Last year I had an epiphany about a problematic signature in my astrological chart: a t-square between Mars, Neptune, and Saturn/North Node, and as per the few teachings I’ve been able to find about t-squares, I’ve learned that they produce projection. Anatomically, the apex planet of a t-square acts like chalk to delienate a major shadow that we’re unable to integrate, so we foist onto others.
So I feel like a fraternal twin with Jordan Peterson who has almost the exact problematic t-square in his chart between Mars, Neptune, and Saturn/South Node. Not only are the planets in the t-square the same, but the supporting planets- the planets radiating out from the planets in opposition- are also the same.
The major difference is that I heap on Saturn’s [imagined] discipline from outside me with my North Node conjunction, and he divests himself of Saturn’s [imagined] discipline from outside him with his South Node conjunction.
Summary
We both have an exaggerated oppressor in the apex, Saturn. For me Saturn’s energy is projected onto male authorities, and for him Saturn’s energy is projected onto women. I’m using the word projection and while I stand by the fact that we are projecting, that’s not to say that we don’t have real, legitimate, painful obstacles that oppress us via our Saturns, which I’ll go into eventually. I do not take lightly the intense pain that the apex planet does inflict on us from outside us in real life.
What are the chances that I’d have such a similar but opposite neurosis as a famous Canadian Jungian, a field that is also very dear to me? We were born 17 years and 1,300 km apart on the cold Canadian prairies.
As I do on this blog, I’ll be using the technical languages of both the Enneagram and Astrology, so appologies beforehand, but I’ll try and explain the terminology as we go as I know I have two different audiences. I’ve been avoiding learning about this man for many years and here we have so much trauma in common. I don’t know about him- I mean, I can definitely guess based on my personal experience- but pinging around in the three-sided prison of my t-square is hell. I imagine it’s incredibly frustrating for him because his orbs are tighter than mine- in fact, they are almost exact at 10, 11, and 11 degrees. Having a t-square is hard enough, let alone at such tight orbs as he has, I can see – and empathize with – the pressure cooker from which his intense anger and frustration are escaping like steam from a boiling pot.
Our Twin T-Squares
First, let’s talk about what a t-square is. This is how astrologer Joanna Martine Woolfolk defines it:
An unusual aspect-pattern in a birth chart that consists of three planets, two of them in opposition to each other, and the third halfway between the two (thus forming a square to each of the two planets). A t-square can be a difficult influence in a birth chart, signifying tension, obstruction, and conflict. However, it is an energizing influence that motivates the native to fight and to resolve problems. A t-square appears in many charts of famous men and women.
Another astrologer, Tracy Marks, would argue that they’re not that uncommon: “Of the five major aspect configurations found most frequently in birth charts (the stellium, t-square, grand cross, grand trine and yod), the t-square is the most common and occurs in as many as 40 percent of all natal horoscopes.”
We all have shadows whether or not we have a t-square, and we all project, but my guess is having a t-square just makes the projection that much harder to integrate, and the shadow that much more threatning. As Carl Jung would say, projecting the shadow onto others is part of the human condition of not being in full possession of all the components of our psyche, not being able to unify them under one identity. The t-square, by definition, is an ensemblage of three or more planets that do not get along and don’t want to integrate with each other.
Our Twin Saturns
So let’s look at what planetary archetypes he and I are working with in our T-Square.
In both of our charts, Saturn, the planet of discipline, responsibilities and boundaries, is at the top (“apex” or “focal point”) of each of our triangles. What’s fascinating is that, for both of us, they’re both at 11 degrees- 11 degrees of Virgo for me, and 11 Aquarius for him. Aquarius represents social concerns, so based on his work, one could veture an educated guess that Peterson feels like his Saturn is making harsh demands on his role in society.
< Peterson’s chart
By contrast, my Saturn is in Virgo, which represents servanthood, and I have felt that my Saturn is trying to humble me and keep me in a servant role in life.
My chart >
Saturn is in my 10th house, and Saturn rules his 10th house and is in his 10th, so both of us experience our Saturns in relation to our careers, the authorities over us, how we’re perceived in the world, our reputations, and our authority in the world. I am not known in the world (my North Node is in the 10th, meaning I have to strive for the top), and he is world-famous (his South node is in the 10th, meaning fame has come relatively easy). Another difference is that his Saturn is retrograde, and retrogrades turn the planet’s energy inward, which would contribute to his big interest in self-discipline.
His South Node vs My North Node
My North Node gathers energy towards Saturn and makes me feel like I deserve this debasement (eg. “I was bad in a previous life, and my low position in life is my karma”); whereas his South Node divests of energy from around Saturn, and makes him feel like he doesn’t deserve these this disbasement (eg. “I insist that I am innocent, I don’t oppress women.”)
