Trine Mercury – Venus

(Transit. Mercury → Natal Venus)

Avesalom Podvodny. Aspects

Mercury Trine: To make a shallow thought profound, it is not enough to dig a hole for it. The Mercury trine grants excellent mental abilities and dexterity, as well as luck in matters governed by the planet, provided the person makes at least minimal effort. For example, the Mercury–Mars trine gives eloquence and sharpness of thought, the ability to process a great deal of mental work in seconds (and sell it profitably), but all this seems so effortless to the person that if there is no additional interest or obstacle, they will likely settle for a mere statement: “Well, it’s all so simple, and so simple, and so simple.” This aspect simultaneously grants great superficial abilities—the person grasps things instantly—but laziness and an inner aversion to serious mental work (where it is unnecessary) are also present. In such cases, self-deception arises in areas governed by the planet: the person believes they understand everything at once, but their understanding is superficial, and their mental control over the planetary principle is crude and irrational, which they (and those around them) often fail to notice. At a low level, Mercury will produce rigid thought patterns that literally crush the planet’s principle, though the person will not notice, as they appear to be doing everything correctly at first glance. If the planet is stronger, it will direct the person’s thoughts accordingly, while mental self-control plummets to zero, potentially leading them far astray—all while the person remains fully convinced they are thinking and speaking correctly. Thus, the Mercury–Pluto trine grants an excellent critical mind, but if Pluto is stronger, at a low level of development the person will see the entire world in black, finding only vices and crimes in everything (except themselves), and nothing will shake their perspective. They may not even feel deeply unhappy about it but instead derive a certain satisfaction from daily confirmations of their unshakable life stance: “The world is no good.”

Venus Trine: Love is such a good thing that it is utterly incomprehensible how it could cause any trouble. The Venus trine grants social protection and luck in matters governed by the planet, swift and effortless recognition that the person takes for granted and inwardly values little—unless other areas of self-assertion exist in their life. The Venus trine lends the planetary principle a natural taste and keen perception of reality, often excessively harmonious: all ugliness becomes unnoticeable or greatly smoothed over, and a desperate cry for help may sound to the person like a feeble and non-binding request. This aspect (even the Venus–Pluto trine) makes love a natural state for the person in areas governed by the planet, but at a low level, they tend to extract this love from the surrounding space (and people), using it for personal gain—though externally everything appears perfectly decent, natural, and even oddly thoughtless, as if the person themselves were merely a lotus flower adorning the world simply because they exist and cannot do otherwise. For example, the Venus–Pluto trine at a low level of development leads to fatal infatuations, from which the person usually emerges unscathed, adorned with a bouquet (quickly wilting) of satisfaction, while the victims—eagerly and by their own lower passions—become his own. Processing this aspect grants a keen eye for flaws and shortcomings in the beloved (and, of course, in oneself), which the person can pinpoint accurately and almost painlessly help overcome—this being the karmic program of the aspect. Rare is the partner who can endure such a program for long, though in the short term it may prove highly constructive. The person themselves, however, will struggle to expect satisfying emotional relationships in love, and if they also have, say, a square to Uranus or an opposition to Saturn, they should not count on a conventionally happy marriage. At a low level, the Venus trine fosters social (and romantic) laziness, parasitism, and ingratitude toward people and life for everything they do for the person—something that largely goes unnoticed by others but, in pronounced cases, is experienced as a harsh blow.