From the predictive astrology perspective, primary directions indicate that an event will occur in a specific year of life. Astrologically speaking, we expect the appropriate transit to happen on a particular day, triggering the event on Earth.
Shortly before this transit, particular planetary configurations set the conditions for realizing the main event. They establish annual trends for the native's recurring actions and daily decisions, without which the event would be impossible.
We call these "initiating" celestial configurations the planetary return charts or revolutions, one of which is the solar return.
[toc]
Return Charts
Suppose, in the horoscope, the same planet signifies
- Conflicts with bosses relative to professional activities,
- Conflicts with parents relative to the 4th house, and
- Money acquired through disputes relative to the 2nd house.
Now, imagine that this planet, in its primary motion, forms an unfavorable aspect with the rulers of both the 4th and 2nd houses after 35 degrees of rotation of the celestial sphere.
The aspect activates the negative role of conflicts with parents regarding money. Thus, we anticipate conflicts with parents over inheritance.
It means that approximately after 35 years, a transit will occur, triggering a court hearing with the parents. Shortly before that, a configuration will form in the sky, leading to unfavorable inheritance-related activities. There will be a clash of interests, a series of concurrent events, and everyday tensions between the native and his parents. This will gradually escalate until it culminates in a day when both parties find themselves in court.
Hence, if primary directions promise a court case with parents at 35, we must find a moment shortly before the expected event when the planets involved in the conflicting aspect repeat (actualize) their radical roles and initiate the daily tensions leading to the court on the final transit. Such moments are the planets’ passages through their natal positions. The chart for such a moment is called a planetary revolution or planetary return chart.
In this chart, the planet will always occupy the same sign and degree as at birth. However, its position in the house and aspects from other planets will be different. They give a planet new meanings. Suppose, in our hypothetical example, one of the planets—Venus—represents legal matters, conflicts with parents in primary directions, and promises conflicts with parents at 35.
Suppose it repeats the same role at the moment of its revolution. In that case, it will initiate the preparation stage—the conflicts of interests and everyday tensions necessary for the court to happen. But if it doesn’t, the year will be peaceful, and when the final transit occurs, it will produce nothing. So, the planetary return chart either proves or rejects the promises of the primary directions.
Solar and Lunar Returns
The Sun serves as the center for all planets. Therefore, when the Sun returns to its original position at birth, it refreshes its roles and the roles of each of its satellites. In particular, at the moment of solar return, Venus will also refresh its meanings—it can either confirm or negate its role of “conflict with parents” in the solar return chart.
The Moon, as the traditional companion of the Sun and the second luminary in the sky, possesses the same property. At the moment of its return to the natal position, it refreshes the meanings of all planets in the horoscope.
Traditionally, astrologers call charts of solar revolutions solar returns, while charts of lunar revolutions—lunar returns.
Solar returns occur every year, unlike the returns of Saturn or Jupiter. Therefore, astrologers primarily rely on solar returns to confirm or refute the promise of the preceding direction for a specific year of life.
When the solar return confirms the promise of directions, it initiates a series of events to realize the promise. However, the event may occur in any month of the year. Within a year, the Moon will return to its natal position several times, refreshing the meaning of all radix planets. If, in some lunar returns, Venus, promising a court case with parents, repeats its conflicting role, then in the corresponding month, we expect the beginning of a court hearing.
We may have several months when the event is possible. In one of the lunar returns, Venus will particularly vividly repeat its role. Most likely, it will be the month of the court case. In any case, there is an additional technique called primary directions derived from revolution charts—it allows specifying in which of the possible months the event will occur.
In rare cases, no lunar returns may confirm Venus’s conflicting role. At the same time, Venus’ return may also deny her conflicting role for that year. It means that although the solar return will trigger activity around inheritance, it will not lead to a court case in any of the months of the year.
So, there is a rule:
For the event to occur, the solar return must initiate a series of events in a particular year, and the lunar return must force these events in a specific month. Astrologically speaking, the solar return must confirm the promises of the preceding direction, and the lunar return must confirm the promise of the preceding solar return.
Therefore, planetary revolutions, primarily solar and lunar returns, serve the following functions:
- They prove or deny the promise by the preceding directions.
- They specify in which month of the year the promised event will occur.
- Finally, they contain additional ultra-specific details describing the expected event. In other words, solar and lunar return serve as additional signification techniques.
Final Transit
When the solar and lunar return charts both prove the central event of the year, promised by the primary directions, we can calculate the primary directions from the solar and lunar return charts to find a short interval of a few days when we anticipate the event.
By examining the planetary transits during this brief interval of a few days, we can pinpoint the most appropriate transit that fulfills the promises of the preceding lunar and solar return charts. The day this transit occurs will mark the onset of the event.
Astrologically speaking,
- The natal chart and primary directions create the potential for an event.
- The confirming solar return chart concentrates this potential within a specific year.
- The confirming lunar return chart further concentrates this potential within a particular month.
- Like a trigger mechanism, the final transit reduces this potential into action—it triggers the central event of the year on a specific day of that month.
The purpose of the transit chart is to specify the particular day of a pre-known event within a short time interval. You can see the real-life examples of final transits in horary astrology.
Conclusion
So, as you have understood from this article, solar and lunar returns are not so much self-sufficient prognostic techniques as they are methods for refining the promises of primary directions, which are more important.
If, for example, a solar strongly promises wealth and love for a given year, but the preceding direction does not highlight that current year in any way, then none of the solar's indications will be confirmed.
The article on marriage prediction by natal chart provides an example of a solar return reading.
