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The Solar Return Chart: Your Year Ahead
The Solar Return Chart: Your Year Ahead
The Solar Return Chart: Your Year Ahead
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The Solar Return Chart: Your Year Ahead

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Astrological prediction can be approached in a variety of ways, but most practicing astrologers agree that transits are the most informative method of forecasting. Transits are determined by locating where the planets are on any given date, and then seeing where they fall within the framework of your natal chart. Their ever-moving placements show how outside influences are constantly shaping your inner and outer life, and where (house) and how (sign) these influences affect you most strongly. The signs that these planets are moving through affect all of us in some way. However, the houses through which the planets move show where you are most profoundly experiencing their strengths—where you are being influenced and shaped by their specific types of energies.

The Solar Return Chart is a unique system of forecasting in that it creates an entirely new chart, complete with all twelve houses, all signs and all of the planets. A new horoscope is created each year based on the exact moment the Sun moves to the degree and minute it occupied at the exact moment of your birth. Because this always occurs on or within a day of the birthday, the solar return chart is sometimes referred to as the “Birthday Chart.”

Each year, when the transiting Sun reaches the same sign, degree and minute of your natal Sun, it revitalizes the Sun, giving it new energy and new direction. By creating a horoscope for the exact moment this exact conjunction occurs, you are able to trace the specific details of the year ahead. Even though the solar return chart is a complete horoscope within itself, it does not take the place of the natal chart and transits to it. In order to gain the full value from the solar return, you should always evaluate it in comparison to the natal chart, although many astrologers fail to do so. It is true that the solar return can stand alone, but you will not get the full value from its interpretation without considering the natal chart in partnership with it in order to personalize the interpretation. Otherwise, the interpretations may not connect to you. Throughout this book, the author shows how to make this comparison.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateJan 10, 2016
ISBN9781310049408
The Solar Return Chart: Your Year Ahead
Author

Joanne Wickenburg

Joanne Wickenburg http://www.joannewickenburg.com Joanne Wickenburg was one of the first authors to develop the psychological dimension of astrology in straightforward language. A practicing astrologer for over 40 years, she has conducted classes and workshops throughout the USA and Canada, and has also designed and still offers an internationally recognized Home Study Course in astrology. She has just published her 1st novel, Twisted Innocence, which is available as an ebook. Astrology Books by Joanne “A Journey through the Birth Chart” “In Search of a Fulfilling Career” “Your Hidden Powers - Intercepted Signs & Retrograde Planets” Co-author of: “The Spiral of Life”- now available www.joannewickenburg.com as an e-book “The Digested Astrologer” available on the above site as an e-book “When Your Sun Returns” – currently out of print Special Achievement Awards Regulus Award in Education - 2002. "The Education Award recognizes the work of teaching through the published and spoken word, or the founding of schools and study programs. The recipient's work inspires and guides others to master astrology, and thereby encourages future generations of astrologers." Dr. Marc Edmond Jones Award -2000. "The Marc Edmund Jones Award is one of the most prestigious awards in astrology. Named after Marc Edmund Jones, who created this award to honor innovative excellence of benefit to all astrologers." Dr. F. Sims Pound Award- 1996. The best speaker at the American Federation of Astrologers Conference 1996

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Rating: 4.631578947368421 out of 5 stars
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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The book is totally helpful ,but why Can’t I go back to the pages again?
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Very concrete, easy to understand. Simple, yet complex. Thank you
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    One of the best books of solar return that exists.

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A really good read that increased my knowledge in the subject. I appreciated the section on nodes as I was torn on whether or not to consider them in my interprets. I was disappointed to see there was no mention of Chiron in the SR or the anaretic degree as I think those are critical factors to consider when interpreting a SR. I would recommend this book. It's definitely going in my library in the physical form.

    2 people found this helpful

Book preview

The Solar Return Chart - Joanne Wickenburg

The Solar Return Chart—Your Year Ahead

Joanne Wickenburg

Smashwords Edition

Copyright © 2016 – Joanne Wickenburg

ISBN 9781310049408

This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

IN APPRECIATION

I was fortunate enough to meet Virgina (Jinni) Meyer at a conference when I was just a young, struggling astrologer experiencing my 1st Saturn return. Together, we designed and wrote a booklet that was to be a study guide for our students, condensing and bringing down to earth some of the sophisticated concepts of Dane Rudhyar and Marc Edmund Jones. We gave it the title, The Digested Astrologer. We were shocked when we began to get letters and phone calls from people all around the country, asking us to sell them copies of the material. That was the birth of my writing career.

