TRANSCRIPT Episode 246 | The Sun and Jupiter Celebrate a Solar Return! (8.5.24)
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Hello Invisible Friend, April here, and the date today is August 5th, 2024. Welcome to Episode 246 of the Big Sky Astrology Podcast.
This is a very light week in the big sky, with no major lunation, and only two planetary aspects of note: The Sun’s stimulating sextile to Jupiter, and Mercury revisiting a conjunction to Venus. And in honor of my birthday today, a mini lesson about Solar Return charts!
Sun sextile Jupiter (Aug. 7, 2024, 6:37 am PDT)
The week begins with the Sun’s sextile aspect, Jupiter, on August 7th at 6:37 am Pacific Time. This is at 15º32’ Leo and Gemini. The Sabian symbol for the Sun is 16 Leo, Sunshine just after a storm, and it reflects that this is one of the nicer aspects around, bringing together the Sun with Jupiter.
The Sun is the symbol of being our true selves, and the connection of the Sun with Jupiter just says that being truly ourselves can bring happy and expansive opportunities. I love that Sabian symbol for the Sun, Sunshine just after a storm. At its best, Leo is very sunshiny. It radiates confidence and happiness.
And when a planet comes together with Jupiter, in any kind of aspect, its natural qualities are amplified. So Jupiter coming together with the Sun says, Yes, fun, confidence, creativity, sunshine, and more and more of it, please! This is a great aspect for taking chances, for doing new things, going to new places. This is a time of year a lot of us are going on vacation, and the Sun sextile to Jupiter, especially in happy Leo and fun loving Gemini, is such a great combination.
Maybe going out and taking a road trip or exploring attractions very close to your home since Jupiter is in Gemini and that is more inclined to either stay close to home or to take shorter, long-distance trips.
I, of course, am celebrating this by being on my sabbatical. As I’m recording this, I’m a week away from beginning that four-week break, but during this week, my birthday week, I will be enjoying some time off, some freedom, the opportunity to get out and around in my area and look at some of the things I don’t normally have time to look at.
Mercury conjunct Venus (Aug. 7, 2024, 8:12 pm PDT)
Also, on August 7th at 8:12 pm Pacific Time, Mercury, which is still retrograde, makes a conjunction with Venus at 3º43’ Virgo. So, what might we have overlooked last week when Mercury was near this same degree of Virgo? Because that is something we can revisit at this aspect, especially related to money because of the conjunction with Venus, or a relationship with somebody that you’re close to.
It could be that you overlooked something financially, maybe you have not been keeping close track of your finances, or maybe you’re trying to return or reclaim money from a purchase that you’ve changed your mind about. And the relationship dimension of this is maybe having to go back to a previous conversation with someone close to you that might not have been fully resolved, and get into it again, and go a little deeper, and get into more depth.
This is a good aspect, really, Mercury coming together with Venus. It is about expressing what it is that is important to us. What it is that we need in our relationships. How can we spend our money and other resources in a way that’s much more in keeping with our values and what it is that we truly desire the most.
Void-of-Course Moon Periods
Now for a very short Moon Report, because this week there is no major lunation. The Scorpio First Quarter Moon comes next Monday. So really all we have to look at this week are the Void-of-Course Moon periods. On August 5th, the Moon in Leo squares Uranus at 8:16 am Pacific Time. It’s a pretty good Void-of-Course period, it’s Void-of-Course for about 6 hours, and then enters Virgo at 2:17 pm.
Void-of-Course moons that begin with a square aspect denote a challenge or conflict. And in this case, if we’ve fallen into patterns of focusing too much on ourselves – not that Leo would ever do that! – maybe it’s time to consider how we can contribute more to friends and to groups, and how we can change this pattern.
The nice thing about square aspects is they do motivate us to make a change in the way we’ve been doing things. If we’re a little stuck in our own opinions, which can also happen with Leo, because it’s a fixed sign, it’s time to open our minds a little bit and consider different ways of being in the world.
On August 8th, the Moon in Virgo opposes Neptune at 1:40 am Pacific Time, it’s Void-of-Course for 50 minutes before it enters Libra at 2:31 am. Here in the U. S., for most of us, this is the middle of the night, so it’s best to prepare for this one before bedtime.
An opposition aspect brings awareness or insight. And this aspect asks us to balance the rationality of the Moon in Virgo with the imaginative qualities of Neptune in Pisces. Most of us fall on one side or the other of this equation a little more often. We’re hyperrational or we’re hyper imaginative, and maybe not functioning super well on a practical level.
