How to see marriage in the solar return chart

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In this article, I'm going to go over what to look for in your solar return chart to see if it's a marriage year.

First, let's talk about what a solar return chart is. At the exact time,

date, and city you were born in, the sun was in a particular constellation at a specific degree. If someone asks you "what's your sign?" and your response is "Pisces" that just means the sun was transiting through the constellation of Pisces the time you were born. And when you glance at your birth chart, you'll see something like Sun: Pisces 22.45° which means your sun is in Pisces at about 22 degrees. Each year, the sun returns exactly back to the same sign and degree it was at when you were born. This return usually happens on your birthday but it can vary each year and might occur the day before or after. When this return happens, it marks the beginning of a new year for you with new themes and events. Since the solar return chart is a yearly one, the themes and events are from one birthday to the next. So, your 2019 solar return chart starts on your birthday in 2019 and ends on your birthday in 2020, where a new solar return begins.

How I got this information: I got this information from research. I've looked at 247 solar return charts up until this point to examine how they looked during the year a person had a wedding/was married. The point of doing this was to see what the charts had in common: what aspects kept showing up? which house placements were significant? This way, by looking at past marriage years, we can see future marriage years. Unfortunately, I only studied the charts of women so it might not be as accurate if you are a man or looking at a man's chart. Typically, from what I've seen, men and women do have different significators so, when I do the men's research study, the information will most likely be different. Also, in case you're wondering, sexual orientation does not matter. I included women of all sexualities in this study and there was no difference from what I could find.

Now let's get to the fun part! Below are a few commonalities I found during my research on marriage solar return years. One of the most interesting things I've noticed these charts had in common was the aspects that NEVER showed up. In almost 300 solar return charts, there were a few aspects that never appeared, indicating that if you do see any of these aspects in a solar return, marriage isn't likely to happen that year.

The first one is Mercury opposite Mars. This makes a lot of sense that it's absent in the solar return chart when women get married because Mercury is often associated with marriage. I know it's not as romantic as Venus but it's associated with contracts and legalities which is apart of most marriages. Mars is action, drive, and brings energy so, when Mercury (contracts) is not being energized by Mars, it naturally communicates that contracts may not be a huge part of that year. This could even be beyond marriage contracts and be about business contracts too for example.

Note: I've seen a couple studies state that Mercury opposite Jupiter and Saturn were also void in marriage charts but I did see those aspects a few times. However, Mercury opposite Jupiter only came up twice out of 247 so while it can still show up in marriage years, it's not common.

The next aspect not seen in any of the charts I viewed, is Venus opposite or square Saturn. This one is pretty straight forward, Venus means love, relationships, marriage, etc... and Saturn is commitment and maturity so, in a softer aspect like trine or sextile or even a conjunction, these two planets work wonderfully to indicate marriage. However, a square or opposition can actually create a bit of a coldness from Saturn that makes Venus not feel completely fulfilled. This aspect in a solar return chart can actually create some relationship tension or delays rather than bring marriage.

And last but not least, the North Node conjunct the Ascendant. The position of the north node in the solar return chart is very important because it shows where your intentions and motives lie that year. The ascendant is all about you and your needs so, this aspect indicates a year of potentially re-branding or finding yourself. You'll be so focused on bettering yourself one way or another that marriages just don't tend to happen when this conjunction does. This aspect doesn't necessarily mean that you'll neglect relationships with others during a year with this aspect, but they won't be your primary focus.

Now, let's get into some indicators that showed up frequently in the charts of marriage years! We'll start with the ascendant of the chart. The ascendant was often in the sign of Libra or a mutable sign (Pisces, Sagittarius, Gemini, and Virgo). Libra is the natural ruler of the 7th house (house of marriage) so, when that sign is on the ascendant, it shows that the direction or main theme of that year is influenced by the 7th house. Now, mutable signs showed up often as well because these are the signs that bring major events and change into people's lives.

When you have your ascendant in a mutable sign, regardless of if you're getting married or not, it'll be a year of profound change (especially if all four angles are in mutable signs). Maybe you'll move, get a new job, have a child, etc... But of course, getting married is a big change, too, so that's why we often see it in marriage years as well.

Staying on topic with the ascendant, another commonality I found was the planet Neptune squaring the ascendant and descendant. Oh my god, I saw this so many times including my mother's chart the year she got married. Neptune brings dreams and fairy-tales into real life. How many times have you heard a person say the words "dream wedding" or related their wedding to a fairy-tale? In addition, this aspect can even create a bridezilla moment because of the high expectations and need for everything to be perfect.

Another aspect I noticed that was often found in these charts was Mercury conjunct Mars. So, whereas, the opposition was never seen, the conjunction appeared over 100 times! Mars is energizing Mercury with this aspect which means contracts are strongly highlighted for you that year!

(Placidus house system) Another marriage indicator in the solar return chart is a strongly placed moon. The moon was often in an angular house (1,4,7,10) which strengthens this planet in the chart. The moon represents emotions and can indicate a highly emotional year or event which we often see occur with wedding ceremonies... but wait! a strong moon (depending on the rest of the chart) can also indicate pregnancy. Look at the 4th and 8th house to see if that's the case. If you have a combination of marriage and pregnancy indicators, it could be a year where both events happen. That's a lot of change! So you'll probably have at least two angles in mutable signs (check for that).

Pluto/8th house ruler in the 1st or 2nd house: The last placement I noticed come up a lot was either the 8th house ruler or Pluto in the 1st or 2nd house of the solar return chart. I believe this has to do with the 8th house being the house of the partner's finances and assets. Usually, when people marry, they combine their assets with a joint bank account or buying property together, for example. So, it makes sense to see the ruler of the house of your partner's assets be in your 1st house (you) or 2nd house (your money). Seeing Pluto in the 2nd or 1st house was almost as common because it's the natural ruler of the 8th house and has a strong connection to that area of life.

Reminder: In astrology, everything in the chart needs to be examined. Finding a couple of these indicators in one solar return chart doesn't guarantee marriage for that year. For example, you might have your AC in a mutable sign (indicating change) and Mercury conjunct Mars in the 7th house (important contracts) - but your 2nd and 4th house shows that you're going to buy a home that year, not necessarily get married. It's all about how the planets of the chart work together to tell a story.

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