The Splay

Marc Edmund Jones defined the Splay chart as having the planets lumped in three distinct groups. Since the groups could be anywhere on the wheel, Splay people are usually unique in some way, difficult to pigeonhole. I’ve found, however, that the same effect can occur if the planets are bunched in four or even five groups. The groups have to be at least sixty degrees apart unless they are separated by the Ascendant-Descendant line or the Mid-Heaven-Nadir line.

Bruce Willis is a good example of that. Jupiter, Uranus, and Pluto form one bunch, Neptune and Saturn another, while the Moon, Venus Mercury, and the Sun form a third. Mars is over sixty degrees from the Jupiter group and is separated from the Sun by the Ascendant-Descendant axis.

Mars is Bruce’s only planet in an Earth Sign, so it is pretty strong to begin with. But it gets extra strength here because it is isolated from the other planets. And what is Bruce Willis known for? Action-adventure movies.

But true to the Splay chart, he can’t be easily typecast. He also does more serious roles (e.g. “Pulp Fiction”) and comedies, such as “Blind Date” (which was intentional) and “Hudson Hawk” (which was an unintentional comedy).

Jennifer Jason Leigh is another Splay type. Uranus and Pluto in the 4th house form one group, while most of the others are piled into the sign of Aquarius. Neptune (film) is alone in the sixth house (work) and can therefore “funnel” most of the chart’s “energy”. She did mention, on the Tonight show, that she greatly prefers to do  movies rather than act on  the stage.

Henri Landru is an excellent (although extremely negative) example of the way the Splay can make you stand out from the ordinary. This unique serial killer married his victims before killing them.

The three groups are very clear in this chart. Saturn stands out because it is isolated from the other planets. Because of this, it can Funnel the “energy” of the horoscope to the house it occupies. That’s the 8th House, which rules both partnership resources (which he stole) and death. It should also be noted that Pluto, planet of death and the natural ruler of the eighth house, is also a Singleton twice over.

Pluto is the only planet in an Earth Sign (material resources) and the only planet in an Angular House.

Carl Jung had the planets in five distinct groups. Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars all stand alone. Mars gets the emphasis here. It is in Sagittarius, the sign of religion, philosophy, and publishing. Jung’s collected writings fill a bookshelf. Jung, of course, was famous for his theory of the “collective unconscious”.