Young Donald Bradley's Sidereal Lunar Returns

[Jim Eshelman]

As a bit of recovered (or filled in) Sidereal history, and as wonderful examples on their own, I thought I would post more complete examples of the first four SLRs in Donald A. Bradley's book Solar and Lunar Returns. They were, in fact, his own SLRs. These also serve as evidence of what he believed to be his own birth time in 1948 when he wrote the book. (His American Astrology biography listed his birth time as 2:04 AM, but he gave it to Gary Duncan as 2:40 AM - which is the time for which these charts were calculated.)

This also gives the chance to include his natal planets (excluded in the 1948 examples) and to study any further details such as mundane angularities and aspects.

In comparing the charts below to the ones published in 1948, remember that Bradley listed the "to the degree" positions ordinally, not cardinally: for example, Uranus at 22°10' Aries was listed as 23° Aries because the 23rd degree reaches from 22°01' to 23°00'.

[Jim Eshelman]

SLR November 2, 1938, 5:40:35 PM CST, Bruning, NE
MC 3°13' Cap, Asc 22°33' Ari (published as 4° Cap and 23° Ari)

...we present here a series of four charts for different types of developments which over the years engulfed a young man of our acquaintance. The first example is the lunar return preceding his first overt sexual experience, culminating in orgasm which, through both ignorance and innocence, he did not expect. Such an event is vastly important in anybody's life, especially from the psychological standpoint; we cite such an example here without squeamishness because it so well illustrates what we have said about planetary influence. Now, the youth in question had never been given a morsel of "sex education" by either his parents or teachers. Naturally, the impact of the theretofore unsuspected power innate in his own body was overwhelming, even startling.

Bradley 1.png

What was always visible in this chart is the exactly rising transiting Uranus (0°08' from Asc). There is a lot of Mercury in the chart, and, in fact, the foreground transit-to-transit aspects are two mundane aspects we didn't know about from the chart published in 1948: a Mercury-Venus conjunction (2°33') on one side and Mercury-Uranus opposition (2°54') on the other, surely the mark of a delightful surprise and loss of ignorance! The main thing we couldn't see in an era when natal charts weren't displayed with their return charts is that natal Saturn was closely setting (1°01') opposed by Uranus (1°09'). One can only guess what mixed emotions amidst the specific circumstances of the event brought him. Don't miss that transiting Venus was in mundane opposition to his Sun (0°28').

Here is the full breakdown:

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Pl Longitude   Lat   Speed    RA    Decl    Azi     Alt     PVL    Ang G
                           Transiting Planets                           
Ur 22Ar 9'31"  0S23 - 2'28"  43°42' 16N17  68°19' - 0° 7'   0° 8' 100% A 
Me  0Sc12'28"  1S29 + 1°30' 231°20' 20S14 240°26' + 2°38' 183° 2'  98% D 
Su 16Li 0'34"  0N 0 + 1° 0' 217°29' 14S47 253°24' - 3°21' 176°30'  97% D 
Ve 10Sc49'50"  5S46 - 8' 2" 241°35' 26S45 229° 6' + 4°13' 185°35'  92% D 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                            Radical Planets                             
Me  5Ar37' 9"  3S19 +57'32"  28°37'  8N12  84° 5' + 5°42' 354°16' 100% Ea
Sa 16Li14'39"  2N37 - 4'18" 218°34' 12S22 254°32' - 0°59' 178°59' 100% D 
Su  1Ta15'24"  0N 0 +57'49"  52°48' 19N 3  60°17' - 4°27'   5° 7'  93% A 
Ve  7Ta 9'27"  0S10 + 1°14'  58°57' 20N12  55°15' - 7°34'   9°11'  79% A 
Ju 28Sg46'24"  0S 5 - 1' 5" 294°29' 21S37 184°55' +27°53' 260°48'  79% M 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Class 1 Aspects    
tMe co tVe  2°33' 87% M
tMe op tUr  2°54' 84% M
----------------------                                                  
tSu op rMe  2°14' 90% M                                                 
tSu co rSa  0°14'100%                                                   
tMe op rSu  1° 3' 98%                                                   
tVe op rSu  0°28'100% M                                                 
tUr op rSa  1° 9' 97% M

