A stellium and a grand trine- what do they mean?

duality

Member
Greetings all,

Hello everyone I'm new to the forum and new to astrology so please excuse my ignorance. I have tried as best I can to learn what I can from my natal horoscope, but some parts of it still puzzle me.

For example, I have a stellium of planets in Aries in the 11th house, but what does that mean? I know the 11th house is the house of relationships and friendships but the irony is that right now I don't have any friendships. I moved to a new town about a year and a half ago and I haven't met any new friends. I spend most of my time alone in my apartment. And Aries supposedly supplies lots of bold initiative and energy but I also find that lacking as well.

I believe I also have a grand trine in water signs and I'm having a hard time getting a grasp on that as well. Does this just make my Piscean nature that much more emotionally sensitive? Seems that I read somewhere that while some regard grand trines as good aspects, others see them as a loop of energy that needs to be broken. Does that sound right? What does that mean?

Here is my birthchart: (I hope this posts as I've followed the instructions in another thread:)
 

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cassanra

Well-known member
I am beginning to understand more about Grand trines through following Diurnals and lunar charts of my own. I think that energy of too much harmony in water does lend toward inaction or too much of a good thing. We need square and really conflict to learn and grow.
I am not sure your MC can be considered part of a grand trine. I think I read some where on this site on that subject. I would encourage you to do a 'Search' on that on this board.
And...you don't actually have a stellium. You can do a search on that as there was a recent debate on that very topic. I think the definition is a grouping of three of more planets with in 10 degrees of each other. I see you Merc and Venus in Aries together but the sun in Pisces at 20 might be considered out side the group as it is over the 10 degrees and some might argue it being outside the same sign.
 

duality

Member
Thanks Cassanra! I learn something new every day. Thanks for correcting me on the stellium. I was actually thinking that it was the moon, mercury, and venus forming the stellium. I thought a stellium was just where there were three or more planets in a sign. I didn't know the degrees mattered (see you can tell I'm really a greenhorn). But having three planets, whether they are in a stellium or not, brings an emphasis to the issues to this sign and this house, correct?

It also makes sense that a Grand Trine can bring too much of a good thing. Do you think of it as energy being caught in a continual feedback loop rather than being directed outward toward some kind of purpose? That's kind of the way I envision it, but again, I could be wrong about this too.
 

wilsontc

Staff member
Nodes, etc. to Amy

Amy,

You said:
duality said:
i have a stellium of planets in Aries in the 11th house, but what does that mean? I know the 11th house is the house of relationships and friendships but the irony is that right now I don't have any friendships. I moved to a new town about a year and a half ago and I haven't met any new friends. I spend most of my time alone in my apartment.

First of all, the 11th house is about FRIENDSHIPS only, NOT "relationships". "Relationships" are about one-on-one interactions, and "friendships" are about one with many interactions. Although you have a strong focus on the 11th house (friends) and have a need for social interactions, if you "spend most of your time alone" you won't meet anyone! So get out and join some social clubs and build up those friendships!

Secondly, your South node (the past) is focused in the 11th house, so focusing too much on friends can hold you back in life (this might be why you are avoiding friends right now, because you feel they "hold you back"). Your North node (future goals) is focused in the 5th house (self-expression), indicating you need to express yourself in life. Here is what Jan Spill says about this combination in her book "Astrology for the Soul":
For you, the Achilles' heel to be aware of is the overriding need to feel the acceptance of peers ("If I just cooperate with life and 'go with the flow,' my peers will automatically support me and bring me happiness"). But it's a bottomless pit: their friends can never give them enough support for them to break out as individuals and take advantage of the exciting opportunities life brings...What you really want is to receive love. Your need to experience the loving energy of others is nearly insatiable. To successfully bring this energy into your life, you need to first give love by cheering people up - know how to use the limelight to make others happy...The best barometer for being "on track" for you is the applause and approval of others.

Nodally,

Tim
 

duality

Member
Re: Nodes, etc. to Amy

Wow Tim, thanks so much for that bit of information! Maybe my lack of friends is contributing to my misery at the present moment. I moved to a new state and I'm finding it really hard to meet new people.

Do you have any insights on what a suitable career might be for me? I believe it is the tenth house that relates to career issues and my tenth house is completely empty. Not only that, but it appears to be equally split between Aquarius and Pisces. Which sign would be more influential in looking at career issues?
 

wilsontc

Staff member
11th house, to Amy

Amy,

You asked:
duality said:
Do you have any insights on what a suitable career might be for me?

Since you have a strong focus on the 11th house, it is possible you are interested in 11th house-type careers:
scientist, alternative therapist, sociologist, charity worker, mathematician, inventor, radiographer, television worker, astrologer, astronomer, archaeologist, humanitarian, civil servant, airport worker

Just remember, whatever you do, make sure you get NOTICED for what you do. Public recognition is VERY important for you.

Recognizing you,

Tim
 

duality

Member
Re: 11th house, to Amy

Why am I the exact opposite of what my chart seems to be indicating? I hate being in the limelight and drawing attention to myself. I always thought that was in accordance with my shy Pisces nature. Am I wrong in viewing shyness as a Piscean trait? But on the flip side of the Pisces sun is a Gemini ascendant and that part of me will talk and gather as much information as possible. My mother says that I can effervesce when I want to. But it makes me feel like two totally different people (hence my screen name).

I feel like dualism is just built into my chart between having my Sun in Pisces (the two fish swimming in opposite directions), my Ascendant in Gemini (the Twins), and my north node in Libra (the scales). Is it calling me to live a life more balanced in the middle than at one extreme or the other? Sorry if the Gemini in me is bombarding you with questions! It's just anxious to understand these archetypal forces at work so we can live them and not the other way around.
 

cassanra

Well-known member
Re: 11th house, to Amy

Aquarius rules your 10th and venus rules your 6th. Look for the placement of both of their rulers to get some ideas.
Uranus is in the 6th in Scorpio ....6th= health, details, daily routine, Uranus=electricity, sudden happenings, advancements, electronics
Scorpio=deep emotions, intense experiences, sex, rebirth. also rules surgeons

Venus, ruler of your 6th, is in your 11th. Venus=relationship and harmony.
In the 11th =the collective
Social science might be a possibility
or medical field such as nuclear medicine .
Plastic surgeon.
Lots of possibilities.
Look up all about Uranus rulership. All about Venus rulership. All about 6th house and 11th house.
 

starlink

Well-known member
Duality, Tim told you that:

First of all, the 11th house is about FRIENDSHIPS only, NOT "relationships".
Relationships" are about one-on-one interactions, and "friendships" are about one with many interactions. Although you have a strong focus on the 11th house (friends) and have a need for social interactions, if you "spend most of your time alone" you won't meet anyone! So get out and join some social clubs and build up those friendships!
He is right of course, but I can see why it is difficult for you to make friends. The modern ruler of your friendship house, Neptune, as well as the traditional ruler of that house both square your Sun (they form a T-square, involving the 11th house, the 7th and the 1st). The most problematic part in your chart therefore lies in making friends and forming relationships. With Neptune in the 7th you could be easily fooled by others and maybe that has made you cautious in the long run.

The Sun who should solve the opposition between Jupiter and Neptune, rules your 4th house of early upbringing and I guess that this problem you have, comes from childhood experiences where you already must have had trouble with others and friends.

The Grand Trine is often associated with creativity but on it's own a person can be quite lazy and expecting things to fall in their laps. However, in your chart, this Trine is spurred on by those squares which should help a bit to counteract the inertia of the trine.

And Aries supposedly supplies lots of bold initiative and energy but I also find that lacking as well.
Your Sun is in Pisces. Mars rules all the Aries planets, but Mars himself is in fall in Cancer and therefore lacks the energy and bold initiative you hope for.
Looking further, Mars in turn is ruled by Moon in Aries where Moon is Peregrine, really weak. Both are in Mutual Reception with one another, which can be seen as a conjunction, but not a positive one. Moon and Mars dont like one another and Moon is opposed by Pluto, bringing unresolved psychological,problems (emotional) and internal upheaval into the picture as well.

But the trine shows what you could do careerwise. Uranus rules your 10th and is placed in the 6th of service to others, trining Mars in the 2nd in Cancer (nurturing energy) and the Sun in Pisces (in a self-sacrificing way) in the 11th (for humanity or humanitarian causes). These energies flow well together and maybe you could create friendships through a career in this direction, not so much one-to-one relationships. Your Mercury-Venus tight conjunction also shows your service orientated, helpful, character. (Venus rules your 6th house and co-rules the intercepted 12th house ruler).

