Here’s a solar return (2016-17) for a friend of mine – Happy birthday Ms D:

• Sun conjunct Venus in 11^th house
• Moon in 4^th house making no aspects
• Mercury in 11^th house in a grand trine with Pluto and Jupiter
• Saturn in 5^th house in T cross with Neptune and Jupiter

Summary – the focus this year will be on friends how they fit into the fondest hopes and dreams of Ms. D. However, this may not be as easy as it sounds because such friendships will likely come with some ‘sticky’ strings. This in turn is likely to present Ms. D with some ethical issues – such as are we ‘lovers’ or ‘just friends’ – additionally further complications may arise due to changes in domestic routine, whether due to moving house, or home renovations, some disruption in this arena will become a significant emotional focus.

Sun / Venus

The 11^th house is associated with hopes and dreams, group interactions, and friendships.

With bright and shining Solar Return (SR) Venus here, Ms. D is more likely to enjoy a fair share of pleasant friendships with people who will happily support her in achieving her goals. But because the 11^th house is also associated with moral dilemmas & social expectations, these friendships may come with some (sticky) strings attached.

The SR Sun is all about intellectual focus = so with the SR Sun (the most significant planet in the solar return chart) also here in the 11^th house, the indication is that Ms. M will spend a good bit of time and energy dealing with these ethical issues surrounding these (sticky) strings.

Because (1) the 11^th is in opposition to the 5^th house (love affairs and creative self-expression) and (2) Venus is conjunct the Sun in the 11^th, dilemmas may well arise with issues such as – are we ‘just friends’ or ‘lovers’?

Moon

The SR Moon is about emotional focus and in the 4^th house, the focus is on house and home. Perhaps Ms. D will be moving house during the year or otherwise changing her residence or domestic situation – there is undoubtedly going to be some domestic-related change or disruption. Because the Moon makes no aspects to other planets, this suggests that Ms. M may be undertaking these alone or that these changes may make her feel as if she’s alone. The good news is that such changes do not appear to be the result of outside interferences hence such decisions are likely based on decisions taken based on their merits to suit the preferences of Ms. M.

Mercury

SR Mercury is about mental condition – i.e. what Ms. D will be primarily thinking about. Again because SR Mercury is in the 11^th house, her mental focus will likely be both on hopes and dreams and how they relate to those friends who come with (sticky) strings. That SR Mercury is caught up in a grand trine with Jupiter and Pluto, suggests those hopes and dreams may well  have significant psychological impact – in the sense that unconscious motivations come to the front and are more clear. There is also a possibility of verbal power plays – knowledge is power – who knows what it is that you need to know?!

Saturn

SR Saturn is caught up with Jupiter/Neptune in hard aspect. According to Liz Greene, both these rulers of Pisces (Jupiter & Neptune) have a taste for the boundless – together they are the visionary; they are also hallmarks of the the foolhardy dreamer. Potentially misplaced optimism, pie-in the sky hopes and dreams, miscalculations, and poor decisions are all possibilities – secrecy and perhaps downright deception may also play a part here. ‘Buyer beware’ comes to mind – if it’s too good to be true, it probably is.

SR Saturn symbolizes the reality of any given situation and emphasizes how we really are ultimately responsible for our lives. SR Saturn is in the 5^th house of love affairs and creative self-expression and suggests circumstances making it difficult to express yourself naturally as you have in the past. Relationships, especially love affairs, can be difficult especially due to limitations imposed by circumstances beyond your control. For example, she may not really fit in with his friends or he may not really relate to her friends.

Because of the influence of Jupiter/Neptune, such a situation might tempt either to pretend to be something other than who she or he really. But with Saturn around, this is probably not going to turn out to be such a good idea.