Where We Do Our Solar Return Affects the Next Year

Each year the Sun returns to the exact degree, minute, and second as when we were born. It can happen the day before our birthday, the day after, or on our birthday. A chart done for that moment, set for wherever location we are at, gives us a snapshot of factors at play in our year to come.

Why Use the Return of the Sun?

Since the Sun is the ultimate point of reference in a Solar Return chart, everything indicated by the Solar Return must in some way serve to bring forth that Light of the True Self, the Light of the Heart. That’s why the house position of the Sun, and how it aspects the Ascendant, are very important in a Solar Return chart.

When the transiting Sun exactly conjuncts our natal Sun, we naturally attune to our Solar Self, the Limitless Light which illuminates us. As we are illuminated, so we illuminate others. It’s why the natal Sun is the indicator of our true Self.

The Sun shows us our Light/Life that continually integrates and re-integrates us with the source of all vitality. It is our self-renewing quality to shine forth like the superstar our eternal Self is. The return of the Light with our Light offers us a chance to re-identify our lives with its incredible power and radiance. You can see how this is an important recurring moment once a year throughout our lives in renewing our evolution toward “Sun-ship.”

As I shared in an earlier article, I begin meditating about 10 minutes before the time of the Solar Return unless it’s the middle of the night. Even when it happened at 4:20 am, I somehow woke up at 4:15, programmed my mind to receive the light for the next year, and took those back into subconsciousness. Not my favorite way to meditate, but that time of night it was all I could do.

Usually I feel my consciousness “quickening” the moment the Sun returns to 12 Aries, so I begin to enter into the Solar Return Zone about 5 hours before the exact moment. I open an inner space of “receptive consciousness” to productive ways to express the potential in the year to come. I prepare by looking at last year’s Solar Return to see how it manifested over the past year.

Please remember that reading a Solar Return is very different than how we read a birth chart. While some factors are the same, the Solar Return requires a different technique. The SR must be related to the natal, as the natal determines how the SR will manifest by house position emphasis.

The Aspects Show How and When Forces Will Be Released

The aspects between planets change from year to year, showing us the evolution of parts of our personality, both the traits we were born with and the traits which have evolved since then. Each year has a distinct quality based on the aspects in the SR chart.

In 2020 I got Jupiter conjunct Pluto, Mars conjunct Saturn, Mercury conjunct Neptune, and Sun conjunct Chiron, and the entire year was very much a “doubled” planetary experience! The Jupiter conjunct Pluto was sextile my natal Jupiter and trine my natal Saturn while square my natal Mars. So there were favorable building energies of Jupiter and Pluto with my Jupiter and Saturn, releasing through the square to Mars.

Speaking of Jupiter and Pluto square my Mars, April through September of 2020 put me in an extraordinarily ugly conflict which was the worst of this century. However, Mars conjunct Saturn was quintile my natal Sun from the Grand Mutation degree at 1 Aquarius, showing a future which began that December.

That’s what I mean when I say none of these aspects between planets exist in a vacuum. Besides the aspects they make between each other, they also make aspects to our natal planets indicating how the yearly ruler of those natal and SR houses relates to the natal rulers of the natal and solar return houses.

The aspects in a Solar Return show the structural relationship of the “frozen moment” primary lessons we will deal with for that year only. Most of the time, we experience transits as they are moving in real time; in the Solar Return, the configurations in that moment are part of the evolution of our Light/Life for the following year. The degree of our mastery of our planetary responses and dualities determines how the planets will play out in the Solar Return.

A Recap - Here, There, or Somewhere Else?

The Solar Return chart must be done for the location where a person is, since that’s where we experience the commencement of our next Solar year. My reasoning is that we cannot be anywhere other than where we are. That’s why we do the chart for wherever our body is during any planetary return. Doing it anywhere else is wishful thinking with no basis in the real world we’re living in.

