The USA Solar Return for 2001

Solar returns are a tricky business. First there is the question of whether or not to locate the chart in the birth place, or where one is living on each birthday, or where one is located physically on that day. Many people actually make deliberate trips each year so they can physically be in an advantageous place to maximize the positive attributes of their solar returns. I suppose there are Astrologers out there who choose the best places for their clients to be. Personally, after testing it myself and reading about the famous experiment T. Patrick Davis did, which clinched it for me, I've never believed that was a valid premise and have always used the natal position.

Then there is the question of the sidereal increment. As our planetary system revolves around the Sun, our Sun and its attendant planets are, as a unit, revolving around the galactic center of the Milky Way, so every year we have moved a little bit, and some sidereal Astrologers mathematically allow for that incremental motion. Since the United States is over 200 years old, that adds up to a bit. I'm still on the fence, but I've done some experiments with that, too, and it seems both charts are valid—one for internal changes and the other for external events. Maybe. It would take much more work than I have time for.

Solar returns are charts that are calculated for the exact time the Sun "returns" each year to its birth position—that is, the exact time it occupies the same degree and minute it does in your birth chart. Since the Sun moves about an average of 58 minutes a day, it moves a little over 2 minutes per hour. You can see why it would be necessary to have a person's Sun calculated to the second since it takes the Sun almost a half hour to move one minute! That's why I reluctantly did solar returns in the past when I had to calculate them by hand. Now we have computers, and if you have a correct time of birth, we can generate your solar return in seconds, but it is even more critical to have a correct time of birth for these than most other things. A chart moves a far piece in a half hour!!

The USA chart is a tricky business. I had a hard time accepting 2:15 a.m. as the birth time, which is what is commonly used. I couldn't imagine our forefathers staying up that late debating the pros and cons of the Declaration of Independence by candlelight. And, when I read a great rectification by Barbara Koval in Considerations that made sense, I switched to her 2 degrees Sagittarius rising chart. However, Barbara May, an Astrologer in Oregon, sent me this startling email this week: "I'm a descendant of the Adams family thru Abigail Smith Adams & Samuel. I saw a diary of Abigail's for 1776, quoting a letter from her husband John who was attending the Continental Congress. In her spidery handwriting, she wrote he'd written the 'Declaration was signed at one quarter past the hour of two o'clock in the morning' on July 4th, 1776."

Then there is the question of whether or not July 4th should be the birthday. After all, some argue, we fought a whole war before we actually implemented our independence and swore in our first president. Some use the swearing in as the birth chart. What to do? What to do?

Let's just do an experiment. This is a profound birthday for the USA, and it should be a most interesting year. I'm going to use the common chart that most people use, and the tropical method (as opposed to the sidereal) and Philadelphia, PA, the place where the Declaration of Independence was signed, as opposed to Washington DC where the government "lives" now.

A solar return chart is a forecasting tool that lasts for only one year, birthday to birthday. It can fall on the day before or after your birthday, or right on it, but not farther than that unless you are several hundreds of years old. It has special methods of interpretation. There isn't room here to explain all of them, but, for example, a first step is to look at what house is rising compared to the natal chart. In this case, 27 degrees Virgo is rising, and that degree falls in the USA fifth house. Fifth house is commonly thought of as representing the way we give of ourselves through creativity, children, recreation and sexual expression plus things that are a risk, such as speculation and gambling. Using derivative houses, it can represent more, but that's too much for this article. Suffice to say, in the coming year, some of our attention will turn to these things more than usual. Then look to see what house the solar return Sun is occupying. It is in the 10th, which is government in general, the president, corporations, big business—in short, a power placement. With Jupiter there, too, and conjunct the MC, power positions have a great advantage this year and are very confident. It's even more pronounced when you consider that Jupiter is conjunct Mercury, the ruler of the MC. Looks like the president also might have "hoof in mouth" disease, since this combination is a bit outspoken and over-confident.

Saturn is always important by house position because it shows where we have doubt and anxiety. This one is in the ninth, the house that represents foreign countries, higher education and legislation and in that context, it includes the bodies that make the laws, as well. It appears our legislative branch will have some tough issues to deal with that will generate a great deal of power struggling and anger. The Saturn is opposite Mars (anger) and Pluto (intensity and power). It would not be surprising to see long, drawn out wrangling over minutia. Notice that the placement of Saturn is very close to the USA's natal Uranus and had just passed over the USA ascendant (if this 2:15 a.m. time is correct) shortly before July. Saturn represents fear as well, and the ascendant is our country's persona, our way of projecting ourselves. Are we appearing fearful or anxious to foreign countries? (Saturn is placed in the ninth of the solar return, remember.) Or is our government reassessing our posturing in foreign affairs?

[More importantly, though, when Saturn passes over any chart's ascendant, it is a most important time. It represents the beginning of an obscure period in which the owner of the chart re-evaluates him or her self and makes needed changes. S/he takes himself very seriously at these times and does the necessary self discipline to effect improvement. In a country's chart it can be a long, hard look at ourselves collectively. The last time Saturn was in this position was May 1972, just around the time of the Watergate scandal, which made us take a long, hard look at ourselves. We are in our situations by what we allow to go on that affects us.]

Anything we do over the next year will be given a positive, inflated spin by the media. The ruler of the solar return chart is Mercury. Media and communication will have even more impact than usual, because it is elevated conjunct the MC and Jupiter and in Gemini, the communications sign. Things will be trivialized and hyped. The natal USA Neptune is rising in the solar return, showing that there is deception just behind all this, since the Neptune squares the MC and therefore, the Jupiter and Mercury, as well. These would be true (aspects to Mercury and Jupiter) no matter what time of day the country was born. In other words, this year, especially, don't believe the news media. If we withhold advertising or subscriptions, we can effect powerful changes.

The natal chart has a Mars/Neptune square (meaning they are 90 degrees apart), and it has been activated very often when there has been a volatile issue regarding discrimination, such as our Civil War. This year, the four planet configuration of Mars, Pluto, Jupiter and Mercury, which are so prominent in this solar return and the eclipse charts, activate this square. Therefore, expect some high profile events regarding that problem. Plus, the very nature of Mars/Neptune squaring each other is "deceptive behavior". Our country was born with tendencies in this regard. It is highlighted whenever anything activates it. (There is a quite a bit about this in my recent book, Solar Arc Directions.) If the country as a whole would recognize this, it could be transmuted.

I want to comment on one more thing. The solar return has a square between Venus and Uranus. Uranus is surprise and the unexpected. It rules the sixth, which represents jobs, the workforce in general, and service-related activity. Venus is in and rules the ninth (explained above) and the second, which represents our country's values as well as collective income. We could have some surprising legislation in about 4 and a 1/2 months about labor which upsets us. Consider that the solar return Uranus is quincunx (150 degrees from) the natal Mercury. A quincunx is separative and shows difficult comprehension on the part of us all collectively.

Cosmic Views copyright © 2001 Carole Devine/Devine Advantage. All rights reserved.
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