic series of aspects that are based on the eighth harmonic (45°) aspect series.
The Ideal Yod and Thor’s Hammer Patterns
The ideal Yod contains three (or more) planets (Figure 93). Two quincunx aspects form the sides of the triangle. A sextile forms the base. Angles of the horoscope can form one of the points of the resulting triangle.
The ideal Thor’s Hammer contains three (or more) planets (Figure 94). Two sesquiquadrate aspects form the sides of the triangle. A square forms the base. Angles of the horoscope can form one of the points of the resulting triangle.
The Yod Pattern Temperament
As Karen Hamaker-Zondag notes in her book The Yod Book, the key to understanding the Yod is understanding the quincunx. A quincunx is formed by two planets or by a planet and the Ascendant or Midheaven separated by 150°, with a very tight orb of 2 ½ to 3°. What is not so obvious is that the planets/points belong to different elements, different modes, and different polarities. These differences can lead to tensions. The two signs involved in a quincunx are incompatible.
The Yod marries two quincunxes with a sextile at the base. This results in the following observations:
• A Yod links three planets that are each in a different element.
• A Yod links three planets that are each in a different mode.
Figure 94: The Thor’s Hammer Pattern
• The apex of a Yod belongs to a different polarity (positive or negative) than that of the points linked by the sextile at the base.
• Since three different modes are involved in a Yod, that means there will be three different motivations and three needs for coping.
Robert Jansky notes an interesting point about the Yod. Often the natal Yod doesn’t manifest effects until the individual approaches forty years old, “a time when one can begin to see how prior events in the subject’s life are beginning to affect the course of his destiny” (Jansky 1978, 54–55). This is the age when affairs of life associated with the house location of the apex planet appear to take on great importance in the life of the individual. The person with a Yod in their chart might spend their early years exploring different areas of experience. At the time, these might seem unrelated. Slowly, usually through hindsight, the Yod points the individual in the direction of their destiny. Jansky has colorful language describing the Yod: “like a compass needle in the wheel, pointing the way” (Jansky 1977, 55).
Sun as Apex Planet
A Yod with the Sun as the apex planet suggests an individual whose central purpose in life likely revolves around continuous personal adjustments. Major self-corrections are typical. Bil Tierney writes, “He normally is pressured to make needed alterations in the manner with which he demonstrates his will, power, authority, and self-pride” (Tierney 2015, 153). Ego drives are often not expressed but instead internalized and bottled up.
It is common for individuals with a Sun apex to start adulthood with a low self-concept and sense of inferiority. They might feel powerless for a long time, feeling insignificant in the eyes of others. Once the Yod becomes fully activated, this can quickly change. A change in character can be evident.
The Yod can be mismanaged. When this happens, the individual can abuse personal will and authority. Tierney points to the example of the Marquis de Sade, a domineering, power-absorbed individual.
Moon as Apex Planet
The Moon is a very personal and private apex planet. From this position in a Yod, it suggests an individual whose inner emotional development requires adjustment. There might be emotional trauma from the past. The individual can retain disorganized, distorted views from the past that need to be confronted before they can be replaced with more positive impressions and allow personal growth.
Personal maladjustments are rarely evident on the surface. The individual might even be unaware of any conflicts. The Moon can operate in a very subconscious manner.
A common experience is that the individual’s reactions to the environment can be inappropriate to the circumstances that trigger them. Emotional messages from others are often misinterpreted. The individual habitually reacts in a self-defeating way until they learn to process the Yod’s impulses in a more positive way.
Mercury as Apex Planet
Activation of a Yod with Mercury as the apex planet generally requires that the individual restructure a number of mental loose ends. The individual possesses a curious mind. The problem tends to be organizing those thoughts in a productive way. There can be a tendency to combine too many concepts in a way that is haphazard. The Yod demands that the individual streamline their thought processes. Otherwise the mind continues to veer off on unnecessary tangents.
Intelligence isn’t affected. It’s the application of the intelligence that can be the source of trouble for the individual. Once the individual learns to harness the Yod, they can use their mental energies in a more efficient and consistent manner.
Venus as Apex Planet
Individuals with Venus as the apex planet tend to feel out of touch with the values of their social environment until they better learn how to employ the Yod. They tend to make highly introspective judgments concerning people, which affects their relationships with others. They lack the typical Venus ability to associate with others in a comfortable, easygoing manner until they learn how to harness the Yod aspect pattern better. They instead are likely to feel socially awkward and out of place in ordinary social situations.