There are a few different understandings of the North and South Nodes of the moon, but there is pretty universal agreement that they are sensitive points that denote where we should direct our energy. Vedic astrologers say they are life directions towards which we were oriented at birth due to how we lived in a previous life. We are born too comfortable at our South Node point because we overdeveloped those qualities in a previous life, and in this life, we are supposed to move toward our North node, which is under-developed and uncomfortable for us. So we spend too much time at our South Node, and not enough time at our North Node, which is always exactly 180 degrees opposite.
That means I should move toward my North Node in the 10th house for integration, and he needs to move toward his North Node in the 4th house for integration. Because both our nodal pairs run along the 4th House/10th house axis, they are going to denote an uncomfortable pull between Lunar (home, family, emotions) and Saturnian (work, authority and fatherly) themes.
An Aside: our Enneagram Typology
The Enneagram is a different spiritual modality than Astrology, but I find it might be easier to summarize the gestalt of our charts with the Enneagram typology. I am a Type Four, and as I wrote last week, he is a Type Six. As a Six, he wants to be remembered for his honesty, and as a Four, I want to be rememebred for my authenticity, which are both virtues important for our respective types that reflect that Saturnian nature of our t-squares.
I’m not sure about his instinctual stacking, but he’s probably got a lot of the Sexual instinct in him with that intensity. The Sexual instinct often brings anger more to the fore and with it, more comfort expressing it. Out of the three instincts (Self-Preservation, Social, and Sexual), I assume Sexual is the top-most accessible instinct to his type, and for me it’s the second-most accessible. So I believe he’s a SX/SP 6, and I’m a SP/SX 4. With both of us lacking access to the Social instinct, we are more concerned with our rights and obligations as individuals versus the social bonds of friend groups and the wider community.
[Unfortunately for those of us who are always looking for patterns, there is no obvious correlation between Astrological placements and Enneagram types, but we can see a hint in our nodal placemets. Fours are heart types and my South Node (where I’m too comfortable) is the fourth house of emotions. Sixes are head types, and Peterson’s south node is in Aquarius (which is an intellectual sign).
The collective shadow for heart types- when we get cut off from our other two brains (head and gut) is emotional manipulation. The collective shadow for head types- when they get cut off from their other two brains (heart and gut)- is intellectual arrogance.]
Our Twin Saturn Square Mars
Before we get into the opposition we have between Mars and Neptune, I want to make one last observation about the dreaded Saturn square Mars, which is one of the hardest aspects in astrology to have. If Saturn is restriction and authority, and Mars is your vitality and forward movement through life, Saturn square Mars is incredible frustration that leads to a build up of anger, and as a man, I can see that his mars (masculinity) feels deeply frustrated by society (Saturn in Aquarius), so it would make sense that he would need to come up with a philosophy that helps him cope with the restriction and judgement he feels (ie. “women have invented the patriarchy and are oppressing men”).
His Saturn-Mars square is not only tighter than mine, but his Mars is in the 12th house of dissolution. Ouch. Planets in the 12th house feel like having sand running through your fingers. This could mean that the intended outcome of his actions (Mars) evaporate into nothingness, and never produce what he is striving for, and maybe he does feel that, but a better interpretation might be that his masculinity seems to mean nothing, or maybe he doesn’t feel like he experiences the benefits of patriarchy (which I believe is a real belief that he has). In his case, he claims that women have the upper hand in society and oppress men; whereas the traditional understanding of patriarchy is that men have more power in society over women. He sees the idea of patriarchy as one of society’s sacred cows that needs to be dismantled.
I am a straight woman, so I don’t feel attacked gender-wise with this square, but it affects my actions- it seems every action I take is thwarted by something or someone outside me, and I really have to push in life to bring my attempts at forward movement into manifest reality. Even then, results come with difficulty and frustration.
Squares turn the Saturnian Discipline Inward
Saturn is the planet of discipline and we both appreciate the value of discipline. I have dated two guys with Saturn opposite Mars, and as impressively hard-working and competent as they are, the first place they go when facing an obstacle is to blame others, and that never made sense to me. Peterson and I both have Saturn square Mars, and for better or for worse, squares turn the blaming energy inward. For us, it means we are big believers in taking responsibility for ourselves, but Peterson’s focus is on the outer life, and my focus is on the inner life, both of which, by the way, are important. He believes in being responsible for your vices, striving for success, having good routines, and working hard, and he is critical of lazy people. (I don’t really believe in laziness as much- Sixes often complain about laziness in others, and a certain part of that is projection, but the idea of laziness is also a social construct that points to more deeply rooted economic, social, health, and psychological constraints. I mean, of course laziness does exist, and people can be lazy, just not in a vaccuum.)
