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Aspect Patterns

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Building on the idea of aspects, certain formations of planets also form aspect patterns. These patterns tend to amplify the powers of the aspects they contain. Each has its own unique effect, for good or ill.

1 Asymmetrical Patterns
- 1.1 Stellium
- 1.2 T-Square
2 Symmetrical Patterns

Asymmetrical Patterns

Stellium

T-Square

Symmetrical Patterns

Grand Trine

An example of a Grand Trine

A grand trine is formed when 3 planets mutually trine each other. The planets are arranged at approximately 120° intervals from each other.

The planets involved in the grand trine tend to share the same element, and the Grand Trine is thus given the name of the element. For instance, a Grand Trine involving 3 planets, one each in Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius would be called an 'Air Grand Trine'.

Understandably from the amount of trines, this pattern often brings a certain ease to life, and some say a bit too much. Things often go well for people with Grand Trines, often a bit too well, leading to laziness and a lack of desire to do better. People with Grand Trines have an enviable grasp of the concepts surrounding the planets in the Grand Trine, and have a strong base in the element involved. This can lead to using those planetary energies almost as a crutch. For instance, a person with an Air Grand Trine may have such ease of communication and words that they never 'come down' from that intellectual height. A person with an Earth Grand Trine may have the opposite problem; they may have a hard time doing anything more than the practical or tangible.

Some astrologers think this effect is mitigated by having one or more malefic (Mars, Saturn, and possibly Uranus and Pluto) involved in the Grand Trine.

Kite

An example of a Kite

A kite is a subset of a Grand Trine; this occurs when a planet is positioned roughly 60° from two planets in a Grand Trine. This creates sextiles to two of the planets involved in the Grand Trine, and an opposition to the third planet. Most astrologers consider the Kite to be preferable to the Grand Trine; in this case, the opposition give the Grand Trine 'backbone'.