Sidus 2024 SSR

[sidus_illuminans]

This was the first SSR for which I consciously decided where I would spend it. I did my best to bring Uranus and Venus as close to the angles as possible since other options seemed less favorable. The SSR occurred in rural Japan (35N 1'50" 134E 7'43").

As far as I understand, these are my angular placements:

Natal Uranus 0°00' on MC
Transiting Venus 0°03' on the Nadir
---
Transiting Eris 0°52' on Asc
Natal Jupiter 1°28' on Dsc
---
Natal Eris 2°13' on ASC
T/R Sun 4°38' on IC
Natal Neptune 4°39' on MC

I see I have mostly r-r aspects:
tSu sq tEr 1°56' 93%.
---
rJu sq rUr 1°28' 96% M
rUr sq rEr 2°14' 90% M
rSu sq rEr 2°25' 89% M
rSu op rUr 2°46' 85%
rUr co rNe 2°26' 89%

SLR for July 18th was at the same location, characterized by Sa sq. Mo aspect.

I am wondering how natal to natal aspects manifest in SSRs. In this context do they manifest similar to how they do in natal charts?
I have been referencing this article (https://www.solunars.com/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=233) to try and interpret my SSR, but I'd like a professional opinion. How might this year manifest in light of this SSR?

Side note: I thought it was interesting that my relocated chart for my 2024 SSR location has Pluto 0°42' on the Nadir.

(P.S. Thanks to Jim and others for helping advise me in a different thread on how I might approach choosing a favorable location for this SSR.)

[Jim Eshelman]

As far as I understand, these are my angular placements: [...]

Yes, that's what I get.

I see I have mostly r-r aspects:

Your list seems to exclude all transit-to-natal aspects. (BTW, ignore - delete - t Sun square t Eris. Think of a solar return as not having a transiting Sun, only a natal Sun. This is, then, transiting Eris square natal Sun.) A future modification in TM will make it so that transiting Sun aspects don't show in solar returns.

You entirely left out the seven transit-to-natal aspects (or, actually, five once the "transiting Sun" aspects are removed). They are mostly Eris transits.

tMo op rMe 3°23' 88%
tEr sq rSu 1°56' 93%
tEr op rJu 2°20' 94% M
tEr sq rUr 0°50' 99%
tEr co rEr 1°22' 98% M

I am wondering how natal to natal aspects manifest in SSRs. In this context do they manifest similar to how they do in natal charts?

Yes. I've never felt a need to write separate ones. Essentially it means that the natal aspect is unusually active during the period and is especially responsive to (or sometimes causative of) circumstances shown by the transits. When these are simply the ecliptical aspects that are in your natal and with you always, they bring out sides of you that you always have. Often, though, you get new natal aspects - i.e., new aspects of natal planets - as mundane aspects are formed. These bring out expressions of you that are always potential at a location but not necessarily active in a big way until something rotates them to the angles.

So: Natal interpretations but spun a bit more "eventish." This is usually just a small twist of language, e.g., Venus-Pluto in a nativity describes certain attitudes toward intimate relationships, while it coming to an angle brings that out in ways like (good or bad) intensity in a relationship marking the chart period, proneness to stir some drama in relationships, outlier sex choices or sexual "firsts", etc.

In some ways, a natal-natal aspect foreground behaves a lot like a transit-transit aspect foreground of the same planets - especially if you only tally objective events and not how the energies unfolded. For example, either n-n or t-t Venus-Pluto foreground can be sexual firsts, the beginning or ending of significant relationships ("divorce, elopement, or both"), etc. However, with t-t, it's clearer that the world is bringing this to you, that there is an interruption or intrusion into your routine life, whereas with n-n it's more obvious that you are seeking something out or stirring it yourself. Similarly, when either my natal Mars-Neptune square or a transiting Mars-Neptune square is on the angles closely, I might get sick during a virus season or be involved in dramatic aggressions or zealous enthusiasms one way or the other. On the "getting sick" thing it's hard for me to tell these apart, though (in the inflamed imagination that is natural to Mars-Neptune) t-t Mars-Neptune carries a clearer sense "something OUT THERE is threatening me," whereas the same outcome with n-n Mars-Neptune feels more like, "Oh, THAT was stupid, wasn't it!" With t-t, I'm impacted by zealous enthusiasms; with n-n-, they're my own zealous enthusiasms on proud display.

Transit-to-natal is quite distinctive from these, though. Neptune transiting natal Mars has similarities to, but is mostly quite different from, Mars transiting natal Neptune. Both of them have some overlap but also clear differences from transiting Mars-Neptune foreground or natal Mars-Neptune foreground.

[Jim Eshelman]

I have been referencing this article (https://www.solunars.com/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=233) to try and interpret my SSR, but I'd like a professional opinion. How might this year manifest in light of this SSR?

