Solunars by Aldebaran Sidereal Academy

Because so much is going on in the chart, it's worth tightening it to more core elements by dropping out Class 3 aspects. This removes natal Neptune, transiting Pluto, and six foreground aspects. Here is the somewhat narrowed picture. It is only a little different - puts more attention on the fact that I might actually develop some useful insightful things (rather than just grumble that things keep getting in my way).

Bottom line, it's three of my four T-square planets emphasized by angularity and Sun aspect (Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, with emphasis on Mars) and my Mercury-Saturn conjunction.

t Sun on Dsc -6°16'
r Uranus on Dsc -3°41'
r Jupiter on Dsc -3°36'
r Mars on Asc -2°22'
-------------------------
r Mercury on MC +3°25'
r Saturn on MC +4°03'

r Jupiter-Uranus co 0°05' M
r Mercury-Saturn co 0°38' M
r Mars-Jupiter co 1°15'
r Mars-Uranus op 1°19' M
t Sun co r Uranus 2°35' M
t Sun co r Jupiter 2°40' M
t Sun op r Mars 3°55' M

Aug 7, 2024, 11:16:41 AM PDT, work
SUN = 5
Dignity = 6, Indignity = 1
Spotlight = 5, Malefic = 4, Benefic = 2, Change = 1
Natal = 11, Transit = 0

Impressions: I mentioned under the SLR that I'd be a crank (and the demi would be something similar). It's all natal planets (all me) and, once you drop out the wide angularities and their always-with-me aspects it really boils down to natal Sun and Mars (emphasis on Sun). -- If PVP aspects are valid, I get an ugly Sun-Saturn-Neptune combo (again, all natal planets). If I take it in the context of the SSR, it remains a positive, dignifying chart. It occurs concurrent with Uranus' transits to my natal Venus-Pluto on local angles of the nativity.

r Jupiter on MC -8°01'
r Uranus on MC -7°46'
r Neptune -7°00'
r Mars on IC -3°38'
-----------------------
r Sun on Asc +1°22'

r Jupiter-Uranus co 0°15' M
r Uranus-Neptune sq 0°46'
r Jupiter-Neptune sq 1°01' M
r Mars-Neptune sq 2°25'

Other Partile Aspects
t Uranus op r Venus 0°02'
t Uranus sq r Pluto 0°11'
t Mercury-Venus co 0°33'[/quote]

If PVP aspects are valid in SLRs:
r Saturn-Neptune sq 0°04' p
t Uranus sq r Sun 0°17' p
r Sun-Neptune sq 0°55' p
r Sun-Saturn sq 0°59' p
t Uranus op r Saturn 2°46' p

I'm really interested to see how the PVP aspects pan out. My very rough impression on these so far leads me to bet on Uranus-Sun being the easiest to detect... if it's real.

This seems to speak of the idea that just because I might be having a bad day, feeling down and yucky it does not give me the right to be a rude nasty jerk to others. You must have had days that you felt yucky but in all my time knowing you I have not ever seen you being rude nasty hurtful or hurtful to anyone. The epitome of dignity always.

Aug 21, 2024, 3:56:46 AM PDT, home
Dignity = 14, Indignity = 1
Change = 13
Benefic = 10, Malefic = 4
Spotlight = 7
Natal = 24, Transit = 7

Impressions: Wow! (I mean, what else can I say but - Wow!) I truly hope this is more than jury duty this week. (Marion's Demi-SLR almost a day earlier is really simple: natal Jupiter in Class 2 angularity. We'll be OK this month.)

t Pluto on Dsc -0°05'
r Sun on IC -0°03'
r Jupiter on Asc -0°01'
----------------------
r Uranus on Asc +0°26'
r Mars on Dsc +5°57'
r Neptune on N +2°11'

r Sun-Jupiter sq 0°02' M
t Pluto sq r Sun 0°03' M
t Pluto op r Jupiter 0°04'
r Jupiter-Uranus co 0°17'
r Sun-Uranus sq 0°28' M
t Pluto op r Uranus 0°31'
r Uranus-Neptune sq 2°00'
r Jupiter-Neptune sq 2°16'
r Mars-Neptune sq 2°25'

