Seesaw

What the seesaw shape is

Marc Edmund Jones sorted charts into seven shapes by the way the planets spread around the zodiac. The seesaw, sometimes called the hourglass, divides them into two clusters on opposite sides of the wheel, with empty space between the clusters on both flanks. The picture is a plank balanced on a central point, a group of planets at each end.

Jones linked this shape to a mind that works through contrast. Every interest seems to have an opposite, and the person learns by weighing one against the other. Astrologers read the seesaw as a temperament built for perspective and for choices.

The rule: two groups across two empty arcs

The rule is two groups facing each other across two empty arcs. Jones counted the ten planets from the Sun to Pluto. The groups need not be equal in size, but each should hold enough planets to act as a real counterweight, and the empty arcs should clearly separate them. Usually at least one opposition runs between the two groups and anchors the axis.

The axis matters. When the two groups lie on either side of the horizon, east and west, the balance tends to run between self and others: independence against partnership. When they sit above and below, the balance runs between private and public life: home against career. Diagonal axes combine the two.

The signs of each group add detail. Signs directly opposite each other share a modality and a polarity and differ in element, fire facing air and earth facing water, so the planets that anchor the axis bring two complementary styles that need each other. The planets at the inner edges of each group, nearest the empty arcs, are often read as the points where the person swings from one side to the other.

How a seesaw feels from inside

You may often feel divided between two directions, two kinds of work or two sets of loyalties. A choice for one side seems to raise the weight of the other, and some people with this shape move back and forth for years before they find a way to hold both. Relationships play a large part, because the other person often seems to carry the half you are not living.

The experience improves as the person stops treating the two sides as rivals.

What the balance gives

The seesaw gives perspective. People with this shape see the case for both sides and can explain each without bias, which suits them to mediation, negotiation, counselling and any work that requires judgment. They understand others' positions because they have held similar ones themselves. When the two groups cooperate, the person can join two worlds, such as art and business or care and analysis.

Where the seesaw tips

The risk is oscillation. Decisions can drag, and the person may switch sides when pressure shifts. They may project one group's qualities onto partners and then struggle with them in the relationship. A sense of being split can wear on self-confidence. If one group is much heavier, the lighter side can be neglected until it demands attention.

Working with a seesaw chart

Identify the two groups, their houses and the opposition that links them. Write down what each side wants, in plain words. Then look for a way of living that gives each a regular share of time, so you are not forced to choose once and for all. Notice when you see your own other half in someone else. Transits that cross the empty arcs and reach a group often mark the times when the balance shifts.