So the opportunity of this Void-of-Course Moon is to see if we can figure out which one we’re favoring, and if we can try to borrow a little bit from the other side. Opposition aspects are often played out with people in our lives. And, if we tend to be the Moon in Virgo type, very logical, very practical, very rational, it’s possible there is somebody in our lives who plays the other role of Neptunian Pisces and not being too concerned about schedules or being on time to places, any of that. So, finding a compromise between the two is the opportunity for the opposition aspect.
And on August 9th, the Moon in Libra sextiles the Sun in Leo at 2:45 pm Pacific Time. It is Void-of-Course for a staggering 25 hours before it enters Scorpio on August 10th at 3:34pm. Sextile aspects represent an opportunity or an invitation. And this is an extraordinarily long Void-of-Course Moon period, so we can do some real work to establish positive patterns of collaborating with others.
Now, especially if you’re a creative person, as symbolized by the Sun in Leo, it can be easy to fall into the trap of thinking only of yourself and your work, but getting input from others, symbolized by the Moon in Libra, can be creatively stimulating. Sometimes we can be at our most creative and do our most beautiful and inspired work if we’ve been getting input from others, and understanding their point of view.
Mini-Lesson: The Solar Return
In this week’s mini lesson, we’re talking about Solar Return charts. We’ve covered Solar Return charts in the past, mostly through discussions of the best place to use to calculate your Solar Return chart. I know we’ve spoken about that a couple of different times. But today what I want to do is take a step back and cover the basics.
I get a lot of orders on my website for a wonderful Solar Return report that I sell. It’s written by Mary Shea, and some of the questions I get about it tell me that there are some misunderstandings about this important annual chart.
Each year, within a couple of days of your birthday, the transiting Sun returns to the exact degree, minute, and sign that it was in when you were born. We call this the Solar Return. Now, note the first part of what I said there. It happens within a couple of days of your birthday. The Sun’s cycle is slightly different than our calendar’s cycle. It doesn’t match up exactly with 365 days. So, this planetary return does not always happen on your actual birthday, and it almost never happens at the same time that you were born.
So, the way we get the Solar Return chart is we capture that precise moment, the day and the time in a particular location, and that is what we calculate the chart for. You can calculate the Solar Return chart at astro.com, probably astroseek, in some apps. I know that you can get the Solar Return chart in Astro Gold and on lots of websites, it’s a very popular chart. But there is a little controversy about which location to use for the chart. I will link to a couple of episodes in the show notes where I describe this in detail.
But basically, the location that you use for the Solar Return chart is important because it sets the houses of the chart. Everything else about the chart is the same from one location to the next. The planets will be in the same signs, they’ll be making the same aspects to each other. But the Ascendant and all of the following house cusps can be very different. And this means that planets in the chart can be in different houses from one location to another.
Obviously, when you put in your birth data at astro.com or wherever you calculate this chart, you put in the date, time, and location of your birth. That locates the exact position of the Sun at your birth. But then you’ll be asked what location you want to use to calculate the Solar Return chart. The usual locations are either the place where you were born, the place where you actually spend your birthday, or the place where you will live for most of the year. I favor the last option, and I did go into this quite a lot in those other episodes. But, in my experience, this seems to be the most accurate.
Now, the resulting chart, the Solar Return chart, tells the story of the full year between one birthday and the next. So if your birthday was six months ago and you want to run your Solar Return chart, you would probably run it for your previous birthday, six months ago, to get a view of this entire birthday year. Or you can choose next year’s birthday and look at the full 12 months between that birthday and the next.
When you’re looking at the Solar Return chart, the thing that is most important, surprise, is the Sun. Because of the nature of the chart, the Sun in your Solar Return chart will always be at the same degree, minute, and sign that it’s in in your birth chart.
But what changes from year to year is the house of the Solar Return chart that the Sun falls in and its aspects to other planets. So when I’m looking at these charts, I begin with the Sun’s position in the Solar Return chart because the house that it’s in tells us primarily what are the areas of life that can help you grow and shine and evolve as a person in the year ahead.
If the Sun is in the first house of the Solar Return Chart, this is a year when you need to put yourself first and develop your personal qualities. It’s usually a very busy year, and it’s one when you often find yourself in new surroundings or new circumstances.
If the Sun is in the second house of the Solar Return chart, money and resources take center stage. The goal of this year is to make yourself more secure. You might be looking for new ways to generate income in a way that’s more enjoyable and more creative.
If the Sun is in the third house of the Solar Return chart, the way you communicate and think, the things that you learn, and neighbors and siblings are especially important. You might take up new studies, pursue a goal of writing or speaking. The one thing you have to be a little careful about in this year is getting too much inside your own head, of thinking too much about yourself and second guessing all of your decisions and the things that you want to do.
The Sun in the fourth house of the Solar Return Chart points to important matters in your family or household, sometimes with new people coming and going, important family events – this can include marriage, in fact. Parents are signified by the 4th and 10th houses, so your parents may require some extra attention from you this year as well.
