The Grand Trine

The Grand Trine is supposed to be “lucky.” The problem with “luck” is that people can blow it. If there are too many trines in a chart (it doesn’t matter if they are in a Grand Trine or not) there is usually be a tendency to take the easy way out, to let your life drift.

A T-Cross can get you moving. Grand Trines can also get you moving — to bed.

The lopsided nature of the T-Cross focuses your attention to one spot, that empty leg. But the Grand Trine looks like an equilateral triangle. It’s symmetrical. That means no outlet for the “energy.” The desire to move has to come from elsewhere in your chart, usually from square aspects.

A Grand Trine is formed when two planets that make a trine aspect (120 degrees) both make another trine aspect to a third planet. If you draw lines connecting all the planets, you get an equilateral triangle.

Sometimes, a fourth planet is opposite one of the Grand Trine planets. That means it will probably make sextiles (60 degree aspects) to the other two Grand Trine planets. If you draw connecting lines on the chart, you get what looks like a Kite formation.

The Kite is more dynamic than the Grand Trine because that normally stressful opposition aspect breaks the symmetry and focuses the “energy.”That opposition should be what you focus on when interpreting this part of the horoscope.

One more thing. You don’t always need three planets. The Angles of the horoscope, the Ascendant and Mid-Heaven, can also be part of a Grand Trine.

In that case, the “energy” may tend to focus on the angle.In the case of the Mid-Heaven, the career can get a big boost.

Let’s look at some examples:

Oprah Winfrey has a Grand Trine in Air signs. Air signs deal with (surprise, surprise) communications. Jupiter (“luck”) is in Gemini (the number one communications sign) in the house of work (the 6th house). It trines Mercury, the ruler of Gemini (more communication emphasis). Traditionally, when a planet makes a favorable aspect with the ruler of its sign, that planet is supposed to gain in “strength.” The effect is similar to having your boss or landlord really like you. So far, we have luck, communications, and work.

But where is the Grand Trine? The Grand Trine is formed because both Mercury and Jupiter make trines with her Mid-Heaven (career). Jupiter in any Aspect to the Mid-Heaven give “luck” in the career area and inclines to show business. Mercury aspects to the Mid-Heaven mean a career emphasizing (what else) communications. It doesn’t stop there. Jupiter gets extra strength by being (1) the ruler of the Rising Sign (the sign appearing on the Ascendant), and (2) the lead planet in a Locomotive shaped horoscope. While the Grand Trine increases “luck”, it’s those square aspects (90 degree angles) that Saturn makes to her Sun and Venus that provide the ambition and drive. Venus rules her Libra Mid-Heaven (career).

Henri Landru had a Grand Trine in Fire Signs. Fire provides inspiration, although (on its negative side) it can tend to violence. The Grand trine didn’t make him a serial killer. But it did add to the luck he needed to keep from getting caught for so long. He found out the hard way that if you rely on luck alone, it will eventually run out. Landru’s Grand Trine is formed by Mars in Leo in his 5th house (romance) trining Saturn in Sagittarius (ambition, efficiency) in his 8th house (death and partner’s money). Both are trine a conjunction (zero degree aspect) of Venus (love) and Neptune (negatively, illusion and deception) in his 12th house  (psychological problems and hidden things).

Gandhi had a Grand Trine in Fire Signs. He used his inspiration differently from Landru. Ironically, during the non-violent Indian independence campaign, many people died. Fire burns. Ghandi had Neptune (dreams and ideals as well as illusions and deception) in Aries (action) making a trine with Saturn (ambition, efficiency) in Sagittarius (religion and philosophy) on one side, and with the Moon (emotion, home and homeland) on the other. The Moon was in Leo (drama and show business) in his 10th house (career and public image). You could say that Ghandi combined dharma and karma with drama. Ghandi also had a T-Cross fused with his Grand Trine. The Moon is common to both configurations and focuses all the “energy” to the bottom of the chart (foundations). Independence for India was a side issue for Ghandi. What he was really trying to do was to change the entire basis of human interaction.

Water Signs. The Sun in Pisces trines Jupiter in Scorpio on one side and Pluto in Cancer on the other. Like Ghandi, there is a rare combination of a Grand Trine and a T-Cross. Venus in Aries is opposite Mars in Libra. Both make square aspects (90 degrees) with Pluto. This focuses the “energy” of both the T-Cross and Grand Trine to the point opposite Pluto. That would be the 10th house. Career. Show business is indicated by his Neptune making a trine to the Mid-Heaven. The Grand Trine gave him the luck. The T-Cross added drive.

Whitney Houston has a Kite formation with a Grand Trine in Fire Signs. The Moon (emotion) and Jupiter (“luck”) are together (conjunction) in Aries. They both trine her Leo Sun and her Sagittarius Mid-Heaven. Once again, emphasis is on career. The Kite is formed by Whitney’s Saturn in Aquarius which opposes her Sun and makes Sextiles (60 degree aspects) with her Moon, Jupiter, and Mid-Heaven. While Saturn does add the discipline necessary to succeed, Saturn opposite the Sun can give extra difficulties with partners. Oh yes. This planet of obstacles is also placed in her 12th house, which shows how we can do ourselves in. She has to be extra careful in the relationship department.

Stephen King also has a Kite formation with a Grand Trine in  Fire Signs. Saturn and Pluto (fear and the underworld) make a conjunction in Leo (drama). Both are trine his Moon (emotions) which is in Sagittarius (a sign that inclines to storytelling) in his 5th house (creativity and self-expression). The Moon in any aspect to the Mid-Heaven means that either you or what you do can come before the public. All of these planets make trines with his Aries Mid-Heaven. Do we begin to see a trend here? The Kite is completed by a conjunction of Mercury (communications) and Neptune (dreams and imagination) in Libra. Notice that everything focuses on the Mid-Heaven, the career. When you have a chart like this, you have to consciously mess things up in order to avoid success.

Bobby Fischer the chess champion has a a Kite formation AND a T-Cross fused together. First of all, there is a Grand Trine in Air Signs (intellect and communications) consisting of Mars (energy, aggression) in Aquarius, Uranus (genius, originality, the unexpected) in Gemini, and Neptune (imagination) in Libra.  Pluto (extremes, obsession) in Leo opposes Mars and completes the Kite. Pluto opposite Mars increases the desire to “Kill the enemy”, especially when the focus is on the 7th house. Ironically, that house rules both partners and open enemies, anyone whom we treat as equals. Like Ghandi, the Moon is in the 10th house, which can bring you or what you do before the public. And like Ghandi, the Moon is part of a T-Cross that focuses to the 4th house. But where the Mahatma conducted a lifelong campaign to free his homeland, the chess champion, after a few brief years in the public eye, simply withdrew from sight.