the "shaping" of a chart

(be prepared, i started reading more on astrology...think i might blitz this board now...lol)

ok, so a book i'm reading went into a (very) brief illustration of chart shapes...i'm trying to decide which shape best represents my chart...and i have a question on the importance of 'shapes'...

i've planets in only 7 signs, which first made me look at "the bucket" (the singleton planet would be jupiter out in the upper left quadrant (sorry, don't know proper name for it), but then i have Neptune right on the MC, so i don't know if that would nullify this one)...the book says the singleton planet indicates the nature of your purpose (for incarnating, i would assume)...hmmm...Jupiter in Cappy indicates my purpose? well...it is the apex of my T-Square, which was another factor in thinking it might be the bucket, but...it does require all the planets to be in one half of the chart excepting the singleton, and if it weren't for Neptune, this might be the case, but w/Neptune there...no bucket...so...

then i saw "the see-saw" (5 planets opposing each other)...and this looks a bit more like my chart...oppositions in my chart include:

Mars opp Neptune
Saturn opp Neptune
Sun opp Moon/Sun opp Pluto/Sun opp Uranus
Mercury opp same planets as Sun
Chiron (if you count it) opp Uranus & Moon

lots of oppositions, no? lol...so, for the see-saw the book says that, "these people always consider opposing views and opinions." heh...well, duh! (sorry, no disrespect, but c'mon...) although i always thought this trait was b/c of my Libra Moon than anything else...hmmm....also says something about having a hard time making decisions due to being able to see both sides...again, i thought this was just my Libra??

so, my question is this...how much weight should we put behind the shaping of the chart?? i know all things must be considered both separately and as a whole...but...it seemed a neat little "pointer" in the right direction...seems as though my dad had a "bundle" chart...oh! and my hubby's chart is like mine...very "see-saw"...which would make one wonder if people w/similar shaped charts are attracted to each other?? hmmm...looks like my son is another "see-saw" (6 planets total opposing)...my daughter does not have the "see-saw" shape however...the closest to hers was "the splay"...she has a grand trine in fire w/Moon, Pluto & Venus and a big fat stellum in Cancer...hmmm....(oh, and my son has a t-square too...heh)

eh, more questions...i can think of about 10 right now...i'll try to contain myself, however...

so, what about these shapes?? pay attention to them, or no??

many blessings,

~azure

Shapes are good to look at, although unlike aspect patterns they are broader and sometimes it's harder to find a shape. (Whereas w/aspect patterns, you either have em, or you don't...) I'd say pay attn to shapes, but look for aspect patterns first b/c they are usually clearer unless the shape matches the pattern very well.

As for being drawn to ppl w/similar shapes, I'm not sure if there's a pattern there. I think compatibility is indicated more strongly by sign placements (esp w/the personal planets and ASC), and composite/synastry charts. Although I could be wrong.

Also, you can have more than one singleton. You can have a single planet in element or quality either by sign or house.

thank you for the info, isthmus! of course, aspects should come first...but i had never heard of this whole "shape" thing before (until i read the discussion in the Gemini thread that is), so i was (naturally) curious!

and about compatibility...even though we are two years apart, me and the hubby have alot of planets in the same signs or one sign apart (and i'm not just talking the outer planets either)...so i know that that is where most of our compatibility comes from...(notably, we both have Mars at 1 Gemini...our Venus are 3 degrees apart in Taurus...Moon in Libra for both, but far apart & i'm Aries Sun, he's Taurus Sun) i just found it interesting that we both have this see-saw pattern going on...(his is more prominent, i think)

i've compared our charts w/both synastry & composite charts and there's...um...interesting aspects...lol...some are supposedly not good for most relationships, but my theory? my Moon/Pluto thing (plus the trine between Venus & Pluto) gives me this "thing" (don't know what you'd want to call it) that makes me: extremely devoted; able to withstand rockier situations; able to withstand major upheavals...took me a little while to recognize, but i know i've found my "true love"

thanks for the info!

many blessings,

~azure

I'd take shape into consideration early on, along with element balance, modality balance and other overall factors.

