the-astrology-book

Tropical Year
TRINE
A trine is an aspect of 120° between two points—such as two planets—in an astrological
chart. This soft aspect is traditionally regarded as harmonious and beneficial,
although too many soft aspects combined with too few hard aspects is regarded as
unfortunate because people with this chart pattern do not usually experience enough
of life’s hard edges to develop strong character. It is sometimes referred to as the aspect
of good fortune. Trines indicate an easy flow of energy between two planets. Thus, for
example, an individual with a natal trine between Mercury (which represents the
mind) and Uranus (which rules, among other sciences, astrology) would have a natural
aptitude for understanding astrology.
Sources:
Gettings, Fred. Dictionary of Astrology. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1985.
Hand, Robert. Horoscope Symbols. Rockport, MA: Para Research, 1981.
TRIPLICITY (TRIGON)
Triplicity refers to a group of three, usually three signs of the same element—the fire
triplicity, Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius; the earth triplicity, Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn;
the air triplicity, Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius; and the water triplicity, Cancer,
Scorpio, and Pisces. Sometimes it is also used to refer to groups of three houses. The
traditional term for triplicity is trigon, which comes from the Latin transliteration of
the Greek word for triangle (when, on the wheel of the zodiac, lines are drawn so as to
connect all the signs of the same element, the resulting figure is a triangle).
TRIPOD PATTERN
A tripod pattern is a horoscope arrangement in which the planets are organized into
three distinct clusters. Ideally, each cluster forms trine aspects with the other two clusters.
TROPICAL SIGNS
The tropical signs are Capricorn and Cancer. The term tropical comes from the Greek
tropos, meaning “to turn.” As the Sun enters these signs during the summer and winter
solstices, it appears to reverse its direction (to “turn” around) in its gradual movement
north or south of the equator.
TROPICAL YEAR
The tropical year (also called the solar year, the seasonal year, the natural year, the
equinoctial year, and the astronomical year) is the time it takes the Sun to go from
one spring equinox to the next—365 days 5 hours and 48 minutes. Because of the precession
of equinoxes, the equinox point changes slightly (when looked at against the
background of the stars), making a tropical year shorter than a sidereal year (a “star”
year) by a little more than 20 minutes.
THE ASTROLOGY BOOK
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