Dating events in the Solar Return chart and Transits interpretation in relation to an on-going SR

Dating events in the context of an SR is the ambition of all those who wish to use astrology as a prediction tool (for themselves, others, as a profession, as a hobby etc). In this respect, in his time Alexandre Volguine, and in the present day Ciro Discepolo, have provided us with many examples based on birth charts and their relative SR and Lunar Returns in order to explain how to provided better predictions in terms of the dating of one or more events during the current year of the person in question.

For reasons of space we cannot show any diagrams and/or tables in this article, but we can trace the overall outline on which we base our predictions aimed at dating events. In fact, to get correct dating we have to consider, in addition to the current SR, also the transits of Mars and of the slow moving planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto) in relation to the birth chart and certainly also considering the Lunar Returns which concern the current SR.
Ciro Discepolo has defined very useful rules which we will explain below.


1)Firstly, he recommends paying a lot of attention to the concurrent transits of Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto, in other words to the fact that the slow moving planets mentioned above simultaneously form bad aspects to the Luminaries, Ascendant or Midheaven of his/her birth chart. If we find that at the same time with any negative aspects of the mentioned planets, to the Luminaries, Ascendant or Midheaven, there is an SR which has Ascendant in the twelfth, sixth or first radical house, or a setllium (above all the following combinations: Mars and Saturn, Mars and Uranus, or mars and Pluto) in the three “dangerous” houses, here then we would almost certainly expect quite difficult events to take place – or even “serious” events. Conversely, if the aspects of these planets are positive – better yet if they are neutral – to the Luminaries, Ascendant or Midheaven, and the current SR simultaneously has, for example, an Ascendant in the tenth radical house and/or favourable planets that are simultaneously in the tenth house, fourth house or ninth house of SR chart, then there will be one or more favourable events in the life of the person in question. However, in this respect we would like to remind you that you can put a SR Ascendant in the tenth radical house only in absence of bad aspects to the Midheaven, Ascendant and Luminaries of the birth chart. This means that you must NEVER put a SR Ascendant in the tenth radical house if, for example, Saturn forms a bad aspect to the Sun or the Midheaven of the birth chart of the person in question. The Lunar Returns then allow us to get a clear picture of the situation on a monthly basis, by observing the position of the Lunar Return Ascendant and the position of the planets in the houses.

2)The orbit to be taken into consideration for Uranus, Neptune and Pluto transit aspects must never be more than two degrees, while for all the other planets you can consider an orbit of three degrees, in order to “narrow” the field as much as possible and provide more precise predictions.

3)In order to attain predictions that are as precise as possible for the dating of one or more events in the life of an individual person during the course of a year, the Neapolitan scholar recommends – in any case strictly following the rules we have explained so far – studying the birth charts and the SR charts of the relatives (parents, brothers, sisters and grandparents, if they are still alive).

4)Discepolo, regarding the so-called soft aspects of Uranus, Neptune and Pluto, also explains that even a Uranus or Pluto trine – always in the presence of other aspects that are simultaneously in conflict and of “heavy” on-going SR – must in reality be interpreted with a more “negative” rather than “positive” effect compared to the planet of the birth chart which receives this aspect. For example: if Uranus is transiting trine natal Mars but at the same time Mars receives, let us suppose, the squaring of Jupiter and it is all included in a bad on-going SR, then that Uranus trine will push you higher in the direction of a general contemptuous or indifferent attitude towards a danger that could instead cause you serious troubles (while you are driving your car or making you fall from a ladder while you are painting etc).

5)Discepolo also recommends paying attention – as well as the contemporaneity – also to the “quantity” of both positive and negative aspects that simultaneously occur in the life of an individual in order to date a certain event in a precisely.

6)Lastly, always in respect of the planets, it is very important to consider Mars as having a tight orbit, in particular when it enters the houses of your birth chart, always clearly taking into consideration the on-going SR chart.
According to Discepolo (and also certainly in our opinion) it is this planet that often determines the “triggering” of the event we look for in a forecast.

7)A “summary” rule: the SR chart has a much greater effect than the transiting planets. Thus, if there are any negative transits – such as Uranus transiting squared natal Mars in the sixth house – we have assured ourselves a good SR, even if the transit is a bad one it will not be able to hurt us very much.
On the contrary, if by mistake you put (or it is impossible for you to travel on the day of your birthday) Mars in the twelfth house (or in the sixth or first house) of SR chart, even if Jupiter forms a good aspect to your natal Mars or Venus in that year, this should not at all been considered “protective”. There will be no “shield” to protect you and it will not have any effect compared to the difficult nature of the red planet placed like a heavy weight on one of the three “dangerous” houses of the on-going SR.

