Square

In a square, two chart points stand at a right angle to one another. In the zodiac it connects signs of the same quality (cardinal, fixed, mutable) but incompatible elements — for instance Aries and Cancer, or Taurus and Leo. Tradition derives the square's tension from this combination of similarity in mode and mismatch in element: two forces want the same tempo but pull in different directions.

In astrological tradition, the square stands for friction and pressure to act. In a natal chart it's read as a recurring field of tension; as a transit, as a time-limited occasion to look more closely at two competing themes. That's a symbolic reading of the geometry, not an observed property or effect.

It would be wrong to read a square as an announcement of misfortune. In the astrological system it describes a quality of tension, not an event — what becomes of it is decided by the people involved, not the geometry.