Earth Grand Trine: Parental Material Hardship

My son, Nathan, has an Earth Grand Trine that involves his Sun, Moon, Asc, Mercury and Mars. I was thinking about the relevance of this configuration and his parents (Sun and Moon) material hardship. Earth is the element we associate with money, work and career, and the trine aspect is the easiest of contacts. For a large part of his early years we have been struggling with financial debt, and most of it accumulated after we bought a new house and needed a large deposit. According to astrologer Noel Tyl, the Earth Grand Trine represents a closed circuit of practical self-sufficiency. Tyl went on to give an example of a woman who was raising a family alone, and had a defence structure against being exploited by others and had the strength to go it alone, saying that the grand trine, made it easier for her to cope. As parents we have coped well with the pressure and my partner is completely changing career to give the family a better future. The majority of Astrologers are poor, unless they have another job, so there is not much hope on my side for finances. The last statement may be a wrong statistical guess. I have the ’opinion’ that America, have it much easier earning a living out of astrology, but I could be completely wrong.

I was looking at other astrological charts that contained  Earth Grand Trines, and Catherine Zeta Jones has an Earth Grand Trine configuration in her horoscope. Catherine’s parents are described as working class parents. However, as I researched further, I found that her father was a sweet factory owner and her mother an Irish seamstress. Catherine’s’ parents won £100, 000 at Bingo in the 1980’s, and they moved to the ‘upper-class’ area of Swansea. Her parents certainly had a material change in fortune, which was handed to them on a plate. Venus is in Virgo (fall) in the 8th house trine Mars in Capricorn (exalted) in the 1st house and Saturn in Taurus is in the 4th house, so there is some link to family and wealth (4th/8th). Mars looks the strongest planet in the trine. Mars is exalted and placed in the house that it rules. It is also at the apex of a t-square. Catherine is hardworking, ambitious and extremely driven. Although, it has been suggested that her career breaks have been ’fortunate’. Catherine’s marriage is successful and she has been married to Michael Douglas for 10 years. The marriage and its publicity, earned quite a significant amount of money: Of course, to state the obvious, not all wealthy people have grand trines in earth.

Plenty of controversy surrounded the couple's wedding in late 2000. They'd been paid $900,000 by OK Magazine for exclusive pictures of the newly born Dylan. Now they accepted a further $1.5 million for exclusive shots of the wedding, a helpful amount as the proceedings at the New York Plaza would cost $1.8 million, including $10,000 for the four-foot cake. Unfortunately, Hello Magazine got hold of pictures and published, the Douglases attempting to take out an immediate injunction. Eventually, they sued for damages and the case stretched on till 2003, when they were awarded $23,000 (OK! got $1.6 million). Even then it wasn't over, with Hello! Deciding to appeal and the case would go as far as the House of Lords in 2007, with Hello! eventually having to pay OK! around $4 million in damages and court costs.

Now financially secure for life (it's said Catherine's pre-nup with Douglas gives her $3.2 million for every year of the marriage), she continued to win prime roles.

I looked into Irish Mcalla’s Grand Earth Trine on this blog. And it was revealed in an interview, that she lived a ‘charmed’ life and that things just seemed to happen without her trying. There was another French actress, France Nuyen, with a grand trine in earth and she was just sitting on the beach when "Life" magazine photographer, discovered her and she became a successful actress. Rebel Without a Cause Director, Nicholas Ray, also has a grand trine in earth. The Moon and Uranus are conjunct in Capricorn in the 11th house in his horoscope and are part of the grand trine configuration. It has been said that Rebel Without a Cause was a film that showed empathy (Moon) for social misfits (Uranus) and financially (earth), this film was his biggest commercial success. However, he did display some shocking behaviour, too, and was caught smoking marijuana with his students. There was a documentary filmed about the last days of his life - entitled, Lightning (Uranus) over water (Moon). There are more interesting examples, but I wanted to learn more about their early childhood and what type of experiences they had. In one of Carter’s book, Encyclopedia of Astrology:

Despite the grand trine in earth, the native was a poor child rescued from the streets by the Salvation Army.