I would break down your SSR this way:

r Sun IC -4°38'
t Venus N -0°03'
r Uranus MC 0°00'
r Jupiter Dsc +1°28'
r Neptune MC +4°39'

t Moon op r Mercury 3°23'

r Jupiter-Uranus sq 1°28' M
r Uranus-Neptune co 2°26'
r Sun-Uranus op 2°46'

First, a gross assessment: This is an overwhelmingly positive solar return, a characteristic that will generalize through multiple (if not all) areas of your life. To try to objectify this, I rate foreground planets by relative strength in a few dynamics that matter most to most people when looking at a return:

Benefic = 16, Malefic = 2
Dignity = 11. Indignity = 3
Change = 7
Spotlight = 6

We see at once that the benefic quality is far stronger than the barely token presence of anything malefic. Similarly, dignity significantly outpaces indignity. It is a positive, uplifting, dignifying period. There is more than a little change during the time, and you are somewhat in the spotlight.

Clearly, Uranus and Venus dominate the time. You can look up the subtleties, but the major point is that pleasure comes your way - the world seems to be setting you up to fulfill your natural pleasure, affiliation-connection, and esthetic needs. Meanwhile, you also have extremely heightened freedom and renewal needs: You want to break out not in the sense of getting away (unless you're currently feel bound, imprisoned, constrained) but in the specific sense of wanting new things, a sense of renewal or new start or new interests etc. These two energies together are incredibly fun or create a sense of wonder like a kid seeing a carnival midway for the first time after dark will all the lights surrounding and boggling the senses, wanting to dive in and experience everything there.

Uranus neurologically relates to the orienting reflex, the circuits that click in when we are exposed to the unfamiliar or foreign. When this happens, our pupils dilate, the brain fixates on instantaneous absorption of data from the environment, the nervous system is poised to process information instantaneously and act just as quickly if there is any reason to move into or away from things. When our Uranus is highlighted, this circuit is locked open much more of the time.

A lot of this may be ideas - new areas of study - since SSR Moon opposes your Mercury. Your curiosities are enhanced even beyond their normal level - your information needs are emphasized, to acquire and share and manipulate or manage data. This suggests that in addition to the potential for new relationships, travel, etc., new areas of study, and generally acquiring new kinds of information that prove important to you, are surely in the mix.

Your natal Uranus that will dominate the year is well aspected in the birth chart and not disturbed by transits. Your Sun-Uranus and Jupiter-Uranus aspects foreground are a great mix (not to mention the more exotic Uranus-Neptune), and the details of how these energies normally play in you will show how you go forth into this new year. (In fact exotic might be a good keyword for the year.) Though there are details of these on the site and in the recent book, and you likely have a sense of how these have worked out in you, we can summarize with the basic principles of each of these:

Jupiter-Uranus: Progress, achievement through atypical paths, surprising luck.
Uranus-Neptune: Clash of realities, social revision, myth
Sun-Uranus: Self-renewal, liberation, individuality

Although the angularity itself per se is the main point of all of these, there is more chance than not that some particular expressions will come from the specific angle the closest factors are on. For example,

• URANUS on MC: Need for freedom. Individuality is emphasized. A basic truth-of-self emerges. Changes in career, status, life goals. Maybe crisis involving authority. Needing to be more your own boss. Tension shows that you are resisting appropriate changes; but enthusiasm signals that you are probably on the right track.
• VENUS on Zenith: Feeling comfortable, happy, good about oneself. Enhanced self-image. Love and pleasure emphasized, affection received. Excellent for social events, public appearance, shared fun.
• JUPITER on Descendant: Increased respect. Gregarious, good-natured, sociable, inclined to cooperation. Sound relationships bring pleasure and comfort; while in strained relationships, a pause in the conflict is likely, providing space for tackling existing problems.

We can also note that both transiting natal Saturn are about as background as they could be. This doesn't really add much: It just means that energies that would contradict the above are not in play. Your natal Mercury and Venus are also background, but the Mercury is quite active from Moon's opposition and you have so much Venus in the chart that you may not notice your natal Venus not contributing much to the year. (It may, of course, be enhanced on its own in different ways, in different charts, etc.) It probably means nothing; if I were to venture anything at all, it would be that pleasure and the invitation to pleasure are coming your way and you may be the coy one, pushing your individuality (that culminating natal Uranus) and being a bit "above it all" (the natal Jupiter). Just don't let a good thing get away from you by playing things too aloofly.

[sidus_illuminans]

I just wanted to say that I really appreciate the analysis and explanations you've provided here. They are extremely helpful. (Just a moment ago I was drafting a longer reply but I was suddenly logged out and lost the draft .)

Anyway, now to make the best of this favorable SSR!
I will return in the future to report on how things went.

[SteveS]

Wishing you the best Sidus for your new solar year, keep us informed.

[Mike V]

Wow, what a great chart. Very similar to the last one I set up last year. I hope it’s a lot of fun for you