The individual is likely to show a heightened interest in social activities once the Yod is activated. Personal romance is also likely to improve at this time. They are better able to share themselves more thoroughly and derive great joy through contact with others.
Mars as Apex Planet
Mars as the apex planet in a Yod suggests an individual who has difficulty initiating personal matters in a direct and open manner. They tend to assert themselves in ways that need correction and adjustment. They can be prone to plunging themselves into action without sufficient, purposeful planning. The result can be an inefficient expenditure of energy.
Adjustments are often needed with more aggressive instincts. The individual might be able to control their more aggressive impulses, but these attempts might instead result in other self-defeating behaviors until the Yod itself is mastered through the application of greater organizational intelligence.
When the Yod is ready for activation, the individual is likely to feel a need to take charge of their life and demonstrate complete self-sufficiency. Often this is the result of an acute crisis situation. A mismanaged Yod with a Mars apex can result in rash or disruptive actions.
Jupiter as Apex Planet
When Jupiter is the apex planet in a Yod, the individual can spend many years expanding their consciousness, broadening their social vision, and enhancing their moral development in a very reflective manner. They might spend much of their youthful years feeling out of step with social laws, belief systems, and moral codes prominent in their social environment. Quincunxes to Jupiter tend to operate at a higher level and are rarely troublesome to the individual. They can, in fact, be quite beneficial. The intellectual readjustments required by quincunxes to Jupiter help the individual to keep an open mind.
Jupiter quincunxes can prove more troublesome when they are disorganizing and impractical. The individual often encounters difficulty with day-to-day matters. The individual tends to procrastinate and exhibit poor judgment, and might even over-reach.
When the Yod is ready for activation, the individual sometimes changes beliefs or ideology. They can become more aligned with their inner spirit as a result.
Saturn as Apex Planet
Individuals with Saturn as the apex planet of a Yod, probably more than those with any other Yod configuration, give support to this aspect pattern’s karmic interpretations. Tierney describes this as a “characteristic ‘fated’ undertone” (Tierney 2015, 162). Proper timing and sufficient inner maturity are essential to correct timing for handling this Yod.
Until the individual is ready to manage this Yod successfully, continuous adjustments will likely be required to ego-security. Self-defeating attitudes can be quite entrenched. The individual can feel like an outcast. This sense can be reinforced by harsh reactions from the social environment. Double quincunxes to Saturn tend to imbue the individual with feelings of inadequacy and insignificance. Individuals can feel painfully aware of any inadequacies. What brings the individual around in time is the corrective nature of the quincunxes and Saturn’s natural tendency to overcome obstacles. A well-managed Yod with a Saturn apex prepares the individual for a meaningful life with social responsibility.
Uranus as Apex Planet
A Yod with Uranus as the apex planet suggests the sort of individual who spends their early years feeling very different from others in their social environment. This is very much Thoreau’s individual who marches to the beat of a different drummer. Learning to integrate with others in a conventional manner can be an extreme test.
Uranus represents quickened mental activity. Individuals with this Yod often possess accelerated emotional and intellectual development, which can make peer interactions difficult. This can stem from difficulty communicating on a mundane level. Often contrary and rebellious, they typically need to learn some hard life lessons before they can successfully manage the Yod aspect pattern.
Managed well, this Yod can result in the personality of a pioneer, with a higher degree of independence. When mismanaged, this Yod can result in sudden, serious repercussions in the individual’s social life, the sort that can radically alter the individual’s lifestyle against their will, such as sudden and lasting unemployment.
Neptune as Apex Planet
When Neptune is the apex planet in a Yod, the individual tends to feel out of touch with the mundane realities of daily living and often longs to be somewhere—anywhere—where life is more calm, peaceful, and beautiful. Their interpretation of life is subject to distortion and delusion.
When life cannot sustain the delusion, the individual tends to become anxious or even fearful. This can result in escapist, nonproductive outlets, such as addiction to drugs or alcohol. While the imagination can be very strong, it can be a challenge to apply it in a practical and constructive way.
When this Yod becomes fully activated, the individual will typically search for some sort of emotional ideal, ultimate love, spiritual beauty, or universal truth. They can pursue this new life path with a great amount of dedication and idealism. When mismanaged, the Neptune apex Yod can result in a martyr complex.
