Solar Returns: An Introduction

By Sara Shipman

Did you know that every birthday the universe gifts you a new astrological chart that allows you to discover where your life is headed for the next twelve months? All you have to do is decode your Solar Return Chart to take control of events and, in this book, Sara Shipman tells you how. 

Solar Returns are one of the best tools of predictive astrology and, like all the best tools, it's simple to use. Sara Shipman introduces you to solar return chart interpretation using a 'keywords' approach to analysing the planets, houses and the rising sign in your solar return chart and discusses what they foretell for the year ahead. 

Sara explains what a solar return forecast is, how it works and why it's different from your natal chart. She explains how solar returns work in cycles and looks at the question of timing your forecast. When can you expect to notice your new solar return chart taking effect? Are there immediate and noticeable changes in your life? Does the new chart overlap with the previous year's chart? 

These, and many other questions will be answered by Sara's in depth analysis of the planets, retrograde planets and astrological houses in your solar return chart. Sara also examines the importance of the rising sign in your solar return chart and shows how it affects your approach to life during the year. 

The objective of this book is to provide you with the resources to begin making your own solar return interpretations. So to simplify matters, each section of the book has keywords lists to point you towards the range of  possibilities open to you as you discover the secrets of your solar return chart. 

Sara Shipman is an astrologer, blogger and writer.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Starcrazy Press
• Release date: Oct 26, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393823674

Book preview

Introduction

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About This Book

I decided to put this book together as so many people have asked me questions about predictive astrology. What makes it different from natal astrology? How are we affected by the things that happen ‘out there’ in the universe? The first thing I usually tell them is that the universe is less random than you think it is and astrology is much less mystical than you think. Those of you who are already familiar with natal astrology may have discovered it’s quite systematic. You are who you are because of the interrelationships of signs, planets and houses. Predictive astrology is no different as its concerns are just as straightforward. As human beings, we tend to want to know what will happen to us in the future. We like to know where in our lives new events are going to occur, when they will occur - and how they will manifest. ‘What’, ‘where’ ‘when’ and ‘how’ are the cornerstones of predictive astrology and in this book, I want to give you a taste of how we astrologers put those things together when we make our forecasts.

There are several methods of predictive astrology but the one I want to introduce you to is the method called solar returns. This method of prediction works by effectively casting a new ‘birth’ chart for you on (or close to) your birthday - the day the Sun returns to the place in the heavens it occupied at the moment of your birth. The planetary placements in that new chart are used as a predictive tool to forecast the type of events you may experience during the year ahead. As an astrologer, when I’m preparing a forecast, the first thing I look at is usually the transits of the outer planets. Transits are a great resource in predictive astrology as they indicate longer term trends in our lives. In predictive terms they provide ‘background noise’ as they highlight a process of slow change. Solar returns in contrast (and because they cover a really well defined and relatively short period of time) are great at filling in the detail. In addition, what is so useful about solar returns is that they can be used as a stand-alone method of forecasting as well as in conjunction with other predictive techniques such as transits, progressions and eclipses. So, in this book, I want to focus on the planets (what), the astrological houses (where) and the zodiac signs (how) because they are the key things you need to keep in focus when you’re interpreting your solar return chart.

I’m going to start by explaining what a solar return forecast is, how it works and why it’s different from your natal chart. I’m going to explain how solar returns work in cycles and look at the question of how we time a forecast. When can you expect to notice your new solar return chart taking effect? Will it be an immediate and noticeable change, or does it overlap with the previous year’s chart? These and many other questions will, I hope, be answered as we progress through these pages. The main objective of this book is, however, to provide you with the resources to begin making your own interpretations. So, in the main body of the book, I’ll be setting out the main principles associated with the solar return planets and the solar return houses together with the keywords you can use as the basis for your own interpretations.

Regarding the zodiac signs, it’s fairly obvious the Sun is likely to be the only celestial body that does not change sign when we compare your solar return chart to your natal chart. However, one of the most important points in your chart, your ascendant (or rising sign) will almost certainly be different from your natal rising sign as it changes with each new solar return chart. This is an important point to consider as your solar return ascendant sign influences your outlook for the year - so I’ll also be setting out the characteristics of each rising sign as they apply to a solar return chart.

Finally, I’ve put together a couple of case studies. These are truly personal to me as they are analyses of two recent and very eventful years in my own life. While the things that happened to me are unlikely to happen to you, the stories are useful as they demonstrate how solar return placements really can work in practice - and how they can play an important part in your own personal and spiritual development. I hope you enjoy reading this book and wish you peace, health and happiness.

Chapter One

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What is a Solar Return Forecast?

