Is There A Grand Trine In Your Birth Chart? How To Tell & What It Means

A grand trine forms in a birth chart when three or more planets assemble in a perfect equilateral triangle on the zodiac wheel, mbg's resident astrologers, The AstroTwins, explain.

"That means they all have to be in the same element (fire, earth, air, or water), and there must be one planet transiting through each of the three signs in that element. The planets in a grand trine are at a harmonious 120-degree angle to each other, called a trine," they add.

Generally, grand trines are thought of as an auspicious aspect since the planets are happily basking in the same element—and subsequently speaking the same language and vibing off each other, the twins say.

Fire energy is bold, active, and passionate. The fire signs are Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius. Someone with a fire grand trine has at least one planet in all three fire signs, and "those planets are interacting well, so you're going to have strong fire energy, which is all about starting things, movement, and getting things going and realized," Budd says.

Earth energy is stable and structured, much like those with an Earth grand trine in their chart. The Earth signs are Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn. According to the twins, people who have an Earth grand trine are all about structure. As such, they can be great at manifesting and bringing ideas to life.

Air is the element of intellect and thought. The air signs are Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius. As Budd explains to mbg, someone with an air grand trine will likely be very smart and savvy since this trine is all about "mental activities, communication, ideas, thinking, and thought."

Last but not least, we have those with water grand trines. The three water signs are Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces.

According to the twins, water grand trines bring a rush of emotion to a chart "and can be like an astrological love bomb."

Again, how your individual grand trine influences you will greatly depend on its specific planetary placements, Budd and the twins both say.

"For example, let's say you have a Grand Trine between the excitable Sun, no-limits Jupiter, and imaginative-but-unrealistic Neptune," the twins explain. "While this can be a great tool for dreaming up world-changing ideas, it can also cause someone to chase every wild scheme and have a difficult time with boundaries and excess."

Generally speaking, though, grand trines are known to be favorable placements, with Budd noting, "Three different parts of the chart are interacting very favorably, and so they give energy to each other in a favorable way, as opposed to conflicting with each other."