I am not an astrologer, but I am fortunate to know a few people who are skilled in Astrology. One such individual is Anthony Barreiro, who lives in San Francisco, California. He recently shared some information about the upcoming grand trine of Saturn, Venus, and the Moon in the air signs. I’ve received his kind permission to repost this information here at the Crossroads. Thank you, Anthony!
Hi friends.
Those of you who are astrologically inclined may have noticed that in the next few days there will be a grand trine in air signs: Moon in Gemini, Saturn in Libra, and Venus in Aquarius. The Moon will exactly trine Venus at 8:38 pm Friday (Pacific time) and Saturn at 3:30 am Saturday. Venus will exactly trine Saturn at 6:34 pm Monday. Venus and Saturn will be within five degrees of trine for a few days before and after Monday, so I’m honoring the grand trine the night of Friday to Saturday, March 11 to 12.
The Moon, Venus, and Saturn are all big and bright, very easy to recognize. This is a good opportunity to get a sense of exactly what trines look like in the sky, and to become more at home in our solar system neighborhood.
After sunset Friday, look up at the waxing quarter Moon high overhead, near reddish Aldebaran, the eye of Taurus the bull. The Moon is almost as far north as she gets in her orbit around the earth, so she’s very high for observers in the northern hemisphere. Venus is below the horizon, on the other side of the Sun. Saturn is still below the horizon as well; he’ll be rising in about an hour.
About 11 pm, look low in the southeast. You’ll see two bright “stars”, one above the other, the higher one slightly golden, and the lower one bright white. The higher, golden “star” is Saturn, the lower star is Spica in Virgo. (Off to the left of Saturn and Spica is another bright star, yellow Arcturus in the constellation Bootes.) The Moon is now low in the west and will set in about an hour. The Moon and Saturn are separated by a 120 degree angle — a trine!
But while the Moon is setting a bit north of due west, Saturn is rising in the southeast, and will stay in the southern part of the sky all night long — imagine the different paths the Sun travels through the sky in June (Gemini, where the Moon is now) and in September (Libra, where Saturn is now). You’re starting to visualize the ecliptic, the path the Sun travels in a year, the Moon in a month, and the planets over the course of their orbits around the Sun. Because Earth’s equator is inclined by about 23 degrees to the ecliptic plane, we have seasons.
Get up early Saturday morning and go outside about 45 minutes before sunrise, about 5:45 am. Find Saturn low in the southwest, with Spica now to Saturn’s left. Spica has been following Saturn through the sky all night. Look low in the southeast for brilliant Venus, the brightest light in the sky. Saturn and Venus are separated by 120 degrees as well, but notice how different this trine from Libra to Aquarius looks, compared to last night’s Gemini – Libra trine. Remember how low the Sun was in the sky during January, in Aquarius. That’s where Venus is now.
Congratulations, you’ve just observed a grand trine!
But there’s one more complication. If this trine is in air signs, why is the Moon next to Aldebaran in Taurus and Saturn next to Spica in Virgo? Taurus and Virgo are Earth signs! (Venus is against the stars of Capricorn, but the stars are too dim to see in the light of dawn.) That’s because of the precession of the equinoxes. Over the course of 26,000 years the Earth wobbles in a big circle, like a spinning top that’s not quite upright. Our astrological constellations were established by the Greeks about 2200 years ago, using the starting point of the Spring equinox, when the Sun crosses the equator from south to north. 2200 years ago the Spring equinox fell against the stars of Aries, but now the Spring equinox has moved backwards relative to the constellations about 30 degrees, and so occurs against the stars of Pisces.
Wishing you clear skies!
Note: When asked if this is an “auspicious coordinant,” Anthony’s response was
Astrology is kinda like the weather. It all has its own beauty if you’re dressed properly. 😉 But yes, this would be considered auspicious. Trines are very harmonious aspects. All three planets (in astrology the Sun and Moon are considered planets) are in Air signs, so airy pursuits are favored. Intellectual projects, communication, aesthetic creation …
To see what the sky looks like in your area, Anthony suggests that you check out this link which can be quite helpful:
This sculpture shows the sign for "connect"...and that is what Deaf Pagan Crossroads is all about - making connections. Connections between Deafhood and Paganism, connections between the Deaf Community and the Hearing Community, connections between myself as the writer and you as the reader. I hope you will take the time to read my various posts, some of which are listed below. Welcome to the Crossroads, and I hope you make some connections here!
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