Since it’s about that time, I thought I’d type about my Solar Returns for the last two decades. This is for x year from June until June of the next year. I haven’t included every aspect to the Sun or Ascendant ruler but these are the big ones.
Further, I tried to keep it under 300 characters for each description before realizing this was going to be too long to post on Bluesky, but the essential brevity stayed. I could definitely type more and get into the weeds, but at this scope, brevity works best.
FYI: I have a Libra Ascendant, 9th house Sun natally.
1994: Virgo Ascendant (Mercury in 11th), Sun in 10th square Saturn
A fair place to start – 30 full solar return years ago. Here, I started middle school but moved halfway into the year because of a divorce in progress in my family. Pluto is conjunct the IC in this chart. Whatever new independence that might have come about for a 10th house year was likely dampened since I was 12.
1995: Scorpio Ascendant (Mars in 10th), Sun in 8th conjunct Mercury/opposite Jupiter
Crappy year. Felt worthless, suicidal, neglected, and ignored in vital ways while bullied or scapegoated for everything else. Basically just tried to keep my head down but people are awful anyway. It was also a creative year – I was writing.
1996: Capricorn Ascendant (Saturn in 2nd), Sun in 5th opposite Moon
Moved, started high school. Still creative. Realized my typical friend choices no longer applied anymore and sought new people to hang out with. Felt like I could breathe at home for the first time in years.
1997: Gemini Ascendant (Mercury in 12th), Sun in 12th conjunct Ascendant
Pretty good, stable, nice year for the most part making the most of being a dumbass teenager without commitments or the strongest sense of self. Some brief dramatics from folks trying to tell me how to live (no).
1998: Leo Ascendant, Sun in 10th conjunct Mars, Sun opposite Pluto, Sun square Moon
Expressed human independence & autonomy of self and the control freaks around me flipped out and grasped harder. Started dating a fucking angel.
1999: Scorpio Ascendant (Mars in 12th), Sun in 8th, Sun opposite Pluto
Fully separated from recent ex-but-best-friend against our will. Disgusted about it and lonely. Made the mistake of pseudo-dating an unstable idiot. School & home both fucking sucked. I felt like I had no future and would never not be poor.
2000: Capricorn Ascendant (Saturn in 4th), Sun in 5th conjunct Moon/Venus/Mars and opposite Pluto
Graduated on my birthday. Moved. That 5th house: lol I was invited to a drunken orgy. I went to my first concert. Got my first real taste of anti-LGB crap outside of older family members and religious weirdos. I started writing constantly. I started dating a fellow Gemini. Some early seeds that music was my ‘thing’ but I was in denial and didn’t have any role models.
2001: Gemini Ascendant (Mercury in 2nd), Sun in 1st conjunct Saturn/opposite Pluto
Decided it was time to take steps to make the future I wanted, which primarily included my relationship. As soon as I started making changes, relationship started dying. Fully distraught. Spent some time with my dad and did some minor suffer-traveling with him. Almost started school but I didn’t feel safe. Went hard on astrology.
2002: Leo Ascendant, Sun in 10th, Sun opposite Pluto/trine Neptune/still conjunct Saturn/square Moon
Depressed nearly all year. Felt like a failure of a human being. Couldn’t get anything done or sorted out and had almost no energy. Tried to start a business but it didn’t go anywhere. Tried school and it was like I couldn’t think straight and the school had full-of-shit vibes. Started dating someone and had 3-4 months of hope again.
2003: Libra Ascendant (Venus in 8th), Sun in 8th, Sun closing out a wide opposition with Pluto
Not feeling good. Lost. Aimless. Put all my stock into my relationship that felt like a shrinking box & didn’t understand how it could suck that much when it was good at first. So much arguing. We broke up before the end of my solar return year.
2004: Capricorn Ascendant (Saturn in 7th), Sun in 6th trine Neptune
Moved, cat died traumatically, grieving hard between that, breaking up with boyfriend, and feeling like I had no friends anymore. At some point it hit me I had all the freedom ever now. Sights remained small but what did I want for me now? Just before the year ended, I got a new cat who became my favorite person ever.
2005: Taurus Ascendant (Venus in 2nd), Sun in 2nd, Sun conjunct Mercury in 1st, Sun trine Jupiter/Neptune, Sun square Uranus
Stable work year, made the most money I’d ever made up to that point (which wasn’t much), ate well, and started looking beyond mere survival. How about a couple of concerts? Fixed a health issue and briefly dated someone new.