Irish McCalla: Grand Earth Trine - Queen of the Jungle

Irish McCalla was an American actress and artist who, as a 5' 9" bosomy model, was cast at the last minute in the TV series "Sheena, Queen of the Jungle," which ran for 26 episodes in 1955-'56. The job was hers when Anita Ekberg failed to show up to film the pilot, and Irish was glad to make the $365 a week.
Irish had a Grand Earth Trine with Sun and Mercury in Capricorn, trine Jupiter in Taurus and Neptune in Virgo. This woman from what I have gathered across various sites - appears to be darn comfortable dealing with nature and is relaxed with her own body (video at the end). Irish wasn't always this way and when she was younger she was uncomfortable with the way she looked, but she definitly grew into her body with time.

Source for quote below:

"Irish McCalla was 74 when she died in February 2002. She faced some difficult times in her last few decades, and I'm also sure her life was full of her fair share of personal turmoil, but by all accounts she largely led a charmed life. She once commented that things just seemed to happen to her without really trying.

As a young woman she joined Bettie Page in becoming astronomically famous as a model, without having a movie contract. Her physical beauty so captivated the modelling industry that a new magazine, Eve, was launched specifically to feature her.

When the door to the entertainment industry opened for her soon afterward, she stepped into a role that fit her like a glove, and which guaranteed her lasting fame beyond her demise. However, it was not only her Amazonian features - slanted eyes, high cheek bones and towering curvaceous frame - that made Sheena legendary. Without the spunk of Irish's athleticism and tomboy background Sheena would not have been nearly as believable.

As her small screen fame began to decline Irish launched herself into yet another highly successful career - that of professional artist. She had been artistic as a child and art had always held an enthusiastic fascination for her, but now Irish proved herself to be a highly gifted artist in the Americana genre.

She continued to bask in her Sheena glory by making personal appearances at fan conventions for many years and in interviews expressed how blessed she felt to have the best of both worlds - the satisfaction of success at artistic achievement and the loving adoration of her fans. A charmed life indeed!

Irish described her own life as "charmed" and that good things just happened to her without really trying. This is how Astrologer's describe the easy energy of such a "blessed" configuration. There seems to be some luck apparent in the trine and these natives are naturally blessed with talents. The Grand Earth Trine has the ability to master the material realm and they have a special relationship with the physical world. The sign of Taurus symbolises self worth and resources, and Irish had Jupiter in Taurus in the 8th house of her natal chart. An 8th house Jupiter in Taurus is often indicative of someone who is fortunate in financial or material terms. Money was gained darn easily using her sexuality (8th house), but Irish also appreciates nature and the good things in life, being so adept physically she won her part as Sheena 'Queen of the Jungle' because she could swing through the trees with ease.

Jupiter in Taurus in the 8th house trines Neptune in Virgo in the 12th house and represents her artistic gifts. Natally the 8th house rules legacies and add this to Taurus which symbolises a talent or skill that has been handed down to her. Irish was an excellent artist and very talented, her artwork is a lasting legacy of her life.

"A Legacy or legacies is what someone or something is remembered for or what they have left behind that is remembered, revered or has impacted current events and the present day". The sign of Taurus rules the five senses and this includes a good eye for colour and feel for texture. Neptune in the 12th house is senstitive to the collective and she draws inspiration from this source and again she has been handed Neptune to use creatively. The Sun in Capricorn needs to create something tangible and lasting in the world. The beauty of Capricorn is that they really do shine in later years and fulfill their ambitions. Liz Greene says that Capricorn women are born with stainless steel spines, and she also states that they grow into very wise and disciplined women. Irish died at aged 74, details below.

