Changes

[Inthestars]

Born May 9th 1980, Constanta, Romania
I live in London
Nothing is certain for me at the moment . Could you give me any guidance from my birth chart about any significant changes this year or something to look out for ?

Many thanks

[Jim Eshelman]

What time were you born?

[Inthestars]

I literally was going to write I forgot to mention it .
Born at 17:15

[Inthestars]

What time were you born?

I see there are loads of people needing your guidance so … thank you for your time ..

[Jim Eshelman]

I'm on the road for a week beginning this morning. Maybe others can jump in and help you while I'm gone. (Somehow I missed the August post with time. I'm very sorry about that.)

[Mike V]

In London, your natal Saturn-Neptune square comes to chart angles (more Neptune than Saturn), which is rather unpleasant. (So does Venus, but much more widely.) It seems like a hazy, “nothing is certain,” kind of pessimistic place to be long-term.

Assuming you were in London for your last birthday, your current Solar Return looks like this:

T. Neptune IC +2°14’
R. Venus WP 1°56’
R. Mars Zenith +2°03’
T. Jupiter Ds +8°02’
R. Uranus As +9°27’

T. Neptune square r. Venus 0°03’
T. Moon sq r. Moon 0°25’
T. Moon sq t. Mars 0°51’ M
T. Moon op r. Neptune 1°51’ M

(Note to Jim - Time Matters seems to be pulling the wrong timezone offset for this; this should be BST, but it’s using UTC? I did this from Solar Fire.)

This is a very hazy year, with a transiting Neptune square to natal Venus as the dominant feature. It looks like you’re chasing a dream or a vision, which may or may not be realistic, and your entire world is being sucked into that fantasy. This transit is usually an ecstatic dream, a fairy tale romance, or otherwise seems like your wildest dreams may come true, but despondency is always possible if reality doesn’t line up with that (and in any case, ups and downs are very likely when it lasts as long as this does). You are super emotionally sensitive and prone to moodiness and irritability this year. Natal Mars in the foreground, though widely, suggests you’re busy, driven, and confrontational; the rest of the foreground planets are very wide but are positive factors.

Jupiter is currently transiting natal Jupiter, Mars, and Ascendant, which looks really motivating, uplifting, and rewarding. At the same time, Saturn is octile natal Uranus, suggesting you’re struggling against significant restriction on your freedom (which might be beneficial and self-imposed, as in the case of a diet). Uranus is also transiting natal Saturn-Neptune, which is almost the opposite polarity - the stable is shaken, and reality breaks open your boundaries and asks you to get the wind in your hair and go on an adventure. Pluto is also transiting natal Uranus, suggesting an intense rebellious streak coming out in you, with you cutting out everything holding you back as you pursue a new ideal way of living.
Transiting Neptune also conjoins SSR Mercury, suggesting unclear thoughts, and a mind that works better with creative endeavors and fantasy than with concrete matters. Being level-headed and realistic isn’t very easy for you right now.

The Solar Return is hazy and unclear, as is that Neptune transit, but the others are intense, revealing, even shocking. You’re getting pulled between mystery or fantasy, and stark clarity and transformation.

Your next Solar Return looks even more intensely like this, with a near-exact pileup of transiting Moon-Venus-Saturn-Neptune all extremely close to chart angles. If you don’t like this current chart, I would definitely suggest relocating the upcoming one, and traveling for your next birthday. I’ll have to get back to you about ideal locations later when I have more time to check.

In your secondary progressions, your natal Saturn-Neptune square has progressed to just 1 minute of arc, so your natural tendency towards pessimism and self-sabotage has increased to its peak, even as progressed Mars-Neptune shows intense creativity (and indulgence).

Your progressed Mars and Venus are rather closely aspecting natal Saturn, suggesting you’re near a peak of feeling blocked, held back, excluded, and worrying if you’re worthy of love (a guess on my part).

Solar Arc Pluto squares natal Mars, suggesting a period of energy surging, confrontation of skeletons in your closet (or otherwise being forced to address major issues), and things of this nature. Solar Arc Midheaven is crossing over your natal Mars-Jupiter conjunction, indicating you’re roughly near the middle of about a 2-year period of increased confidence, luck, busyness, competitiveness, sexual needs, etc.

There’s a variety of stuff going on, but I’m betting the confusing Solar Return, along with the very intense transits, are what’s bugging you the most at present.

I’ll come back at some point this week and take a look at possible locations to travel to for your next birthday.

[Jim Eshelman]

Mike, for the return? Don't returns always present in UT?

[Mike V]

Mike, for the return? Don't returns always present in UT?

They present that way, but I think it's calculating it with the wrong timezone... basically, I think Solar Fire is correct for using BST, which is UTC -1 (or +1, depending on which definition of offset you use), and Solar Fire gives a different resulting chart. (FWIW, I did write up a paragraph on the TM output, so if it turns out I have this scrambled in my head... I can post that instead. It's double Pluto with natal Venus and the rest is the same basically.)