So, let’s get started. What I want to set out in this chapter is the answer to the very basic question above - ‘what is a solar return forecast?’ I’m going to do this by setting out my own philosophical approach to predictive astrology as I feel it’s very important for you to know where I’m coming from with this. I then want to touch - very briefly - on a couple of fairly fundamental issues. First, I’m going to explain what a solar return chart is and how (and why) it differs from your natal chart. I’ll also tell you how to obtain your solar return chart (so easy these days you will be relieved to hear) and also I’m going to look at the timing and cyclical nature of solar returns as you need to know when and how your new solar return chart will affect you.

The Annual Return

Let’s consider the annual return. An annual return is usually associated with the tax inspector but fear not, dear reader, a return in astrological terms is shorthand for describing the return of a planet to the place it occupied at the time of your birth. However, only one heavenly body makes an annual return and that is the Sun. Every year it returns to the exact same space in the heavens it occupied at the time of your birth. You will, of course, experience other important planetary returns over the course of your lifetime but each year, on (or close to) your birthday, the Sun will be the only heavenly body that returns to the place where it was found at the time of your birth.

The other planets (I will use the term ‘planet’ even though, technically, the Sun and Moon are ‘lights’ and Pluto has suffered an alarming demotion) will be found wherever the universe has taken them. So, if a chart was cast for any of your birthdays after your arrival in this world, the planetary pattern in each solar return chart would be quite different from that seen in your natal chart, with only the Sun’s position constant. Also, please note - the day of your solar return may not coincide with your actual birthday as it can be a day out in some years.

So, why is a solar return chart important? Let’s think about that and take a moment to consider what the Sun means in astrology. The Sun represents your essence, your fundamental character - the inner ‘you’ that radiates out to define the person you know yourself to be. Everything about you is formed in the light of the Sun. Of course, you know this already. Every time someone asks you, ‘What’s your sign?’ they’re talking about your Sun sign. Regardless of whatever zodiac sign you are, you will be aware of the importance of the Sun in your birth chart. Without it, you would not be the person you are.

However, you are more than just your Sun sign. In your natal chart the combination of planets works to influence your character in many different ways. In fact, those of you familiar with your natal chart will - in some instances - be aware of planetary placements so dominant in your chart that the Sun can seem obscured, much as it would be on a cloudy day. However, visible or not, the power of the Sun is still there. That is why the Sun is so important in natal astrology - and it is also why the Sun in your solar return chart is so important as a predictive tool. It is, quite simply, the light that guides you on life’s journey.

Casting a Solar Return Chart

So, first things first. To get things started you need to cast your solar return chart. Before you start scratching your head and wondering how on earth you do that, it’s okay. The easiest way to obtain a chart is to go online where you will find a number of free resource websites and apps (I would recommend www.astro.com as your ‘go to’ for astrological charts). Those of you who are familiar with this process will know that to obtain a birth chart, you need to enter in your birth data - the exact date, time and place of your birth. However, for your solar return chart there is one thing to be borne in mind. A solar return chart is, in effect, a birth chart for a year and (just like your birth chart) your solar return year has a ‘place of birth’. Now this may be the actual place you were born (if you have never moved from your hometown and are there on your birthday) or, more likely, it will be where you currently reside, assuming you’re there on the appropriate day. You could, of course, be planning to be elsewhere on your birthday - and if so, that will be the ‘birthplace’ of your solar return for the following year.

A quick word on house systems. There are a huge number out there and it can be hard to know which one is most suitable for your purposes. To make it easier for you, your main decision should be whether you choose a ‘quadrant’ system or an ‘equal house’ system. There are several types of both to choose from. My own preference right now is the Polich/Page (Topocentric) system if you’re looking at a quadrant method of house division or Whole Signs if you choose an equal house system. However, I also work (increasingly so) in the Porphyry quadrant system for both natal and predictive work. However, they are just my preferences and many astrologers prefer Koch, Placidus, or Regiomontanus systems of quadrant house division - or the good old-fashioned Equal House system (based on your ascendant degree) if you prefer an alternative equal house method. Feel free to generate charts for all of them to see which one feels right to you. It can be useful to try this exercise with your natal chart first as you will have a better idea if something feels right when you’re analysing the person you know best!

Where solar return charts are concerned, there is also a huge debate about whether it is a good idea to relocate temporarily to a place that will give you a more ‘beneficial’ solar return chart for the year. I assume if anyone has considered this that they’ve looked at their forthcoming chart - perhaps noted there are a few strenuous house positions of what are traditionally considered the more ‘difficult’ planets - and are not best pleased at what they have seen. Personally, I do not believe fate is so shallow it can be influenced by an airline ticket. If, in the normal course of your life, you are away from home, maybe on holiday or away on business, perhaps visiting relatives, or maybe you’re at college or university - that’s fine - but personally I don’t think the universe is there to be gamed. Also, who is to say a ‘difficult’ chart is a bad thing? And who defines ‘difficult’? My own experience (and I’m sure I’ll repeat this several times in the forthcoming pages) is that there is no good/bad dichotomy in astrology. It’s how we respond to the situations in our lives that determines our fate.

Analysing