Returns do not only have to be Solar; any planet and any Node can also return, and make its periodic statement about the next phase in your life according to its nature and context.
But Returns need not only be Tropical, or Direct. Converse Solars can be interesting for example - and more importantly the Sidereal Solar Return is crucial. You will have come across this perhaps as the ‘Precessed Return’, which is the identical pattern, the same date and time as the Sidereal SR, but displayed in the Tropical zodiac. Not to be over-looked! We all have our small part to play in the great scheme of things, and these Returns are often far more telling than the Tropical.
Draconic Solar Returns, of the transiting Draconic Sun to the radix Draconic Sun, occur about every 11 months - not so straightforward to set up, but easy to do if you have one of the latest astrology programs such as my favourite Solar Fire. The meaning of a Draconic Return may have deeper spiritual implications than the Tropical or Sidereal - but this idea needs to be explored.
Another recent discovery has been the set of Returns involving the Dwad.
I have been experimenting with the return of the transiting Sun to the natal Dwad Sun position;
also the monthly return of the transiting Dwad Sun to the natal Dwad Sun position.
Both of these - the first much less fiddly than the second! - bring up convincingly apt patterns for up-coming events of significance in the native's life.
A further monthly return would be the transiting Dwad Sun to the natal Radix Sun position. I haven't looked at this yet - it is work to be done. Then these need comparing to the Lunar returns. Do they have more, or less, to say? Is there a difference in context between them? Questions, questions!
.............................................................................................................................................................
ASTEROID RETURNS
Even though they are not listed among planets that can be returned, there is a way to chart asteroid returns in Solar Fire.
From the main Solar Fire Displayed Points list, create both a Displayed Chart Points and a Transiting Chart Points file for just the single asteroid that you are going to run (eg Juno or Hygeia); then go to Dynamic/Transits, choose Transits to Radix; select this new asteroid file to enter in the two relevant Point Selection boxes; select harmonic 1 (Harm01) ; enter the start date and number of years to run (I suggest your life-time!) and hit View. In a few seconds you have a display of the exact moments of all your chosen asteroid returns, from which you can then generate Return charts.
What About All The Others?
If however you need to Return a Pottenger or Swiss Ephemeris asteroid which is not listed by Solar Fire among its Displayed Points, first of all you need to create an Asteroid file for the specific asteroid.
Here we are choosing Mary, and I am naming the file 'Single Asteroid Mary.'
Then in Dynamic/Transits & Progressions, instead of choosing Transiting Points (which remains empty), select Extra Points. In its dialogue box, click Asteroids, then browse to your new file (Single Asteroid Mary.) Click Save. Then back in the Extra Transiting Points dialogue box select this file again, as it will now be listed there.
Go through exactly the same process in Extra Radix Points with the same single asteroid file.
Then make sure that ‘Radix’ and ‘User’ are both set to ‘None’, while Single Asteroid Mary is in the Extra box.
Again select Harm01 under Aspect Selection, and choose your start date and transit period. You’re ready to go. Click View.
I am using the natal chart of St Bernadette, and her natal location of Lourdes. This chart and two more are at the end of this article.
In her natal chart you can see how powerful is the presence of the Queen of Heaven - The Sun is conjunct Mary (MY), and these are at the Dwad IC while the Dwad MC conjoins Sun and Juno. The Moon is near the IC in the sky, and Dwad Ceres is on the radix Ascendant. The Dwad Moon, conjunct radix Ceres, is right opposite Dwad Mary in Jesus’ Sun degree, 14 Taurus. And I have just realised two things - 1) Pluto is currently (March 2016) transiting her Sun and 2) As I write, Asteroid Mary is tightly conjunct Eris. ... Mary’s time to shake things up a bit!
