I have been working with them for some time. The key to prediction using a solar return is to see a repeat theme echoed at least three times and a repeating theme in progressions.
Steps I tend to follow:
Look at chart shape
what is on the angles
What natal house is rising
where is the ruler of the Asc
what is most prominent on either side of the MC either natal or solar
What is happening in the houses the ascendent fortells
My solar return:
My 2nd house is rising thus there is an emphasis on the 2/8 axis
we find the ascendant ruler in the 12 with the ruler of the 12th mars.
It is trined by Pluto in the 8th house of birth death and surgery, transformation.
Remember there is an 2/8th emphasis.
This alone tells me something.
We thought maybe it was a return of a love affair
but with venus in the 12th this is a clear indication of my health or a loved ones health affected and possibly surgery or some transforming event.
In fact I had two surgerys and my daughter had a surgery this year.
Most prominent in the chart is the stellium of Jupiter, neptune, chiron and moon in the public house of the 10th. It trines the sun.
My first thought was this was going to be a favorable year but this trine of sun to moon
is a repeat energy from my natal where they exist in a square. Thus though this may be a year where I can work through the challenging aspect of the natal square, the trine will not be as positive.
Moon=mother, wife, female, change, public expression of emotions in the 10th.
Jupiter=law, benefits, expansion, education
Neptune=drugs, dissolve
Jupiter rules 8th, moon 3rd of siblings and travel, neptune the 11th, sun rules 4th.
This year my sister and I had to move my mother from our family home due to her health and she was living by herself. We had a massive yard sale and major clean up. Mom gave us quite a few things which was a real benefit to me.
Saturn in the fifth of children tries the venus mars conjunction. Saturn rules the 9th and implies structure, restrictions, set backs. I
n fact my daughter and I had to go to court due to her grades and an altercation she had at school at the beginning of theyear. I found out she was smoking pot.
Saturn in the 5th plus the stellium in the 10th of jupiter (law) moon (public display) Neptune (deception and drugs) and Chiron (healing) is a repeat theme.
Too we see the sun, home, challenged by saturn (legal constraints) and Uranus ruler of the 10th (unexpected changes/authority). Thus this is three repeat themes.
The north node on the cusp of the 10th tells me it will be a fateful year in regards to my public image.
This year too I had several very emotional reactions at work that reflected badly on my reputation. Having gone through a break up and very stressful year (as you can tell) I was trying to hold it together and thus reactions came out sideways.
This theme is clear with mercury in the frist in a critical degree squaring the MC.
Venus ruler of 1st and 6th with mars ruler of 12 of suppression, things hidden, trined by not only pluto of eruptions and saturn of restriction creating in someways a more potent environment for the ease of release of this hidden energy.
Mercury, the third marker, is sextiled by Uranus easing an abrupt reaction in a social atmosphere and really a caution to me about watching my tongue.
Now here I saw some of this in
progressions as progressed mercury has moved retrograde to conjoin Uranus in the 5th house. The sun has progressed to the midpoint of venus/mars and Uranus and progressed moon entered the 5th house.
Now I can look back in hindsignt and see all this connected but at the beginning of the year could not. Now some of it is Uranus is closely intertwined with a lot of the planets indicating the unexpected.
But I had a clear warning of some things coming and the potential for the year.
Hope this ehelps.