Solunars by Aldebaran Sidereal Academy

Sigmund Freud died September 23, 1939 (probably about 3:00 AM), in London.

This event has historic importance for Sidereal Astrology because it was the first example in Bradley's Solar and Lunar Returns beginning on page 20. Bradley greatly praised the clearly impressive final solar return and lunar return. The only problem (gulp) is that the birth time believed correct for Freud in 1950 was about nine hours too early.

Oh well! - Fortunately for our sanity, some of the factors cited also existed in the returns for the correct birth time although, honestly, the charts look quite different.

Also, Solunars were not the only astrological technique that fooled astrologers of the day. Bradley cited the impressive (but wrong) dual conjunction of progressed Moon and Midheaven to Freud's natal Saturn. He didn't mention (but might have) that transiting Sun-Mercury squared that Moon-Saturn-Midheaven conjunction when his physician administered an intentionally heavy dose of morphine in response to Freud's wishes, shutting down the severe, growing pain from his inoperable jaw cancer. Astrologers of the day were justified in being rightly impressed with any major technique used for the death event. Except, they were all wrong.

Secondary progresses are redeemed for the correct birth time (though not quite so dramatically) because, instead of conjoining natal Saturn, progressed Moon exactly squared natal Mars. This is a rightful reminder that we have to keep in mind the elasticity of astrology when we are deciding how impressed to be with a chart.

I think it necessary to look, as well, at the correct solar and lunar returns, both with a curious eye to how they would have seemed to Bradley in the late 1940s and, especially, applying what we have come to understand are the better ways of reading them.

Bradley praised the final SSR based on the theories of interpretation of the time. For the SSR based on the 9:23 AM birthtime, he wrote:

Notice in the solar return the remarkable indices of death. The Sun and Uranus are conjunct in the 8th house, applying by 0°40', while the planets Mars and Saturn are within 0°14' partile square, the latter malefic being angular [i.e., high in the 7th house]. Also in the foreground is the Moon in the 4th house - "end of life" - configurated with rising Neptune [Class 2 trine]. Under the circumstances, if you had been handed this chart, knowing that the native was advanced in years, what would you have said it signified?

Well (since he asked), I for one would have noticed Jupiter within a degree of Descendant and a partile Moon-Venus square, concluding (even under the rules of the time) that this would be an unusually pleasant, fortunate year. The 0°15' Mars-Saturn square would have warranted attention and Sun in 8th conjunct Uranus would have been taken as a long, deep, open-eyed look at approaching death; but, even crediting the eased conditions at the end, I can't say this describes his year of increasing pain and eventual death.

Fortunately, this isn't the real SSR, since the correct (AA) birth time was 6:30 PM.

The correct SSR isn't overly descriptive of death, either, but it's not bad. Read as a stand-alone, it has that partile Sun-Uranus conjunction on IC and what roughly looks like a Moon-Mars conjunction rising (they aren't quite as close to the angles as they seem ecliptically) and Pluto setting. Pulling out the big tools for a serious look, here are the factors of his final SSR:
Transiting Venus on Nadir (half a degree) is the strongest planet. This still seems to positive and happy an outcome, especially since it isn't afflicted. Sun-Uranus are conjoined on IC (we can still credit the "end of life, then the grave" symbolism). Pluto is higher in the sky than we thought, and Moon-Mars (less than 4° apart) are on either side of the angle. The closest "health crisis" indicator in the foreground is Moon only 2°45' from Ascendant and less than 4° from conjunct Mars as her only aspect.

It's OK. Not exciting but OK. We don't have as high an expectation of SSRs as of shorter-term charts, but I expected something from a year of increasing jaw cancer and finally death. Partile even though not angular are the Mars-Saturn square (0°08'), Neptune opposite his Neptune (0°01' M), and Jupiter to his natal Jupiter-Saturn.

Where the SSR shined, though, is in its progressions. Pain increased through September until he asked his doctor to end it, dying around 3 AM on the 23rd. Just as secondary progressed Moon of the natal was partile square natal Mars, SQ Moon conjoined SSR Mars! Key things (including one indication of charity) came to the SQ angles for his last hour:

0°31' Cap - SQ Mars [s Mars 0°22' Cap]
1°21' Cap - SQ Moon
4°54' Cap - t Moon
5°23' Can - SQ Asc
5°28' Can - s Pluto
5°45' Cap - t Mars
6°03' Ari - t Saturn

10°09' Pis - SQ MC
10°30' Pis - t Jupiter
10°38' Vir - r Mars

Bradley also understandably praised the SLR for the (wrong) 9:23 AM birth time:

Again the Sun resides in the 8th house, while the Moon in the 6th suggests depletion of the vital energies. Most striking of all is the great T-square of angular ("foreground") malefic planets: Saturn conjunct the Nadir [half a degree from IC], Mars rising, and Pluto in the 7th. The three benefic planets, Venus, Jupiter, and Uranus are in middleground positions and therefore cannot perceptibly offset the inimical influence of foreground malefics.

The orbs of some of these aspects are little wide by modern tastes - it's hard to call Mars-Saturn-Neptune a T-square with Mars opposite Pluto being over 7° - but, as foreground was understood at the time, these were indeed the three foreground (angular house) planets, and Saturn was indeed even more angular than it looked in longitude.

But what about the real SLR? That for the 6:30 PM time?

The chart was fine - better than it looked ecliptically in some ways, and worse in others. Ecliptically, it looked like Mars was 0°23' from Descendant, but it was actually 5° away. OTOH Pluto looked like it was 7° below Ascendant, while it was less than 3°. Natal Saturn is the most angular planet, with transiting Pluto next. By current ways of reading, it was fitting for the occasion. Read by most angular planets, it's exactly right. Read by aspects, it's not all that persuasive. (Read by houses, it is irrelevant, except that both luminaries are background, though not unpleasantly aspected.) Look especially at what the three foreground planets were.
So here is one important technical improvement over the years: The measurement of EP contacts in RA. Without it, the high precision of natal Saturn would have been lost entirely. Instead, it's the strongest single note of the chart.

Another crucial thing we have learned in recent decades is the enormously greater value of the demi-lunar compared to what was suspected in 1950. Freud's final Demi-SLR occurred four days before his death and features the following (displayed differently for impact):

t Venus on Z -1°41'
t Mars on EP-a -1°01'
-----------------------
r Saturn on Dsc +0°13'
t Pluto on WP +0°17'
t Saturn on IC +3°03'
r Moon on Dsc +4°43'
t Sun on Z +2°01'
r Venus on IC +9°12'
r Jupiter on N +2°59'

t Venus sq r Saturn 0°43'
t Venus op r Jupiter 0°44' M
t Mars-Pluto op 0°51' M
t Mars sq r Venus 1°06'
t Saturn sq r Moon 1°40' M
t Mars-Saturn sq 1°42'
r Jupiter-Saturn sq 2°01'
t Saturn-Pluto sq 2°19'
t Saturn co r Venus 2°47'
t Saturn sq r Saturn 2°51' M
t Sun sq r Saturn 2°59'

Aspects among transiting planets are indeed the Mars-Saturn-Pluto configuration previously noted except now - due to Pluto's slid position mundanely - all three are tightly aspecting each other, with Mars-Pluto partile and both within about 1° of an angle. (We wouldn't have understood these minor angles 70+ years ago.) Then transits to natal planets are clobbering (but with a little kindness) - some of the most important only being evident mundanely.

The other charts merely led up to this one. This was the terminal chart!