A solar return is the chart cast for the exact moment the Sun comes back to its natal degree. It describes the main theme, the highlighted areas of life and the challenges of the year running from one birthday to the next.
What is a solar return?
The Sun returns to your natal degree every year, sometimes a day before or after your birthday. The chart for that moment — cast for the city you are actually in — is the chart of your age year. Because location changes the chart, some astrologers travel for their solar return.
How to read it
Start with the solar return Ascendant and the house holding the Sun. A 9th-house Sun makes it a year of study, travel and belief; a 4th-house Sun turns attention to home, family and roots.
Then compare the return chart with the natal chart: the natal house the return Ascendant falls into shows which area of your life the year attaches to. The return Moon sets the emotional tone, and the aspects show what gets triggered month by month.
Who is it for?
Anyone planning priorities for a new age year, deciding where to spend their birthday, or commissioning an annual forecast reading.
Frequently asked questions
Which city is the solar return calculated for?
The city you are physically in on your birthday. You can enter that return city separately on AstroKolly.
When does the solar return year begin?
At the exact moment the Sun returns to its natal degree, lasting until the next return — roughly birthday to birthday.
Is a solar return enough on its own?
It is usually read together with transits and annual profections, which sharpen both the theme and the timing of the year.