How do you gauge it? I find it very hard to do. What are your thoughts?

I consider myself lucky that I find trustworthiness easy to gauge, and this is with 12th House Neptune as part of a Grand Trine! I can't explain it to you. Sorry! It's instinct.

But a concrete example: my friends know this guy, they think he's great and I think he is a complete scam artist. Most recently he sold another guy we know a truck with faulty brakes. Yes, he was upfront about the brakes needing repair. In my mind, a person who is willing to sell a vehicle that could kill you is not trustworthy.

Our friend was desperate for a vehicle, and the brakes failed. Dangerously and completely.

I don't CARE about this kind of "honesty"--that he would take $$$ over a potential death on his dime is bad news to me. It is an indicator for something else.

Is this something you can do almost instantly Kash? Or is it something you pick up on overtime?

What's funny is that there are some people who I trust, but I don't like them. LOL.

Just because you trust someone doesn't mean you like them and vice versa.

But if I don't trust you than I don't like you, but just because I trust you doesn't mean I like you.

The only way I know of to gauge it is to trust someone and see what happens. Give everyone a one time pass and if they abuse it, you know.

Josi sometimes it takes a couple of meetings. With this guy it was pretty quick. The first time I met him he was aggressively defensive about a point and it caught me by surprise because I thought we were just having a casual conversation.
I saw him a few times after that and anytime I said anything even remotely resembling an independent thought, he would again--aggressively defend. This would be even in conversation with *another person.* He would be acting like he wasn't listening but he was honed in on me in a subtle and not nice way.

People have since told me things in confidence about him that prove my initial feelings that he is too self-serving to trust.

Another thing: I have rarely gone wrong with this. I have trusted people who didn't deserve to be trusted but I was younger, I ALWAYS knew something untoward about them but decided to trust them anyway. Out of arrogance, like "they're not nice to others, but surely they'll be nice to ME." It doesn't work like that.

There is almost always something to pick up on, if need be, unless of course you are being targeted by a sophisticated psychopath or something.

I tried to judge actions over words. Sometimes I'm still wrong, but I've learned to judge someone on who they are and not what they represent themselves as.

When they prove to be honest with me over a prolonged period of time then I trust them.

I agree with magicmark. :) time + no betrayal = trust

Yes that's a good yardstick, but even then I've found that some people do change - sometimes because they are associating with new people, eg a partner who is a bad influence

Generally I'm pretty good at sussing people out quickly - like most with my particular handicap, I have good 'antennae'. Even so, I've been horribly betrayed more than once. Not so much by VERY old frends though - those I've had since my 20s. That's no doubt why they are still my friends!

I'm with Elsa and magicmark.  I think the key is to pay attention and i mean really pay attention to people!  Watch their actions, don't just hear their words, follow their body language.  It all shows up after time.

I wanted to add something else...shadowy.

With the economy going the way it is, some who would probably not betray you if things were going better for them, will betray you at this time. It's happened to me already so you have be extra vigilant. 

I am pretty careful as it is, I have been sold cheap so many times.  But I can tell you for sure, when someone's back is against the wall, their high-minded self / their soul will readily looks the way to have a gain.  It is only people of solid moral character that won't turn like this so it pays to run with them if you can.

"when someone's back is against the wall, their high-minded self / their soul will readily looks the way to have a gain."

Yeah--definitely what I'm referring to while speaking of shady truck guy. Definitely don't want to run with him, unfortunately some people I love and respect do. I will trust my instincts and stay clear.