Bucket shaped natal chart, Chiron rx singleton

All of my planets are on the left side of my chart -- houses 1,2,3 and 10 & 11 except the asteroid Chiron, which was in retrograde in the 8th house.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this retrograde Chiron singleton?

From what little I've learned (very junior) I believe that it might be harder for me to get over emotional and psychological injuries in 8th house areas (i.e. sex) than the typical person. Because it's a singleton it is a central issue in my life which may be reflected in other areas.

Also, since Chiron is an asteroid, not a planet, would you consider my chart more a bundle than a basket? And what does it mean to be all bundled on the left/west side?

I believe it means I'm an initiator, which my mom would probably disagree with

I posted a picture of my chart in the birth data thread.

I'm not the best person to answer your query because I don't practice modern Astrology. However for what it's worth,

Firstly the Left side is East! The Ascendant or first house is at the 9 o'clock position and is the degree rising at the moment of your birth. The Sun and planets rise in the East and set in the West. So the right hand side is West - the Descendant or setting point is the cusp of the seventh House in most house systems. If you live in the Northern Hemisphere picture yourself facing due south, the Sun will rise over your left shoulder and move from left to right in front of you, finally setting just over your right shoulder. If you're in the Southern hemisphere again picture yourself looking due South, but in this case the Sun's movements are behind you instead of in front of you.

An East or left side dominated chart is supposed to show you as self reliant, whereas the right side is supposed to show a focus on others (this really is a very simple view and heavily dependent on the fact that the first house is you - mind, body and spirt - and the seventh house is virtually everyone else, apart from close family.

Your description of the bucket is quite sound in modern interpretation, though the singleton should be in opposition to the centre of the others. Chiron is stretching matters for many astrologers as the handle of the bucket but you will find devotees who will go with it. The Bowl chart is supposed to show that your life is always dominated by opposing choices.

These views above are part of a psychological approach to Astrology, an approach which dominated without hardly any dissent for the last 40 years or so, but is increasingly being challenged by Astrologers who believe that charts are not just mind maps but cover both you and the external world. The standard interpretations of buckets, bowls, etc, only work if you see the chart as you and nothing else.

The view of the eighth house as covering matters of sex is also a psychological one. As I'm sure you are aware, since Freud's time sex has been seen as a somewhat dark driving force in our lives. The traditional view of Astrology is that sex is to do with children (5th house) and fun and enjoyment (also fifth house) so on Astrologer would only look at the eighth house in cases of diseases of the sexual organs - making a distinction between the organs and the purpose - in the same way that you don't see a good meal as simply relating to the physiology of your stomach and intestines.

So yes your reading has got you to the right place in the dominant modern view, whether it really is the 'right place' is something that you will gradually work out for yourself over the life of your study of Astrology.

Thank you so much Minderwiz!

I will not make the east/west mistake again

Could you point me towards a book which takes this more modern me + external world approach?

I guess what little I've learned came from books from the 80s and early 90s.

I shall continue my learning and look forward to being more active here!