Other Partile Aspects
t Uranus sq r Pluto 0°01'
t Mercury co r Pluto 0°05'
t Uranus op r Venus 0°14'
t Sun sq r Venus 0°15'
t Jupiter-Saturn sq 0°20'
t Mars-Saturn sq 0°29' M
r Mercury-Saturn co 0°43' M
t Venus-Mars sq 1°00'

Wow is right!
Maybe a check is already in the mail, that would be a sweet surprise from the government. It's so nice to see you have such a nice chart at home.

Aug 21, 2024, 3:56:46 AM PDT
I'll be spending a few days this week in Westport, CA (39N38 123W47). Here is how the chart will vary for there.

r Sun IC -6°30'
r Jupiter Asc -1°37'
t Pluto Dsc -1°15'
r Uranus Asc -1°08'
---------------------
r Neptune N +0°31'
r Mars Dsc +4°31'

t Pluto op r Uranus 0°07' M
r Jupiter-Uranus co 0°17'
t Pluto op r Jupiter 0°22' M
r Uranus-Neptune sq 2°00'
r Jupiter-Neptune sq 2°16'
r Mars-Neptune sq 2°25'

Among the partile non-foreground aspects is a transiting Mars-Saturn mundane square 0°00' along with the ecliptical Uranus square natal Pluto (0°01'). I'm not looking forward to this trip - and the chart that comes with it - at all. (Hopefully the original location chart will tip better.)

At the very end, we're racing back to SFO to fly to Las Vegas then drive to Olathe, Colorado for Marion's new SLR (nothing but tightly packed malefics on the West Coast and hard to find an ideal spot with Jupiter-Saturn square each other so exactly; but we found a place we know with Jupiter 0°04' from Nadir and Saturn somewhat wider.) The trip across for the last hours will probably be a little turbulent for me for a day with my natal T-square tightly angular and a little Saturn; but then I slip into a new Demi-SLR before we leave Olathe: The one in LA is comfortably boring, and we can pick up not-so-bad stuff in Colorado before driving back to Vegas and flying home. (More of that when it's time for the next chart.)

Sep 3, 2024, 5:56:48 PM PDT, Grand Junction, CO 39N06'51" 108W38'48"
Benefic = 9, Malefic = 0
Change = 7, Spotlight = 6
Dignity = 5, Indignity = 0
Transit = 16, Natal = 7

Impressions: This occurred in Grand Junction, CO at the above coordinates. (We were nearby. This is just where we happened to spend the day.) We're now back home. -- The chart is pretty boring in LA - which is fine. (Even the Uranus-Pluto square disappears if we drop out Class 3 angularities): It's only the moderately foreground Mercury. -- I will not be in town for it, but I'll be back in town (relocated) for nearly all of it.

r Pluto Dsc -9°36'
r Moon Asc -8°30'
t Sun WP -1°13'
t Uranus N -0°52'
r Venus Z -0°35'
-------------------
t Mercury Dsc +1°28'

t Uranus sq r Pluto 0°04'
r Venus-Pluto sq 0°13'
t Uranus op r Venus 0°17'
t Sun op r Moon 0°48' M
r Moon-Pluto op 1°06'
t Sun co r Pluto 1°53' M[/size]
t Mercury sq r Venus 2°57'
t Mercury co r Pluto 3°10'

However, if PVP aspects are valid in SLRs, I also get:
t Sun-Saturn sq 0°22' p
t Mercury-Saturn sq 0°27' p
t Saturn sq r Moon 1°19' p


