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Guide · Solar return

Solar return: the chart of your year, from birthday to birthday

Every year, close to your birthday, the Sun returns to the exact position it held when you were born. The chart for that moment is called the solar return, and it is read as the theme of the year that begins.

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What a solar return is

The Sun takes about a year to travel around the zodiac. The exact moment it comes back to the degree and minute of your natal Sun is your solar return. It can happen on your birthday, the day before or the day after, at a precise time.

The chart for that moment describes the climate of the next twelve months: which areas of life stand out, the themes to work on and where support lies.

Why location matters

The moment of the solar return is the same all over the world, but the Ascendant and houses depend on where you are at that moment. That is why tradition calculates the solar return for the place where you spend your birthday. Usually that is the city where you live.

What to look at in a solar return chart

  • The Ascendant of the year: the tone in which you will live those months.
  • The house where the Sun falls: the area of life that asks for attention and where your focus will be.
  • The Moon: the emotional needs of the year.
  • Angular planets (near the Ascendant, Midheaven, Descendant or IC): themes that will be very noticeable.
  • The comparison with the birth chart: which natal houses the solar return points fall into.
The solar return complements transits and progressions: together they give a richer reading of the year than any single technique.

How to see your solar return on Arkanova

  1. Open the birth chart with the solar return and enter your details.
  2. Choose the year and the place where you will be on your birthday.
  3. See the chart of the year and the reading of houses, planets and Ascendant.
  4. Compare it with your birth chart and with the blocks and gifts activated that year.

Frequently asked questions

Is the solar return always on my birthday?

Almost always, but not necessarily. Depending on your birth time and the year, it can fall the day before or the day after.

If I travel on my birthday, does the solar return change?

The moment does not change, but the Ascendant and houses do, because they depend on the place. That is why some people choose where to spend their birthday.

Does the solar return replace the birth chart?

No. The birth chart is the foundation. The solar return shows how that potential is activated during a specific year.

Do I need my exact birth time?

Yes, for the Ascendant and houses of the year. Without it, the time of the solar return and its Ascendant become uncertain.

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