The quintile aspect is one-fifth of the zodiac, or 72 degrees. All that I’m going to tell you about it can also be applied to the bi-quintile, which is 144 degrees.
Marc Jones gave the keyword “talent” to this aspect. I would add to this an innate talent, that tends to manifest spontaneously and with a lot of raw vitality behind it. The five pointed star is the symbol of magic, and the 5-based quintile carries the energy of magic. The negative side of it is that it can be like the sorcerer’s apprentice. Remember the Disney film where the sorcerer leaves the laboratory and Mickey Mouse starts messing with the magic formula, creating out of a broom a being which can tote water from the well. Well, the broom shatters into many pieces and each piece generates another being which carries water and the laboratory floods. The sorcerer finally returns and cleans up Mickey’s mess.
The significance of this is that the energy of the quintile needs to be controlled and directed so that it doesn’t turn destructive.
I have a quintile between Mercury and Mars, which I love. Repartee is easy for me, as is arguing and using words to excite and compel. Negatively, if I get into saying (Mercury) destructive things (Mars), I can create a lot of bad karma very fast. When my mind gets going it can rev up with Martian passion, and I’ve had to work assiduously to learn how to keep it from spinning out of control.
Of course what I’ve said about the quintile per se has a feeling of Mars, in terms of its aliveness and vitality, and for this reason I think my Mercury/Mars quintile is rather easy to interpret, as are maybe all quintiles involving Mars. Jupiter quintiles also seem easy to interpret because of the enthusiastic quality of them – Jupiter being inately enthusiastic.
So let’s take an example which I feel is maybe less obvious: Sun quintile Saturn. Here the talent is for patience and control (Saturn) in focusing on a goal. Also a talent for bringing to light (Sun) the limitations at work in any situation. If this goes out of control a la quintile, it might manifest as being way too serious and obsessed with reaching a goal, or a rigidity (Saturn) of one’s ego (Sun). As Saturn signifies slowness, it could mean someone who can’t easily reach goals because of being so careful (Saturn) of everything connected with reaching the goal (Sun).
Or how about Saturn/Neptune quintile. This could mean a talent for practically and tangibly (Saturn) manifesting the visions of one’s imagination. As Saturn can mean negativity, Saturn/Neptune could also mean a talent for negative imaginings. We tend to always think that talent is a good thing, but any talent can be misused.
Moon/Saturn quintile could mean a talent for plumbing the depths (Saturn) of emotions (Moon), and/or for taking seriously (Saturn) the feelings of others.
What about quintile in forecasting work? Well, first of all we always have to keep in mind that the slower moving a planet the stronger the effect. So transiting quintiles coming from, say Uranus will be much stronger than one from transiting Mars. I think the most effective use of quintiles in forecasting is to look at them in the progressed chart, especially the day-for-a-year progressions. In looking at these we might take into account all progressed planets except for the progressed Moon, once again because its just going to produce too many aspects too frequently. But the other progressed planets forming quintiles will be felt – because they are INFREQUENT, that being the key thing in any transit or cycle that creates power. The Moon crosses your Venus every 28 days, but if Pluto ever does it, it will be ONCE IN A LIFETIME , and believe me YOU WILL FEEL IT.
The progressed quintile means that the natal planet’s energy is COMING TO LIFE in a manner signified by the progressed planet. Let’s say a progressed Venus is quintiling natal Mars. Here can arise a desire to act and assert oneself, and the emergence of the ability to do this in an alluring (Venus) manner, or a way that is easier (Venus) or more artful (Venus) than it has ever been before.
The quintile’s relationship to magic is that if you adopt a positive and confident attitude, miracles can happen, and the quintile is tending very strongly toward positivity and confidence. The successful performance of magic depends on intent, and the quintile spontaneously manifests a very pure creative intent, if the energy is not repressed.
The last thing I want to say right now about quintiles is that any attempt to repress their energy will lead to that energy coming out in some other way that is usually twisted or destructive. So if the energy is let out, and disburdened of dysfunctional obsessiveness, it can create a lot of beauty and upliftment in the world.