2006: Leo Ascendant, Sun in 11th, Sun square Uranus
Thinking a lot about music & how I could make it work. Uranus was transiting through my 6th house at this time and my work environment was unstable whether I made it that way (job experimenting) or not (terrible coworkers & shitty hours). The 11th house part showed up more in the abstract of music appreciation and realizing I needed friends who shared that with me now that I was well beyond radio music.
2007: Libra Ascendant (Venus in 10th), Sun in 9th opposite Jupiter
Hurt my hand while on a travel adventure and decided it was a sign I needed health insurance more than I needed to work one-handed for a boss who didn’t give a shit, so I quit and went back to school. Started music blog and finally met real people who liked cool music.
2008: Sagittarius Ascendant (Jupiter in 1st), Sun in 6th conjunct Venus
First full year in school. Going out, doing stuff, being annoyed by anyone or anything boxing me in or treating me like I belonged in any box ever. Music was The Thing I did now.
2009: Aries Ascendant (Mars in 1st conjunct Venus), Sun in 2nd, Sun square Saturn
WHICH ONE OF YOU FUCKS WANTS TO HEAR SOME MUSIC?! I got a music-related job and decided to tone my comically antisocial writing voice down for the sake of decorum and probably also logical sense. I probably should have just kept being weird because the folks who needed agreeable sound bites and ego appeasement at this time weren’t worth it.
2010: Cancer Ascendant (Moon in 8th), Sun in 11th
Focused on school and the new job where I was most struggling with the tender social aspects of it but otherwise having a great time doing what I loved doing & meeting fellow weirdos. Someone in my broad sphere had a mental health crisis at me because they didn’t like me talking about music as an independent, uncontrollable woman, and I spent a good while thinking about how my sphere was full of poison like this.
2011: Libra Ascendant (Venus in 8th), Sun in 9th, Sun trine Saturn [New Moon the day before my birthday]
In school. Bad health year that took over everything and completely changed my future goals. Reconnected with someone I thought I’d lost to the ether very close to a death in my family, albeit unrelated. This chart is oddly similar to my natal chart.
2012: Sagittarius Ascendant (Jupiter in 6th), Sun in 7th conjunct Venus/Mercury
In school. Terrible health year. Working with touring bands. New writing project launched. I was in a situationship all this year but my focus was health.
2013: Pisces Ascendant (Jupiter in 3rd), Sun in 3rd
In school. Some of my writing was recognized. Worked with touring bands all around this time, which involved a lot of often tedious paperwork/emails/communication, because Gemini gonna Gemini. Ironically I think this is when my situationship failed entirely on communication and I decided I was done.
2014: Cancer Ascendant (Moon in 2nd), Sun in 12th, Sun trine Mars, Sun beginning its square with Neptune
My final year of school. I started to feel better after a few rough years but was still struggling. Money was a thought but I was more considering my financial future in the abstract. I was nervous about tomorrow and had no clarity but I wasn’t worried about it like I was later.
2015: Virgo Ascendant (Mercury in 9th), Sun in 9th conjunct Mercury/Mars, Sun opposite Moon, Sun square Neptune
I had just finished school & promptly learned I needed to move but had extremely limited/no options. Soon after the absolute horrors of finally moving to an unfamiliar place, my mom’s health went haywire. While the moment was traumatically awful, I was still optimistic that she’d be better soon.
2016: Sagittarius Ascendant (Jupiter in 9th), Sun in 7th conjunct Venus, Sun exact square Neptune/square Jupiter/opposite Saturn (note: grand square)
Reality sets in that my mom was sicker than appearances and I had become her invisible support staff. I tried to work but it was one thing after another with her. Sag/9th house: I wanted to be anywhere except where I was and all but cried waiting for the train because I was skipping an important show to work a job where I had nothing in common with my classist, holier-than-thou coworkers who talked shit about bus/train people then having to return home to yet more mystery issues with mom.
2017: Pisces Ascendant (Jupiter in 7th), Sun in 3rd, Sun square Neptune/trine Jupiter
Soon after SR, mom was diagnosed and dropped off the edge. No sleep for me anymore. I did a lot of irritating paperwork and talked to a bunch of people so I could work and help her at the same time. My dad died and I continued feeling like I was trapped.
2018: Cancer Ascendant (Moon in 7th conjunct Pluto), Sun in 12th conjunct Mercury, Sun still square Neptune
A brief period of calm and trying to help her exist to the best of her abilities while I silently freaked out about her future death. Halfway into the year she started acting extra odd & emotional. Proceed being on the phone a lot more asking strangers for help.