8)The “triple” transits of a planet – for better or for worse – are the most important ones during a person’s year, especially if they are in conjunction with a planet or sensitive planet of the a person’s birth chart.
For example: with Uranus, Neptune and Pluto which often position themselves for a long time in the same degrees, sometimes going backwards (retrograde) and then going forwards again, what will happen is that they will go “forwards, backwards and then forwards again” compared to a planet or sensitive point on a person’s birth chart. It will be in that period of time that we must pay particular attention on being precise in terms of predictions.

What we have just described above are rules to summarise the issue of transits interpretation in relation to an on-going BSR or RSR.
However, always remember that if you are reading this advice on how to relocate your SR chart, you should keep the transits into consideration during the RSR year in relation to the natal chart, especially during the phase of choosing your next RSR.

The concept is similar to that of an orchestra which plays a marvellous symphony: all the elements are perfectly coordinated and play together at the same time, creating an emotional, evocative and perfect fusion of sounds between them. Your RSR must do the same in relation to the transits in your natal chart, choosing the positioning of the planets with extreme care (the individual instruments of our imaginary orchestra) in the houses of your RSR chart, so that it all merges with the aspects that the transiting planets form in your birth chart, exactly giving an “orchestration” effect that is produced by an orchestra when it plays a marvellous symphony.

For example: if a person knows (or you know) that in his/her next RSR he/she will have a Jupiter transiting (Fortune!) through the tenth natal house (a transit which happens once every twelve years!) and that Jupiter is positive because, let us suppose, in the person’s birth chart it forms a nice trine to the Sun, then we will do everything possible, in compliance with the above defined rules, to position an RSR Ascendant in the tenth house, or at least to put his /her Sun in the tenth house of his/her RSR.

Another example: in the natal chart of a person who has been looking for a partner for a long time but with poor results, there will be a transit of Uranus, which will form a trine (but it would be o.k. even if it was a sextile) to natal Venus. “The astrologer – architect – orchestra conductor” must do everything he/she can – always in compliance with the basic rules defined above – to be able to “relocate” the next SR of the person in question so as to position an Ascendant in the fifth natal house or to put Venus in the fifth or seventh SR house! In this way everything to do with the symbol of Venus-affection-sentiments-important relationships etc will be enhanced along with the meanings of change, a sudden change of scene related to Uranus.

Or else: in the year of another person who is looking to get his/her finances in order, when Pluto forms a nice trine (the most positive aspect in astrology) to natal Venus, which is positive in his/her natal chart (because, for example, it makes a trine aspect to Jupiter), then this is why we will be looking to place Venus in the eighth house of his/her RSR (incoming money), in order to “enhance” that transit of Pluto and ensure this person receives – because of the contemporaneity of the transit of Pluto along with the presence of Venus in the eighth house of the RSR – additional incoming money for the year covered by “that” RSR.

Considering the concept of “enhancing” or “weakening” a transit we also recommend carefully reading the explanations regarding the exorcising of symbols.

A contemporary French astrologer, Marìe-Therese des Longchamps, instead recommends a very simple rule which has nothing to do with Active Astrology, but which we believe should be explained for your knowledge.
The rule establishes the following:
“In an SR the ascendant corresponds to the beginning of a year (about four months). The Midheaven corresponds to the middle part of the year (about four months) and the fourth house instead corresponds to the last part of the year (about four months)”. According to des Longchamps, by following these indications it is possible to quickly identify the part of the year in which difficulties or opportunities will come along, so that action can be taken.

Even Alexandre Volguine, the twentieth century French astrologer who for many years was the only authority for the theory of SR, and also partly the author of the re-launching of this theory in Europe, proposed his method, which is perhaps a little “extravagant” for dating events using an SR and for “astrological history” reasons we summarise it below.
He believed that it is necessary to take into consideration, paying as much attention as possible, all the aspects the planets make with each other during the day which immediately follows the Solar Return, until 24 hours later, because according to the French astrologer, it is the angular aspects, the planets make with each other during the following 24 hours after the Return of the Sun, to influence the subject for the rest of the year, which goes from one birthday to the next. Also, according to the French author, by comparing the day with 24 hours to the year with 365 days, and establishing two hours (which are one twelfth of a day) which equal a month in the year, by monitoring the angular aspects between the planets of that day every two hours (in other words from month to month) we can get the forecasts for the entire year.
This is another method of dating events, but since this section of “Astrology online” is inspired by Ciro Discepolo’s School of Active Astrology, we use the rules defined by the Neapolitan scholar who, just to remind you yet again, attributes little or no importance to the angular aspects the planets make between each other in respect of an SR.

Have you noticed that in this article dedicated to the dating of astrological events you have encountered the term “Lunar Returns” a number of times: what are they and what are they for? To find out you will have to read the next article!

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