Some offer that it should be done for the birth place, but if we are not where we were born, then why do a chart for there? Others feel that it should be done for your home location, and not a place you might be visiting for a few hours or days at the time of the Solar Return. However, here the same logic holds. If you are not physically at your home location at the moment of the SR, then you’re not there.

The argument “but we’ll spend more time at X than where we did the SR” is irrelevant, since we understand that we can be transformed completely for the rest of our lives in a single instant in a place we may never be again. The physical place an event happens matters, since that determines natal charts, horary charts, electional charts, meteorological charts, mundane charts, and more.

We can only be one place in space during any specific time. If you’re breathing the air at that location, if you’re part of the electromagnetism of that place on Earth, that’s where the chart is done for. If you had a life changing revelation in Tucson, you wouldn’t do the chart for anywhere else. If you had a life changing event in Santa Monica, you wouldn’t do the chart for your birthplace in Chicago. If you went to Hawaii for a destination wedding, you wouldn’t do the chart for your home in Houston or your birthplace in Philadelphia.

By changing where we do the SR, we can influence how we will experience the year to come, since where we are at that moment influences the signs and degrees on the angles and the houses the SR planets occupy, and how it fits into our chart, and our chart fits into it. We cannot influence the planetary aspects, since they are set by time itself rather than space. In the SR, a square is a square regardless of what sign is on what house. Still, we have the ability to determine what houses the planets fall in based in where we do the Return.

We cannot change the positions of the planets, but we can change what areas are emphasized, and which planets rule which houses. Then the aspects work out based in which house rulers are interacting with other house rulers.

Sometimes I Travel, Sometimes I Stay Put

Some years I literally traveled across the continent to achieve a certain set of positions. Other years I stayed home since it yielded a great chart, or because of time, space, financial, or some other “real world” limitation.

Some years I’ve been able to go a short distance to affect the degrees on the angles, placing the planets in more favorable positions. Even a shift of one degree may matter in this regard, since that may affect the Part of Fortune and occasionally even what sign or decan is on what house cusp.

Some years that shift in one degree matters more than others. In 2013, the chart done for where I lived was so profound, I stayed home and did my meditation there. It had the star Sirius on the Ascendant. Sirius is the “Sun of our Sun,” said to be the source of the Ageless Wisdom on our planet.

As I told you in past articles, I’ve had some very strange Solar Returns. One involved getting up at 4:20 am in New York City and trying to meditate, which is not the best time to do it unless you get up that early. That’s why I chose not to do that in 2020 which fell at the same time. That NYC “half asleep” meditation was likely as effective as my 2020 “mostly asleep” meditation. In both cases I simply programmed my mind to be receptive to being illuminated.

In that NYC meditation, I had just flown in to do some charts and talks out in the Hamptons, and saw that the Solar Return was better in Queens that night rather than Bridgehampton. The meditation was short, since my body was still on Pacific time, so it felt like 1:20 am (not the best time to meditate!) Still, that chart yielded the results I hoped for, though mostly they demonstrated at the end of that Solar year rather than throughout the entire 12 month period.

Another weird SR involved driving a half hour to meditate in a park in a small town in Northern California at 12:55 am, which became somewhat surreal since the police kept cruising by checking my car out. I’m sure they were wondering why a strange car was at a park in the middle of the night! As you can imagine, that also was a relatively short meditation, but it yielded the results I hoped for, given the limitations of the aspects and just how far I could tweak the chart.

I’ve had some really great meditations in other years at more reasonable hours, which is a very good way to launch a new Solar year. By all means try to achieve whatever focus you can for as long as you can, since everything really is connected on many levels simultaneously.

Following the Breadcrumbs through the Forest of Time

As I’m an Aries, when Mercury, Venus, Mars or an outer planet have been in early Aries I felt the quickening through those planetary functions. In March 2011 Jupiter conjuncted my Sun, and the SR chart had Jupiter at 16 Aries. My Solar Return chart for 2011 was a “before the beginning of the adventure,” and by two weeks later on April 15 I knew we were going to move to a distant land, and were already in motion by the 2012 Solar Return. Yes, sometimes it is THAT dramatic!