Here is the tabulation for Bernadette’s short life, with the Return preceding the Lourdes vision in red:
DYNAMIC REPORT
Bernadette Soubirous-tropical - Natal Chart
7 Jan 1844 NS, 14:00, LMT +0:00:12
Lourdes France, 43°N06', 000°W03'
Geocentric Tropical Zodiac
Placidus Houses, True Node
P1 (H) Asp P2 (H) EXL Type Date Time Zone Age Pos1 Pos2
Mary (8) Cnj Mary (8) (X) Tr-Na 7 Jan 1844 NS 14:00:13 UT 0.000 11°Cp15' D 11°Cp15' D
Mary (8) Cnj Mary (8) (X) Tr-Na 21 Feb 1847 NS 23:03:51 UT 3.125 11°Cp15' D 11°Cp15' D
Mary (8) Cnj Mary (8) (X) Tr-Na 31 Oct 1850 NS 13:12:16 UT 6.815 11°Cp15' D 11°Cp15' D
Mary (8) Cnj Mary (8) (X) Tr-Na 18 Dec 1853 NS 19:11:40 UT 9.947 11°Cp15' D 11°Cp15' D
Mary (8) Cnj Mary (8) (X) Tr-Na 30 Jan 1857 NS 10:36:33 UT 13.065 11°Cp15' D 11°Cp15' D
Mary (8) Cnj Mary (8) (X) Tr-Na 30 Mar 1860 NS 03:06:01 UT 16.226 11°Cp15' D 11°Cp15' D
Mary (8) Cnj Mary (8) (X) Tr-Na 16 Jul 1860 NS 09:31:01 UT 16.523 11°Cp15' R 11°Cp15' D
Mary (8) Cnj Mary (8) (X) Tr-Na 22 Sep 1860 NS 06:05:01 UT 16.709 11°Cp15' D 11°Cp15' D
Mary (8) Cnj Mary (8) (X) Tr-Na 29 Nov 1863 NS 06:20:43 UT 19.893 11°Cp15' D 11°Cp15' D
Mary (8) Cnj Mary (8) (X) Tr-Na 11 Jan 1867 NS 09:39:41 UT 23.012 11°Cp15' D 11°Cp15' D
Mary (8) Cnj Mary (8) (X) Tr-Na 26 Feb 1870 NS 18:27:24 UT 26.139 11°Cp15' D 11°Cp15' D
Mary (8) Cnj Mary (8) (X) Tr-Na 5 Nov 1873 NS 20:09:13 UT 29.830 11°Cp15' D 11°Cp15' D
Mary (8) Cnj Mary (8) (X) Tr-Na 22 Dec 1876 NS 13:06:44 UT 32.959 11°Cp15' D 11°Cp15' D
*** END REPORT ***
I have put the Mary Return at the centre of a biwheel with Bernadette’s natal chart. Life-changing Pluto rises; the returning Mary is near the MC, which conjoins the young girl’s Sun. In turn, the Return Sun conjoins her natal Venus/MC, opposite her angular Leo Moon, which is more closely opposed by the Return Chiron. Moon and Jupiter embrace the Dragon’s Head in the spiritual 12th house. There is a second, less obvious Return - of the Mars/Juno midpoint. Adding the Dwad to the Mary Return creates a Fame chart with both Lights on angles - Dwad Sun and Ascendant conunct, also Dwad Moon and MC at the radix IC with Dwad Ceres. This period of Bernadette’s relationship with Our Lady will bring her so powerfully into the public eye that she will achieve lasting fame; indeed, sainthood.
But Returns need not only be Tropical, or Direct. Converse Solars can be interesting for example - and more importantly the Sidereal Solar Return is crucial. You will have come across this perhaps as the ‘Precessed Return’, which is the identical pattern, the same date and time as the Sidereal SR, but displayed in the Tropical zodiac. Not to be over-looked! We all have our small part to play in the great scheme of things, and these Returns are often far more telling than the Tropical.
Draconic Solar Returns, of the transiting Draconic Sun to the radix Draconic Sun, occur about every 11 months - not so straightforward to set up, but easy to do if you have one of the latest astrology programs such as my favourite Solar Fire. The meaning of a Draconic Return may have deeper spiritual implications than the Tropical or Sidereal - but this idea needs to be explored.
Another recent discovery has been the set of Returns involving the Dwad.
I have been experimenting with the return of the transiting Sun to the natal Dwad Sun position;
also the monthly return of the transiting Dwad Sun to the natal Dwad Sun position.
Both of these - the first much less fiddly than the second! - bring up convincingly apt patterns for up-coming events of significance in the native's life.
A further monthly return would be the transiting Dwad Sun to the natal Radix Sun position. I haven't looked at this yet - it is work to be done. Then these need comparing to the Lunar returns. Do they have more, or less, to say? Is there a difference in context between them? Questions, questions!
.............................................................................................................................................................
ASTEROID RETURNS
Even though they are not listed among planets that can be returned, there is a way to chart asteroid returns in Solar Fire.
From the main Solar Fire Displayed Points list, create both a Displayed Chart Points and a Transiting Chart Points file for just the single asteroid that you are going to run (eg Juno or Hygeia); then go to Dynamic/Transits, choose Transits to Radix; select this new asteroid file to enter in the two relevant Point Selection boxes; select harmonic 1 (Harm01) ; enter the start date and number of years to run (I suggest your life-time!) and hit View. In a few seconds you have a display of the exact moments of all your chosen asteroid returns, from which you can then generate Return charts.
What About All The Others?
If however you need to Return a Pottenger or Swiss Ephemeris asteroid which is not listed by Solar Fire among its Displayed Points, first of all you need to create an Asteroid file for the specific asteroid.
Here we are choosing Mary, and I am naming the file 'Single Asteroid Mary.'