His analysis by the methods of his time:

Notice... the ascendancy of the "thrill planet" Uranus and the angularity of Venus, Mercury, the Sun, and Pluto. Uranus exactly conjunct the Ascendant promised that something unusual, thrilling, startling, would happen to the native during the 27 days following. Uranus in the 1st house always denotes the "thrill of discovery;" the Sun in opposition to Uranus guaranteed that it would be a "self-discovery." Venus, in the constellation Scorpio which relates to the genitalia, is sextile Mars, trine Pluto and square the Moon - ample testimony that this was going to be the month in which our gossoon would discover the pleasures of erotic excitement. Pluto, conjunct the Nadir [IC}, is the surest indication of a "first," or unprecedented climax in the private life. This was plainly a turning-point in his existence. Notice also the cadency of the malefics, Mars, Saturn and Neptune - the youth was not adversely affected by the experience as are many who suffer remorse and misgivings untold for having tasted what they were falsely told is the most forbidden of fruits. Striking to the observer is the placement of the Moon and Jupiter in the 11th house - the fulfillment of a fond hope, a vague dream come true, the finding of a sympathetic friend. The Moon and Sun are trine: the experience was mutually shared, not clumsily but with that natural ease and reciprocity so characteristic of soli-lunar configurations. The Sun, being conjunct the 7th cusp, implies the surrender of individuality to another in a natural union instigated by desire.

[Jim Eshelman]

SLR May 1, 1940, 3:11:30 PM CST, Bruning, NE
MC 26°51' Tau, Asc 28°05' Leo (published as 28° Tau and 29° Leo)

This potent experience having become part of the young man's past, we find him at a later date the victim of a malicious medical fraud. Figure 6 is his lunar return for that most unusual month when our native visited a doctor to seek a remedy for a minor but annoying skin rash which afflicted his hands and arms. After impressive "tests" were made by that apparently concerned, proficient medico, he was soberly told that he was the victim of a social disease. What soul agonies our friend underwent in the three weeks following that diagnosis, during which time he received several injections intended for its cure, at a costly fee. Were it not for the suspicions of his family, he might have gone for many months taking this "cure." Through the goading of his family, he went to another doctor who subjected him to the standard examination and pronounced him completely free of any such infection. The rash, it turned out, was a simple fungus which might have been picked up anywhere. An official investigation of the first doctor proved that he had been perpetrating a medical racket involving several duped patients who came to him with minor ailments and were told that they were socially diseased.

The entire experience took place during the span of the one lunar return chart here shown.

Bradley 2.png

This time, the natals don't add much: The SLR itself tells the story so fully. Natal Uranus does come to Descendant catching aspects from Neptune and Venus. - The one surprise is that I actually would have guessed from this chart that he did have the suspected disease since the chart is easy to read not only as being defrauded but also being infected - and Venus + Mars-Neptune is the formula long in my head for contracting STDs. In any case, all the foreground aspects are right on track: transiting Mars-Neptune square (1°41' M), Venus square his Uranus (1°11') and Neptune opposite his Uranus (1°52'). I suppose his eventual "salvation" with the truth "coming to light" were the two (mundane) non-foreground partile aspects, Jupiter square his Jupiter and Uranus square his Neptune.

Here is the full breakdown:

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Pl Longitude   Lat   Speed    RA    Decl    Azi     Alt     PVL    Ang G
                           Transiting Planets                           
Ne 29Le 5'38"  1N15 - 0'59" 174° 4'  3N55  84°21' - 0°35'   0°36' 100% A 
Ma 25Ta52'45"  1N 3 +39' 6"  78°48' 24N 6 183°45' +73°44' 268°54' 100% M 
Ve  2Ge 8'52"  3N51 +50'11"  85°34' 27N14 158°44' +76° 6' 275° 8'  93% M 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                            Radical Planets                             
Ur  0Pi58' 5"  0S45 + 2' 4" 355°36'  2S43 264°16' + 2°32' 182°33'  98% D 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Class 1 Aspects      Other Partile Aspects                          
tMa sq tNe  1°41' 94% M tJu sq rJu  0°59' 98% M                         
----------------------  tUr sq rNe  0°13'100% M                         
tVe sq rUr  1°11' 97%                                                   
tNe op rUr  1°52' 93%