Taking a look farther back, the 1997 Solar Return chart featured Venus exactly conjunct Saturn at 11 Aries. That year I ended a marriage that hadn’t worked for many years, my pioneering Mercury retrograde book was published to international rave reviews, I sold my home in Austin and left an old life, met Ammachi, and began a relationship with the love of my life which just gets better with every year that goes by!

My Solar Return in 1998 had Mars at 21 Aries and Saturn at 22 Aries, both close to my Sun. That year brought a furious battle with an evil man, and taught me self-discipline. In 1999, my SR chart had Jupiter at 12 Aries, which opened a different, more fulfilling era of my life. The battle still raged, but there was so much divine protection that I marvel how blessed we can be, even in our darkest hours.

Other Solar Returns in my Life

Sometimes dramatic things are indicated in a Solar Return. Three years ago I knew I’d have a very strong Venus year, since it was exactly conjunct my Sun at the Solar Return! Given that I published my book The Magic of Venus: Friendships, Soul Mates, and Twin Flames, I’d say that Solar Return indicator fulfilled itself in a huge way! Speaking of my books, the 2016 chart with Sun trine Saturn and Saturn conjunct the Part of Fortune in the 9th indicated the publishing of my book Saturn: Spiritual Master, Spiritual Friend.

Though the book was already years in the making, that Autumn was when it was finally finished. The harmony between my Light (the Sun) and my Wisdom born of life experience (Saturn) manifested as the Sag quality of publishing a book exploring the worldly and spiritual dimensions of our power to take command of our lives, living our eternal freedom to explore ever-greater vistas of Truth.

In 2015 I chose to stay home, since the Ascendant at 11 Sagittarius created a Grand Fire Trine with Jupiter and the Sun! I could have altered the Part of Fortune if I wanted to drive 20 miles east of Tucson, but since it fell at 11:20 pm, I thought I’d pass. I have found that some years we pretty much are “told” where to be, regardless of what our desire mind believes.

In 2019 I chose to stay home as it gave me 30 Scorpio on the Ascendant, which helped me regenerate and clear out old stuff I no longer needed. As the Ascendant fell in my natal 4th, my home was the focus from April 2019-April 2020. My plants were ecstatic that I was able to transfer them out of the pots they lived in for years and into the soil! It’s also interesting that I spent the last month of my solar year sequestered in my home thanks to the pandemic.

The 2020 Ascendant was 27 Aquarius, within one degree of the 2019 Moon at 26 and the same degree Mercury went SRX in late January 2021. Due to the tight conjunction of the 2019 Moon and the 2020 Ascendant, those two years were very closely linked. It indicated that my 2019 Lunar function became part of my self-image in 2020. The position of Jupiter in the 2021 chart at 24 Aquarius expanded that part of my evolving life. Moon to Ascendant to Jupiter in Aquarius sounds like a good progression to me, with that year bringing many things into focus since the 2021 chart had Mars at 20 Aquarius, Saturn at 23 Aquarius, and Venus at 26 Aquarius, with Saturn going stationary retrograde in June 2022 at 26!

Also as my 2020 SR year began, the ruler of the SR Asc (Saturn) and the ruler of the Sun (Mars) were both in the 12th and that was a year of seclusion. The 2021 SR also had the ruler of the Sun in the 12th, and the ruler of the Gemini Asc. was in the 10th in Pisces conjunct Neptune. So I maintained quarantine, got vaccinated and boosted during the year, while still being in the public eye.

In 2022 I had 8 Virgo rising with the Bundle of planets all between the 5th and 9th houses. The Sun was in the 8th with Moon at 8 Aries, Mercury at 10 Aries, and Chiron at 13 Aries. The 8th is where we let go of the old to create the space for the new. The Moon was in the Balsamic phase, showing a year of closing the old offering visions of the future. This phase “pays it forward,” and with the Lunar degree, the Ageless Wisdom was front and center all year! The worldly ruler of Aries is Mars which was at 20 Aquarius, a degree of getting rewards from Spirit.

