Dear Friends, this weekend the United States celebrates her 235th birthday. Every year, we each have an opportunity to celebrate both our birthday and our "astrological birthday" or Solar Return. Well, the time has come for my birthday on July 3rd and we have big plans for a nice weekend getaway. So, I wanted to write a bit about Solar Returns and the concept of a Solar Return Vacation.
As you know, for each of us, every year, the Sun returns to the exact same degree as when we were born. This is referred to as our Solar Return. As most of you know, in my Transit Forecast Consultations, I interpret your Solar Return chart during the forecast consultation. What is a Solar Return chart?
Well, a Solar Return chart is the chart for the exact moment when the Sun returns to your natal Sun degree (your Solar Return chart is different each year). Just like a birth chart, the Solar Return chart is set by your location (the place you are at the exact moment when the Sun returns to its natal position) and it identifies the themes that will energize the year ahead for you (for the next twelve months until our next Solar Return).
For me, this is a special year, first, because the Solar Eclipse at 9 degrees Cancer on July 1, 2011 is conjunct my natal Sun at 11 degrees Cancer and, as a result, this Solar Eclipse will also energize my Solar Return chart for the next 12 months. This will also be the case for anyone born roughly between June 27th and July 6th. The combination of the annual Solar Return with a Solar Eclipse conjunct the Sun provides a special opportunity! For me, the Solar Eclipse conjunct my natal Sun energizes the pace of the development of my purpose (Sun). As a result, this year is more important than others for me to courageously take the next step forward on the soul's journey.
Second, I am very fortunate that my Solar Return chart here in Munich, Germany has Jupiter on the 7th house. The position of Jupiter in a Solar Return chart identifies where opportunities will manifest in the year ahead. With Jupiter in the 7th house for me, this means that relationships will provide the opportunities for success. In this case, relationships are favored in a number of ways, both personal and professional, with individuals and groups, in person or via phone. In short, the Solar Return Jupiter in the 7th house identifies interactions with others as an important and blessed path to success in the year ahead.
Having Jupiter on the Descendant, or any of the other angles (Ascendant, Midheaven, and IC) is one of the best energies for a Solar Return chart! If I choose to, I can stay in Munich and have a wonderful Solar Return chart to energize the year ahead. However, I would also like to honor the Solar Eclipse conjunct my natal Sun, which is asking me to be inspired and to awaken and re-energize my sense of purpose. So, I would like to take a 3 night trip over this weekend to a location that might bring inspiration - someplace I have not been before. I thought I would share with you how I approached figuring out where to go to ensure that I have a good Solar Return chart.
As many of you know, we can change our Solar Return chart by traveling to another location to celebrate our Solar Return. I call this a Solar Return Vacation. Essentially, electing your Solar Return chart by traveling someplace else is a little bit of magic. The process needs to be more than its mundane components of getting on a plane, train or highway, etc. for a vacation. As I said, the magic, also known as 'groovy dust' needs to be applied liberally. There are items to clarify before we can select Solar Return Vacation location.
First, you need to identify the aspect of life you want to energize for the year ahead. Why is this important? Well, goals like career, creativity, love, health, inspiration and transformation are all supported by different astrological signatures. So, we need to know which astrological signatures that will support your goal and focus on that.
Second, you need to establish the boundaries for locations we look at and determine just how far you are willing to travel. This determines the range of options you will have for choosing your Solar Return Vacation. In general, the larger the range of options, the greater the likelihood is of finding a great location for your Solar Return Vacation.
Once the goals and boundaries are identified, then we are off to the races. When electing a Solar Return chart, we have the potential to influence two elements in the chart:
� We can place favorable planets conjunct one of the angles of the Solar Return chart.
By placing benefic planets on the major angels of our Solar Return chart, we make the chart more potent and bring energy to your identity! For example, we can move the Sun or Jupiter to our Midheaven to energize career success or Mercury to the Descendent to energize the ability to communicate and connect with others. If we really want to energize change and start a new chapter of life, we can place Uranus on the Ascendant or Midheaven - that will do the trick!
� We can sometimes move planets to move to more favorable house position.
