#return harts

Note: most of us probably knows what it is, but here’s some basics in case you want to look at it again!

I think I’ve talked about a similar concept to other charts like the Persona Charts before, might be a good read to get familiar with the concept? 

If that sounds confusing/dont want to check it out - I’ll explain it better here. Basically, these types of charts’ when a planet (sun/moon as well) – returns to it’s original position in the natal. 

It’s typically casted every year - ever wondered why we do it on birthdays? That’s because your birthday is usually the closest to your Sun’s natal degrees –  even if it’s a few days off, no worries, your solar return can adjust to give you immediate results of when it actually hits your natal degrees– no need for you to wait around for when it actually does anymore!

If you can imagine, it’s very similar to the chart of the day (check the day’s transit and compare).

The difference is that your return chart is the exact moment it returns to it’s original natal position. And your geographical location may change (not at your birthplace anymore)  – something people might not realize, is that it may be a good idea to change your location if it’s relevant to you/you think it’s good. 

The place of residence (if you’ve moved away/haven’t lived in your place of birth, but generally it’s a good idea if you’re going to spend the year we’ve casted this solar return for at that certain place) – the place of birth is a-ok too (it’s still relevant) or the actual location of where they are when it happens.

Of course, this means the axis will change accordingly, because they may be in very different geographical locations from their birthplace (if they choose to change the location).  

Other than that, you can cast return charts for your other planets/placements. there’s lunar return chart, venus, mars, mercury as well. 

All of these return charts works very similarly (mechanic wise) – they indicate a chart relevant to the year, when the planet return to it’s natal position (hits the dial on the clock). 

What does it mean? Why do we do it? 

Well, usually the theme of a solar return is looking at self-development, subjects/things we can focus on and work on ourselves for the year ahead. Purpose and goal - thats the solar return.

Lunar return - if you’re curious, since the moon actually does a hit once a month (a ‘return’) – is the theme for emotional development. This is actually very helpful if you happen to have a full-moon/new moon or eclipse coming up (if you’re interested here’s a series i did on moon phases in astrology). 

Because if it’s in your moon sign, then these are things you can look for and think about before it actually happens – emotionally, what would affect you as well! 💓❤️💓 

Mercury, Venus and Mars return are also something you might want to look into. But to not make this long- basically, these return charts are usually a check-in for you to see what you might want to look into for a period of time. 

These return charts are considered to be an astrological method of prediction, possibly one of the longest standing and most mainstream popular ones today. So it’s nice to know what it does, how it does it and what it actually says/mean and how it gets its placements!

Another thing to note is that applying aspects (1 or 2 months before its return sometimes) is usually when people consider the solar return to be most affective. So! Keep that in mind (i’ll link source down below at the end!)

Interpretations?

I don’t usually delve into this but I thought it might be a good idea to give a quick guide, not by me personally but by these sources:

If you prefer YouTube - here’s a quick and easy to follow guide on ‘Reading the Solar Return’ by Modern Cosmic Astrology (she’s very entertaining and is one of the only astrologer I actually watch on yt) 

Text format - ‘Predictive Astrology pt. 3′ by Celeste Teal - goes over all the necessary points and things to look for, what it means, covers alot of grounds and is v informative! Straight to the point! 

‘Official Birthday and Solar Return Time’ by Dane Rudhyar - If you prefer something that is more personal, more contemplative and well-written – Dane Rudhyar writes some of my favourite pieces on astrology and astrological concepts. There’s this personal introspective quality about them, an ‘aha’ moment - I can’t recommend it enough. But only if you have time and its your cup of tea! Check out his works, honestly. He wrote alot of pieces on astro.com as well! 

 ‘Solar Return Chart’ on Astro.com/astrowiki  - This is a no-brainer i have to cite my sources and if you’re looking for something that will give you the bones and Meat – this is it 

‘Interpreting the Solar Return’ by Celeste Teal on llewellyn - more in-depth guide to interpreting solar return chart, covers the set up and what to notice, a really good thorough article that can be very helpful! There’s alot to digest, so take your time 

‘Interpretating Solar Return’ on cafeastro - although their chart-making features may be wonky and inaccurate occasionally, cafeastro is good for information and has many articles branching out to cover a variety of topics you may be interested in. This is one such example, within the article itself there are other links to specific planets + its houses/aspects as well. Of course, this would mean it’ll be a long read if you’re going through it bit by bit trying to figure your solar return out yourself. So this one’s for the people who have some time + want to check it out themselves!  

So! I hope this is a quick and easy clarification for those who didn’t know anything about how solar return works or how it came to be! I just thought it’s interesting 💓❤️💓

Also, here’s a section from Thomas Callanan’s review of ‘The Art of Forecasting using Solar Returns’ by Anthony Louis [link to source]- that I thought is interesting and important for people to know: