Solunars by Aldebaran Sidereal Academy

Since this was the first year I really paid attention to astrology in my life, I thought I’d post a retrospective here with how the solar return and transits manifested for me and I hope others may find it helpful in adding to interpretations. I still consider myself a beginner, so feel free to point out any errors.

Birth Date: Dec 23, 1989 12:03 PM Ridgewood, NJ
SSR Date: Dec 23, 2018 10:27 PM Oakland, NJ

Foreground Planets:
t. Neptune Cnj Dsc 0* 34'
t. Mercury Cnj IC 1* 22'
t. Jupiter Cnj IC 1* 29'
t. Mercury Cnj Ndr 1* 27'
t. Neptune Cnj WP (Ecliptical) 2* 19'

t. Mars Cnj Dsc 9* 58'
r. Mars Cnj IC 7* 44

Aspects:
t. Mercury Sqr t. Neptune 1* 10'
t. Mercury Cnj t. Jupiter 2* 39'
t. Jupiter Sqr t. Neptune 3* 50'
t. Moon Tri t. Mars 3* 3'
t. Moon Opp r. Mercury 0* 34'

Looking back now that I’m out of this, there was a lot of strain on me mentally and emotionally and I was caught up in a lot of chaos. This was to be expected, given that most of the year was spent planning my wedding in October, dealing with family drama, adjusting to a new job, and moving to a new apartment. Overall, the year felt exhausting and although I had some elated moments and feel very lucky to have received so many blessings from friends and family, I am happy to be out of the whirlwind.

For t. Mercury and t. Neptune foreground:

It is quite an emotional transit and usually signifies a reunion or get-together of one's associates. On such occasions uncontrolled emotion or even folly usurps the place of common sense. Sometimes one gets money and goes on a wild spending spree or drinks to excess and becomes muddled.

And with Jupiter-Neptune, we certainly spent a ridiculous amount of money on our wedding and honeymoon while also receiving a lot of gifts, so the whole monetary value basically cancelled itself out.

During this year, my now-husband and I got heavily involved in our local fantasy LARP scene and my husband auditioned for and won a stage combat role at our local Renaissance faire, which he spent most of the year training for. As a very Neptunian person (a Pisces with Neptune foreground), he is a natural artist and actor whereas I struggle with that a lot more. Attempting to improv while role-playing around strangers brought up a lot of my social anxiety and insecurities around my inability to express myself. This was difficult, but by September, I had a breakthrough. I made new friends and became much more comfortable immersing myself in the role-playing mindset. I also became obsessed with listening to the Dungeons & Dragons podcast Critical Role, which became a mental refuge for me during stressful work days. These experiences really helped provide a positive outlet for Neptune, and the description fits the “Neptune conjunct Descendant/WP” interpretation.

NEPTUNE conj. DESCENDANT or WESTPOINT
Quest for something meaningful, probably involving close relationships. Either dissolving rigid views that separate you from others, thus new intimacy; or your prejudices are dramatized and trigger struggles and distress. Sensitive, vulnerable. Perhaps confused relationships, frustration, dependency, disillusionment in relationships, unrealistic views.

Personally, I spent much of the year on a research quest into ancient and obscure European mythologies, collected many books, and delved into my family history - also seems fitting for Neptune conjunct Descendant. I completed a full Wheel of the Year cycle of rituals for the first time, but in the chaos and busyness of the year, I also somewhat abandoned my yoga practice that had been a part of my life since I was a teenager. I think that contributed to the increased mental and nervous system strain that perhaps I could have avoided if I had maintained my practice. I suffered from some severe migraines this year that seemingly came out of nowhere, impaired my communication through stroke-like symptoms, and forced me to go about my life carefully and make adjustments where needed.

Some notable transits:

Late January into early February: t. Saturn Conj r. Saturn (first of three Saturn return hits).
I am missing the exact dates for January in my notes for some reason, but I recall going through a difficult Saturn transit to natal Neptune (I have Saturn conjunct Neptune 2°55' natally) that manifested in a period of depression right before my Saturn return. At this time, I also came to terms with my father’s chronic illness and the mortality of my parents - a fitting Saturn theme, I think. Luckily, my father’s health improved over the year. At the peak of the Saturn return hit, I accepted an offer for a new job that turned out to be a perfect fit for me and greatly increased my financial standing and personal confidence. However, this meant I had to leave a part-time job at an art museum that I loved, but that couldn’t sustain me financially - a bittersweet experience, but definitely a Saturnian “coming of age” one.

Mid-June through mid-October: t. Uranus Sq r. Venus
This was an insanely happy, lucky time. Within a day of this coming into orb, my husband and I found an amazing new apartment - a big upgrade from the place we used to live in, on the somewhat poorer side of town, and with roommates. This transit covered the lease signing, my bridal shower and bachelorette party in July, our move-in in August, and our wedding and honeymoon in early October.

On Uranus - r. Venus:

Renewal and excitement in love, pleasure, aesthetics. Flirtatious, fun loving, experimental. Sudden love! New "zing" in an old relationship; and/or starting an electrical new one. Some emotional tension, maybe domestic rearrangement.

Early-mid August: t. Saturn Conj r. Saturn (second Saturn return hit)
I felt this very subtly and internally, it felt almost overshadowed by the intensity of the above transit. I felt I could see my life in perspective very clearly as a result of all the changes brought about by the Uranus transit.

End of October: t. Saturn Conj r. Saturn (final Saturn return hit)
I experienced this one very quietly while in the city for an important work meeting with superiors that positively impacted my career and relations with coworkers. Similar to the second one, it offered a lot of perspective on how far I’ve come in my work life.

On the Saturn return, I felt this interpretation fit the best:

Introspection and reflection on your past is useful now in confronting and redefining your sense of your own limits.

Thanks for this post, Stef. People so often want predictions, but never come back and say what happened. This kind of look back is really useful for all of us. Thank you.

Those transits are wild.

Also:

Stef wrote: Sat Dec 28, 2019 6:39 pm

NEPTUNE conj. DESCENDANT or WESTPOINT
Quest for something meaningful, probably involving close relationships. Either dissolving rigid views that separate you from others, thus new intimacy; or your prejudices are dramatized and trigger struggles and distress. Sensitive, vulnerable. Perhaps confused relationships, frustration, dependency, disillusionment in relationships, unrealistic views.

Personally, I spent much of the year on a research quest into ancient and obscure European mythologies, collected many books, and delved into my family history - also seems fitting for Neptune conjunct Descendant. I completed a full Wheel of the Year cycle of rituals for the first time, but in the chaos and busyness of the year, I also somewhat abandoned my yoga practice that had been a part of my life since I was a teenager. I think that contributed to the increased mental and nervous system strain that perhaps I could have avoided if I had maintained my practice. I suffered from some severe migraines this year that seemingly came out of nowhere, impaired my communication through stroke-like symptoms, and forced me to go about my life carefully and make adjustments where needed.

This is the first real clear example I've seen of the "quest" theme for this placement, although in your case, I think Neptune's aspects to Jupiter and Mercury are also fantastic supporting factors for religious study and spiritual work. While I think this is just a coincidence, I can't help but notice the name of the ritual cycle here - Wheel of the Year. In Tarot, Jupiter is associated with the path of Kaph, which is the Wheel of Fortune card. Just interesting to note

I've had Neptune both placed on Descendant in lunar returns, and a Neptune transit to Descendant (that got captured in an SSR at some point a few years back), and while the "confused relationships" theme was pretty prominent, I always felt like I was missing something interpretation-wise. In your case, based on your description, the "quest for something meaningful" theme is crystal clear.