Pluto as Apex Planet
A Yod with Pluto as the apex planet is associated with individuals who approach early life with a great deal of emotional intensity. Typically, these feelings are buried deep down. Aware that their compulsions and obsessions are not generally shared and understood by others, the individual may be inclined to withdraw even deeper into themselves. Maladjustment (largely through antisocial behaviors) is more likely than with other Yod patterns.
The profound transformation for which Pluto is noted is typically required when this Yod is activated. This is sometimes forced upon the individual. The Yod can propel the withdrawn nature of the Pluto apex into one of organizational control. Their mental depth and penetrating social insight can find practical use. If the Yod is managed poorly, the individual could find themselves feeling further isolated and alienated, the result of self-destructive passions and futile attempts to manipulate others.
The Thor’s Hammer Pattern Temperament
Alice Portman claims that Thor’s Hammer is a particularly difficult pattern. The pair of sesquiquadrate aspects tends to result in severe criticism from others. This produces considerable personal tension. To work at its best, Thor’s Hammer needs at least one planet in the pattern to have an outlet (i.e., an easy flowing aspect—a trine or sextile) to another planet or aspect pattern.
Thor’s Hammer is distinct from the Yod in a few important ways.
• Thor’s Hammer has only hard aspects. There are no easy-flowing aspects, such as a trine or sextile.
• It is resistant to change. Due to the tight square and sesquiquadrates, the aspect pattern is “locked together” and, therefore, resistant to change.
• It is difficult to live with. Unlike the Yod, which tends to resolve with age (at least when well managed), the square and sesquiquadrates of Thor’s Hammer tend to pose lifelong challenges.
Counseling the Individual
with a Yod or Thor’s Hammer Pattern
The Yod and the Thor’s Hammer aspect pattern both contain an apex planet that points to a sign and a house of the natal chart. Stock advice for this pattern has been, look at the arrow! Choose to do what the arrow is pointing to! But such advice ignores the nature of both the Yod and Thor’s Hammer.
As noted earlier in this chapter, the Yod is typically resistant to change until the individual nears forty. The astrologer can gesture all they like in the direction of the Yod, but if the time isn’t yet ripe, the likely result will be confusion and a lack of success. When the time is right for successfully managing the Yod, the client will scarcely require advice. If they do, that’s when the advice to “follow the arrow” is most helpful.
Thor’s Hammer is entirely different from the Yod. Its “hard” nature (in more ways than one) requires lifelong effort to successfully manage. “Follow the arrow” is advice easily given. It’s also advice that can be difficult to follow.
Suppose, for example, that Thor’s Hammer points directly at Neptune in Pisces. Neptune is the planet of illusions, dreams, addiction, etc. Jupiter is the ancient ruler of Pisces, symbolizing the fact that Pisceans tend to expand their boundaries and test their limits. They generally seek the odd, the unusual, and the exotic. Neptune is the modern ruler of Pisces. Pisceans often seem to ignore whatever limits they have to face and have an almost careless idea of duty and responsibility. What exactly is the arrow in Thor’s Hammer pointing at, in this case? The astrologer might caution against a manner that’s too lackadaisical and easygoing. Be more grounded. More practical. Guard against addiction.
President Richard Nixon’s chart possess a Yod with Mars as the apex planet (Figure 95). Saturn and Neptune form the base of the Yod.
The birth chart for the Marquis de Sade possesses a Yod with the Sun as the apex planet (Figure 96). Pluto and Uranus form the quincunxes and are tied together by a sextile. The nature of Pluto and Uranus had much to do with Sade’s ego drive and the distortions in his personality. Pluto quincunx the Sun is associated with strong power drives. Uranus quincunx the Sun lent him a sense of genius and also a hint of the madness that was likely to erupt.
Country music singer and songwriter Larry Gatlin possess a Thor’s Hammer with Jupiter as apex planet and the Sun and Pluto forming the base of the aspect pattern (Figure 97). Conjunctions between the Sun and Mercury and between Pluto and Saturn help provide a release from the Thor’s Hammer.
Famed architect Buckminster Fuller has a Thor’s Hammer aspect pattern with Saturn as the apex planet and both Neptune and the Moon as the base (Figure 98). In addition, his chart contains a Grand Trine in water between Sun-Jupiter, Uranus, and the Moon. The Moon is shared between the Thor’s Hammer and the Grand Trine, providing an outlet from the hard aspects in the Thor’s Hammer.