#048 The Aspects: Square

From dividing the circle by 0 for the conjunction or 2 for the opposition, division of the circle by 4 gives us the square.

This one's probably quite easy to comprehend as 360° divided by 4 gives 90° and anyone who was paying attention in junior maths will remember the right angle!

That's basically what the square aspect is: planets sitting at the same degree in two signs that are 90° (a right angle) apart, give or take 8° orb either side.

Planets that are square to one another will be related by their associated mode (quadruplicity), but will be in a different element (triplicity) – unless of course they are on the cusp of a sign and not at the same degree. For example you could have Mars at 28° of Gemini and Venus at 1° Libra.

In this example, these planets are still square but are also slightly wide and straddling the cusp of two signs. This also means that they have different modes – Gemini is mutable air, and Libra is cardinal earth.

So this adds an extra layer of complexity to the expression – air and earth are active and passive elements both bustling for attention plus there's a conflict between the modes in the square – the mutability of Gemini and the cardinality of Libra (if you missed the shows on the elements and modes definitely check them out as they will greatly enrich your understanding).

Planets at a right-angle have a sense of friction – a call to action – which is hard to ignore. A phrase I like which describes the square is "the squeakiest wheel gets oiled first" – planets square each other are hard to ignore. They vye for our attention above all other aspects and force us to resolve issues and create solutions – after all, necessity is the mother of invention!

Squares can literally make us "think outside the box" where we meet challenge and have to work a little harder to get what we want.

You could view a natal square – for example between Mercury and Saturn – as the student who isn't naturally academic so they have to work harder than someone who has a natural aptitude for academia.

The naturally gifted student who doesn't struggle so much at school may become complacent and decide not to work as hard to get the results they are projected, and achieves a mediocre result which they settle for.

The individual projected poor results puts in the extra hours and puts themselves under extra pressure to perform better and not only improves their results, but also improves their attitude towards what is possible.

They may never resolve this inner conflict which can manifest as imposter syndrome, BUT this aspect creates a sense of mastery through repeated effort.

At worst, we could see the square as an obstacle that we keep tripping over which requires repeated effort if we wish to conquer it and reach our full potential.

At best, the square could be viewed as the aspect of constant improvement, which always challenges us to question our efforts and push just that little bit harder.

Do you have any squares in your natal chart and do you feel it more than some of your other aspects? Do you push yourself harder in certain areas of your life represented by the squares you have?

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