For the last century, by far the most dominant area of astrology has been the Zodiac signs. So much so that for the vast majority of people who claim to believe in the subject, these signs are all they are aware of. 

While I obviously agree that sign placements form a great analysis of personality, I dont really find this area of astrology that interesting.

Some might say that’s because as a Sun, Moon and Ascendant Capricorn, I don’t actually have a personality.

I am much more interested in the main themes that shape a person’s life and it’s fascinating how much we can understand about these without bothering to reference signs at all.

In my early days learning about astrology I was intrigued by a book written by Marc Edmund Jones titled a Guide To Horoscope Interpretation.

This contained many chart wheels but with no record of the planets or signs, there were simply large black marks where the planets were placed.

Jones identified 7 different chart patterns. The interpretations for some of them are very obvious.

A Splash pattern with all the planets evenly distributed throughout the chart will produce someone with a wide variety of interests and talents but who could find it difficult to concentrate with any consistency.

A Bundle pattern with all the planets concentrated within one third of the chart would be the opposite to a Splash in that they would focus on their own goals with a great intensity yet may find it difficult to understand the motivations and needs of others.

A Seesaw shape with two opposing clusters would find their life continually oscillating between two distinctly different areas of their life and experiencing considerable difficulty integrating them with each other.

One intriguing pattern is that of the Bucket where all the planets bar one are contained within one third of the chart like the Bowl but the odd planet out would operate like a handle.

This singleton planet is very strong and would strive to dominate or impose its will on the other planets.

In a way it can act like the apex planet of a T Square but the difference here would be that where that planet is likely to point to the direction in life that the native would inevitably and naturally be drawn to, the handle planet of the Bucket would pull the person in a completely different direction to the one that they would naturally choose.

If 9 planets are all heading one way and another is very strongly demanding the natives attention in an opposing direction that could have a very powerful impact on their life.

The classic idea of a bucket is that a strong handle enables the whole instrument to be carried along thus allowing it to safely contain what it is carrying.

So although an astrological Bucket handle planet would appear to require a great deal of attention in a direction contrary to the person’s own, respecting the demands of the handle would allow the person to get on with their life in a productive way.

But what happens if the bucket was held upside down with the handle pointing downwards ?

Presumably everything contained in the bucket would fall out.

Prince Harry has all his planets bar one contained within a trine between Mercury at 5 Virgo in the 8th house and Jupiter at 3 Capricorn in the 12th.

The handle is that Moon in Taurus at the bottom of the chart in the 4th house.

The real focus of this bucket experience is the opposition between that Moon with Saturn and the Midheaven.

The 4th house is the home and family and anyone with an opposition between planets in the 4th and 10th or the Midheaven will experience a tension between how they wish to pursue their career and the expectations and requirements of their parents and their roots.

The Bucket handle Moon in Harry’s life exerts a tremendously frustrating pressure on him, pulling him away from everything in life that he wishes to achieve.

Its interesting that as a Sun Virgo, Capricorn rising character, Prince Harry might wish to be someone who succeeded in life through his own efforts, but the 4th house Taurus Moon would perhaps wish him to stick with his considerable inheritance ( the Moon is closely trine an 8th house Sun after all ) and do nothing that would upset the status quo.

In a way that Moon would require him to simply stay in the position of the latter in the ” heir and spare ” role that he was born to inhabit.

The title of Harry’s soon to be released biography ” Spare ” neatly describes this state of affairs along with his own contempt for that kind of limited role in life.

It is certainly true that the 4th house, together with the 8th ( where his Sun is placed ) has dominated his life to the extent that you wouldn’t really expect for a 38 year old man.

And of course since we are talking about a 4th house Moon, that would have to start with one person.

Harry’s mother, Princess Diana does not have a Bucket chart but there is a very powerful thrust in the direction of her apex Venus at 24 Taurus, 3 degrees from Harry’s Moon.

Diana’s apex Venus meant that she would be the world’s most photographed woman, a major factor in her early tragic death in a car crash while trying to escape from the paparazzi, a state of affairs that is indicated by the other planets making up the T Square, the Moon in Aquarius opposite the unexpected Uranus in the 8th house of death.

More details of the astrology of Diana’s death can be found here – Princess Diana’s Death – Why ?