We can also make some adjustment to move planets to a move favorable (or less challenging) house position. For example, let's say that Saturn is going to be in your second house on your Solar Return at your present location. Well, Saturn can be a limiting factoring to our financial security (second house). In this case, we would want to move Saturn out of the second house to a more favorable house position if possible, especially if we were already feeling financial pressure. Since challenging planets like Saturn, Pluto, Neptune and Mars all must go somewhere in the Solar Return chart, this technique has limitations, but the goal is to minimize the negative aspects.
There are many examples of 'fine tuning' that we can do and it all is evaluated in the context of where your life is now and the goals you have for the year ahead. My wife and I look at this each year and travel for our Solar Return whenever possible (or whenever needed).
For my Solar Return Vacation, my goal is to energize inspiration in my life and the ability to share that inspiration with others. The boundaries for this trip are that I would like the destination to be less than a 4 hour train trip from Munich and to be in the Alps, the mountain range that connects southern Germany with Austria, Switzerland, France and northern Italy.
It would be great if I could travel to a place where the Sun is favorably positioned in this year's Solar Return chart (to really magnify the energies of the Solar Eclipse). This year, however, the Sun seems to spend 90% of its energy over one ocean or another. The one interesting exception is in India from Mumbai to Rishikesh. I traveled to Swami Rama's ashram in Rishikesh in 1998 and loved it, but that is too far for this Solar Return. (I have a few photos from this trip posted in the Travelogue section of Travelers Well.com).
Jupiter is positioned over the 7th house cusp in Bavaria; this is the perfect energy for connecting with others. But, I want to travel, so I want to figure out how to keep Jupiter in the 7th house on my Solar Return. As I have shown on the map below, if I am west of the Jupiter line, Jupiter will be in my 7th House. If I am east of the line, Jupiter will be in my 6th house. Well, I want Jupiter in my 7th House. Why? Jupiter in the 7th house is great for energizing success by working and sharing with others, which is a central part of my work as an astrologer and with The Traveler's Well.
So, how can I navigate the local region and keep this Jupiter in my 7th house? The region in this map is basically all an Alpen region soaring mountains reaching to the bright blue sky and flower dotted mountain meadows! But, you will see in purple that we span three countries: The Bavarian Tirol, The Austrian Tyrol and the Italian Southern Alps (the Dolomites and the South Tyrol). The dotted red line from Munich to Bolzano, Italy represents 112 miles. So, this is quite a small area, filled with gorgeous mountains, in three different countries.
We are quite drawn to the Italian Alps because of the blending of the Italian and German culture, but we have never been there. So, that is where we are headed. We can't wait to visit Bolzano (called Bozen in German)! Because of the mountains, these 112 miles will take just under 4 hours to navigate! If there aren't too many tunnels, this should be a gorgeous trip! We'll see....
But, oh no, that puts Jupiter in the 6th house. So, here's the plan. My Solar Return is at 3:42 PM in the afternoon on July 3rd. So, we will leave Bolzano on my birthday at 10:30 AM and arrive in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany by 2:00 PM just in time for my Solar Return and Jupiter will be safely positions in my 7th House. You might say this is cutting it close and it is. But, the train from Bolzano stops in Innsbruck, Austria (which is on the map). So, once I am in Innsbruck I am safe.
For the actual Solar Return, the exact moment, I recommend having a small ceremony where you contemplate and acknowledge your goals and desires for the year ahead and what the Solar Return chart is energizing. This can be any ceremony that has meaning to you. I know some people who like to take a hike in nature. Others light a candle and incense and have a brief meditation. Whatever it is that will honor the moment is nice to do.
Looking ahead, the next Solar Eclipse in 2011 will occur on November 25, 2011 (late in the evening on November 24, 2011 on the west coast of the US) at 2 degrees, 37 minutes Sagittarius. That means that my wife, with her November 22 birth date, will also have a Solar Eclipse conjunct her Sun in her Solar Return chart. It is important to note that she was born on a Solar Eclipse too. So, this should be quite an interesting year, but we have not yet looked at November travel. If we do plan to travel this year, we will let you know the process we went through.
So, I will be out of contact starting Thursday night, June 30 to Tuesday, July 5 on our little adventure. I look forward to sharing photos of our journey when we return. Also, I will respond to all e-mails at that time! Also, to all of my friends in the United States, enjoy the Independence Day celebrations and your time off!
Also, may the power of the Solar Eclipse energize you today (July 1, 2011)!
Moving in Harmony!