Without directly seeing your chart its difficult to say what shape I'd classify it as. The classic bucket is 9 planets in 180 degrees, and one in the other hemisphere, approximately in the middle of that hemisphere. However, hemisphere simply means the other half of your chart from where most of the planets lie - so if most lie in the 11th - 5th via the Ascendant then the other half is 11th to 5th via the descenant and the mid point would be around the 8th. This needs to be treated with some flexibility but 2 planets or more in the 'other half' really rules out the bucket.

See Saw should look just like that. If you have 5 planets in the 11th and 12th and another 5 in the 5th and 6th that's a See Saw. They dont need to be in perfect opposition because the houses do the opposing for you. The rest of the chart should be bare of planets. Again you can allow some flexibility but go by your impressions.

Indeed the pattern created gives you an impression of the person and their life - its a picture of the wood before you get to the trees (aspects) so incorporate it into your synthesis of the person you're reading for.

thanks for your input, Minderwiz!! i appreciate it...i've run through all the other stuff in my chart, but...

if you wanna look at it, here's my info:
March 29, 1972 at 3:36 am in Elizabeth, NJ, USA

my chart is Air dominant, highly Cardinal...the N/S hemispheres are balanced, the eastern hemisphere has more planets though...(hubby is Earth, Fixed, South hemi & balanced E/W...hehe)

now, that i look at it some more, i don't know if it's see-saw...my hubby's definitely is...but mine...i dunno...it's still an interesting thing to see how this "shape" thing works...

and as you can see, i'm very much a "beginner" even though i've been "interested" for ages...

many blessings,

~azure

i cant really see what kinda my chart is like....bobmarksastrologer.com has tutorial on astrology and describing the shape of the chart although after seeing it i still dont know whats my shape....i only know i have a "royal chart"....

LOL.....My see-saw is broken, 3 planets in the 12th & 1st and 3 in the 4th & 5th. I must have a vase because I have all my planets within 210 degrees; Jupiter 05vir41 to Saturn 06ari07.
But seriously, do all charts produce a shape? Is there a "spoon' or "laddel" shape?

Luna;afey,

It depends what you mean by 'shape' there is a 'pattern' called a Splay, or Splash, which basically is that the planets are spread out around the wheel. Interpretation is on the lines of the UK saying 'Jack of all trades, master of none'.

Spread across the universe.........

I think I'm spread out all over the place as well but what interests me are the aspect patterns which are made up of groups of planets in a particular relationship with each other.

Back to Yod, my God - yeah..............Pardon my irreverence, Isthmus' play on words has stayed with me like your wedges, Minderwiz.

Other aspect patterns are called such names as Stellum, T-Square, the Grand Cross, the Grand Trine, the Seer, the Mystic Triangle and so on,

It would be interesting to discover which, if any, of these might be present in your chart Azure, as they can be significant too, I think.

Forsyth (she of the Wedges) distiguishes between Chart Patterns and Aspect Patterns.

Probably this is fairly advanced, I didn't understand what it meant at all initially, not that I'm advanced.

Many blessings

Minderwiz said:

Luna;afey,

It depends what you mean by 'shape' there is a 'pattern' called a Splay, or Splash, which basically is that the planets are spread out around the wheel. Interpretation is on the lines of the UK saying 'Jack of all trades, master of none'.

Click to expand...

I do like to say. 'know a little about alot'....
and I do like to get my hand on stuff & learn....currently, I'm thinking of moving away from being a bartender and getting into Masonry & tile work, never done it before, but I have quite a bit of Virgo in my chart, I now I'll do beautiful, perfect work...lol
SPLASH?
..... I don't think my planets spread over enough of the wheel.
within the 'top half' of my chart the 12th & 7th house only contain one planet each houses 8,9,10, & 11 are all empty.