Our birth charts are jam packed with information that can shed light on our lives, from which houses or signs the planets sit in to how the planets aspect each other. In fact, even just the way a chart looks can tell us a lot!
In this blog post, I am going to discuss the landscape of birth charts and introduce common chart shapes.
Hemispheres & Quadrants
First, it’s helpful to understand that birth charts are broken down into four hemispheres (northern, eastern, southern, and western) and four quadrants (NE, NW, SE, SW). It’s a little confusing, but the directions are flipped on your chart – so north is at the bottom and east is to the left.
Each of these hemispheres and quadrants are associated with traits and perspectives, and the clustering of planets (or lack of planets) in any of these regions can provide insight.
Northern Hemisphere: This hemisphere is associated with self in a very private way. A majority of planets in the north could indicate that someone is introverted, subjective, and finds solitude rejuvenating.
Eastern Hemisphere: This hemisphere carries assertive, action-oriented energy. People with most of their planets in this hemisphere often have a very ‘take the bull by its horns’ type of mentality. They make their destiny.
Southern Hemisphere: Opposite to the north, this hemisphere is much more ‘open.’ People with a southern hemisphere-heavy chart tend to be other-motivated, objective, and social.
Western Hemisphere: This hemisphere is the gentle sibling of the east. Some might use the word ‘passive.’ People with many planets in this hemisphere are often very receptive of others’ needs and prefer to roll with the punches rather than make waves.
Quadrant 1: Awareness of Self Represents a combination of the north’s privacy and the east’s assertiveness to create someone who actively focuses their energy inwards on self-reflection and growth. These people are “self”-motivated in every sense of the word, but not necessarily in a selfish way. The focus here is the relationship with self.
Quadrant 2: Integration of Self with Environment Again, take the north’s focus on self, but combine it with the west’s receptiveness. It creates someone who primarily identifies themselves through their immediate environment. The focus here is on developing rich, intimate relationships with family and friends.
Quadrant 3: Awareness of Others This time, it’s the south’s openness and west’s gentle nature that leads to a very other-oriented and sociable outlook. These people enjoy being part of groups, and tend to put the needs of others before their own. The focus here is acting on an individual level to help others.
Quadrant 4: Integration of Self with Society Assertive + other-oriented = sociable go-getters. These people are crazy ambitious, and are often called to channel their energy to impact society as a whole. Or, at the very least, to see things from the big picture and make even bigger moves.
Chart Shapes
Ok, now let’s talk about chart shapes! Chart shapes simply refer to the common patterns that the placement of planets in the signs of our chart make. There are seven well-accepted shapes:
Bowl
Bucket
Bundle
Locomotive
Seesaw
Splash
Splay
If you’re confused about what shape your chart might have, the below descriptions and a little math can help you: there are 12 signs in each chart, and each sign takes up 30° to add up to, you guess it, 360°!
Bowl
The planets in this pattern make a clear bowl, meaning that they are distributed in one half of the chart, or across 180°. No more than two signs, or 60°, of the occupied half of the chart should be empty.
People with bowl charts are often highly focused and resourceful person. However, because half of their chart is missing, they tend to be acutely aware that something is ‘missing.’ There’s often a pattern here to seek partners or friends who provide balance and fill this perceived void
Bucket
A bucket shape is basically a bowl with one outlier planet. This opposing planet is known as the bucket’s ‘handle’ or as a ‘singleton planet.’
People with this chart shape carry the same determined energy of the bowl chart, but the singleton planet acts as a point of release. It represents how one channels their personality and approach to life, but also symbolizes the overlap of a key life goal with a major enduring struggle.
Bundle
In a bundle pattern, all of the planets are wrapped up tightly in a ~120° area, or about four signs/one-third of the chart.
With a bundle chart shape, people tend to have tremendous focus. They’re able to pursue their pursuits intensely and relentlessly (read: obsessive). With very specific interests and a tendency towards ‘main character syndrome,’ they may lack a well-roundedness or ability to view things objectively.
Locomotive
In a locomotive chart, all planets are more or less evenly distributed across two-thirds of the chart, or 240°. This leaves about one third of the horoscope, or about 120°, empty. Typically, no more than two signs would be empty within the occupied two-thirds.
A locomotive chart shape is indicative of someone with seemingly endless energy who is constantly on a quest for new adventures. However, when they run out of steam (as is bound to happen eventually), it’s less of a slow stop and more of a complete derail.
As with any locomotive, there is an engine (the first planet pulling the locomotive in the clockwise direction) and a caboose (the last planet bringing up the rear). The engine planet and its placement represents what drives your life force, and the caboose symbolizes what bogs you down. For example, if Saturn in the fourth house was your caboose, you might feel hindered by the weight of responsibility in your family life.
Seesaw
This pattern is pretty self-explanatory: it consists of two opposing clusters of planets that are separated by at least two signs, or 60°.
If someone had a seesaw chart, I would predict that they often feel pulled in different directions or like they are living two separate lives. I’d then look at where the clusters are located to try to further pinpoint the divergence (check the hemispheres or quadrants!). I’d finally suggest they focus on finding balance between their opposing sides.
Splash
This is an easy one: in this pattern, there is no pattern! Basically, the planets are scattered around the chart, with usually no more than two planets in a sign and no empty region that extends beyond two signs, or 60°.
This pattern is associated with independent and curious people with many diverse interests. However, like their planets, they can become easily scattered and distracted. Unless they can focus their energy, they may be doomed to become your typical ‘jack of all trades, master of none.’
Splay
A splay pattern occurs when the planets are split between three distinct groups, which are at least two signs or 60° away from each other.
A splay chart indicates that someone has several areas of strength. You can determine what these areas of strength might be by looking at where the clusters of planets occur. It’s typical that these people are very much aware of these assets, and as a result are very self-assured in these areas. The struggle instead lies in linking the diverse skill sets together and developing them into tangible results.
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