Your Chart
Pattern
How your planets distribute across the zodiac reveals something fundamental about you — whether you concentrate energy like a laser or spread it like light. There are 7 classic patterns.
Your Chart's Big Picture
Chart patterns reveal the overall shape of your planetary distribution — how concentrated or spread out your energy is across the zodiac. This is the most fundamental thing your chart says about how you approach life.
📊 7 Classic Patterns
Bundle
All planets concentrated within ~120° (4 signs)
Bowl
All planets within ~180° (half the wheel)
Bucket
Bowl pattern + one planet (the "handle") opposite
Locomotive
Planets span ~240° with one empty trine (120°)
Seesaw
Two groups of planets opposing each other
Splash
Planets spread relatively evenly across the wheel
Splay
Irregular clusters with no single dominant pattern
The 7 Chart Patterns
🎯Bundle
All planets concentrated within ~120° (4 signs)
Bundle
All planets concentrated within ~120° (4 signs)
The Bundle is the most concentrated chart pattern — all planets are packed into roughly one-third of the zodiac wheel.
“You are the laser, not the lamp. Your power is in your concentration — go deeper, not wider.”
🥣Bowl
All planets within ~180° (half the wheel)
Bowl
All planets within ~180° (half the wheel)
The Bowl pattern places all planets within half the zodiac — one hemisphere is full, the other is empty.
“Half your wheel is full. The other half is calling. The journey from having to seeking is your life's defining arc.”
🪣Bucket
Bowl pattern + one planet (the "handle") opposite
Bucket
Bowl pattern + one planet (the "handle") opposite
The Bucket is a Bowl with one planet (or a tight conjunction) sitting alone on the opposite side — the "handle.
“Everything you are flows through one point. Your handle planet is your megaphone — and the world is listening.”
🚂Locomotive
Planets span ~240° with one empty trine (120°)
Locomotive
Planets span ~240° with one empty trine (120°)
The Locomotive pattern distributes planets across roughly two-thirds of the zodiac, leaving one trine (120°) completely empty.
“You are the engine. Your momentum is your greatest asset — the world gets out of the way when you're moving.”
⚖️Seesaw
Two groups of planets opposing each other
Seesaw
Two groups of planets opposing each other
The Seesaw pattern divides planets into two distinct clusters on opposite sides of the wheel, with empty space between them.
“You hold the tension between two worlds. That's not indecision — it's the rarest form of wisdom.”
💦Splash
Planets spread relatively evenly across the wheel
Splash
Planets spread relatively evenly across the wheel
The Splash pattern distributes planets as evenly as possible around the entire zodiac — no hemisphere dominates, no single area is left empty.
“You contain multitudes. The world needs generalists as much as specialists — but choose your depth deliberately.”
🌟Splay
Irregular clusters with no single dominant pattern
Splay
Irregular clusters with no single dominant pattern
The Splay pattern is the most individualistic of all chart shapes — it features irregular clusters of planets without conforming to any of the classic patterns.
“You don't fit the pattern — you are the pattern. Your individuality is not a bug; it's your defining feature.”
Frequently Asked Questions
How is the chart pattern calculated?
Chart pattern analysis examines the distribution of all 10 planets around the 360° zodiac wheel. The algorithm measures the largest gap between consecutive planets, the total occupied span, and the clustering pattern to classify the shape into one of the 7 categories. TropicalAstro uses a gap-analysis algorithm that closely follows Marc Edmund Jones's original classification system.
Can my chart pattern be a mix of two types?
Yes — many charts don't fit perfectly into a single category. A chart might be "mostly Bowl with Bucket tendencies" or "between Locomotive and Splay." TropicalAstro classifies charts into the single best-fitting pattern, but the interpretation should be read as the closest match rather than an absolute category.
Does chart pattern change with different house systems?
No — chart patterns are based on planetary longitudes (positions in the zodiac), not house placements. Your chart pattern is the same regardless of whether you use Whole Sign, Placidus, Koch, or any other house system. The pattern is determined by where the planets are in the zodiac, not which houses they occupy.
Dive Deeper Into Your Chart
Your chart pattern is the big picture. Your individual planet positions, signs, houses, and aspects fill in the detail.
✨ Full Birth Chart