In short form, Diana had a Mars / Pluto conjunction in the 8th house. Pluto was square to that combination when she died.

Harry has Mercury right on the cusp of the 8th house within a degree of Diana’s Pluto.

Transit Pluto was square to Harry’s Mercury when he tragically lost his mother at the age of 12.

Even without a 4th house upside down Bucket handle, that event would be a scar that he would be likely to carry throughout his life.

There are many conspiracy theories surrounding the death of Princess Diana. Some would suggest that it was a thinly disguised contract killing, that she was a loose cannon and taken out of the equation on the instructions of older members of Harry’s family.

Whether or not this was the case, it seems unlikely that the 12 year old prince was given the emotional support that would be required to get him through an experience like that.

And it would be quite reasonable for Harry to harbour some considerable resentments for a particular member of that family.

Especially if that bucket handle Moon was opposite that person’s own Sun.

King Charles also had a singleton Moon in Taurus that dominated his chart. That Moon represented his own mother, the late Queen whose Sun was at 0 degrees of the sign, exactly conjunct it.

The fact that this Moon is in the 10th meant that Charles’ mother held him back in his own career until he was in his mid 70s.

Charles synastry with his younger son is very difficult. His Scorpio Sun is exactly opposite Harry’s Moon.

Charles’ Moon is opposite Harry’s Pluto.

Charles’ Saturn is exactly conjunct Harry’s Mercury.

All of these contacts are bound up with Charles’ challenging synastry with Diana. For more on this see – Charles and Diana – A Match Made In Heaven

So what is on the horizon for Harry and Charles’ relationship ? What’s next on Harry’s bucket list ?

There was hope in some quarters that the opposition between father and son would be softened by the Queen’s death and that some kind of reconciliation could be achieved.

Fat chance.

Harry has had Neptune opposite his Sun for the last 18 months and that transit is still in operation until February next year.

But its the transits to Harry’s bucket handle that will cause the most grief.

Saturn has been square both Harry’s 4th house Moon and Charles’s 4th house Sun this year resulting in the death of the Queen.

But the big one coming up is Uranus conjunct Harry’s Moon and opposite Charles’ Sun.

Watching the Saturn and Uranus square dance for the last couple of years, it is easy to see the former causing difficulties, setbacks and frustrations in peoples lives.

This is the point of Saturn, to block something that the person wants or even take it away so that they are forced to deal without the support of that thing and to find a place in themselves where they are able to function without it.

Saturn transits knock you back but also give you an unexpected opportunity to contemplate your own life. With Saturn moving ahead of Uranus this year, many people have been ” offered this opportunity ” and with enforced reflection have made decisions to change some major things.

The Uranus transit to follow will give them the energy and will to make those changes.

People may think the separation between Harry and his family has already occurred, but this is nothing compared to what is coming up with Uranus conjunct that singleton 4th house Moon.

In the New Year when his autobiography ” Spare ” comes out, Saturn is square Charles Sun, so there’s no need to guess who will come off worse from this development.

Uranus arrives at Harry’s Moon in June and opposes Charles’ Sun in July. This transit will last for a year.

It coincides with Pluto being square to Charles’ own 10th house Moon.

It seems like the contents of Harry’s upside down bucket are going to be emptied all over his father’s head.

A song from my childhood comes to mind. ” There’s a hole in the bucket ” where one character is suggesting various means of fixing it only to be told by the other that the tool required is also broken. In the end the one thing required to fix it is the bucket itself but that is broken so there is no solution.

The characters in the song are bizarrely named Henry and Liza.

By the end of 2025 when these transits are finished, the royal family will look very different. Henry’s broken bucket will have given his grandmothers legacy are thorough soaking.

One conspiracy theory that I am inclined to believe is that Harry is not actually Charles’ biological son anyway.

My reasoning for this is that James Hewitt ( Diana’s lover soon after Harry’s birth and possibly some time before it as well ) has the Sun in Taurus ( Harry’s Moon sign ) and a Virgo Moon closely conjunct the prince’s Sun.

That, and well just look at the photos. The Windsors don’t have that many redheads in the family.

Charles own singleton Taurus Moon is very close to also being a Bucket handle.

His Sun is opposite Harry’s Moon but also square to Prince Philip’s Moon.

Maybe the old man looked at his awkward jug eared son and asked the same question.

Posted on November 2nd 2022

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