Since it is evident from the story that the discovery of the doctor's fraud was at the end of the same month, you might want to check the Demi-SLR of May 15 (which was also his birthday). Jupiter is 0°01' from Descendant squared by Pluto, all tied into natal Mercury. His May 15 SSR also had a delightful Venus-Jupiter paran quite close to the angles. Happy birthday, indeed!

His analysis of the SLR based on the methods in use at the time:

Any astrologer could immediately have suspected that the native would be victimized (always the omen of Neptune) during the sidereal month, for Neptune is exactly on the Ascendant squared by Mars at the Midheaven. Surely, this signifies not only victimization, fraud, and the soul-agony which accompanies realization of serious disease, but also the needle-injections (Mars) of drugs (Neptune) into the body (Ascendant) by a superior (professional, titled doctor, 10th house). The conjunction of Sol and Saturn in the 8th house definitely implies the negation and dread which swamped the man, still very young. From these planetary circumstances alone, an astrologer might have drawn the direst of conclusions. But hold it! The other foreground body is Venus, in exact sextile with 8th house Jupiter. This promises that the period in question would not be without its blessings, that a happy ending was in store for our distraught native. True to form, the sidereal month ended on a most happy note. Incidentally, the progressed chart of this man did not even remotely imply any such eventuality.

[Jim Eshelman]

SLR July 9, 1944, 5:23:51 PM PWT, Southern California
This isn't as good an example of proving the timing of the chart because I don't know exactly where he was living. He had moved to Southern California, but the angles aren't exactly right for either Long Beach or central LA. (They fit best for Santa Barbara.) But, also, they aren't angles for the other (2:04 AM) birthtime. I've computed the chart for LA so that we have a chance to study the example, but the angles are 2° different from what he published in the book.

NOTE: It's always possible he made a small calculation error for the published chart, or - more likely - that there was a limit to what one could do from an ephemeris in 1948: Manual calculation from an ephemeris where Moon is only given once every 24 hours is subject to errors because Moon changes speed during the day. I don't know if he was already making "second difference" corrections in 1948 (something we all learned to do later); probably not. This means that, even if natal Moon were calculated exactly right, transiting Moon could sometimes be as much as 0°05' off, or 10 minutes of time on the SLR, meaning 2-3° difference on the angles even if you did everything right in calculating it.

NOTE 5/4/2024: His draft registration in January 1944 said he was living in Long Beach and working in San Pedro.

A few years later still, we find our friend a victim of another form of malicious intent. Working for a huge firm in which he had been extraordinarily successful [note that he was 19 years old - JAE], winning several promotions in the interim, our native was suddenly discharged as an incompetent. He had done nothing to merit such treatment at the hands of his immediate superior, whom he was supposed to replace at some future promotion. Later discovering the real reason for his removal, he learned that his office rivals, marshalled into a conspiracy by that jealous supervisor, had succeeded in convincing high company officials that his employment with them should be terminated.

Bradley 3.png

When I look at this chart with today's eyes, I primarily see transiting and natal Uranus both closely angular, and Uranus square his natal Moon: He sure got his surprise and his change! The dismissal isn't as obvious using today's techniques but surely came from the barely foreground Neptune square Saturn within less than 1° - partile aspects always have at least a supportive voice. The actual event was clearer with the approach Fagan and Bradley used to examine these charts in 1948 (which took Neptune, Saturn, and Uranus as the three foreground planets). Too bad we can't confirm the date: I'd bet money he was fired after July 23 when the Demi-SLR had the same Saturn-Neptune square no longer partile, but now in the foreground - with Saturn near MC at the exact degree of natal Mars. - Venus opposite natal Jupiter (partile mundanely: he wouldn't have seen this) showed a positive outcome.

