How Your Solar Return Chart Can Shape Your Year
Your birthday marks the start of your solar return year, setting the tone for the next 12 months of your life. Solar return readings are one of my favourite to do as they reveal the power and energy you carry for your year ahead.
Understanding your solar return chart can give you valuable insights into the themes and energies you’ll experience, and even help you make adjustments to align with your goals.
What is a Solar Return Chart?
A solar return chart is cast for the exact moment the Sun returns to the same degree it occupied at your birth. Astrologers debate whether to use the location where you physically are on your birthday to set the year ahead – or whether to use your birth location.
The theory is that if you spend your birthday in a different place, the energies influencing your year could shift significantly. Believe me, as someone who lives on her Saturn line (!) I have done some retrospective work to see whether this theory has any legs. And I believe it does!
Can You Change Your Year Through Travel?
In my opinion – yes. Since your solar return chart reflects the energy of your year ahead, changing your location can alter key aspects of it, such as your Ascendant and Midheaven. The planetary alignments (the snapshot of the planets) on your birthday will still be the same, but which house they tenant will shift.
Now, let’s say you’re looking for a relationship. Would you want to have planets in your 5th and 7th house during your year ahead or you want an absolute absence? Let’s say you’re keen to build your career. Taking notice of planets in the 10th would be of great interest.
These shifts can influence the focus of your year, bringing different opportunities and challenges. Assuming you’re a dynamic powerhouse anyway, why wouldn’t you choose to place your dynamism in the areas of life you want to maximise?
For instance, if your chart shows difficult aspects in your birth location, spending your birthday somewhere else with more harmonious planetary influences could soften those challenges. This is where Astrocartography, the study of how planetary lines affect different locations, can be very useful.
My Personal Experience with Solar Return Travel
In 2016, I was out of the country in the week leading up to my birthday and on it. That year turned out to be one of the most transformative of my life. Looking back, I can see that spending my birthday on my Venus line rather than my Saturn line lent itself to unfolding a really cool year ahead, one in which I attracted a supportive, harmonious relationship followed by a massive upsurge in my spiritual awakening.
Was it a coincidence? I don’t think so. This experience made me seriously consider using solar return planning a travel planning as an intentional practice.
Since solar return charts can be cast as far in advance as you like, this gives enormous power and choice to planning the tone of your year ahead, including plenty of time for digesting the information and planning travel ahead if you so wish.
How You Can Use This Knowledge
If you’re serious about aligning your year with your soul’s purpose, consider looking at your solar return chart before your birthday. If the energy doesn’t align with your goals, you can consciously choose to spend your birthday in a location that offers more supportive influences.
Many of my clients book solar return readings ahead of their birthdays to make informed decisions.
The Power of Solar Return Planning
If you want to create a year that truly supports your soul’s mission, astro cartography and solar return planning can be game-changers whether used together or separately. Whether you stay put or travel, knowing your solar return energy gives you the power to navigate your year with clarity and intention.
If you’re interested in any type of astrology reading, you can book a 1:1 reading here