The Ascendant ruler conjunct the co-ruler of the 12th also shows a very private side of you, and the need to be alone at times, which maybe also makes it difficult for you to make friends.

I hope this sheds some light on your chart.

Starlink
 
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aquarius7000

Well-known member
Welcome aboard, Duality!:)
For example, I have a stellium of planets in Aries in the 11th house, but what does that mean? I know the 11th house is the house of relationships and friendships but the irony is that right now I don't have any friendships.
Yes, friendship is a type of relationship; only the relations you have here with others are not what most understand in the 'traditional' sense of the word, which is ascribed to the 7th house (partnerships and others- in the general sense of the word and as opposed to your own single self- 1st house). The 11th house looks more for friendships in no.s, as in groups. The opposite-lying house (the 5th) is more about the one-to-one dealing and close friendships, which bring your pleasure and joy.

With most of your personal planets in the 11th house, you are very focused on friendships and your world revolves around them, esp as your Sun (conscious being, identity and focus) is placed in the astrologically Aquarian house. With your Sun there, you perhaps look for your identity in a group, or, to put it in another way, the matters of the 11th house fulfil/complete you.

With Merc in the 11th, I would say that you will get to know many 'friends' and also have an active need to communicate with(in) groups and communities, but with the Moon also housing there, 'friendships/friends' will come and go and friendships will fluctuate. This obviously goes against what your emotional Piscean Sun looks for, and leaves behind a feeling of void and loneliness. Btw, with Nep of the 7th (others, relationships) squaring (conflicting with) your Sun in the 11th quite tightly, you perhaps have some unrealistic expectations and hopes when it comes to friendships and others in general. Think about it.

With your Sun in Pisces (emotional, even a bit clingy in the sense that it likes to hold onto others/relationships) but all your other personal planets, except Mars, in Aries, your ego plus your basic, conscious personality (Sun) and your emotional well-being (Moon) are constantly at loggerheads with eachother. You want to have deep, emotional friendships that provide you (emotional) support and fulfil you (the basic Piscean theme), on the one hand (Sun plus 11th-house cusp in Pisces), but also demand your independence and want to have it your way in friendships (three 11th-house planets in Aries) and with others (Arien Venus and Sag on 7th-house cusp).

With your N-Node (direction in this life) in the 5th, your goals need to be attuned to the 5th-house matters and you need to focus more on one-to-one dealings and close friendships with others, and your own self-expression plus assertion of your own identity (Leo's traits). One more thing, you said that you don't have any friends now, so may be this has to do with your current transits (in addition to your natal placements) and the current circumstance, such as your having moved to another town. Though it has been over a year there, may be with all those planets in Aries, esp Merc and Moon, you are simply also getting a bit restless, bored and impatient now.;)

My thruppence,
:)aquarius7000
 
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duality

Member
Thanks to everyone for all your input- this is a lot of information to digest!! I'm still confused about how best to handle what appears to me to be a conflict between the 11th house focus and my north node which lies in the fifth house. So my south node is also in the 11th house and I thought that we are here in this lifetime to move away from the south node toward the north node, and as Tim pointed out in an earlier post it may be that friends are holding me back. So it appears that I'm being asked to move beyond those 11th house issues, but the rest of my chart is emphasizing 11th house issues. Am I making any sense? How do I honor all those personal planets in Aries and still make sure that I'm following my life's purpose.

Starlink is definitely right on in saying that I have a private side and need time to be alone. And unfortunately I also exhibit the classic Piscean tendency to escape reality. My problem is not so much that I lack the interpersonal skills needed to make friends as it is that I'm so introverted and enjoy time to myself. But I'm not happy like this and once I do get out and around people I always feel better. So I started thinking my problem is that I'm ignoring a clear psychological need indicated by my chart to get out more and be around people.

If I read Starlink's comment correctly about Mars being in fall in Cancer, then that means all that Arian energy that seems apparent upon first glance is shorn of it's power? If the Warrior, so to speak, is stripped of his power then who steps in and takes charge?

It was also pointed out that I might have difficulty making friends because of a T-square between 1st, 7th, and 11th house planets. I'm finding aspects and all the different forms they take to be harder to grasp. I could see the big grand trine in water signs and I think there might be another one in fire signs. Am I missing any other significant aspects?
 

cindystubbs

Well-known member
I have something of the same problem myself.
JUpiter in the first house should give self-expression a lucky thing for you I would think.
I've found that you can't seem to eager. Like you have to act like meeting folks that it is not so important, it scares people. Keep it light works for me. Relationships start out casual. I thought maybe my experience would help you avoid my mistakes.:)
 

duality

Member
Are there any guidelines to follow when reading charts?

For you more experienced members out there...

When someone first presents their chart to you and asks for an interpretation is there a specific step-by-step process you go through? I want to be more helpful and contribute more to this forum but when I look at other people's charts I don't even know where to begin other than looking for the sun sign. I would greatly appreciate any pointers or guidelines to begin to get a feel for a chart.
 

starlink

Well-known member
Re: Are there any guidelines to follow when reading charts?

Hello Duality, yes there are guidelines, called the "overview" which by itself already will give you lots of information.

First of all you of course look at the placements of Sun, Moon and Ascendant in sign and house. Very important are planets who are rising (in the 1st house or near the Ascendant).

After that look at the following:

Look at the division of planets in the chart, how many East, how many West (of the MC/IC axis), North or South (of the Ascendant/Desc. axis).
When most planets are on the Asc.(East) side, the person will be able to exert him/herself without being held back by others or circumstances in the life, on the Desc. side, this is not so. There your "serving others before serving yourself" will play out stronger.

All planets above the horizon: extrovert, public interests strong
All planets below the horizon: introvert, private interests strong.

Look at the element division. How many planets fall in Fire, Earth, Air
or water signs? Which is the weakest, which the strongest element?
Look at the division in houses. How many planets fall in F-E-A-W ?

Should one element be very weak or lacking in a chart, then see if that
is compensated for by having that element on the Ascendant or if a lot
of planets fall in a house which supports the element (Fire = 1-5-9th
houses, Earth = 2-6-10th, Air = 3-6-9 and Water = 4-8-12th houses.)

Look if there is a lack of quality (Cardinal= initiative, Fixed = ability to
see things through, Mutable = Ability to be flexible & adaptable).

See if you can find a lack of a certain aspect. (no conjunctions or no
oppositions for instance)

See if you find an unaspected planet. The energy of that planet will work
without interference from other planetary energies in the chart and only
temporarily influenced by transits.

Note the retrograde planets. Especially fast moving one's, like Mercury can move direct by progression, changing the energy from going inwards to outward.

See if you can find any configurations like:

T-square (between Cardinal, Fixed or Mutable signs)
Grand Cross (between Cardinal, Fixed or Mutable)
See if there is a Stellium (3 or more planets, conjuncting one another within one house. This shows a strong focus in the life on that life area.
A Yod
A Boomerang (A yod where the Apex opposes a 3rd planet)
A Grand Trine ( also in either one of the elements)
There are also the Grand sextile (very rare) and Mystic Rectangle (not mystic at all but very practical).

See if you can find a planetary pattern, like
a See-Saw (two groups of planets opposing one another like 4 above the Horizon, 6 below),
a Bowl( all planets placed in one half of the chart within an opposition of the 1stand last planet),
a Bucket, one planet opposing all the others, like a bowl
with a handle on it. This planet will be the focus energy influencing all
others.
A Locomotive pattern. All ten planets are withing 2/3rds of the chart leaving a 120° space. Some take no larger than 65° space. The "engine" of this locomotive is the planet heading the other planets in clockwise direction. This planet motivates the others into action.
A splash pattern. All 10 planets nicely divided throuhout the chart. Very diversed energy.
A Bundle Pattern. (nearly the opposite of a splash). All planets are placed within the space of a trine (120°). Very contained energy.
A Splay Pattern. (also called the Tripoid pattern by Jansky). It shows three groups of planets forming a trine with one another, or at least some of them.
The Fan Pattern. Similar to the Bucket pattern, only the opposing planets are much more tight together. In the Bucket, the handle seems to work as the outlet for the other planets, whilst in a Fan, the singleton seems to spurr the other planets on, into action.

I hope this gives you an idea on how to approach a chart. Make a list of all your findings and try to find an interpretation for them.

A Guide for Beginners - How... This link is also very helpful.

Cheers, Starlink
 
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