Here is the full breakdown:

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Pl Longitude   Lat   Speed    RA    Decl    Azi     Alt     PVL    Ang G
                           Transiting Planets                           
Ur 17Ta13'42"  0S 3 + 3' 0"  69°38' 22N 4 296°58' + 0° 1' 180° 1' 100% D 
Mo 15Aq36'25"  3S32 +14°33' 342°29' 11S15  30°40' -64°17'  76°12'  98% N 
Ne  7Vi42'24"  1N24 + 0'52" 182° 5'  0N37 168°13' +56° 0' 277°50'  84% M 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                            Radical Planets                             
Ur  0Pi58' 5"  0S45 + 2' 4" 355°39'  2S42 359°47' -58°39'  90° 8' 100% I 
Mo 15Aq36'25"  2S39 +13°38' 342° 9' 10S26  30°33' -63°24'  75°43'  98% N 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Class 1 Aspects      Other Partile Aspects                          
tUr sq rMo  1°37' 95%   tSa sq tNe  0°53' 99%                           
tUr sq rUr  0° 7'100% M  ----------------------                         
                        tVe op rJu  0°43' 99% M

Here is his analysis based on the methods of 1948:

Neptune in the 10th house in partile square with Saturn in the 7th. Could anything be plainer than such a foreground configuration? We find malicious (square) scheming (Neptune) superior (10th) and rivals (7th) bring about the loss (Saturn) of a job in a corporation office (7th). The native took this blow to his pride philosophically (Sun conjunct Venus in 8th), and immediately discovered a job much more to his liking, as an advertising agent. This new job is shown by the square of the Moon and Uranus which holds the 7th cusp. He recalls that the most noteworthy element of the whole period was the rapidity with which such changes took place.

I don't think you can get a better description of how Moon-Uranus works when foreground in these charts!

[Jim Eshelman]

SLR January 17, 1945, 3:22:49 AM PWT, Long Beach, CA
MC 8°01' Leo, Asc 29°24' Lib (published as 9° Tau and 0° Sco, i.e., 30 Lib)

He lived in Long Beach by now - where he lived while working for Llewellyn. Here's his description:

Several months following this episode, he met "the ideal girl," immediately fell in love with her (a mutual love-at-first-sight it was) and married her less than two weeks after their first electric meeting. He had never known such blissful happiness as this single month afforded him.

Bradley 4.png

To me, it's impossible to get the full effect of this chart without the natal planets. It was easier for Bradley to explain in 1948 with the mode of the time considering most of the angular house to be foreground - the Moon-Venus conjunction in the 4th square Uranus in the 7th.

Add the natal planets, though, and it becomes even more obvious. Natal Venus is within 1° of Westpoint with natal Sun closely conjunct Descendant. These two natal planets are the most angular by a wide margin. Furthermore, SLR Moon and natal Moon both square natal Venus mundanely - an aspect that doesn't exist in the natal chart and totally reverses the normal character of his natal Moon aspects.

Since we know it didn't last - I don't know the details, but he only talks about this one blissful month and, by the time Gary met him two or three years later there was no wife in sight - we might also pay attention to the supplemental factors. Look below at the non-foreground partile aspects ("Other Partile Aspects"). You won't need my comment on them.

Here is the full breakdown:

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Pl Longitude   Lat   Speed    RA    Decl    Azi     Alt     PVL    Ang G
                           Transiting Planets                           
Mo 15Aq36'26"  4S 7 +14°27' 342°43' 11S47 338° 1' -66°37'  99°12'  79% I 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                            Radical Planets                             
Ve  7Ta 9'27"  0S10 + 1°14'  59° 2' 20N13 289°35' + 7°10' 187°36' 100% W
Su  1Ta15'24"  0N 0 +57'49"  52°53' 19N 5 291°54' + 1°44' 181°52'  99% D 
Mo 15Aq36'25"  2S39 +13°38' 342° 9' 10S26 340°19' -65°30'  98°44'  81% I 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Class 1 Aspects      Other Partile Aspects                          
tMo sq rVe  1°36' 95% M tSa sq tNe  0°38' 99%                           
----------------------   ----------------------                         
rMo sq rVe  1° 8' 98% M tMe op rMa  0°38' 99%                           
                        tSa co rMa  0°14'100% M                         
                        tUr sq rMo  0° 6'100%                           
                        tNe sq rMa  0°28'100% M                         
                        tPl sq rSa  0°50' 99%

