Applying Step #1 assessments to the chart.
Using Martha Stewart's chart, I will utilize the initial assessment steps discussed so far.
CHART SHAPE: Bucket. The arc from Mars/Aries/fifth house to Neptune/Virgo/eleventh house contains all of the "planets" except for the Moon. That grouping covers the personal outreach (DSC angle) and life's accomplishments (MC angle) portion of the chart. The Moon is the handle or focus for the Bucket shaping. The classical Bucket pattern has an oppositional quality associated with it -- but that is lacking in this case as the Moon has already passed its opposition aspect to Jupiter and is now some nine degrees wide.
We'll have to be sensitive to how the Moon's symbology (public response goals, needs to be fulfilled, emotions, personal habits and values) can be augmented or circumvented. In either case (assuming that we knew nothing about Martha) the Moon will be strengthened or weakened by other factors since it does not have a strong oppositional dynamic of its own. So, we now have one key task for us to solve -- a starting focus for us when we get into the chart's details. If the Moon can't reflect another planet, what will it do, how will it do it? How will a Sag/2nd house show up in Martha's life?
ELEMENT BALANCE: Counting each "planet" and the ASC and MC as one point, and spliting points for "sign cusp planets" we arrive at the following tabulation:
FIRE: 5
EARTH: 3.5
AIR: 1.5
WATER: 2
This indicates that the fire quality will be very strong. Imagination, impulse to action, personal pride will want to be strongly experienced in one's life time. Sun and Mars will tend to be energy resources to achieve these qualitities as they most easily convey and support that directive. Earth also has some strength, suggesting practicality, pleasure, service. Venus and Saturn may play a supportive role.
QUALITY BALANCE: Again, counting the "planets", ASC and MC we can find the following tabulation:
CARDINAL: 2
FIXED: 5.5
MUTABLE: 4.5
Here I am noticing not the Fixed/Mutable emphasis but the Cardinal softness. The aggressiveness is not so apparent, while the fixed/mutable (achieve, persevere, adapt) qualities are stronger. So how is Martha's drive seemingly subdued while her goals are pursued?
This is what is evident to me when taking a one-minute scan of Martha Stewart's chart. The Moon or it's substitute agent will be a key factor in releasing her Sag/2nd house values, she will want to "reach out and touch others." She will also exemplify the "velet glove" approach, having a softness (no cardinal) to mask her core strengths (Moon focus of the Bucket pattern, Sun near the MC).
As practice I would suggest two things to the participating list: First, consider what I have said and determine if you are comfortable with it. Ask questions, take a different stance. It is not important that you follow a specific method but that you just understand the process of "overview" so that you can apply it to your own chart and to the charts of others. Second, do look at your own chart and come back to the list with comments or questions. We will be more comfortable with the following phases of chart interpretation if we all know how we reached these initial conclusions and can focus on them in the following steps. Dave.