What Is A Trine In Astrology?

Astrology is one of those topics where the more you learn, the more you realize how little you know. The study of the zodiac is vast and fascinating and can bring us to a deeper understanding of ourselves and our life's purpose. But even glancing at a birth chart is daunting to the untrained eye. All those crisscrossing lines and shapes –- what do they mean? Well, there's a reason professional astrologers exist. Decoding the stars isn't easy.

According to Astrology University, it can take two to four years before a student of astrology will be able to give strong, accurate birth chart readings to clients. So, don't be too hard on yourself if you start to have high school math class flashbacks when the birth chart confusion sets in. It's like another language. Truly. As Carl Jung said, "We are born at a given moment, in a given place, and, like vintage years of wine, we have the qualities of the year and of the season of which we are born. Astrology does not lay claim to anything more" (via Women). And whether you have a strong astrology appetite or just skim your horoscope once in a while, understanding some of the key terms in astrology, like a trine, is worthwhile for anyone looking for a bit of extra guidance in life.

A trine is formed when planets are in signs which share the same element (fire, water, air, or earth). So if you have a planet in Leo and another planet in Aries, that is a trine. These planets will be 120 degrees apart from one another, via EliteDaily. If you have a planet in each of the three signs of a single element, then that is called a grand trine. "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," said The AstroTwins in an interview with Mind Body Green.

Astrologers also study trines in the sky when they look at transits. "If I wake up and the moon is square [a dynamic aspect] Saturn, I know it's probably going to be a challenging start to the morning ... Whereas if the moon is trine the sun, that might just be an easier day where you feel like you're really getting along with people and things are going your way," Alice Bell, British Vogue astrologer and host of Astrology and You podcast, told EliteDaily.

So, as you may have gathered, trines are a good thing. Let's take a deeper look at what trines really mean.

A trine means there is harmony in a certain area of your life. It's like your lucky charm. You'll meet little resistance here, and things will flow naturally for you. It's a great thing to have. Although, it doesn't allow for much growth or transformation. And while there are many other elements that contribute to luck and ease in a birth chart, you can definitely take a moment to celebrate if you have a trine (or a few) in yours.

"Out of the harmonic aspects, [trines are] the stronger one," professional astrologer Dalanah of the Moon Matters podcast, told EliteDaily. "They're very flowy — again it's a triangle... Trines just feel like an injection of goodness, so to speak."

Sometimes, the talents and gifts a trine provides to us are taken for granted. It's almost as though we don't try because a certain aspect of life is just so easy for us. It's important to direct our energy towards developing our natural skills in this area so that they don't spoil — or go untapped.