How to Read a Solar Return Chart

Solar return charts

We each have a solar return once a year every year. A “solar return” is when the sun returns to the exact degree and minute that it was at when a person was born. Sometimes this date falls on your actual birthday, or a couple of days on either side of your birthday.

A solar return chart is essentially a snapshot of the exact moment that the sun hits the place it was at in the sky at the time of a person’s birth. Interpreting the solar return chart and how it interacts with your natal chart can offer invaluable insight into prominent themes that are likely to come up during a given year of your life, from one birthday until the next birthday.

I offer live, one-on-one solar return readings over Zoom. To explore what is to come in your year ahead, book an All 4 Seasons reading here. Otherwise, read on to get the basics on how to read your solar return chart.

How to read a solar return chart

The first step to reading a solar return chart is to read it as if it is a birth chart.

Each solar return chart has a personality and it describes the vibe of your life over the next year.

Solar return chart

Look at the ascendant, the ruler of the ascendant, and the 1st house for big, overarching themes that are likely to come up this year. If there are any planets in the 1st house, and especially if they are conjunct the ascendant, those planets are going to define your year in important ways.

Next, look at the sign and house that the moon is in, followed by the signs and houses that Mercury, Venus and Mars are in. Just like in a natal chart, the “big 6” in a solar return chart are going to be the most important planets to pay attention to. After that, consider the placements of the rest of the planets in the chart. You may want to consider aspects between the different planets too, but I don’t always find it necessary to go into that much detail; the themes tend to reveal themselves easily enough without them.

Lastly, explore each house of the solar return chart for insight into how the topics of life indicated by each house are likely to go this year.

Bonus points: look for any planets or points at 29º. 29 is an intense degree, and any planet at 29º in a solar return chart is likely to be kind of intense that year.

The second step to reading a solar return chart is to place it on top of your natal chart and interpret it as you would a collection of transits.

This is arguably the most eerily revelatory part of solar returns. The solar return chart essentially acts as a collection of transits that you will be feeling the effects of all year. If your solar return happens to fall on a day of a particularly positive, auspicious transit, you get to carry the energy of that transit with you all year long! If your solar return chart happens to fall on the day of a more challenging transit, you are likely to feel the effects of that transit all year too

You will want to pay extra attention to the house in which the solar return ascendant falls in your natal chart. So for example, in the chart below, the person is a natal Virgo rising and their solar return chart has Gemini rising. So their solar return ascendant will fall in their 10th whole sign house in their natal chart. This means that the 10th house themes will be huge for them this year – things like career, public image, inner child healing, and their willingness to be truly seen by the world. This may be an active year for their career.

Solar return chart overlaid on natal chart; natal chart is on the inside, solar return chart is the outer ring

Next, look for any planets or angles that are conjunct natal planets or angles within 3º. This is typically the most elucidatory part of solar return interpretation. Any conjunctions between the solar return chart and the natal chart are going to be potent and notable themes.

For example, in the chart example above, the solar return Juno is conjunct the person’s natal Venus in Cancer in the 11th house. This tells us that relationships (Venus), and specifically themes of commitment or betrayal (Juno), are going to be a big part of this year. They may also be taking something they’ve created (Venus) about Juno-related topics (like relationships, commitment, betrayal, fidelity, and more) and sharing it with the world, an audience, or their wider community (11th house).

Please note that I do not pay much attention to aspects other than conjunctions between the solar return chart and the natal chart, but feel free to experiment yourself!

Oftentimes we will see the same themes that are depicted in the solar return chart and its overlay with the natal chart when you use additional timing methods too, like transits, annual profections, and more. The more times a theme is repeated, the more certain it is that the events and experiences described will manifest. For example, in the chart example above, in addition to having Gemini ascendant and moon in their solar return chart (Gemini is ruled by Mercury), they also happen to be in a 1st house, Mercury-ruled profection year too. Because Mercury is emphasized in at least three different ways through the various prediction methods, we know that Mercury themes are going to be very present for this person during this year. They can expect communication, the mind, and perhaps business and mental health to be important themes.

And those are the basics to reading a solar return chart! I hope to offer a masterclass on solar return readings in the near future, so sign up for my mailing list to hear about that.