Quincunx Signs

Definition

Quincunx signs are pairs of zodiac signs 150° apart — which is the same as five signs apart, counted around the wheel. Every sign has a quincunx relationship with two others: Aries with Virgo and Scorpio, Taurus with Libra and Sagittarius, and so on. The two signs in a quincunx pair share no element, no modality, and no polarity — they have nothing structural in common at all. The relationship also goes by the name inconjunct.

In Tradition

In Hellenistic doctrine, two signs with no aspect relationship by sign — including quincunx pairs — are said to be in *aversion* (asyndetos): they cannot "see" one another across the chart. Modern Western practice differs, treating the 150° angle between two exact planetary positions as a minor aspect calling for adjustment, often linked with awkward integration or a persistent, low-grade strain. The two readings part ways over whether to judge by sign alone (the Hellenistic non-relationship) or by exact longitude (the modern minor aspect).

In Practice

To find quincunx-sign pairs, count five signs in either direction around the zodiac. In a Hellenistic reading, planets in quincunx signs are flagged as in aversion — they cannot signify a topic together through aspect, and a place that a planet rules from a position in aversion to it is read as having less reach. In modern practice, the astrologer also checks whether the longitudes form an exact 150° angle, usually within a 2°–3° orb, and reads that aspect as a call for ongoing adjustment. The quincunx by sign shows up most clearly in the 6th and 8th houses counted from any place — both stand in quincunx to it.

Historical Origin

Aversion by sign — at 30°, at 150°, and at the reflexes of the trine — is treated in the earliest Hellenistic technical sources, including Antiochus of Athens, Porphyry's *Introduction*, and Valens' *Anthology*. The 150° angle only gained the status of a "minor aspect" with its own interpretation in modern Western practice, from the 19th–20th century onward, popularized in the United States by Dane Rudhyar and Stephen Arroyo.

Further Reading

  • Stephen Arroyo, Astrology, Psychology, and the Four Elements
  • Demetra George, Ancient Astrology in Theory and Practice