posted December 12, 2006 09:51 PM
Hey there Acoustic God!So sorry didn't see this thread earlier.
Anyhow, I have some resources for you:
http://www.maryshea.com/astrology.html
That's Mary F. Shea's site, she has a great section on solar returns and also, a free e-book.
Here are some things to keep in mind:
A planet on an angle of the solar return will colour the year. Take special note of the progressions and transits of that planet.
If angular houses are emphasized, the year will be particularly active. Changes will be initiated, but not necessarily completed.
The house the Moon is in will be emphasized, especially regarding changes in that house. Check back to see what's going on in that house in the natal and progressed charts.
Frivolous but fun--do lunar returns for the position of the solar return moon for the coming year. These will be dates when things 'happen' (within a cushion of a couple of days). It's pretty impressive. You can read all the return charts if you want, but frankly I think that's too much work.
The primary emphasis in any return chart should be the planet returned and the angles (to a lesser extent, angular houses). The 'lights', the Sun and the Moon, will emphasize areas in which the return planet is likely to express itself--conscious issues in the house the Sun is occupying; unconscious issues in the Moon's house. Then you can make a comparison between the return chart and the natal, with particular emphasis on the angles and the lights. But I believe the most important thing in examining a return chart is to first look at the secondary progressed chart to see what is happening with that planet. A lot of times return charts don't seem to tell very much, and it's usually because that planet is just not particularly important at the present time. For example, everyone is always looking for relationships, but if the signatures aren't there in the secondary the Venus return chart won't be very revealing.
I've had the most success with return charts when I've used them in conjunction with the secondary progressed chart. A return chart is the snapshot of a planet at the beginning of a new cycle--in essence it's the chart of an exact transit. However, you can't make real sense of it unless you get the larger picture of the state of the planet, which is what the secondary progression tells you. When the return planet is prominent by secondary progression, the return chart will come alive to you. If the return planet is quiet via secondary, the return won't reveal much. You just have to analyze its position in the secondary progressed chart -- what is it doing in the secondary? Is it making any exact aspects (even the most minor within 30 minutes)? What house is it in? The return chart will then give you a better illustration of how the progressed planet will manifest in the year. Focus and really try to understand what the secondary progressed planet is telling you--the return chart will provide the details.
If anyone is interested in returns and how to interpret them, a good book is Celeste Teal's "Idenitifying Planetary Triggers". She also does a good job of explaining how to prioritize transits and progressions. Here's a link to a great 3 part article on retuns, progressions, and other predictive techniques:
http://www.astrologyzine.com/predict.shtml
Hope this helps!
Chrissy