Then in Dynamic/Transits & Progressions, instead of choosing Transiting Points (which remains empty), select Extra Points. In its dialogue box, click Asteroids, then browse to your new file (Single Asteroid Mary.) Click Save. Then back in the Extra Transiting Points dialogue box select this file again, as it will now be listed there.
Go through exactly the same process in Extra Radix Points with the same single asteroid file.
Then make sure that ‘Radix’ and ‘User’ are both set to ‘None’, while Single Asteroid Mary is in the Extra box.
Again select Harm01 under Aspect Selection, and choose your start date and transit period. You’re ready to go. Click View.
I am using the natal chart of St Bernadette, and her natal location of Lourdes. This chart and two more are at the end of this article.
In her natal chart you can see how powerful is the presence of the Queen of Heaven - The Sun is conjunct Mary (MY), and these are at the Dwad IC while the Dwad MC conjoins Sun and Juno. The Moon is near the IC in the sky, and Dwad Ceres is on the radix Ascendant. The Dwad Moon, conjunct radix Ceres, is right opposite Dwad Mary in Jesus’ Sun degree, 14 Taurus. And I have just realised two things - 1) Pluto is currently (March 2016) transiting her Sun and 2) As I write, Asteroid Mary is tightly conjunct Eris. ... Mary’s time to shake things up a bit!
Here is the tabulation for Bernadette’s short life, with the Return preceding the Lourdes vision in red:
DYNAMIC REPORT
Bernadette Soubirous-tropical - Natal Chart
7 Jan 1844 NS, 14:00, LMT +0:00:12
Lourdes France, 43°N06', 000°W03'
Geocentric Tropical Zodiac
Placidus Houses, True Node
P1 (H) Asp P2 (H) EXL Type Date Time Zone Age Pos1 Pos2
Mary (8) Cnj Mary (8) (X) Tr-Na 7 Jan 1844 NS 14:00:13 UT 0.000 11°Cp15' D 11°Cp15' D
Mary (8) Cnj Mary (8) (X) Tr-Na 21 Feb 1847 NS 23:03:51 UT 3.125 11°Cp15' D 11°Cp15' D
Mary (8) Cnj Mary (8) (X) Tr-Na 31 Oct 1850 NS 13:12:16 UT 6.815 11°Cp15' D 11°Cp15' D
Mary (8) Cnj Mary (8) (X) Tr-Na 18 Dec 1853 NS 19:11:40 UT 9.947 11°Cp15' D 11°Cp15' D
Mary (8) Cnj Mary (8) (X) Tr-Na 30 Jan 1857 NS 10:36:33 UT 13.065 11°Cp15' D 11°Cp15' D
Mary (8) Cnj Mary (8) (X) Tr-Na 30 Mar 1860 NS 03:06:01 UT 16.226 11°Cp15' D 11°Cp15' D
Mary (8) Cnj Mary (8) (X) Tr-Na 16 Jul 1860 NS 09:31:01 UT 16.523 11°Cp15' R 11°Cp15' D
Mary (8) Cnj Mary (8) (X) Tr-Na 22 Sep 1860 NS 06:05:01 UT 16.709 11°Cp15' D 11°Cp15' D
Mary (8) Cnj Mary (8) (X) Tr-Na 29 Nov 1863 NS 06:20:43 UT 19.893 11°Cp15' D 11°Cp15' D
Mary (8) Cnj Mary (8) (X) Tr-Na 11 Jan 1867 NS 09:39:41 UT 23.012 11°Cp15' D 11°Cp15' D
Mary (8) Cnj Mary (8) (X) Tr-Na 26 Feb 1870 NS 18:27:24 UT 26.139 11°Cp15' D 11°Cp15' D
Mary (8) Cnj Mary (8) (X) Tr-Na 5 Nov 1873 NS 20:09:13 UT 29.830 11°Cp15' D 11°Cp15' D
Mary (8) Cnj Mary (8) (X) Tr-Na 22 Dec 1876 NS 13:06:44 UT 32.959 11°Cp15' D 11°Cp15' D
*** END REPORT ***
I have put the Mary Return at the centre of a biwheel with Bernadette’s natal chart. Life-changing Pluto rises; the returning Mary is near the MC, which conjoins the young girl’s Sun. In turn, the Return Sun conjoins her natal Venus/MC, opposite her angular Leo Moon, which is more closely opposed by the Return Chiron. Moon and Jupiter embrace the Dragon’s Head in the spiritual 12th house. There is a second, less obvious Return - of the Mars/Juno midpoint. Adding the Dwad to the Mary Return creates a Fame chart with both Lights on angles - Dwad Sun and Ascendant conunct, also Dwad Moon and MC at the radix IC with Dwad Ceres. This period of Bernadette’s relationship with Our Lady will bring her so powerfully into the public eye that she will achieve lasting fame; indeed, sainthood.