For our home in LA, it looks like this

t Mercury on Dsc -4°51'
-----------------------------
t Uranus on IC +7°06'
t Pluto on Asc +8°15'

t Uranus-Pluto sq 1°09'

Other Partile Aspects
t Uranus sq r Pluto 0°04'
t Sun co r Pluto 0°05' M
t Jupiter-Uranus co 0°05' M
t Mars sq r Neptune 0°13' M
t Uranus op r Venus 0°17'
t Mars-Neptune sq 0°33'
t Venus-Jupiter sq 0°38' M
r Venus-Uranus sq 0°51'
r Venus-Jupiter sq 0°55'

If PVP aspects are valid:
t Sun-Mercury co 1°34'

Change = 2, Benefic = 1, Malefic = 0, Spotlight = 0, Dignity = 0, Indignity = 0
Transit = 5, Natal = 0

I've updated the coordinates above. Simplifying by dropping out Class 3 angularities to get a sharper look:

Sep 3, 2024, 5:56:48 PM PDT, Grand Junction, CO 39N06'51" 108W38'48"
t Sun WP -1°13'
t Uranus N -0°52'
r Venus Z -0°35'
-------------------
t Mercury Dsc +1°28'

t Uranus op r Venus 0°17'
t Mercury sq r Venus 2°57'


For home in LA:
t Mercury on Dsc -4°51'

As I enter the second half of the SLR month, I should make some notes on this extraordinary month. The SLR is far from ordinary and the month has been far from ordinary. One thing was significant travel - a three-cornered trip to the Sonoma Coast where I co-officiated a wedding, then through Las Vegas to western Colorado where, among other things, we got a case of 40-year-old Cabernet Sauvignon for a paltry cost, then back across Utah to Vegas and home. You can get that much from the SLR elements summarized below.

But - the big one - with that triple Sun-Jupiter-Pluto all within minutes of aspect and angularity - is that I got two separate checks in the last two weeks each of which was roughly one month's pay (one only about 80% of the other). This is "found money" of sorts - I'd say more except there is at least one lawyer that would prefer I not. I think it is enough to say that it money to which I was entitled and didn't know existed and, as I work through our plan of getting fully out of debt before the end of the year (maybe before my birthday), it was uncovered and I arranged to claim it.

Then I learned that there is a little more than twice that much still to come in the near future. If it comes within the next two weeks (within this SLR) it would be mind boggling for the chart, though it might be more like within the next two months.

After my birthday I'll write more about the extreme swings - and all the details I feel I can give - under he current SSR. It did include, though, going from reasonable prosperity and strongly built credit scores to maxing out all available credit and being unclear how well we'd eat week to week after Marion's accident (with damaged credit reports) to - almost certainly by the end of the year and perhaps within the SSR year - to being debt-free and (within a short while) having rebuilt the credit better than before.

I felt I should mention this concerning the current SLR summarized below.

Jim Eshelman wrote: Sun Aug 18, 2024 11:56 am Aug 21, 2024, 3:56:46 AM PDT, home

t Pluto on Dsc -0°05'
r Sun on IC -0°03'
r Jupiter on Asc -0°01'
----------------------
r Uranus on Asc +0°26'
r Mars on Dsc +5°57'

r Sun-Jupiter sq 0°02' M
t Pluto sq r Sun 0°03' M
t Pluto op r Jupiter 0°04'
r Jupiter-Uranus co 0°17'
r Sun-Uranus sq 0°28' M
t Pluto op r Uranus 0°31'

Yea for you guys!! What wonderful news, so happy you had things turn out so splendidly!! I haven't been to a wedding in ages, such beautiful moments and crying happy tears is so different then sad ones. Thank you for sharing, I was hoping the bestest.

Jim Eshelman wrote: Wed Sep 04, 2024 8:46 pm Then I learned that there is a little more than twice that much still to come in the near future. If it comes within the next two weeks (within this SLR) it would be mind boggling for the chart, though it might be more like within the next two months.

For the record... for this remarkable SLR... today we got half the rest. I just paid off the majority of our debt. We have about the same amount coming, perhaps soon (it would be awesome, of course - for us and for astrology - if it's during this particular SLR month).

I think we'll buy a complete new set of tires this week.

Jim Eshelman wrote: Wed Sep 04, 2024 5:06 pm Sep 3, 2024, 5:56:48 PM PDT, Grand Junction, CO 39N06'51" 108W38'48"
t Sun WP -1°13'
t Uranus N -0°52'
r Venus Z -0°35'
-------------------
t Mercury Dsc +1°28'

t Uranus op r Venus 0°17'
t Mercury sq r Venus 2°57'

Consistent with this Demi (I just realized), Marion and I just spent about two hours going over both of our lunars (full and demi) for the next nine months - up to past her SSR at the end of May - and planning travel. Some of these are just short overnight hops to intersect with the right angles, but there are several real trips in there (many of them continuing to play up Uranus to my Venus like the current demi-lunar).

We already knew that we're headed for the Denver area for my birthday. (I'll hop there a week and a half earlier for an in-and-out on October 1, but for birthday week we'll have a real vacation as usual. The first week of January, we'll be headed to New Orleans for a few days (she's never been; I haven't been in 40 years or so). For four days beginning April 24, we're headed to Memphis (Thursday through Saturday nights are the time to be there; but we'll be shaving this close so that her demi occurs here at 5 PM and then my SLR is in Memphis by lunch time). The week before our end-of-May annual travel, we both have charts the same day that are pretty toxic in LA so we'll do an overnight in Sioux Falls before starting our trip for our anniversary and her birthday to the upper Sonoma Coast the next week.

Planning this is definitely in the spirit of Uranus to my Venus (interpreted through the simplicity of Mercury on an angle back here in LA).

Jim Eshelman wrote: Sat Sep 07, 2024 3:08 pm

Jim Eshelman wrote: Wed Sep 04, 2024 8:46 pm Then I learned that there is a little more than twice that much still to come in the near future. If it comes within the next two weeks (within this SLR) it would be mind boggling for the chart, though it might be more like within the next two months.

For the record... for this remarkable SLR... today we got half the rest. I just paid off the majority of our debt. We have about the same amount coming, perhaps soon (it would be awesome, of course - for us and for astrology - if it's during this particular SLR month).

I think we'll buy a complete new set of tires this week.

Woohoo, new kicks for the car! This is great news. I bought a great set of Capricorn all season and they are doing wonderful for my needs and were half the cost of major brands. My brother the auto technician recommended them, said he's never had any customers come back and complain about them. Dont forget new valve stems, for the few dollars they cost it's worth the peace of mind knowing you wont come out to flat or low tire.
Yea yea yea you guys!!

Jim Eshelman wrote: Sat Sep 07, 2024 3:08 pm

Jim Eshelman wrote: Wed Sep 04, 2024 8:46 pm Then I learned that there is a little more than twice that much still to come in the near future. If it comes within the next two weeks (within this SLR) it would be mind boggling for the chart, though it might be more like within the next two months.

For the record... for this remarkable SLR... today we got half the rest. I just paid off the majority of our debt. We have about the same amount coming, perhaps soon (it would be awesome, of course - for us and for astrology - if it's during this particular SLR month).

I looked at the "usual suspects" for what might have timed the exact day (yesterday afternoon). Nothing really seemed to narrow it - no transits, quotidians, NLR for the day.

One strong indication, though - narrowing the date range - is that my 10-Day Solar occurred August 30 when I was at Westport, CA. It's quite clear:

3°20' Can - r Uranus
3°37' Can - r Jupiter
4°10' Can - 10-Day Asc
4°58' Cap - t Pluto

I did have a Kinetic Lunar the day before (9/6), but it's not a match (or, only a match in minor ways not worthy of highlighting).

