The Splash
We will start with the least well-defined planetary pattern: the Splash. When the planets are distributed evenly or “splashed around” the natal chart, we have a Splash pattern.
It is important to note at the outset that the Splash pattern is not some sort of catch-all category. We don’t use the Splash pattern just because we can’t find a better pattern to classify a chart. It’s the rarest of the planetary patterns. As Robert Jansky notes, there are only a few days in a typical year when the Splash pattern is possible. Some years it’s not possible at all. You won’t find a Splash pattern, for example, in years when a Bundle pattern is possible.
The Ideal Splash Pattern
The ideal form of the Splash pattern contains five pairs of oppositions, with no two planets in the same sign or house. Two empty houses or signs are also not adjacent to each other. The order of the planets is irrelevant.
The natal chart for songwriter, composer, conductor, and arranger Henry Mancini is a near-ideal example of the Splash pattern (Figure 11). Mancini won four Academy Awards, a Golden Globe, and twenty Grammy Awards. Plus, he won a posthumous Lifetime Grammy Award. He was generally known as one of the greatest composers in film.
With the exception of two planets in the tenth house, each planet in Henry Mancini’s chart is found in a different house. Each planet is also in a distinct sign. A Splash pattern like Henry Mancini’s that lacks at least one conjunction is rare. Add a second conjunction and it becomes extremely difficult for the chart to form a Splash pattern, since two conjunctions leave us only six more planets to fill out the Splash pattern.
The Splash planetary pattern can blur into three other patterns: the Locomotive, the Seesaw, and the Splay. When you can reasonably choose between the Splash and one of these other patterns, Marc Edmund Jones advised readers to lean against the Splash. The other patterns, he argued, provide more information about the individual to the astrologer.
When approaching a possible Splash pattern, we start with the widest open area between two planets in the chart. We know that if the planets were evenly distributed around the chart, each would be separated by 36°. As the chart begins to differ from that ideal, the planets begin to cluster. If they form a single cluster, the pattern begins to morph into a Locomotive pattern as the open space approaches 120°. Two widely separated clusters and the pattern approaches a Seesaw pattern. Three widely separated clusters and the pattern comes to resemble the Splay pattern.
If you use uneven houses in your natal charts, be careful not to just count the open houses. You need to pay attention to the amount of open space when identifying the Splash pattern. The house cusps can confuse your eyes. A common aspect pattern with the Splash shape is the Grand Trine.
The Splash Pattern Temperament
What are we to conclude when we see a Splash planetary pattern?
At its best, the Splash pattern can describe an individual who demonstrates a capacity for genuine, universal interest. No other pattern has broader general competency. These individuals are able to do many things well. Jansky said they can be tempted to believe they are especially “gifted” or “fit” for dealing with any kind of situation that comes along.
Don’t expect the Splash individual to limit their interest to a single calling or profession. They “splash” their attention and effort in multiple directions. These are the sorts of individuals who make their mark in multiple areas of life.
A wide variety of aspects and aspect patterns are possible in the Splash pattern. An abundance of oppositions, trines, and squares can provide the individual with a multitude of influences and opportunities. Aspect patterns like T-Squares and Grand Crosses can reduce the tendency of Splash individuals to scatter their efforts. So, too, can Grand Trines, especially when they contain the Sun or the Moon.
At its worst, the Splash pattern can mean that the individual is “scattered” in their interests, a Jack of all trades and master of none. This can lead to a general waste of their talents. What’s lacking in the Splash pattern is a high-focus planet.
Counseling the Individual with a Splash Pattern
There have been great achievers with the Splash pattern. What they share is a set of widespread interests and a well-rounded personality.
Individuals with a Splash pattern are especially well suited to management positions. Not only can they draw on their own skills to see their projects through to completion, but they can leverage the talents of a diverse group of individuals as well.
The education that best suits the Splash pattern is one of balance: general enough to provide the individual with a wide range of life experiences and focused enough to provide the necessary skills for a successful career. The Splash individual might change majors in college multiple times as new directions and opportunities arise.
The Splash individual should be encouraged to explore multiple hobbies and pastimes. They will not only provide lifelong satisfaction but will also boost self-confidence.
Focus can be a challenge. It’s essential that it be learned if the Splash individual is to make a meaningful contribution in life. Some individuals charge off in all directions at once. They can end up getting nowhere fast. They might know a little about everything, but that knowledge needs to be put to practical use.
If the individual has trouble with focus, then a measure of discipline is required. They need to gather their thoughts and organize them. Meditation can help center the Splash personality.
Too much confidence can cause its own problems. Individuals can feel they can do anything they want at any time. This can cause them to become overextended. The desire to please everyone can cause the Splash individual to become spread too thin. They can accept tasks they can’t complete.
The Splash individual needs to learn and accept their limitations. Because they undertake so many projects, they can expect some failures and unfulfilled attempts. They need to avoid deceiving themselves (and others) about their limitations. They need to recognize that their talents have limits. Great achievers accept the challenges they’re capable of meeting but don’t overstep their abilities.
Famous writer and poet Maya Angelou has a chart and life that fits the definition of the Splash very well (Figure 12). The ten planets occupy eight signs and seven houses. They’re scattered evenly around her chart. Maya Angelou possessed a diverse range of creative talents. She was so much more than a writer and a poet. She was also a lecturer, an actress, and a dancer.
The chart of US President Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt has planets in eight of twelve signs, reflecting his diversity of interests (Figure 13). There are also two T-Squares present in the pattern: one between Jupiter opposed Venus with Neptune at the apex and the other between Pluto opposed Sun-Mercury with Saturn more widely at the apex.
The chart of celebrated author, poet, playwright, and journalist Oscar Wilde also shows a Splash pattern containing a T-Square aspect pattern (Figure 14). In his case, the Moon is the apex planet with Mercury-Uranus in opposition. This T-Square goes a long way to explaining the sensitive, eccentric nature of Oscar Wilde. Biquintile aspects are also evident, marking his creative genius.
Figure 15: William Butler Yeats
The Splash pattern in the chart of William Butler Yeats could be confused for a Splay pattern, with the wide Moon-Mars opposition forming a Bowl section and then Jupiter and Saturn forming legs of a tripod (Figure 15). There is an Air Grand Trine in Yeats’s chart involving the Sun, Moon, and Saturn. If we’re willing to accept a wider orb, then a second Air Grand Trine is present with the Moon, Saturn, and Uranus.