His analysis based on methods of the time:

A glance at the preceding lunar return chart... substantiates that his enthusiasm was not exaggerated. The Moon is conjunct Venus in the 4th house and love did come home to roost! The suddenness of the thrilling experience is shown clearly by the partile square of the Moon to Uranus in the 7th house. None of the malefics are in the foreground of this chart, while the benefics are all angular, for Jupiter is in the 10th (trined by the Sun). So we see how amazingly clear the lunar return charts for this man have shown the major happenings of his life with a transparency no other astrological technique has approached. The bitter and the sweet are invariably foreshown by the solunar returns.

[Jim Eshelman]

I've made frequent allusion above to the "techniques of the time." Fagan and Bradley were just emerging from years of standard Tropical astrology and had not made many of the shifts in approach that would mark their eventual work.

In other senses, there isn't that much difference. Perhaps, though, it's worth documenting the main changes. As a point of review, here are the main points of practice used at the time (and compared to what we have learned since):

1. The same 10 planets on which we routinely rely today were in use and understood to have essentially the same meanings.
2. Angularity - though phrased as foreground, middleground, and background - was still linked, respectively, to the angular, succedent, and cadent houses. A difference was that an area as much as 10° from the house cusp (taken in mundo at least in theory, so this really means one-third of a house) was considered part of the house. Thus, the "1st house" was the bottom third of the 12th house and top two-thirds of the 1st house. Notice that this is quite close to what I recommend today, the main difference being that the "foreground" zone used to be thought to extend deeper into the angular houses.
3. All five Ptolemaic aspects were used, though hard aspects were considered stronger and more important, and trines and sextiles significantly weaker. The popular good-bad distinction wasn't used (despite one out of character remark quoted above).
4. House meanings were given full importance for all planets, though within the "how important is it" ranking of fore / middle / back grounds.
5. Sun and Moon houses were particularly given great importance as setting a basic theme of the period.
6. Sun aspects were seen to signify especially what action one would take. Moon aspects were read as what one was responding to, therefore things that "happened to you."
7. Natal planets were barely considered, though (at the end of the book) Bradley added that aspects to them were important for a full picture.
8. Mundane aspects weren't on the radar yet.

In comparison, the following is our standard today:

1. We use the same 10 planets routinely and grant them essentially the same meanings.
2. Our angularity model has evolved and clarified. The cusps of the houses are roughly the centers of the "grounds." After several shifts over the years, this is surprisingly similar to where they started, the main practical impact being that planets more a third of a house from an angle are no longer considered foreground.
3. Only hard aspects are used. Trines and sextiles have fallen away. (Notice that they were considered only a little - and definitely secondary - even in the early days.)
4. House meanings have been dropped, though we sometimes pay attention to the distinctions of individual angles.
5. Sun and Moon houses are no longer considered important (let alone theme-setting). - I keep looking at this possibility and it keeps failing.
6. Sun and Moon aspects are more nuanced than the simple binary distinction of the '40s. Today's interpretations don't exactly disagree with the old usage, but it is rare to see it applied explicitly. The "impact from the outside vs. originating action from the inside" has been absorbed more in practice by the distinction between transiting vs. natal planets.
7. Natal planets are considered routinely, on the same basis as transiting planets.
8. Mundane aspects are basic and important, given weight equal to that of ecliptical aspects.

[SteveS]

Most interesting!

[Jim Eshelman]

Here are the four charts - recalculated with modern tools but displayed the way he would have looked at them in 1948. Note that the whole of the angular houses (1, 4, 7, 10) were then considered the foreground, with "in a house" being counted up to 10° before the cusp ("before," in this case, meaning clockwise from it).

Bradley 1A.png

Bradley 2A.png

Bradley 3A.png

Bradley 4A.png