I have been working with Solar return charts and profections for many years now. I take the ruler of the profected ASC as Lord of the Year and look at its position, condition and configuration in the Solar Return chart. When angular the native is more of a driving force behind the events that will take place that year, when cadent things happen through the outside impetus. I have found that the returning of angles in the solar return chart to the same signs as in the natal chart indicate a significant years.
Here is the story of a Solar Return. My son was visiting over the Christmas holidays and he asked me to look at his chart. His birthday being in April I drew out his next Solar return chart. As he had been living abroad in Cambodia for 4 years I could have relocated his SR chart, however I have found better results by simply using the natal position. So his Solar Return chart was set for Melbourne Australia, his birthplace.
Natal Chart
His natal chart has Sun exalted in Aries ruling his MC, however the 10th place from the ASC is Virgo, ruled by Mercury. His Aquarius Moon is in the 3rd house, a placement I have found many writers to have. There’s an abundance of Taurus giving him a staying power and the ability to work hard.
The Ascendent of the Solar Return was almost at the same degree as his natal ASC, which made this a significant or important year for him. The ruler of the solar return ASC, was Jupiter in Taurus in the 5th, close to cusp of the 6th house and deposited by Venus, ruler of the 6th positioned in the 6th .
Solar return
He was turning 29 so he was in a 6th house profected year, with his profected ASC being 21 Taurus. As he has Mercury, Mars and Venus in Taurus in his natal chart my first thought was that he would have a busy year. Since the profected ASC landed on and was ruled by Venus; Venus was a clearly the Lady of the Year. Venus rules the natal 6th and 11th house, and the 1st and 6th house by profection.
In the SR chart Venus is cadent in the 6th house in Gemini and conjunct the South Node. The theme of being busy, working hard but getting little recognition or honours during that year becomes more pronounced as the 6th house is emphasized by profection, natal and solar return placements. Further testimony supporting the denial of such honours is provided by Venus applying to perfect a partile square to retrograde Mars in Virgo on the MC; and the essential condition of the MC ruler, Mercury in Pisces, where he is in detriment, fall and peregrine.
The Solar Return Moon in Libra is conjunct Saturn, reinforces the sense of hard work and also hints at his forthcoming Saturn return which will impact his 11th house of friends and colleagues.
So I made my judgment:
“This year, you will be working really hard, be very busy and may go back to doing something from your past (Venus conjunct the South Node), but you will get little recognition publicly for all your efforts.
The events for the year will be initiated by others rather than by you.
It will be an important and significant year which will be fortunate as both profected and Solar Return rulers are the benefics (Venus and Jupiter) and both are in good condition in the natal chart and not too bad in the Solar Return Chart.
You may have difficulties with friends or colleagues .” (Moon/Saturn in the 11th)
So What Happened
My son could not make much sense of such a reading as he had been working as a journalist for 3 years and freelancing for the past year with quite a bit of success. He didn’t understand how being very busy and working hard would not bring him recognition, nor did the idea that events would be initiated by others make much sense, as it was through his own travel and ideas that he had come up with the material for all the articles he had been writing and selling. And how, he asked could the year be “good” if he was going to be so busy but get little recognition?
All I could say was that this is what I saw in the chart.
A couple month later, about 1 month before his actual birthday, he received a phone call out of the blue from a reputable publishing company asking him if he would be interested in writing a book on modern day Cambodia. He signed the contract in June (a couple months after his birthday) and was busy researching and writing for a good 18 months. He worked really hard and initially got no recognition. He said that doing the research for the book recalled his time at the University. He also experienced resentment and professional jealousy from some of his older journalist friends which he found uncomfortable.
So my judgment stands; and my son was duly impressed.
A note of interest:
In most of the traditional text it is written that when Venus is the Lord of the Year or a time Lord, she will bring about events and circumstances to do with relationships, marriage or women generally. I could see no indication in the chart of this being relevant in that years; as there was no emphasis on the 7th house showing relationship or marriage (and he was currently not in a relationship). Though it is interesting that it was a woman who called him asking him to write the book!
Astrologicalmind 