Bill Black reports that in their regular conversations he learned that the sale of Irish's artworks declined during the late-90s and she was forced to rely more heavily on the sale of memorabilia. However, her failing health prevented her from becoming involved in intensive promotional appearances at fan conventions and she had to be content with whatever mail order business came her way. Black never learned whether Irish was forced to vacate her home in the mountains, but he did learn that her condition deteriorated so quickly following unsuccessful surgery that she was transferred to a nursing home. Marianne Ohl Phillips, an old friend of Irish, told Frank Bonilla that each operation would have a lamentable effect on Irish's memory, but one source told him that towards the end Irish was unable to recognise friends. Dick Simmons, her faithful friend, visited her regularly and attended to her needs. It is sad to think that this may have been a very painful experience for him if Irish was unaware who he was. He obviously thought a lot of her and his selfless devotion to her care indicates he was an extraordinary individual.

Fire Grand Trine: Raw Optimism

Next we have a Scientist called Dr Richard L. Garwin he has a Grand Fire Trine with Sun in Aries, Saturn in Sagittarius and Neptune in Leo. Rather than me bore you with the details and become too repetitive in these series of posts. I will quote some articles and higlight the words associated wih his firey personality. Bear in mind this is also a man with an abundance of planets in the fire sign of Aries which is an explosive energy (6 to be exact). The zodiacal sign of Aries is the self-starter of the zodiac, new discorveries are founded in Aries. Read on about the man truly annointed with the power of fire...

"Raw optimism is a trait not usually associated with longtime makers of atom bombs, advisers of presidents and heralds of doom.

But something like that emanated recently from Dr. Richard L. Garwin, one of the federal government's most widely respected science advisers.

In his office at the Council on Foreign Relations in Manhattan, his shirt pocket bulging with pens and papers, Garwin gave no hint that he had just suffered one of the worst defeats of his career and was deep into mounting a counterattack.

Instead, sipping coffee at a table strewn with papers and file folders, often smiling and seemingly relaxed, he radiated a kind of easy confidence.

"You do these things," he said with a shrug. "And if you keep at it for a long time, sometimes you win."

Garwin, 71, has been at such things for a long time indeed, nearly a half century. The onetime boy wonder and now celebrated physicist has acquired an astonishing number of victories, awards, patents, discoveries, plaudits and honorary degrees, not to mention a few painful bruises.

Still, Deutch added, Garwin is an exemplar of what a public-spirited scientist should be. "He's informed and presents his views forcefully. We need more people like Dick Garwin, not fewer.

Richard Lawrence Garwin was born in Cleveland on April 19, 1928. His father was a high school teacher during the day and a projectionist in a movie theater at night. The boy, a tinkerer, helped his dad repair projectors and build audio amplifiers for the movies, newly with sound. In college, he worked nights as a projectionist himself.

By 1949, Garwin had acquired a PhD in physics from the University of Chicago, a mecca for such pursuits. He was 21. His mentor was the great physicist Enrico Fermi, who had fled from Italy after wining the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1938 and had then worked in New Mexico, helping to build the world's first atom bomb.

"Fermi said Garwin was the only true genius he had ever met," recalled Dr. Marvin L. Goldberger, one of Fermi's students, who went on to head the California Institute of Technology and, in Princeton, the Institute for Advanced Study.

For the summer of 1950, Garwin was invited by Fermi to Los Alamos in New Mexico to ponder nuclear arms design. Garwin, a faculty member at Chicago, quickly proved himself. In 1951 and 1952, he helped give birth to the world's first hydrogen bomb, a weapon roughly a thousand times more powerful than its atomic predecessors. (Aries energy is responsible for new discoveries).

"The shot was fired almost precisely according to Garwin's design," Dr. Edward Teller, a widely acknowledged hydrogen bomb pioneer, later said.

Garwin was hooked on the atom. The bond was loose, however, as befitted his increasingly nomadic style. To some extent, he gave up a promising career at the frontiers of physics for wider pursuits.