[Jim Eshelman]

I'll check this when we get back next weekend.

[Inthestars]

Thank you Mike and Jim. For my birthday I was actually in Romania (Rusii-Munti) visiting my mother… not sure if that changes anything . I’m a bit confused about what I read… I’m obviously a novice and that’s a lot of information I’m not familiar with ..sounds quite pessimistic. Is that related to the fact I live in London Uk ?

Maybe I should be a bit more specific .. I’ve started a new job last year April and I was on probation and worried quite a lot about that because I want to buy a flat here so I can have my mum with me but would be hard to get a mortgage without a stable job ( hence the stress). It’s a job that I like but it’s tiring and no time for social life or anything else.
All I want to buy is a flat with a garden so I can have her and my fur babies with me .

Is that going to happen ? ( won’t even dare to ask about a life partner .. would be lovely but not sure it will happen)

Apologies for long message but not sure how it’s done .
Really appreciate your help and insight .. so needed

[Patrick Machado]

London is a permanently pessimistic place for you whenever you are there in regard to your relocated natal chart. (As is the UK in general.) That's one layer. Another layer is your Solar Return, which changes every year. Since you were away during your birthday, London is irrelevant in that regard.

That said, most of what Mike conveyed regarding your Solar Return for your home applies for where it actually set up. (I estimate that having been in London would have turned out marginally better, in fact.) It is a year of intense vulnerability, confusion, and discomfort.

So, where you live isn't conducive to stability or security, or something like getting a comfortable home for yourself and your loved ones. It is quite likely to indicate your yearning for such things. On top of that, currently the nature of time for you, particularly as shown in the Solar Return, sends a similar message.

It is unlikely in London (at any time), and unlikely during this solar year (at any place) that you achieve your objective if it is already out of immediate reach.

[Inthestars]

Thank you Patrick.
It all sounds bleak.. do need a bit of light at the end of this tunnel . I mean I’m a British citizen and been here for 14 years… sounds like this country isn’t suitable for an harmonious life..? That bad ? I am I supposed to “ relocate”.. move for good or spending my future bday somewhere else ( where- waiting for Mike’s suggestions when he’s got time ..)will adjust the positive outlook ?

Wishing you a great weekend !

[Jim Eshelman]

(Note to Jim - Time Matters seems to be pulling the wrong timezone offset for this; this should be BST, but it’s using UTC? I did this from Solar Fire.)

Back from travels and, since there has been a lot of attention to the original question, I'll start with the TM puzzle. At first impression, I see Solar Fire and Time Matters giving SSRs with an entire sign different on MC. Breaking it down:

TM calculates natal Sun as 24°37'45" Aries. Solar Fire gets exactly the same. So far so good.

For the SSR, Solar Fire says London is on BST. It creates a chart with the correct Sun longitude and a time of 9:52:30 PM BST. This would be the same as 8:52:30 PM GMT (20:52:30 UT). It gives MC 6°08' Virgo.

Time Matters - which always calculates return charts in UT - gives 20:52:58 UT. We always expect TM to be slightly more accurate in the seconds of time, so I'm not worried about the 28 seconds difference: These are the identical time to the minute. Yet TM gives a Midheaven of 7°09' Libra, about one sign different from Solar Fire!

Ah, I see what happened. OOPS. My mistake. (I wonder, Mike, if you did the same thing I did.) When I ran the SSR in TM, I picked the natal chart, clicked the Returns button, typed in London, UK, and somehow failed to click Find. Therefore, it never updated the longitude and latitude. The chart came out with the birthplace coordinates:

Code: Select all

|                |                                 |                |
 |                |      Transiting (t) Chart       |                |
 |                |           InTheStars            |                |
 |                |          Solar Return           |                |
 |                |     9 May 2024 20:52:58 UT      |                |
 |                |           London, UK            |                |
 |                |      44N10'36"  28E39' 3"       |                |
 |                |           UT 20:52:58           |                |
 |rNe 27Sc41 18°29|         RAMC 210° 2'56"         |                |
 |                |          OE 23°26'19"           |                |
 |                |         SVP  4Pi55'15"          |                |
 |                |         Sidereal Zodiac         |                |
 |                |         Campanus Houses         |                |

When I redid it and clicked Find, everything worked out right: MC 6°17' Virgo.

[Jim Eshelman]

InTheStars, I'm coming in late so let's see what I can pull out of this.

First, I agree that London is a tough area for you to live. Things aren't that simple, though - since you have been there 14 years, are a citizen, and seem to want to stay. Therefore, this may not be a simple, "So just move!" sort of thing. You do, however, need to understand that Neptune conditions - especially the dark side of Neptune conditions - will be a permanent feature of your time living in London particularly and UK in general.

