Grand trines, elements, and drive

I had a reading recently, as part of an astrology class (each of us got a turn having our birth chart fully analyzed). My chart was the only one with a grand trine, and something the teacher said set off this line of wondering. She said people with fire grand trines (the kind I have) tend to push themselves very far, will put in an endless amount of work, and tend not to accept help from others.

I shared a few stories during that reading that only proved the point: times when I've given myself over to very intense experiences, worked myself very intensely, and felt I was thriving on it even as I was working myself to extreme exhaustion. And there are plenty more in my life that I didn't share.

I wonder, how does this drive play out for people with earth, air, or water grand trines? Does the same drive exist, and the same reluctance to have anyone help? Or is that really a fire thing?

At least with the drive, it might be a fire thing. I can push myself really far and balk at help from anyone trying to ease up my load or take over something that I'm doing. I also like to go on little sleep sometimes (like now) and I can get impatient in the night because I would like the next day to begin already, especially when I have a busy schedule going.

I am very fascinated by Grand Trines---and also by KITES that are sometimes created by them.

My husband has a very tight Water Grand Trine.

Moon/Uranus in Cancer in the 3rd Trine Mars in Scorpio in the 7th

Trine Venus in Pisces in the 11th.

We have been married for 35 years and my Mercury conjuncts his Mars, so I understand his Grand Trine pretty well.

He has Taurus rising so his Venus is the chart ruler. His Venus in Pisces is kind of the impetus and leader of his Grand Trine.

His emotions are led by compassion and devotion. He goes beyond what almost anyone else will do, for his close friends/family who need help. Even if they are in some ways 'undeserving.' Even if they have been mean or irresponsible, etc....he UNCONDITIONALLY gives his time, financial support, emotional support, etc, to help them in their time of need.

I can think right now, of about 5 or 6 people he has done that with. My fixed Grand Square sometimes looks at it with jaded, sarcastic eyes---saying why are you doing all that, helping them move, driving them too rehab, paying their rent this month---when they were rude and obnoxious towards everyone....


His perfect Venus in Pisces response is ' they were drunk/high/in pain' ---they are making positive changes now and they need some help---

He has helped so many people over the years in small and big ways. He always tries to help friends/acquaintances get jobs whenever he sees an opportunity. He has a huge network of business contacts, having been a writer/producer for 25 years in LA. So many people have said to me quietly, 'I owe my career to your husband for helping me get my foot in the door. ' I have heard that same thing about 30 times.

One of his close friends from childhood , back East, moved out here about 30 years ago. He became very successful as a voice actor and had wide acclaim. But he was suffering from social phobias and anxiety. He had emotional issues and tended to push people away. My husband steadfastly stood by his friend. He would go over to his condo and hang out with him when he was feeling suicidal, and upset. My husband would take scripts they wrote together when they were younger, and make him laugh about how bad the jokes and writing was. He would take funny movies over and get him to laugh and relax.

His friend died recently, and his niece came over and asked my husband to speak at the memorial. And she said, in tears, that her uncle had said that if it hadn't been for my husband, he would have died lonely and grief stricken. But my husband had called around and had old fiends of their come visit him in the hospital in his final months. And it meant everything to him in the end.

[ and when this man died, his death was reported on CNN and NBC, with snippets of the voices he did--he took over Mel Blancs characters. So he was 'famous' and yet lonely and hurting]


I think his Water Grand Trine works well for hubby because he is an Aries with Mercury in Aries as well. And sometimes the grand trines work better when the other personal planets are in a different sign. The Aries energy gave him the ability to 'snap out of it' when he left his friends condo. He did not stay melancholy or sad. He was able to power through and get on with his own life.

Now Earth Grand Trines---those can be kind of difficult.

It does depend upon the planets and placement of course. And it often indicates a skilled and talented artisan and solid business sense.

However it can create a sense of INERTIA. Earth Grand Trines want to protect the status quo. They want a solid foundation and strong support beams and may work hard at 'settling down.' They are very grounded. But they might not be as innovative or 'ground breaking' unless they have prominent Uranus energy.

I have seen some very beautiful models/singers/actors with Earth Grand Trines.

Jennifer Lawrence has Mars in Taurus trine Merc/Virgo trine Neptune.

