Chart shapes and aspect patterns
The big picture of a chart: its overall shape and the planet patterns inside it.
This section covers chart shapes and aspect patterns, the two things that give a birth chart its character before you read a single planet. The shape is how the planets spread around the wheel. The patterns are the groups of angles that tie some of them together.
What are the chart shapes?
In the 1940s astrologer Marc Edmund Jones described seven basic shapes. They are based on how the ten planets spread around the 360 degrees of the zodiac. Each shape points to a style of attention. Some charts focus hard on one area and some stay balanced. Others scatter their attention, or pour everything through one outlet.
- Bowl chart: planets fill one half of the wheel.
- Bucket chart: a bowl with one planet acting as a handle.
- Locomotive chart: planets span about two thirds of the wheel.
- Bundle chart: all planets packed into about a third.
- Seesaw chart: two opposing groups.
- Splash chart: planets spread evenly around the wheel.
- Splay chart: uneven clusters with no clear order.
Not sure which one you have? The chart shape calculator finds it from your birth data.
What are aspect patterns?
Aspect patterns are groups of planets tied together by exact angles. They tend to act as a single unit in the chart, so they stand out in a reading.
- T-square: two planets in opposition, both squared by a third.
- Yod: two planets sextile each other, both at a 150 degree angle to a third.
- Grand trine: three planets about 120 degrees apart.
- Stellium: three or more planets in the same sign or house.
How do patterns fit into the bigger picture?
Shapes and patterns are one layer of a reading. They show where energy gathers. How comfortable each planet feels is a separate question, answered by planet strength. The five core types then describe the way a personality is organized as a whole.
- Bowl chart in astrologyAll planets fill one half of the wheel, leaving the other half empty.
- Bucket chart in astrologyA bowl with one planet standing alone as the handle.
- Locomotive chart in astrologyPlanets span about 240 degrees, with an empty third behind them.
- Bundle chart in astrologyAll planets squeezed into about a third of the wheel.
- Seesaw chart in astrologyTwo groups of planets facing each other across the wheel.
- Splash chart in astrologyPlanets spread fairly evenly around the whole wheel.
- Splay chart in astrologyIrregular clusters of planets with gaps, a chart that follows its own rhythm.
- T-square in astrologyTwo planets in opposition, both squared by a third, the apex.
- Grand cross in astrologyFour planets in two oppositions and four squares, a pattern of steady pressure.
- Yod in astrologyTwo planets in sextile, both at 150 degrees to a third planet, the apex.
- Grand trine in astrologyThree planets about 120 degrees apart, usually all in one element.
- Kite pattern in astrologyA grand trine with a fourth planet that gives the talent a direction.
- Mystic rectangle in astrologyTwo oppositions held together by trines and sextiles, tension with built-in support.
- Stellium in astrologyThree or more planets in one sign or house, concentrating a theme.
Questions
What is the difference between a chart shape and an aspect pattern?
A chart shape describes how all your planets are spread around the wheel. An aspect pattern, such as a T-square or yod, is a small group of three or more planets linked by specific angles.
Which should I look at first?
Start with the chart shape, because it gives the overall picture in a few seconds. Then look for aspect patterns and stelliums, which add detail.
Does every chart have a shape?
Yes. Every chart has an overall distribution of planets, though some charts sit between two shapes. Aspect patterns are different, since many charts have none of them.