One curio, though, is that the quotidian of the 10-Day (relocated to home, consistent with how Qs work) brought MC to 4° Aries - compare the above positions. This may be a coincidence of no real import. (I hope it is.) - The SQ of the Quarti-solar that we've been watching has nothing going (although a day and a half earlier it had Jupiter angular, perhaps when electronic paperwork was completed? Too vague to trust. - Oh, wait, it does have Uranus on EP-a and opposite natal Venus, which isn't bad at all.)

As I near the end of this remarkable lunar month, I should summarize the main points.

The SLR, with it's nearly-to-the-minute Sun-Jupiter-Pluto triplet (and Uranus only a few more minutes away) has delivered "found money" of about three months' extra pay. There is one more installment that I thought might fit into this SLR month as well but hasn't yet - so probably won't get here before Moon completes another lap. The SLR clearly continued into the last half of the month.

That last half, though, had its own demi-SLR. We were already traveling and I just happened to be where Uranus to my Venus-Pluto was on angles (a transit that's strongly operative anyway). Besides the travel pleasure itself (and acquiring a case of mostly 45-year-old fine wine at about the price as high-end grocery store wine), we have then spent time setting up considerable travel for the next year. "Hit the road for pleasure and discovery" probably will be a major theme of the year as I put Uranus to Venus-Pluto (plus a second Venus) on the angles of my SSR next month.

Strangely, after returning to LA where the demi has Mercury on the angle, I've found myself not nearly as interested in Mercury things - the relocation back to LA wasn't very strong this time. For example, both at work and home, I've found myself looking for something else to do instead of sit down and write. I find that curious. At most, Mercury angular in LA has meant "tedious busy-work."

Sep 17, 2023, 2:31:28 PM PDT, work
Malefic = 10, Benefic = 6
Indignity = 3, Dignity = 1, Spotlight = 1, Change = 0

Impressions: I'll be at work in Century City when this sets up. The malefic weighting isn't by very much, and transiting Venus is exactly at MC. I never like Mars' transits to natal Neptune (compounded by natal Mars-Neptune foreground), but it's hard to do better than that Venus on MC line. Emotions should run strong (positive and negative) and, of course, I have to be careful of infections and the like. (Probably an "extreme, unreasonable indulgence" chart.) I'll happily stay in LA for this one.

r Neptune on MC -4°31'
t Mars on Dsc -3°01'
r Mars on EP -0°30'
t Venus on MC -0°22'
----------------------------
r Sun on MC +7°19'

t Venus sq r Mars 0°22'
t Mars sq r Neptune 1°31' M
r Mars-Neptune sq 2°25'
t Venus-Mars sq 2°39' M
t Venus-Neptune co 2°47'

Other Partile Aspects
r Jupiter-Uranus 0°03'
t Uranus sq r Pluto 0°02'
t Uranus op r Venus 0°11'
t Saturn co r Moon 0°40' M
t Mercury-Saturn op 0°54'
t Pluto sq r Saturn 0°56'

IF PVP ASPECTS ARE VALID, ADD:
r Neptune-Pluto sq 1°54' p
t Venus sq r Pluto 2°36' p

THEMES COMBINED WITH SSR:
Benefic = 23, Malefic = 18
Change = 9
Dignity = 9, Indignity = 8, Spotlight = 1

One of the things that has gotten really solid this year is that the basic way I'm using to weight good-bad balance in returns is sound and reliable. In this case, it was better than my separate judgement.

While nothing terrible has happened, this last two week has been mostly stressful with a few "oops" type of embarrassment. Energy has been compromised, demands greater, physical symptoms more irritating, and generally a crummy time. Despite transiting Venus being the single most angular planet, natal Mars was nearly as strong and the mix of three malefics (two Marses and one Neptune) against one benefic won out. By the scoring system: Malefic 10, Benefic 6 was not at the level of deeply hurtful or harming but clearly at the level of crummy and irritating.