In an interview, Schlesinger called Garwin "a good fellow and a useful citizen, even though I don't always agree with him."

He continued, "Much of what he's said over the years is interesting, some is persuasive, and some is overly enthusiastic."

Read Article here.

Grand Fire Trine

It's about time to take a look at those with Grand Fire Trines. I remembered an example of a Grand Fire Trine this morning, and he really is the best example to begin with. It must be damn good having a FIRE grand trine because this man cannot stop smiling and singing it's a Wonderful World. Yep, it's Louis Armstrong and his contagious smile. Mr Louis Armstrong actually had a kite formation in his chart. This is just really an extension of a grand trine but seems to anchor the direction of the trine. The grand trine is formed with Sun in Leo, Moon in Aries and Uranus in Sagittarius. The Sun in Leo is in the 5th house and represents creativity, drama and his need to be recognized as special. He has been described as having a charismatic personality, and he needs to shine in his field of work.

Fire signs are natural born enthusiasts, and they are burning with energy and highly motivated; they are always on the look out for future possibilities. People who lack fire have been described as missing that energy and vitality that comes with ease under the fiery trigon. The grand fire trine in his chart also lights up his Ascendant and his whole approach to life was positive. Not that he wasn't prone to depressive moods with his Moon in Aries square a Jupiter-Saturn conjunction in Capricorn, this may be something that he contended with. He did marry four times and once to a prostitute and perhaps his wifey/s symbolised a more down to earth type.  I think he did have creativity in abundance with his Grand Fire Trine and psychologically regarding Jung's typology method, fire is intuitive and there is a certain amount of divinity within them. Louis Armstrong was known to be very generous in nature and he loved children and enjoyed entertaining them. Inside he had a childlike spirit himself and fire signs have a wonder about life that may escape the rest of us. Not all fire signs are outwardly confident and we can have extroverted and introverted fire; the extroverted kind tends to approach life with confidence and treat it as one big adventure; they may love travelling, sports and taking risks. The trouble with fire is that they sometimes have difficulty in dealing with the practicalities of life. Details are boring to fire and slow down their vision, and who wants to be weighted by necessity. Introverted fire can represent great philosophers, artists and visionariies that inspire us to be greater.

The Grand Trine

For this topic I want to explore the astrological meaning of the grand trine. This subject has become more of an interest to me since my son was born with a Grand Earth Trine. Reading up on the various theories of this particular configuration has left me at times conflicted in the many different interpretations of this supposedly “blessed” astrological pattern. What I want to konw is whether such an harmonious grouping of planets in one element greatly benefit’s the individual’s life. Astrological literature tells us that what was once thought to be a beneficial chart configuration in the natal chart can describe an individual who is some respects takes a lazy approach to his affairs.

I have always enjoyed the research aspect of astrology and I like discovering the answers for myself. Basically, a Grand Trine is a triangular aspect pattern involving three or more planets separated by an angle of 120 degrees each. The planets in the signs are in the same triplicity and due to the harmonious nature of the trine aspect, the planets cooperate in an easy flowing manner. According to traditional textbooks the grand trine is seen as an extremely fortunate asset, implicating special talents, favourable circumstances and good opportunities. Modern Astrologers have come to view the lack of tension in the grand trine as an indication that the native can have a certain inertia or laziness present because there is no real impetus that pushes the individual into action.

There are four elements in astrology consisting of Fire, Earth, Air and Water, and thus there are four types of Grand Trines which can be formed in the birth chart. Where we gain in abundance we also create an imbalance and lopsidedness in the personality. Finding chart examples for this topic was easy, which means that the Grand Trine configuration appears frequently enough to say that it is not an ‘uncommon’ aspect. I don’t fall into the thinking that Grand Trines deny success, but much depends on the rest of the chart. I don’t think that consciously we seek to develop a trine any further, and as the saying goes “If it aint broke don’t fix it”. In the next part I will begin looking at the Fire Grand Trine.