BobZemco
Well-known member
People seem to be struggling to interpret Solar Return Charts so I'll present some examples that should help clarify things.
I don't use Solar Return Charts except for confirming death. They are simply a glorified transit chart. They will show trends for the coming year but they don't show timing, which is the key to predictive astrology. It is possible to get good timing if you use a technique that progresses the SR House Cusps (and not the SR Planets themselves). Unfortunately, there is no way to do that with any of the current software packages (although I might have found a work-around but haven't tested it yet) and I don't teach that. Suffice to say if you have a Table of Houses (preferably Regiomontanus or Placidus) and if you know how to calculate the House Cusps and construct charts by hand, and if you have plenty of time with absolutely nothing to do, you can progress the SR House Cusps (it is very time-consuming). A progressed SR House Cusp conjuncting a Significator in the SR Chart will indicate the time to within about 2 days.
The charts should be cast at the location of your permanent residence. Gallivanting around will only produce a chart that is incorrect. Likewise, you career/vocation is imprinted in your natal chart. If your natal chart says you are a grocery store clerk, spending 3 days on the Isle of Wight over the course of your birthday will not transform you into the next Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
I asked Professor Gumby if we could use his Natal and Solar Return Charts to examine, and this is what he had to say:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pzr6wk7FVXE
I'm going to take that as a "yes."
Since many are concerned with marriage/divorce, we'll look at those charts first.
Interpreting a SR Chart always starts with identifying the Natal Chart House that comes to the Ascendant. That will tell us the overall tenor of the year. Then we want to find the SR Ascendant Ruler and compare it with its place in the Natal Chart.
In the SR Chart, we see that 27° Taurus is rising. When we look at the Natal Chart, we see that 27° Taurus is located in the Natal 7th House.
That means the 7th House has come to the Ascendant of the Natal Chart. The trend for the year will be relationships.
The 7th House opposes the 1st House. Opposition means conflict, balance or cooperation. When the 7th House comes to the Ascendant, it means marriage or divorce, or the end or beginning of a relationship, whether that relationship is personal, social or professional.
How can you tell the difference? Find the SR Ascendant Ruler. We see Venus in the SR Chart in the 12th House at 20° Aries. We then look at the Natal Chart and see that 20° Aries falls in the 5th House.
That would be a good indicator of a new relationship, especially marriage. As it stands, the signification of Venus in either Aries or Scorpio means marriage, but it can also mean a whole bunch of very negative things.
At 20° Aries, SR Venus is in partile sextile to Natal Mercury at 20° Gemini, and Mercury rules both the 7th House and 8th House in the Natal Chart.
It looks more and more like marriage, and that's what happened. Unfortunately, we have no way of knowing when Professor Gumby will marry using an SR Chart. However, in another post on another thread, we showed where Primary Directions accurately gave the timing of Professor Gumby's marriage (which is another reason I don't bother wasting my time with SR Charts).
Let's look at D-I-V-O-R-C-E
The Rising-sign for the SR Ascendant is 11° Taurus. Looking at the Natal Chart we see that falls in the 6th House, and so the 6th House has come to the Ascendant of the Natal Chart. The 6th House is inconjunct (quincunx) the 1st House, so this will be a difficult year.
The SR Ascendant Ruler Venus is conjunct Natal Mercury. We see SR Venus in the SR 2nd House so we know Professor Gumby's finances will be affected. SR Venus is square SR Mars who falls in the Natal 4th House. SR Moon and SR Jupiter are also square.
The key here is SR Moon in Capricorn in the SR 9th House (and also Natal 2nd House). SR Saturn in Taurus would also be an indicator of marital or relationship strife (especially for women) and also SR Saturn in Gemini or Virgo.
SR Sun rules the 5th House of Children, and that is why Professor Gumby divorced. His wife thought she could use the Jedi Mind Trick on Professor Gumby:
Professor Gumby: Let's make babies.
Evil Wife: [with a small wave of hand] You don't need to have any children.
Professor Gumby: I don't need to have any children.
Evil Wife: You wouldn't be happy with children.
Professor Gumby: I wouldn't be happy with children.
Evil Wife: Don't think about it any more.
Professor Gumby: I won't think about it any more.
Evil Wife: Move along.
Professor Gumby: Move along... move along.
Fortunately the Jedi Mind Trick didn't work (that was before Professor Gumby knew anything about Synastry Charts -- he knows now).
Anyway, looking for marriage, you should see the 7th House (sometimes the 8th House) come to the Ascendant and Venus in Aries or Scorpio, or in a trine or sextile to Mars, or the Natal 5th House Ruler, Moon in Taurus or Libra,
For divorce, 2nd, 6th, 7th, 8th or 12th Houses coming to the Ascendant, Moon or Venus in Capricorn or Aquarius, or in aspect with Saturn, Saturn or Mars in Taurus, Mars in Libra and aspects with the 2nd/8th House Rules in the Natal Chart.
For children, the 5th House, or the "house of the child" (9th House for the 3rd child -- 7th House for the 2nd child etc) comes to the Ascendant and Jupiter in Sagittarius or Pisces, Moon in Sagittarius or Pisces and in aspect with 5th House Ruler or Jupiter, Sun in the SR 5th House.
Although I suppose they could, I haven't see where dispositors play any relevant role in SR Charts and no one really covers the issue in any detail (and most don't even mention it).