Myself on the other hand, I believe in being responsible for the contents of your psyche- the inner world- and I am critical of religion that allows you to project your shadow onto a made-up spirit (a “god” or a “devil”) instead of doing the work to integrate it. Both of us experience our anger, and even an angry sense of injustice toward people who take the easy way out. However, for all our talk about taking responsibility, our respective shadows are still very much at large, and a big part of our coping mechanisms is, ironically, blame. In Enneagram language, his shadow is Type 3, and mine is Type 1 which I’ll talk about later.
The Twin Oppositions in our T-Squares
Now let’s look at the opposing planets in our T-Squares- Mars and Neptune. According to Marks, the apex of the t-square acts like a prison guard who demands that both planets in the opposition incorporate him into their expression, meaning – in broad brush strokes for Peterson and I – everything we do (Mars) and everything we feel (Neptune) has to be disciplined (Saturn) in order for Saturn to be satisfied, and for a Marsian or Neptunian expression to take form in physical reality. However, once we get past the brush strokes, Peterson and I split paths:
my Mars is lord of my 1st, 5th and 6th houses, and Neptune rules my 4th house.
… whereas, both his Mars and Neptune rule the 12th house of hidden enemies and self-undoing.
So there are two very ghostly, invisible energies on either side of his Saturn trying to express themselves and manifest into reality (Saturn). Moreover, they pull him in opposite directions and I don’t know how the pull feels for him- that would be a massively important conversation for him to have in his understanding of the t-square- but the emphasis on the 12th house fits well with the type Enneagram type Six experience of always being on the lookout for enemies and hidden agendas. The whole orientation around the Type Six’s fear is around who to trust and who is out to hurt them, and, as lord of the 12th house, trust is a big Neptunian keyword.
Working with the Apex of the T-Square
The [apex] planet of a t-square frequently operates like a dictator. It wants to predominate over all the other planets that make up the personality. The pressure exerted by the opposing planets which square it provide it with considerable energy; however the frustration and stress which is at the source of this excess energy can lead the [apex] planet to break loose in an undisciplined, compulsive manner. Frequently, it seems to be out of control, acting apart from rather than in cooperation with the other planets in the chart.
– Tracy Marks, An Astrological Guide to Managing your T-Square
Our apex planet feels so heavy that we’ll develop an unconscious, false belief about it that gives us comfort. For him it’s that he’s an underdog (gender-wise) when he is not; and for me it’s that I’m born to fail when I am not. I will say, the insiduousness of that projection grew out of a substantial seed of realness, and I don’t question that he experiences legitimate downward pressure of that Saturn from outside himself. I know there are women who use feminism as a weapon and an excuse for un-integrated and hurtful actions, words, and beliefs.
Enneagram Lens on Power Relations
Both Fours and Sixes have issues around power.
Sixes are both attracted to and threatened by authority. They go through life skeptical of authority and looking for points of weakness in it, but at the same time, looking for someone or something they can trust and give themselves over to. They are loathe to put themselves in the spotlight as a leader because feigning that they have any authority in life, in their minds, makes them targets. By over-identifying as the underdog, Sixes keeping themselves safe from the critique that partiarchy invites. This nervousness about having power explains the earnestness with which he divests himself of patriarchal power.
How to Heal the T-Square for a Type Six
I did a video on t-squares earlier this year- it is dry (appologies), but, I believe, useful for approaching the t-square to begin healing. Basically the apex planet, being the bully that it is, can feel incredibly threatning and scary, and if we can’t integrate its qualities into ourselves, we will throw off its energy onto an outside oppressor and imagine that its expression is coming from that source. The healing journey of our t-square is learning to integrate the positive qualities of that apex planet into our lives, so for him as Type Six, whose very defence mechanism is projection, instead of projecting his power onto women, integration would be learning to be comfortable as a leader who takes responsibility for the collective shadow that he was born into, and who weilds authority for good. Owning his Saturn necessarily puts him in the in contact with his shadow at point Three. It’s quite foreign to integrate something we’ve associated as a terrifying bully for so many years, and taking ownership as a member of the patriarchy and using his leadership to challenge it is a growth path for him. Moving toward integration involves noticing Type Six’s need to identify as a victim to reinforce his identity as a scared and oppressed person, a false humility that keeps him safe from criticism that he’s abusing his power.
Interestingly enough- and conservative Canadians are going to love this- but fellow Canadian Justin Trudeau is a Type 3 who has made attempts at dealing with patriarchy in his cabinet, and although he’s got his own shadow to integrate at point 9, that comfort level with publically taking responsibility for something negative and championing its change is the general direction I’m talking about.
I won’t try and validate patriarchy in this post, but information is available about it in books, movies, TV shows, university or any historical account that touches on the sexes.