In 1973, we co-wrote The Spiral of Life, which brought in great reviews. Then, in 1974 together we wrote, What Will Happen—When Your Sun Returns, a small book on solar return charts. I have taken the liberty to use some of the material in that book and expand significantly on the concepts that were introduced in it.

If it weren’t for Jinni, I would have never started writing. It is for this reason that I extend my sincere appreciation to Virginia (jinni) Meyer. And a special thank you, also, to Deborah Shoup for the cover design

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter One: Methods of Prediction

Chapter Two: Constructing the Solar Return Chart

Chapter Three: Setting the Stage

Chapter Four: Chart Patterns

Chapter Five: The Houses (for beginners)

Chapter Six: The Solar Return Ascendant

Chapter Seven Eight: Signs on Houses

Chapter Eight: Don’t Get Lost in Minutia

Chapter Nine: The Lights

Phases

Parts

Chapter Ten: The Planets

The Nodes

Chapter Eleven: Retrograde Planets

Chapter Twelve: Aspects

Chapter Thirteen: Wrapping it Up

About the Author

Hope like the Sun, which as we journey toward it, casts the shadow of our burdens behind us.

Samuel Smiles 1812 - 1904

This is not a cookbook on solar return charts, where you look up each planet in a house or sign to find its interpretation. Instead, it was written to be read in its entirety so that the reader learns to interpret these charts without relying on cheat sheets.

CHAPTER ONE: Methods of Prediction

Astrological prediction can be approached in a variety of ways, but most practicing astrologers agree that transits are the most informative method of forecasting. Transits are determined by locating where the planets are on any given date, and then seeing where they fall within the framework of your natal chart. Their ever-moving placements show how outside influences are constantly shaping your inner and outer life, and where (house) and how (sign) these influences affect you most strongly.

The signs that these planets are moving through affect all of us in some way. However, when comparing the positions of the transits to where they fall within the framework of your personal horoscope you can see how and where they are affecting you personally. The houses through which the planets move show where you are most profoundly experiencing their strengths—where you are being influenced and shaped by their specific types of energies. While transiting the houses of your natal chart they form angular relationships to your planets, describing the issues you will confront while functioning in the world. Transits also describe important life cycles—the Saturn cycle being one of the most important and frequently written about. (For more information on transits, see my book, Reframing Transits.

Another method used for forecasting involves secondary progressions, which are based on the theory that every day after birth is the hypothetical equivalent of one year of life. The birth year is considered age zero, the day after birth is age one, the next day after birth is year two, and so forth. Some calculations are required in order to convert the hours and minutes of the time of your birth into months and days within the year. Fortunately, most computer software is designed to make these adjustments for you.

In a nutshell, secondary progressions define the inner unfoldment of your life. They show how the inner you is maturing and evolving, unshaped and unfettered by outside forces as are the transits. For example, if you were born with no plants in Earth signs, one or more planets will undoubtedly progress into Earth throughout the course of your life, showing how you learn, over time, to be more practical than what is natural to your instinctive way of functioning and when making decisions.

Primary progressions, or directions, are determined by adding one degree to every planet in the chart for each year of life. For example, if you are 41 years old, then 41 degrees are added to every planet, regardless of its individual orbital rotation. (Like with primary progressions, count the birth date as year zero). I use directions frequently when doing chart rectification. Unlike secondary progressions, directions are not based on psychological unfoldment. They seem to show years when the promises of the natal chart come to fruition, or come to the foreground of your life. By moving each natal planet forward the number of degrees that correspond to your age, you will find when major events or life transitions are about to occur. Solar arc progressions are found in a similar way, except you need to determine the daily (yearly) Sun’s motion and then add that number of degrees and minutes to each year of life. The Sun’s daily motion can be anywhere from 57 minutes up to 1 degree 1 minute per day, depending on what time of year you were born.