In the next post we'll look at other things.
I don't use Solar Return Charts except for confirming death. They are simply a glorified transit chart. They will show trends for the coming year but they don't show timing, which is the key to predictive astrology. It is possible to get good timing if you use a technique that progresses the SR House Cusps (and not the SR Planets themselves). Unfortunately, there is no way to do that with any of the current software packages (although I might have found a work-around but haven't tested it yet) and I don't teach that. Suffice to say if you have a Table of Houses (preferably Regiomontanus or Placidus) and if you know how to calculate the House Cusps and construct charts by hand, and if you have plenty of time with absolutely nothing to do, you can progress the SR House Cusps (it is very time-consuming). A progressed SR House Cusp conjuncting a Significator in the SR Chart will indicate the time to within about 2 days.
The charts should be cast at the location of your permanent residence. Gallivanting around will only produce a chart that is incorrect. Likewise, you career/vocation is imprinted in your natal chart. If your natal chart says you are a grocery store clerk, spending 3 days on the Isle of Wight over the course of your birthday will not transform you into the next Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
I asked Professor Gumby if we could use his Natal and Solar Return Charts to examine, and this is what he had to say:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pzr6wk7FVXE
I'm going to take that as a "yes."
Since many are concerned with marriage/divorce, we'll look at those charts first.
Interpreting a SR Chart always starts with identifying the Natal Chart House that comes to the Ascendant. That will tell us the overall tenor of the year. Then we want to find the SR Ascendant Ruler and compare it with its place in the Natal Chart.
In the SR Chart, we see that 27° Taurus is rising. When we look at the Natal Chart, we see that 27° Taurus is located in the Natal 7th House.
That means the 7th House has come to the Ascendant of the Natal Chart. The trend for the year will be relationships.
The 7th House opposes the 1st House. Opposition means conflict, balance or cooperation. When the 7th House comes to the Ascendant, it means marriage or divorce, or the end or beginning of a relationship, whether that relationship is personal, social or professional.
How can you tell the difference? Find the SR Ascendant Ruler. We see Venus in the SR Chart in the 12th House at 20° Aries. We then look at the Natal Chart and see that 20° Aries falls in the 5th House.
That would be a good indicator of a new relationship, especially marriage. As it stands, the signification of Venus in either Aries or Scorpio means marriage, but it can also mean a whole bunch of very negative things.
At 20° Aries, SR Venus is in partile sextile to Natal Mercury at 20° Gemini, and Mercury rules both the 7th House and 8th House in the Natal Chart.
It looks more and more like marriage, and that's what happened. Unfortunately, we have no way of knowing when Professor Gumby will marry using an SR Chart. However, in another post on another thread, we showed where Primary Directions accurately gave the timing of Professor Gumby's marriage (which is another reason I don't bother wasting my time with SR Charts).
Let's look at D-I-V-O-R-C-E
The Rising-sign for the SR Ascendant is 11° Taurus. Looking at the Natal Chart we see that falls in the 6th House, and so the 6th House has come to the Ascendant of the Natal Chart. The 6th House is inconjunct (quincunx) the 1st House, so this will be a difficult year.
The SR Ascendant Ruler Venus is conjunct Natal Mercury. We see SR Venus in the SR 2nd House so we know Professor Gumby's finances will be affected. SR Venus is square SR Mars who falls in the Natal 4th House. SR Moon and SR Jupiter are also square.
The key here is SR Moon in Capricorn in the SR 9th House (and also Natal 2nd House). SR Saturn in Taurus would also be an indicator of marital or relationship strife (especially for women) and also SR Saturn in Gemini or Virgo.
SR Sun rules the 5th House of Children, and that is why Professor Gumby divorced. His wife thought she could use the Jedi Mind Trick on Professor Gumby:
Professor Gumby: Let's make babies.
Evil Wife: [with a small wave of hand] You don't need to have any children.
Professor Gumby: I don't need to have any children.
Evil Wife: You wouldn't be happy with children.
Professor Gumby: I wouldn't be happy with children.
Evil Wife: Don't think about it any more.
Professor Gumby: I won't think about it any more.
Evil Wife: Move along.
Professor Gumby: Move along... move along.
Fortunately the Jedi Mind Trick didn't work (that was before Professor Gumby knew anything about Synastry Charts -- he knows now).
Anyway, looking for marriage, you should see the 7th House (sometimes the 8th House) come to the Ascendant and Venus in Aries or Scorpio, or in a trine or sextile to Mars, or the Natal 5th House Ruler, Moon in Taurus or Libra,
For divorce, 2nd, 6th, 7th, 8th or 12th Houses coming to the Ascendant, Moon or Venus in Capricorn or Aquarius, or in aspect with Saturn, Saturn or Mars in Taurus, Mars in Libra and aspects with the 2nd/8th House Rules in the Natal Chart.
For children, the 5th House, or the "house of the child" (9th House for the 3rd child -- 7th House for the 2nd child etc) comes to the Ascendant and Jupiter in Sagittarius or Pisces, Moon in Sagittarius or Pisces and in aspect with 5th House Ruler or Jupiter, Sun in the SR 5th House.
Although I suppose they could, I haven't see where dispositors play any relevant role in SR Charts and no one really covers the issue in any detail (and most don't even mention it).
In the next post we'll look at other things.