A reader inquires…
“This is probably a silly question, given that our natal charts are quite complicated and all the planets therein need to be assessed with respect to the current complexities in the heavens, to make these aspects more personally relevant. Given that caveat, 6 January is my birthday – does that make it more likely I am going to experience greater intensity of the aspects and issues you mention for that date??”
I’ll keep it anonymous because I don’t like to publish anybody’s birth date.
The “Solar Return” chart is traditional in astrology; it’s a chart drawn up for the moment that the Sun returns to where it was at the moment one was born. It can be on one’s birthday, on the day before, or on the day after, because of leap years. A Reading of that chart indicates the general trends in one’s Life for the following year. Sensitive folks usually say, “Oh, yeah, I’ve been Feeling that already” – which they’d be doing anyway, because it’s the Energy that’s lit up at the time – but the chart is useful. As you know, I use astrology for Interpretation rather than Prediction, so I don’t try to project External Circumstances from a Solar Return chart, but rather Internal Attitudes.
The “Lunar Return” chart, for the moment when the Moon returns to where it was at the moment one was born, can also be used to add a Dimension to What’s Up in the month to follow.
I usually read the Solar Return without reference to one’s birth chart, just because I like to read Transits (astrologuese for the relationships between on the one hand which Degrees were Lit Up and How they were Lit Up when we were born, and on the other which Degrees are Lit Up and How they’re Lit Up now) separately.
All of which can easily end up being more complex than Life itself – or at least, appearing to be so – so the bottom line ends up being What’s The Most Important Thing? For that I look to Stations, Major Configurations, Can-Openers, and planets on the “Angles” (First, Fourth, Seventh, and Tenth House Cusps). A “Can-Opener” is an astroevent that usually catches us off guard because it’s the first event of its kind in our recent Life Experience. What we refer to in astrobuss.wordpress as an “Initiation” is a Can-Opener, and the shorter the Cycle it Opens, the more Experience we’ll have had with that Energy. So when long Cycles are Initiated, they can be big Can-Openers.
When I’m reading for astrobuss.wordpress, I’m usually reading for Sensitivity of one or at most three Degrees – and usually I’m timing things when they’re “Exact” – that is, Sensitivity of zero Degrees. When we’re reading a Solar Return chart, we can use the same Sensitivity standards (“Orb” in astrologuese) as we do for a birth chart – it’s the birth of our year, after all. That means Sensitivity of up to 8-10 Degrees. While that much “slop” can be useful for general background information, there’s way too much info running around already, so I usually focus on Sensitivity of about three Degrees anyway.
If planet A is at 3 Degrees. planet B at 5 Degrees, and planet C at 7 Degrees, they’re each only two Degrees apart, but together they span four Degrees – in this case a three-Degree Sensitivity would be stretched to four Degrees on the chart. Sometimes there are chains of planets (3-5-7-9-11 Degrees, for example) where we just have to use our Intuition to decide where to divide the chain.
So, given all that, what would we find and read in a Solar Return chart for 5-6-7 January? It would indeed be very busy…
- (1) Several Initiations, though all begin relatively short Cycles
- Pallas, OR10, and Nessus Initiate Venus. OR10 Pallas, and Ixion Nemesis
- (2) A couple of Stations
- Eris, asteroid Karma, and Mercury, with Makemake not far off
- (3) Several Stellia
- A Stellium is three or more planets traveling together, which can get complex fast; Uranus-Eris et al, Saturn-Ixion et al, Nessus-OR10 et al, Mars-Neptune-South Node, Pholus-Quaoar-Mercury
- (4) The Golden Rectangle
- Which itself involves a couple of Stellia; Uranus-Eris et al, Saturn-Ixion et al, Jupiter-Haumea, and dwarf planet Chaos, with Chiron T-Squaring Saturn-Ixion et al and Chaos
- (5) The Yin Gate
- Lilith and Sedna-Aletheia
- (6) The Grand Quintile
- Saturn-Ixion et al and Nessus-OR10 et al and Vesta and Hopi and Moon; Grand Quintiles make one a “Quick Study”
So I would expect quite a year, in which your Attention will likely be focused on…
- Clearing Abuse Issues (1,6)
- Pursuit of Truth, Clarity, and your Rightful Abundance (2,5,6)
- “Discovering how to Express your Unique Genius for the Benefit of All while Creating Abundance for yourself,” which process will likely require a fair amount of Healing through Loving Self-Empathy (4)
- Self-Sovereignty through Embracing your Fears (5,6)
- Enormous amounts of Life-Changing and Ego-Transforming Learning (6)
So were I in your moccasins I’d just PIAVA to Be Graced with Enlightenment, All Obstacles and Impediments Cleared Lovingly, Gently, Rapidly, and Completely. May as well get it over with, Change the Subject, and have Fun the rest of the year. Maybe check in with a “Pay Attention” every few weeks, whenever flexing your Angel Wings and pouring a quart of dry water over your head doesn’t make Discomfort or Frustration disappear quickly.
All of which isn’t that different from the New Year Celebration that has Graced us all, so a similar PIAVA probably wouldn’t hurt any of us. I’d recommend PIAVAs over “Resolutions” any day. When you PIAVA you’re making a Request of the Unconscious, which is always eager to be of Service, Educating us when contrary Limiting Beliefs prevent it from Responding directly. When you’re making a Resolution you’re Arguing with the Unconscious, an Argument you’ll always lose. All Prayers are Answered, and God/Goddess IS on our Side. Since we’re All One, He/She is on “their” Side too.
Thanks for your Question! I’ve been thinking it’s past time to Summarize everything we’ve uncovered so far, and this was a great vehicle for that.
jbuss Astrology 