Besides your natal chart playing up Neptune for that area, this also means you will most years (perhaps all years) have Neptune on an angle of your Solar Return. This is because your solar return each year jumps about 90° and 2° further, while Neptune advances 2° in longitude - sop it skips from one angle to the next every year. Here is a description of that: https://www.solunars.com/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=227#p1544

There is a correction for this (at least, most years): You can travel for your Solar Return. If you'd been in London this year, you'd have had Neptune exactly angular, but you didn't stay there. I encourage the practice of taking a birthday vacation to a spot (calculated freshly every year) that will give you the best year chart. Several of us on this site do that routinely to great benefit and pleasure. (On first impression, Paris may be good for your next birthday, for example.)

At birth you have a Saturn-Neptune square. This is with you all your life. At your birthplace it was quite weak. In England, it is the dominant feature of your chart. For your self-understanding in general, and ESPECIALLY if you want to continue living in England, I believe you need to understand this aspect - its best and worst sides - as thoroughly as possible. You will see that it is consistent with the way you described your current conditions. You have a lot of choice in what you do with this. Here is a longer description of what a strong Saturn-Neptune aspect in a natal horoscope means: https://www.solunars.com/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=177#p1170

And now let's look at current patterns.

[Jim Eshelman]

Despite your description of your life, I would think this current two- or three-year period would be a particularly dynamic period. One of your best aspects is a Mars-Jupiter conjunction in Leo. Your directed Midheaven has been crossing this for about a year and has a year or two to go, presuming your birth time is correct. This should a strong time in your life especially expressing the Mars-Jupiter conjunction fully. Here is a long discussion of that aspect:
https://www.solunars.com/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=182#p1227

OK, looking further I can see why things may have been dragging. Switching from (solar arc) directions to secondary progressions, you're in a challenging stage of your life. Progressions show natural unfolding of our inner development. They may be more psychologically focused or at least show things developing from within us (rather than through interaction with the environment). Right now - for a couple of years - you are in an unusually severe period when progressed Mars, Saturn, and Neptune (three rough planets) are all EXACTLY connected to each other at once (and all atop your birth Saturn-Neptune). This has two or three years to go. The challenges will be primarily psychological. I would expect it to play up dark parts of your psyche, akin to a long journey through your personal underworld. Though most books would interpret these aspects in rather fearful ways, you shouldn't fear this: It is a necessary part of your journey to unfolding your life. I don't want to soft sell it - this is a psychologically rough period - but, honestly, there is perhaps more to gain in unfolding and understanding your life during these few years than in any other period of your life.

Which brings us to transits. Transits address our relationship to what seems the objective world; that is, we experience them in terms of interactions with our environments. You are in a couple of years of Neptune square your Venus - a dreamy romantic, longing, potentially idyllic time usually marked by some form of desiring something that seems unattainable to you. You have recently had Uranus complete one half orbit since your birth, and this marks (for more or less everybody at about the same age) a sense of a new start - what is sometimes called a middle age change or "middlescence," a time many people pick a new direction and want to reinvent themselves. Saturn will finish toying with your Moon by the end of the year (though it may be emotionally hard between now and then) and Jupiter then soothes some wounds and makes things go smoother for a while. - A lot of people are going through this "rough until the end of the year and then it breaks free" cycle.

[Inthestars]

Thank you so much Jim. Clearer this time .. I’ll keep optimistic even with the dark cloud above my head throughout my Uk living. Looking forward to my Paris trip and will be in touch every year with an update :” where to next”!

Have a beautiful week and thank you for all’s patience

Anca

[Patrick Machado]

Paris is a bad idea. It's much the same as it would be in London, with a Venus-Saturn-Neptune configuration as the main feature. Even a trip to your homeland, for instance, would result in a chart that, while not straightforwardly comfortable, is deeply promoting of change and self-direction, and in any case better than the one at home. But the decision needs some analysis before being taken advantageously.

[Jim Eshelman]

Paris is a bad idea. It's much the same as it would be in London, with a Venus-Saturn-Neptune configuration as the main feature. Even a trip to your homeland, for instance, would result in a chart that, while not straightforwardly comfortable, is deeply promoting of change and self-direction, and in any case better than the one at home. But the decision needs some analysis before being taken advantageously.

I had originally mentioned Paris - but said it was only a first impression. Looking closer now, I see that I was noting Venus' exact square to MC (while < 3° from Ascendant). Moon-Venus opposition across the horizon.

Looking more carefully, I see that these also have Saturn and Neptune transits to Moon and Venus. As I'm sure occurred to you, Patrick, that's not the best version of Moon-Venus at all!

If given a choice to travel farther, I agree: Get away from those aspects. However, if you can't go far then we should find the exact spot NEAR Paris where the Venus angularity is absolutely exact. About half a degree of longitude east of Paris would make Venus square MC exact, and we could also find the Venus rising line - if that's where you are intent on going. (Missing all of these is best. If you can't, then the best tactic to totally overwhelm the darkness with so much Venus that you get the best version of the year.)