posted February 06, 2006 10:08 AM              

i would look at:

• the house placement of the sun & its aspects. if the sun in the return is in aspect to a planet it is in natal aspect to, this heightens the return aspect

• the chart ruler, its house placement and its aspects

• the sign on the ascendant describes a certain sort of general coloring of the personality for the year

• any planets on angles are especially important

• the closer the aspect, the more likely an event is likely to manifest that is described by that aspect

• the more planets that are in a house, the more that area of life represented by the house is emphasized

• if any of the inner planets are retrograde at the onset of the return (mercury, venus or mars), there is a special emphasis on the area of life represented by the planet, and also on the house that it rules. for instance, in my upcoming solar return (a little over a month away in march) mercury is retrograde and rules the 4th & 7th houses. with this kind of situation, think of the mind like an overloaded, disorganized file cabinet. this would tend to indicate i need to rethink issues about one-to-one relationships (7th) and deepest emotions (4th)...i may even change my mind in some major way about these issues. or something may reverse, change in those areas

• the signs arent that important, it's the house placements and aspects

• what house has leo on the cusp? this is a special area of emphasis for the year

• the natal house that the asc of the return falls into is very important -- it is where you will likely take action during the year. for instance, in my upcoming solar return the asc is at 14 pisces. this falls in my 5th house, so 5th house activities are highlighted for the year

• if any natal planets or significant points fall on house cusps this is important, as the planets will have something to say about that house's activities for the return period

• look for interceptions. they indicate blockages or frustration

• look for hemispheric emphasis, southern (upper) would indicate external processes and northern (lower) internal stuff

• eastern (left) emphasis - self-motivation; western (right) emphasis - actions not based on independent needs since you are responding in combination with others

• quadrant emphasis -- 1st (1-3), self-preoccupation; 2nd (4-6), self-expression both personal & creative, self meets others; 3rd (7-9), strong involvement with others or a one to one relationship; 4th (10-12), relationship with society

• look for unbalanced modes & elements

• look for a new or full moon occuring in the chart, indicates something special going in with houses concerned

• to time some events, look for the sun's transits to various angles and planets in the chart

and i wish i had more time...but that's the basics!

posted February 06, 2006 05:58 PM              

for instance...

in my natal i have uranus right on the asc, opposing my mercury right on the DC.

in my solar return for 2006, mercury and uranus are conjunct on the asc. this solar return thus puts enormous focus on the mercury/uranus theme in my natal chart, assisting me in integrating and uniting (the solar return conjunction) these aspects of my psyche which are polarized in my natal chart (as indicated by the natal opposition).

furthermore, the area of life where there will be concentrated energy engaged in working out this natal proclivity is represented by the conjunction in the FIRST house of the solar return.

so basically i will be working on uniting these 2 parts of myself, my personal need for independence and freedom (uranus on asc) versus my need for communication/mental activity in my relationships with others.

hope this helps ya!