Quincunx
KWIN-kunks
Definition
A quincunx is the aspect you get when two planets are 150° apart — also called the inconjunct. It links signs that have nothing in common: not element, not mode, not polarity. It is not one of the five Ptolemaic aspects. In Hellenistic astrology, signs 150° apart stood in 'aversion' — they simply could not 'see' each other. The usual orb is a tight 2–3°.
In Tradition
Most Western astrologers read the quincunx as a note of irritation and ongoing adjustment — a nagging sense that something is not quite right. It has long been tied to health, through the 6th and 8th houses it counts off from the Ascendant, the sign rising at birth.
In Practice
A quincunx in your chart points to an area that asks for continual adjustment, where the two planets share no natural common ground. As slow outer planets move into a quincunx over time, astrologers track those stretches as subtle but persistent pressure. The quincunx is also the structural backbone of the Yod pattern. When reading one, it helps to look at the specific signs: some quincunx pairs share a traditional ruling planet, while others have no secondary link at all.
Historical Origin
Hellenistic astrology treated the 150° relationship not as an aspect but as aversion — signs that cannot 'see' each other. Recognising the quincunx as a distinct aspect, with its own interpretive framework, is a modern development.
Further Reading
- Bil Tierney, Dynamics of Aspect Analysis
- Sue Tompkins, Aspects in Astrology
- Kevin Burk, Astrology: Understanding the Birth Chart