The Sun in the 5th house of the Solar Return Chart describes a year when matters such as children and creativity may take a lot of your focus and energy. Fun and romance are an important part of the 5th house, and this is a year generally when we want to explore having a good time, maybe taking up new hobbies or exploring other interests.
If the Sun is in the 6th house of the Solar Return chart, it’s a year for focusing on developing healthier habits. Also, expressing yourself in your job and matters related to your pets could be very important.
The Sun in the Solar Return 7th house places a lot of emphasis on the important people in your life. You might meet a new important friend or even a new partner. And if you’re already in a relationship, this could be a year when your partner particularly needs your support and attention.
The Sun in the Solar Return Eighth House puts emphasis on your psychological state, on the ways that you feel you are or are not supported financially or emotionally, how you and your partner are sharing with each other, the way that you’re handling the resources that you share in common, and this can sometimes be a year in the future of truly life changing events.
The Sun in the Solar Return Ninth House emphasizes growth and risk taking. This could be an important year for travel, education, publishing, or even your religious views.
The Sun in the Solar Return Tenth House points to important moments on your career path. You may or may not do super well in your career this year, but however things go, you can make informed decisions about the path ahead. This is a little bit like having the Sun in Capricorn, and if you just keep moving forward one step at a time and refuse to be stopped, this can end up being a very rewarding year.
The Sun in the Solar Return 11th house emphasizes hopes and dreams for the future. And, it can also bring you to prominence based on all your hard work in the past. It is a house of friendship, and by friendship, we specifically mean groups of people who share the same interests that we have. So you might join a new group, or become involved in the leadership of that group, or just start hanging with a new group of people in this year.
And the Sun in the Solar Return 12th house shows that you’re in a year of recovery or healing. Maybe there was a big life event the previous year, and you are adjusting to that. You may also be consumed with tasks that are done in solitude, but then in the next year, you might take them out and share them with the world. So, an example would be someone who is a writer and writes a book in the 12th house year. The next year, usually the Solar Return Sun will move into the 9th house, And that could be a time when they find an agent or submit the manuscript for publication.
So those are the Sun’s houses in the Solar Return chart. It’s a great place to start and an easy place to start.
Also, look at the Sun’s aspects to other planets in the Solar Return chart, as well as the house that has Leo on the cusp, because that’s ruled by the Sun, and that house and its matters will be important during the year as well.
Look to any planets in the Solar Return chart that are very close to one of the angles of that chart, the cusps of the 1st, 4th, 7th, or 10th houses. Because that planet is very charged up and has a big voice during this year. And finally, look at the degree and sign that’s on the ascendant of the Solar Return chart. Where that point falls in your birth chart also signifies important matters during the year. Let’s say that degree falls in the 6th house of your chart. What happens then in the Solar Return chart is 6th house matters such as health and job. are brought to the forefront and are a lot more important than we might ordinarily think.
As I said, I do sell a Solar Return report on my website that you might like. And I also highly recommend Mary Shea’s book, Planets and Solar Returns, to learn more about this fascinating chart. There are a number of good books out there about Solar Returns. But I always return to Mary’s because year after year, I find that her descriptions of things really line up with what ends up being important in my life.
Well, if you, Invisible Friend, have a question that you’d like me to answer on a future episode of the podcast, just leave a message of one minute or less at SpeakPipe.com/bigskyastrologypodcast, or email me at April (at) BigSkyAstrology (dot) com, and be sure to put podcast question in the subject line.
That is everything I have on my show sheet, so I’m going to wrap this one up. Thank you for listening to the Big Sky Astrology Podcast. If you like what you’re hearing, be sure to subscribe or follow in your app of choice. Leave a rating or a review, and I hope that you’ll spread the word by telling an astrology loving friend about the podcast. You can read show notes and full transcripts, and leave your comments about each episode at BigSkyAstropod.com.
Donor Thanks
Thank you very much to everyone who’s shown support for the podcast over the past year, especially, during last September’s Podathon. And oh my gosh, we are coming up on our fifth annual Podathon this coming Labor Day week, so stay tuned for details about that!
On each episode, I’m thanking some of my financial donors by name. This week, let’s give a Big Sky Astrology podcast shout out to monthly contributors Katie Serda, Nadine Barkley, and Bernice Harmyck, a contributor to every single podathon since we began holding them in 2020!
Katie, Nadine, and Bernice, I cannot thank you enough for listening to the podcast and for supporting the show with your donations.
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Join me again bright and early next Monday, and until then, keep your feet on the ground and your eyes on the stars.
Writing and images © 2017-24 by April Elliott Kent
For more on this week’s planetary news, read my weekly column!