There was no clearly discernible Venus in the usual way that it shows. Maybe a little more indulgent, somewhat less inclined to exert myself from lost energy, maybe "it could have been worse," certainly more emotion around me (even in the workplace, which is normally without that).

Probably what showed most was the double-dose of Mars-Neptune aspects. This was an unusually Mars-Neptune period. It should have been equally Venus-Mars (two of them) but nothing unusual in those lines showed - unless we take it as "afflicted Venus."

I didn't expect fabulous things. I did expect there to be frictions and to come out better than I might usually from this much Mars and Mars-Neptune (and perhaps that's the outcome).

The non-foreground partile aspects aren't particularly relevant unless the Saturn to my Moon added to the grumbles. (It certainly wasn't a foreground Saturn-to-Moon period, but it might have been a background one. No new information so much as perhaps furthering the trend.)

The PVP aspects are hard to judge. I'm not sure Ican objectively say I have a stronger "as if new" Neptune-Pluto natal square this last fortnight. (It would be the level we're starting to think of as Class 2 strength.) Anything in my natal Neptune-Pluto interpretation that applies for the last two weeks has applied forever.

I think the main takeaway is that the way of scoring benefic-malefic balance came through, as it usually has this last year. I'm taking this as a further confirmation. Going forward, I will simply accept it as a successful tactic on which we can rely.

As we move int October, I have a progressed Moon-Mars square and a lot more Mars by transit than usual. Normally, that's not a great sort of month and it will still be under this lunar. I'm quite happy to be going to Denver to get a more benefic demi-lunar, then a week-plus later back to the same general area for my solar return.

Jim Eshelman wrote: Sun Sep 15, 2024 8:54 am r Neptune on MC -4°31'
t Mars on Dsc -3°01'
r Mars on EP -0°30'
t Venus on MC -0°22'
----------------------------
r Sun on MC +7°19'

t Venus sq r Mars 0°22'
t Mars sq r Neptune 1°31' M
r Mars-Neptune sq 2°25'
t Venus-Mars sq 2°39' M
t Venus-Neptune co 2°47'

Other Partile Aspects
r Jupiter-Uranus 0°03'
t Uranus sq r Pluto 0°02'
t Uranus op r Venus 0°11'
t Saturn co r Moon 0°40' M
t Mercury-Saturn op 0°54'
t Pluto sq r Saturn 0°56'

IF PVP ASPECTS ARE VALID, ADD:
r Neptune-Pluto sq 1°54' p
t Venus sq r Pluto 2°36' p

Oct 1, 2024, 1:03:01 AM MDT, Denver International Airport at 39N51'14", 104W40'16"
Change = 13
Dignity = 12, Indignity = 3
Benefic = 9, Malefic = 5
Spotlight = 6

Impressions: This last lunar fortnight of my SSR year is pretty unpleasant at home (and Mars-Neptune is already doubled up in the current SLR - plus a progressed Moon-Mars square this month). I'm flying to Denver for an overnight (may not leave the airport as there are only 10 hours between landing and take-off - just time for a relaxed dinner and a long nap).

r Sun IC -5°25'
r Jupiter Asc 0°46'
r Uranus Asc 0°18'
-----------------------
t Pluto Dsc +0°09'
t Mercury IC +3°39'
r Neptune N +1°23'
t Sun IC +4°35'
r Mars +5°19'

r Jupiter-Uranus co 0°17'
t Sun-Mercury co 0°19'
t Pluto op r Uranus 0°27' M
t Sun sq r Mars 0°44' M
t Pluto op r Jupiter 0°58'
t Mercury sq r Mars 1°40' M
r Uranus-Neptune sq 2°00'
r Jupiter-Neptune sq 2°16'
r Mars-Neptune sq 2°24'

Other Partile Aspects
t Uranus op r Venus 0°04'
t Venus co r Saturn 0°04'
t Uranus sq r Pluto 0°17'
t Venus co r Mercury 0°19' M
r Saturn-Pluto sq 0°31' M