In 2024 I had 15 Aquarius rising with everything between the Moon at 21 Sagittarius and Uranus at 21 Taurus. The ruler of my natal Ascendant was in the 2nd, so money and possessions were front and center, with Sun, North Node, and Chiron all conjunct within 7+ degrees. The strong trine from the elevated Moon in Sagittarius to Mercury in the 3^rd helped me get a lot done on The Cycles of Life – 7 Years Cycles and Stages of Change, which launched in May 2025.

The 2024 SR had 4 sets of conjunctions across three signs, with Mars conjunct Saturn in Pisces in the 1^st, Venus conjunct Neptune in Pisces in the 2^nd, Sun in Aries in the 2^nd conjunct NN and Chiron in Aries in the 3^rd, and Jupiter conjunct Uranus in the 4^th. So the year was “Mars conjunct Saturn in Pisces” experiences.

This year I chose to stay home and put 29 Leo on the Ascendant, with Sun in the 8^th conjunct Saturn and Neptune in Aries. As the Asc externalizes through the Dsc, I’m sure I’m “graduating into a new realm of being” this year.

With the Sun ruling both the natal Asc and the SR Asc, I expect it to be a solidly 8^th house experience. Moon at 28 Virgo in 2^nd trine Uranus at 29 Taurus in the 10^th shows I can probably expect a Uranian public experience this year!

Jupiter rules my natal 5/8 sectors, and at 16 Cancer in the 11^th, I should be able to be creative within a group context, helping integrative energies in some public way. Given Mercury rules my natal 2/11 sectors and is trine Jupiter in the SR, it indicates stable harmony between my natal 2/5/8/11 sectors this year. Again, everything in the Solar Return must be related to your natal rulers.

Marking Your Development Across Time

Even if your Solar Return has already passed, you can know a lot by looking at the chart set for wherever you were at that time. It can show you why and how some things have already happened, or challenge you to see “the future in the now.”

It can clarify why you feel differently, or why you found new interests since your last Solar Return. Even if you were not in meditation at your last SR, you can still meditate on the mystery of your growth this year. Seen from an angle of Solar integration of your Light/Life, you may get clues of how certain times of the year are helping you align your consciousness with your Solar Self.

As I mentioned, sometimes the effects of doing the Solar Return in another place may be postponed until near the end of that Solar year, while other years the effects are evident and sometimes even dramatic from the outset. Regardless of where we choose to do the Solar Return, it’s always good to be in meditation at that moment of perfect Solar alignment with our natal Sun. We can set many intentions at that time, though I must add that we seldom achieve anything lasting that’s not already indicated in the natal and progressed charts.

That’s because the Sun symbolizes our integrity, power, light, and centeredness within our “Solar system” of life and affairs. If what we want, intend, or attempt isn’t in line with our integrity or Path to Illumination, then even if we muscle it into existence, it will usually dis-integrate fairly quickly, being a set of aggregates with no substantial reality.

Nothing is forever except our Light, Love, and Power to “restore the Plan on Earth.” And one Solar Return gives one set of lessons and harvests, while previous and future ones hold different lessons and realizations.

Mahalo, L’chaiim, Prosit, A Salut, Namaskar, A votre sante’, Aum and Blessings!

From the April Fool, enjoy every day of life!

For more about the Solar Return, here are a couple of articles from March. In this one, I wrote about the Solar Return, the house system I use, why I always do it for the place I’m at rather than anywhere else, and the details of my meditation technique.

And this article explains the major changes in all Solar Returns between 2025 and 2026, with the dance of the outer planets shifting every few weeks, creating a lot of different possible spiritual combinations for all of us last year and this!

(Picture of illuminated mind by freepik)

© Copyright 2026 Robert Wilkinson

For personal appointments: laughingcat51@hotmail.com