How to Heal the T-Square for a Type Four
Conversely for a Four, my attraction to power is around finding a rescuer that I can confide in. I fight against my Saturnian oppressor, and yet unwittingly nurse its authority in my life. I seek, unconsciously, a trusted and wise teacher or leader who has narrative authority over me and can tell me what I should be doing with my life. What is God’s will? What does tarot or horary advise for a certain situation? What will make my suffering make sense? I’m looking for an outer will to submit to that will give my life meaning. I can’t speak to Peterson’s relationship to an outer will over his life direction, but I see that same nursing of the oppressor’s agenda over his life- women- and he reacts to it even when he’s in the company of emotionally intelligent women.
My un-integrated shadow is competence. By going towards my Type One point, I unconsciously believe I’m letting go of my authenticity which is the core of my identity. My projection is imagining that some old karma independent of me wants me to fail, and wants me to be discouraged because [fill in the blank authority] will never let me succeed anyway. When I was a child, that authority was my dad who was critical of the things I said. As a Christian, that authority was God, who always seemed to want me to be at the bottom of every hierarchy. After I left Christianity, I first encountered vedic astrology which taught that I was being held back in life by bad karma from a previous life where I did bad deeds. I have since found a healthier understanding of my Saturn, but either way, I have a false, unconscious belief that I am a bad person and that I need to be humbled more than I actually do. I have an unconscious belief that my actions will result in futility because whoever is in authority doesn’t want me to get ahead, so my integration is at Enneagram point learn: learning to take right action regardless of how I feel. Like I said, though, for both Peterson and I, we sure got -and are getting – a lot of real life help to make that exaggerated belief around our trauma feel legitimate.
Our Twin Projection
With Saturn so close to the North node, I see my projected, imagined authority as right, and with his Saturn so close to his South Node, he sees his projected, imagined authority as wrong. We both see our projected authority as a sacred cow that unfairly affects us.
Our Twin Venuses
The more I look at our charts, the more similarities I see. We both have our Venuses in sensitive Cancer- mine’s at 22 degrees, and his is at 24 degrees! And both of our Venuses are afflicted. Venus represents, among other things, desire, and having an afflicted Venus means there are issues around knowing our own desire, and allowing our desire to be our compass. Speaking for myself at least, I spend a lot of energy in this t-square fighting against what I don’t want instead of asking myself what I do want, and I wonder if that could be said for Peterson as well.
Our Twin Outlets for our Anger
So how do we change and grow? There are three strategies that I cover in my video, which cover approaches from both Astrology and the Enneagram, but besides those, a frustrating t-square like that is going to be looking for an outlet, and we can look for supporting aspects that radiate out from points on the t-square. Two supporting outlets for him are his trines to Mercury (writing and speaking), and the Moon (his emotions, which are important for this and another reason that I cover in my video). I don’t have trines to my Saturn (which might explain some things), but what I find fascinating is that both our opposing planets have the exact same helpers! Both our Mars’s have a trine to Pluto and a sextile to Jupiter, and both our Neptunes have the opposite- a trine to Jupiter and a sextile to Pluto- the only difference is that his Pluto is in opposition to Jupiter. Again, I have to say, I am quite baffled by the similarity of our charts.
That nice trine to Pluto would definitely help him face his fears of 8th house matters of the dark, taboo topics of society; however, because fear is the trip-up for the Type 6, because Pluto is opposite Jupiter, he might be going against the fear without experiencing it, and he could definitely work on experiencing his fear more viscerally because feeling fear in the body instead of reacting to it helps us respond to it in a more conscious way, perhaps a way that gets down into the psychological roots of it. He also has nice support from Jupiter, so anything Jupiterian is going to provide some relief for him. That’s going to include Carl Jung, higher learning, topics of meaning and social issues. He taught at a very prestigious Canadian university, but again, that Pluto opposing his Jupiter would have brought problems into his employment there, and that would’ve been a loss for him for sure.
My trine to Pluto definitely helps me go into the depths, the likes of which you’re reading here. It has led me to mindfulness, the Enneagram, and Astrology. Jupiter also rules university, and I am very grateful for the support that my university education has brought to my life, especially to help me get out of religion (another Jupiter theme) and to see how patriarchy was operating in my family.
As it will be clear by this point, I disagree with his twist on history and his reading of social structures, but after seeing how similar our t-squares are, I am touched by the struggles that would have gotten him to his conclusions. I encourage him to allow himself some breathing room around his Saturnian need to be responsible (astrology) and to learn about his inner Enneagram “Point 3” (Enneagram). Speaking of the Enneagram, we both have five wings- I am a 4w5, and he is a 6w5, and that Five-ness can denote a Saturnian penchant for starkness, simplicity and routine, but it’s also insatiable curiosity, and I hope his curiosity leads him to examining his Saturnine shadow that is asking to be integrated.