The SOLAR RETURN CHART is a unique system of forecasting in that it creates an entirely new chart, complete with all twelve houses, all signs and all of the planets. A new horoscope is created each year based on the exact moment the Sun moves to the degree and minute it occupied at the exact moment of your birth. Because this always occurs on or within a day of the birthday, the solar return chart is sometimes referred to as the Birthday Chart. Unfortunately, if you are not certain of the time of your birth, a correct solar return chart cannot be constructed.

Even though the solar return chart is a complete horoscope within itself, it is important to realize that it does not take the place of the natal chart and transits to it. In order to gain the full value from the solar return, you should always evaluate it in comparison to the natal chart, although many astrologers fail to do so. It is true that the solar return can stand alone, but you will not get the full value from its interpretation without considering the natal chart in partnership with it in order to personalize the interpretation. Otherwise, the interpretations may not connect to you. Throughout this book, I will be showing you how to make this comparison.

I do my solar return chart every year on my birthday, and use it as a tool for planning the year ahead—almost like setting New Year’s goals or resolutions. (Truthfully, sometimes I cheat and do it before my birthday, but I always get it out on the big day to refresh my mind). I look at the solar return to determine what areas of life will be emphasized throughout the year—where opportunities will be available and where challenges or problems could be experienced, and why. The why is important in that it enables you to understand what you need to work on and what is important for you to learn throughout the year. The solar return chart also shows how you can best deal with issues that could be uncomfortable. It’s important to remember that if there is a problem there is always a solution, or at least there is a lesson to be learned, even under the most difficult of situations.

Of course it is always interesting to look back at your solar return after the year has been completed to see if you lived up to the potentials the chart defined. If it was an unusually eventful year, looking back on the solar return may help you to understand the meaning that is standing behind the events that you may not have initially recognized.

Why Does the Solar Return Chart Work?

Each year, when the transiting Sun reaches the same sign, degree and minute of your natal Sun, it revitalizes the Sun, giving it new energy and new direction. Since the Sun and all planets on the date that the Sun returns are actually transits on that date, some people merely place these planets around the natal chart, just as you do when looking at synastry or chart comparison between another person and you, instead of creating an entirely new horoscope with new houses, etc. This system works, but yields only limited information. Actually creating a separate chart opens a new dimension of depth to those who know how to navigate within its framework. With satisfying accuracy you can trace the specific details of a year that’s general framework is shown in the progressions and major transits. By specific, I am not implying that specific events will always be described in detail. It might be better stated to say that the solar return chart describes your reactions to what disciplines you need to utilize or what opportunities you meet in order to make the year meaningful. The solar return chart describes what is happening around you, but even this tool will not show how you are handling events or the level on which you are operating.

In actual practice, some astrologers, by the very nature of their astrological orientation, will predict specific events. Others will predict the significance of general types of events. Regardless of how you approach the solar return, the technique of forecasting gives accurately the implications of the significant events ahead. It shows the conflicts and influences underlying the events which will affect your life for the next 365 days. The chart does not show what you will do about these events; it shows what you can do.

Reading a solar return chart is like juggling three balls. You should be able to juggle at least two (birth chart and its transits) before you attempt to interpret a solar return. For the purpose of this book, I am emphasizing the relationship between the solar return chart, birth chart and transits almost exclusively.

In a nutshell, the solar return chart shows the results of the transits on the birthday, or more specifically, the day the Sun returns to its natal place, which may be the day before or the day after the birthday. As the transiting Sun moves over the same degree and minute of the natal Sun, it revitalizes the Sun’s energy and it sets the foundation for the year ahead. The solar return signs, houses and aspects show how the revitalizing process affects every area of your life.

Unfortunately, to my knowledge there has not been found a reliable system to time events that occur within the solar return year. Some astrologers add one degree to each of the planets and angles for each day within the year as a means of timing. While there is some merit to this method, it does not seem to work consistently. The purpose of the solar return chart is to show the year as a whole rather than in parts. Transits are the most reliable method of timing.

CHAPTER TWO: Constructing the Solar Return

One of the issues astrologers frequently debate deals with the actual construction of the solar return chart. Some astrologers urge you to construct the chart using the latitude and longitude of where you reside on the date you experience the Sun’s return. For example, if you are living in Chicago the year your Sun returns, then the latitude and longitude of that city would be used when constructing the chart.

Others use the latitude and longitude of the place where you actually are when the Sun returns. Perhaps you are vacationing in Hawaii

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