The Professional Astrologer knows far
more Astrology than he finds expedient to use in his services to his
clients. Occasionally, valid techniques become discarded through disuse.
It pays to review some of those techniques and to recapture their
usefulness. One such technique, generally credited to Marc Edmond
Jones, Ph.D, is the pattern presented by the planets in the natal
horoscope.
When children play with Jacks and a ball, they throw the Jacks up
in the air so the Jacks will scatter as they fall. It sometimes appears
that the planets in a horoscope fall in a haphazard way, just like
the Jacks. Dr. Jones decided that the planets do not just scatter.
He identified seven major patterns into which they fall. Because he
was dealing with the horoscopes of real people, he was able to relate
each pattern to types of personalities that he had observed over his
many years of Astrological experience. In 1941, almost sixty years
ago, he described the personality characteristics of each pattern.
He used only the planets, the Sun, and the Moon. No angles, no nodes.
In this article, I shall discuss these patterns briefly.
THE BOWL involves all ten factors in one half the circle. There
is usually an opposition that defines the half. They can be in any
position, as long as all ten factors lie within one half of the horoscope.
This describes a person who is self-contained and self-sufficient.
Because the BOWL person lacks half a circle of experience, he is looking
for the other half, and relates what he knows to other, larger matters.
He tries to see the big picture.
THE BUCKET chart may look like a bowl but there is one planet
in the other half of the circle. The nine planets may be anywhere
within a grouping of 120 to 180 degrees. The planet in opposition
starts to look like the HANDLE to the bucket, and takes on great importance.
The handle planet must be at least 60 degrees from the nearest planet.
The BUCKET person sometimes has a missionary zeal, and moves people
as a teacher, or leader, or agitator.
THE SEE-SAW has more than one planet opposing the larger group.
If you think the handle to the bucket has two or more planets, it
is not a bucket, but a SEE-SAW. It might even be five opposite five
planets. But unlike the see-saw in a children's playground, the distribution
of the ten factors need not be evenly weighted. Here is a person who
is constantly being torn apart by differing situations or people.
This person is always trying to find some balance. As soon as he thinks
he has gained balance, something else seems to pull him in two directions.
The see-saw must have 60° separating the two groups on one side,
and 90° on the other side.
THE BUNDLE finds the planets in a much tighter group than the
BOWL. Here we find the planets within a trine or 120 degrees. (Many
people born in the Summer of 1955 have their planets in a BUNDLE.)
These people are very one-pointed, intent on one idea. They may have
some unusual ability because of this concentration. Their outlook
is very focused.
THE SPLASH is quite different from the BUNDLE. The SPLASH has
the ten planets evenly distributed around the circle with no concentration
in any one area. This is a more uninhibited personality, who may scatter
his energies and interests. When well-used, we find this person is
a generalist, well-rounded, and with universal tastes and interests.
THE LOCOMOTIVE has a look all its own. While the BUNDLE has
all its planets within 120 degrees, the LOCOMOTIVE has all the planets
evenly distributed EXCEPT for an empty 120 degrees. With a little
stretch of the imagination, you can see the driving wheel of a locomotive
in the planetary distribution. The personality that goes with the
LOCOMOTIVE is one of great drive and executive ability. This person
will not miss an opportunity to succeed.
THE SPLAY usually has several tight groupings. It is very difficult
to classify this arrangement into one of the other six groups. This
coincides with a person whose personality is very difficult to classify.
The SPLAY person is highly individualistic and loves being told how
"different" and "unclassifiable" he is.
The Professional Astrologer talks about reading the "Chart-as-a-whole"
before looking at details. Today's most sophisticated software programs
are replete with information about the details of a chart. It is up
to the Astrologer to look at the chart-as-a-whole. When you look at
a chart that has only the Sun and the Moon and the eight planets,
you can begin to read the chart-as-a-whole. I gain valuable insight
into the basic personality of my clients when I use the patterns described
above. I encourage you to look at a horoscope this way.
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