Timing technique
The solar return: your birthday chart for the year ahead.
Once a year the Sun comes back to the exact degree it held when you were born. The chart of that minute is your solar return. Think of it as a weather map for the next twelve months, from one birthday to the next.
When and where
The return happens on your birthday or within a day of it, depending on the year. The time is precise to the minute, so software does the calculation.
Where to cast it is debated. Most astrologers use the place where you are on your birthday. Some prefer the place you live. Try both on a past year you know well and keep the one that speaks to you.
What to look at first
The rising sign of the return sets the tone of the year. The house where the return Sun falls shows where you will spend your energy. The Moon of the return shows your emotional needs and often the people around you. Planets on the angles of the return are loud all year.
Combine it with your profection year
This is where the solar return really works. First find the lord of your profection year, the planet that rules the sign of your year. Then look at where that planet sits in the solar return, and how well placed it is. Kelly Surtees teaches this pairing clearly: the profection says which topic is open, the solar return says how that topic will play out this year.
A simple example
Someone turns 33: a 10th house profection year, career in the spotlight. If the lord of the year lands on the Midheaven of the solar return, with good aspects, a visible professional step is likely. If it sits hidden in the 12th house, the work happens behind the scenes first.
Take the class on returns
Planetary returns, from your birthday to the Saturn return, and retrogrades, in short visual cards, then a quiz.
Open the classQuestions
Is the solar return always on my birthday?
Within a day of it. Because the calendar year and the Sun's year are not exactly the same length, the moment can fall the day before or the day after.
Should I travel for my solar return?
Some astrologers choose a city on purpose to place good planets on the angles. It is a classic idea but a debated one. Start by reading the return where you actually are.
How long does a solar return last?
From one birthday to the next. Its strongest effect is often in the first months.
Do I need my birth time?
Yes. The return chart is calculated to the minute, and its rising sign and houses depend on your birth time.