Gwen Stefani= Venus/Virgo trine Mars trine Saturn

Demi Lovato= Venus/Virgo trine Moon/Cap trine Neptune in Virgo

Ariana Grande= Venus in Taurus trine Moon/Asc Trine Uranus/Nep in Cap

My understanding of grand trines is that they do not motivate people-- with the grand trine, life goes all right, whether or not they get off the couch. Note that a trine is an easy flow of energy: things will go OK whether you accomplish much or not.

You might have something else in your chart that would indicate motivatation, like squares or quintiles. Your fire planets might have additional influences.

Note that a kite is different. Although it includes a grand trine, it contains the tension of the opposition and the excitement of the sextiles, all of which focus on the apex planet.

There is momentum, I suppose, but for me I cannot tell if it is a grand trine thing or a grand cross thing. There is just this force behind things... that keeps things going... generally whether I am urging it or not. I am not sure how to explain, but it is the reason I cannot take praise, because things seem inevitable from the outset.

CT, do you have a fire grand trine? I haven't seen your chart in a while.

Katydid, very touching about your husband.

Waybread, yes, I have plenty of hard aspects in my chart. The grand trine is the only one, or nearly, that's truly effortless.

What I remember my astrology teacher saying is more along the lines of, "Fire grand trines don't know when to quit. They'll just keep going and going." Not those exact words, I might even be changing the meaning of what she said in my paraphrase, but something like that. I certainly identify with that, although I have to be in the right situation to just keep going and going. If I'm involved in something that's challenging me in a good way, and bringing me personal growth, I can give my all to it and then some. And not even notice how much energy I'm giving it, because it feels so good to be doing it, until I collapse.

Graay ghost, you have an earth grand trine, as I recall?

Do you feel that you yourself are caught in the momentum? Working with it? Or is it more something that's just happening to you?

Air Grand Trines are less cumbersome than those in Earth. Air flows pretty freely and so the Grand Trine easily facilitates mental processes, logical inferences, pattern recognition, communication skills , fluency with learning languages, abstract thought and objective reasoning.

People with benign placements in an Air Grand Trine exhibit these types of communication skills and intellectual abilities. But I have seen some difficult Air grand trines.

My younger cousin, born in 1974, had a powerful but difficult Air Grand Trine.

Moon/Saturn/Asc in Gemini trine Pluto in Libra, trine Merc/Jupiter in Aquarius.

In some ways he had a very quick mind. He was near genius in math and could do complex problems in his head. [Merc/Jup in Aquarius] —but his Moon/Sat/Asc in Gemini kind of blocked his ability to get words and thoughts out smoothly.

He got anxious under pressure of social stresses [Pluto/4th in Libra?] He would blush and say nothing when spoken to, even if he had something he really wanted to say. He’d tell me that thoughts were racing through his head and he wanted to express himself, but he felt paralyzed and couldn’t get the words out. [ Mars in Gemini square the Sun in Pisces didn’t help?]

So although he was very intelligent, he did not come across that way to others. And sadly, he died young in an auto accident.



Some Air Grand trines can be very helpful, in terms of intelligence and ability to communicate and become well known.

Oprah is a perfect example:

Sun/Mercury/Venus in Aquarius trine Jupiter in Gemini trine Neptune/MC in Libra.

Also Carly Rae Jepson, an internet sensation whose appearance on Canadian Idol turned her into a full fledged pop star:

Mars/Libra trine Jupiter/Aquarius trine Chiron in Gemini

Ashton Kucher, is way more intelligent than his sit com characters. He has a very high IQ but dropped out of college to become a model/actor in LA:

Sun/Moon/MC in Aquarius trine Jup/Asc in Gemini trine Pluto in Libra.

Osamenor said:

Graay ghost, you have an earth grand trine, as I recall?

Do you feel that you yourself are caught in the momentum? Working with it? Or is it more something that's just happening to you?

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Possibly that it is something that is happening to me. Like graduating college and things like that. It seems like an inevitability to me, though I know a lot of other people don't make it. I'm not sure I put in any real effort on my part. Or I make decisions long before I tell other people, because one option seems "inevitable", like what car I want to buy.

If that makes any sense.