Back in Los Angeles:
Malefic = 9, Benefic = 0
Indignity = 5, Dignity = 0
Spotlight = 4, Change = 0
Transit = 13, Natal = 2

r Mars on Dsc -9°20'
t Mars on Asc -1°21'
t Neptune on MC -1°11'
-----------------------------
t Moon on IC +5°30' [r Moon on MC +8°]

t Mars-Neptune sq 0°10' M

IF PVP ASPECTS ARE VALID
t Mars-Uranus sq 0°26'
t Uranus-Neptune sq 2°55'

Other Partile Aspects
t Venus co r Mercury 0°03' M
t Pluto op r Uranus 0°03' M
t Venus co r Saturn 0°04'
t Uranus op r Venus 0°04'
t Uranus sq r Pluto 0°17'
t Sun-Mercury co 0°19'
t Pluto op r Jupiter 0°26' M

There is some layering of overlapping lunar returns occurring. I have been criticized in the past sometimes for having vague boundaries on when one chart ends and the next begins, but I think that's exactly what happens: First, I can define the relationship of a demi-lunar to the full lunar in a clear sentence, but this doesn't decisively say it's one or the other. Second, returns come into expression (or are at least felt) about a day before they occur - without the old chart expiring (so that, potentially, three primary lunar returns are some measure of "active" at the same time, for a short slice of time.

My September 17 SLR had transiting Venus and natal Mars precisely angular and weighted more malefic than benefic. It's been grumbly more than anything. The worst of the fortnight has been stuff that feels like Mars-Neptune - and the SLR had my natal Mars-Neptune square (ecliptic) and transiting Mars to natal Neptune (mundane) in the foreground. Clear enough.

My demi-lunar comes in just after midnight tonight. When that happens, I'll be in Denver. The chart in Denver will have transiting Pluto 0°09' from Descendant in partile mundane opposition to my natal Jupiter-Uranus, both within a degree of Ascendant. Theoretically, Pluto to Jupiter-Uranus could be good or bad, but - just as I've seen for public figures - this has been almost uniformly positive (in a big way). It could be financially disruptive, but probably is more restorative. I'm hoping these two weeks will complete the process that has dominated my SSR (Mars-Pluto to two exactly angular Jupiters) of completely resolving all financial issues. (We're doing well enough under the Sun-Jupiter-Uranus-Pluto super-duper-lunar a month ago that credit ratings have gone up nearly 150 points in the last month.)

But that lunar isn't here yet, and I'm not in Denver yet. Being there just after midnight will lock that chart in for a month but, meantime, while I'm in the 24-hour lead-in window, the energies are starting to take shape AS IF the demi-lunar will set up here in LA. What's it look like in LA? Primarily, it's more Mars-Neptune! Transiting Mars and Neptune are, respectively, about 1° off Ascendant and MC in 0°10' mundane square. (That's why I'm flying to Denver tonight.) So today there is a slight oppressive sense that the psychic walls are closing in.

But I'm not really stressed too much: I'm headed for a probably very positive demi, then a week and a half later back to the same area for what should be a splendidly fun new Solar Return. Meantime, though - for the next few hours - I have the "tsunami is getting closer" psychic feel of Mars-Neptune atop double Mars-Neptune.


Meanwhile... since my chart is not the only one that affects me... Marion had a predominantly good SLR at 1:56 AM this morning. (Her lunar and demi are always about one day earlier than my demi and lunar, respectively). Natal Jupiter is 2°31' off MC, easily the strongest thing in the chart. A half-degree Sun-Mercury conjunction is 4° off IC. I told her it was a nice comfy new SLR. What I didn't mention, though, was that her closely angular Jupiter received two transits from more widely foreground Mars and Pluto. The transits were each about a degree and a half wide, plenty close. When I looked at it, I thought, "Is she going to get slammed with some expenses out of the blue?" It's not really possible for her to get slammed with expenses without it hitting me, too, and I thought we're on a positive financial roll and I didn't expect anything too bad. Perhaps, at most, it means (I thought) that the final check that's going to lift us out of debt won't quite wipe it ll out (and that's fine).