2019: Virgo Ascendant (Mercury in 10th), Sun in 10th conjunct Midheaven, Sun still square Neptune
There is no Mom; Only Zuul. I work harder than I’ve ever worked in my life because her shit hit the fan and no systems meaningfully work when you’re poor and then suddenly there’s a pandemic. I’m technically some people’s boss for a while and have to fire someone because they can’t tell time or follow simple directions or otherwise be relied on for anything so I can work another job or leave the house without worrying about what’s on fire when I return.
2020: Scorpio Ascendant (Mars in 4th conjunct Neptune), Sun in 7th conjunct Venus, Sun square Mars
I give up. She gets permanently hospitalized. I’m left with decades of shit I don’t know what to do with and nowhere to go. I make the fun mistake of returning to an ex. I feel fucking terrible. Pandemic times delay the inevitable and make it so I can pay my bills regardless.
2021: Aquarius Ascendant (Saturn in 12th conjunct Ascendant), Sun in 4th conjunct Node, Sun square Moon in 1st
Ex thing ends for the same reasons as ever. I just exist feeling like trash always. Still inexplicably not homeless and enjoying rooms without tons of suffocating shit in them. I focus on a creative-adjacent project for a while.
2022: Gemini Ascendant (Mercury in 12th rx in Taurus), Sun in 12th
More of the same. Trying to be more zen about not knowing things and trying to trust the universe. Lots of anxiety.
2023: Virgo Ascendant (Mercury in 9th conjunct Uranus), Sun in 10th, Sun square Saturn
Mom dies. Impending homelessness lurks and suddenly I have a place to live at the last possible fucking minute, which meant moving someplace totally new to me in a place where the main people I interact with are ESL, reminding me of where I grew up. Evidently grief is narcissistic men bait.
2024: Scorpio Ascendant (Mars in 6th), Sun in 8th conjunct Venus, Sun square Saturn
Unwanted ends of a relationship & a business right after the SR. Later decide to stop talking to selfish people then quit negative places. Finally have the space to fully grieve & it fucking sucks. I handle some overdue health things and spend most of the year struggling with hot flashes.
******
2025: Capricorn Ascendant (Saturn in 2nd conjunct Neptune), Sun in 4th conjunct Mercury in 5th
Well. I can assume the year’s larger focus will be on my stuff/income and home environment, especially as much as it relates to creative/artistic/expressive topics. I’m finally settled here, boxes 95% unpacked and most stuff put away, but I need to get rid of or use some things that belonged to my mom so my space is more usable. I started a related art project a few weeks ago that’s taking time, so maybe I can continue that theme, but I’m not sure it’s worth it when I need income and might be able to sell some of this. I’d rather just have a job that caters to the fact that my body/brain sucks and destroy or donate what’s there that I don’t want. Looking at previous Capricorn years: wtf, am I going to move? Seems unintuitive but wouldn’t that be astrologically cute.
2026: Gemini Ascendant (Mercury in 1st), Sun in 12th
Guessing 2026 will be largely calm based on previous 12th house Sun years, which would be lovely after recent times.
2027: Leo Ascendant, Sun in 10th conjunct Uranus and beginning trine with Pluto
Do I start dating someone new (based on previous Leo-10th years)? Or is it more of a year where I’m grappling with issues of independence?
2028: Scorpio Ascendant (Mars in 7th), Sun in 8th conjunct Uranus/Venus/Mercury
Jesus christ, I should travel on my birthday that year. The Ascendant is only 1 1/2 degrees into Scorpio here but Libra is out because Venus would also fall in the 8th, so maybe I go 30+ degrees east. It would have to be east of Chicago to get a Sagittarius Ascendant. New York City has a Sagittarius Ascendant, Jupiter in 9th, Sun in 7th. Maybe I try to travel to the east coast for my birthday to avoid whatever nonsense this year involves. Who knows what idiotic state the borders will be in by then. Uranus transiting my natal 9th house conjunct my Sun seems fair for travel, if unpredictable or sudden. These Scorpio Ascendant years have all been trash and I don’t need another one, especially so soon after this one, but who knows if I’ll have the funds by 2028 to recreationally do anything.
And continuing to assume I don’t move, at least not far from here:
2029: Capricorn Ascendant (Saturn in 4th conjunct Mercury), Sun in 5th conjunct Uranus
2030: Taurus Ascendant (Venus in 12th), Sun in 1st conjunct Mars/Uranus [New Moon]
2031: Leo Ascendant, Sun in 11th conjunct Saturn
2032: Libra Ascendant (Venus in 8th), Sun in 8th conjunct Venus – I should travel this year, too.