So... with that astrological setup... what happened? This morning she got up early because the car was parked where it had to be moved before 7. (I'm off work, getting ready for my trip, sleeping in.) This was expected to be a minor thing: just move the car a block. But when she got to the car (in the could-soon-be-towed place), it wouldn't start. She called AAA and found our AAA had expired and (reasonably) if you need to use them the day you renew, they charge you more. So she took care of all that, thought the battery had run down, learned the battery was older than we thought, and saw two new alarm lights go off on the dash. Oops, this isn't going to be a simple morning!

She got a tow to our garage and, bottom line, everything got fixed and, with the costs being the AAA renewal and about $500. Could have been worse (could have been double) and, since we'd paid most of our credit debt off, we're fine popping this on a card. All this happened (1) on the morning after her new SLR, (2) in the sliver of time when my double Mars-Neptune SLR is still my main chart, (3) in the 24-hour pre-showing of my new demi-lunar as if it were going to occur here.

But what about her Jupiter MC? Where's the Jupiter in this? It probably was a very lucky thing this all happened this morning. Next weekend we hit the road for a week, putting 2,500 on the car, living out of it for a week, taking ourselves and Kali to my east-of-Denver rendezvous with the returning Sun. Can you imagine the trouble (and likely enhanced costs) if all this car-karma had caught up while we were out on the road? (Maybe not even letting us get to the target location for the SSR.)

The universe dances in layered garb. This is a good snapshot of one example of the layering.

Omgosh I didnt catch that you three had been planning to drive to Denver! Did you get those new tires and valve stems? So glad that this all happened now instead of on the road. Thank you for sharing this most excellent example of the layering of charts. It's a good thing to keep in mind as we are transitioning from one time into the next.

[BEGINNING THIS PROCESS. STILL WORKING ON IT:]
Today I edited this thread down, deleting posts that didn't disclose anything new or help confirm or refute anything significant. Here are what I think are the most important points I learned, relearned, or affirmed in my 2023-2024 birthday cycle of lunar and demi-lunar returns.

[*]I set out especially to address the question: Does the SLR color the Demi, or provide the context within which the Demi operates? This year's lunars confirmed for me that, while the SLR remains a valid chart for its entire four weeks, the Demi-SLR isn't beholden to it for context. It operates on its own as an independent chart that only incidentally overlaps the time period of the SLR. (For example, adding the two theme summaries together does not give a correct picture of the Demi-SLR.
[*]Comparing the score of transit vs. natal planets foreground, to try to see if actions are coming primarily from me or primarily from the environment, failed routinely. This does not seem to be a meaningful distinction in the theme summaries.
[*]While the inside-outside theory remains useful (perhaps the most successful theory) for interpreting transits, the inside-outside distinction is less reliable for pure angularity (e.g. contrasting natal Jupiter foreground vs. transiting Jupiter foreground). Usually, the distinction can be made, though not so purely.
[*]This year I found myself having less use for the "Other Partile Aspects." I still theoretically consider them valid in a "fill in the gaps, supplement what I've seen so far" sort of way, but there is usually SO MUCH in the chart anyway that these do not routinely show themselves.
[*]I really need to remember (to filter out aspects involving widely foreground planets) to always look at the chart with Class 3 angularities dropped temporarily. This gives a better view of the essential meaning of the chart. (One can't tighten it so much as dropping Class 2 angularities - they are more essential to the meaning - but in the case of an overly busy chart one can at least do that momentarily to get a "what's absolutely loudest" look.)



Resume review here: https://www.solunars.com/viewtopic.php? ... 459#p59667