Happy Birthday, Bettie,

The most important thing in a Solar Return is, of course, the Sun.

First, the house the SR Sun falls in. This shows where the main focus will be for the year ahead.

Second, any aspects that are made to the SR Sun. These are especially important because anything that aspects the SR Sun makes the identical aspect to the natal Sun. If you can imagine the Solar Return Chart as a snapshot of the year ahead, these aspects will carry throughout the coming year.

Third in importance, in my opinion, are any planets in the SR chart that make close aspects to natal planets. I would also include the SR Asc. and MC as aspecting points here.

Only after looking at the above would I look at the other planets in the SR chart, and any aspects they make. If you see an aspect in the SR chart that you also have natally, it is of added significance, even if it does not contact a natal planet. For example, let us say you have Mercury conjunct Mars in Sagittarius natally, and the SR chart has Mercury conjunct Mars in Scorpio. Even if the SR conjunct does not aspect your chart in any way, it is still of particular importance to you in the year ahead, showing you will be called upon to utilize your Mercury/Mars quite a bit.

I do not agree that the SR chart is strongest in the first 6 months.....it covers the whole year. But you can do transits to the SR chart for additional information as the year progresses.

If your SR chart has a stellium in the 6th house, then there is going to be a great deal of focus on work, and/or health, and/or refining your basic skills. It does not mean necessarily overwork, only that there will be a lot of attention paid to the work arena.

Hi Bettie, there's a helpful article over at www.llewellynjournal.com/article/391 to interpret the solar return. I'm a beginner and don't know much about solar returns, but if we take a look at your's, maybe we can do a very basic overall theme to your year by looking at this article. Fun for practice and maybe someone who knows can comment and correct.

One thing to look at is to see if most of the planets in the upper part of the chart or the lower parts of the chart. If in the upper, you'll have a more extroverted year, motivated by the outside and your need to interact/grow with others. If most of the planets are below the horizon, you'll be working on inner growth and change. With that stellium in the 6th, I would say you're leaning towards the inner core, skills to hone, your abilities to eventually pull out and employ in your dealings in the outside world which will be sooner than later because this stellium is based in the 6th house, a cadent house. When planets are grouped in this placement, it is as if you've got a little more rippening to do before you bear fruit. And in this case, it has to deal with your skills and attitudes towards work and your health. Perhaps this year would be a good time to focus on work goals and fitness goals because you have the energy behind you like a tail-wind. (astrologers, or anybody else who knows this stuff - I welcome your corrections as it is the best way to learn and I don't want to give misinformation).

Placement of right and left is significant as well. If you've got a majority of planets on the left of your solar return, the article says you will have a "greater capacity to take control, to lead and to initiate changes." I've also heard that you will have to work for what you want. If the planets are on the right, I've heard that things will come to you easily, they will flow. The article states that with most of the planets on the right, "other people and their interests will be an important consideration in your decisions and activities."

You've cleary got most of your planets on the right side of your chart. If we sythesize this information, we could say that although you're internally focused this year (health; service; work), that your interactions with other will be significant. There is a collaboration between your inner direction and goals, and the people around you. In this collaboration, there is a natural flow, a current that you can ride to fully manifest the energies available to you this year.

One last look. From the article,
"The Solar Return rising sign should be carefully considered since the personality will take on many of the characteristics of the sign, and endeavors will show an expression of the attributes of that sign. Also, in judging the doorway of the Ascendant, find the natal house that holds the Solar Return rising degree. The natal house that is brought to the Solar Return Ascendant should be given special consideration. Since the Ascendant is an area of energy manifestation, conditions and environment provide an ideal outlet for events and issues associated with this natal house. The people, issues and affairs of that house will occupy your attention to a great extent."

So your solar return rising sign is Gemini. Natally, you've got Gemini at the IC, and is your 4th house ruler. Here's a stab at this (please remember that I'm a beginner and welcome feedback or corrections for Bet's sake :-): The 4th is your roots, connected to the 10th, your fruits. It seems like this could be a time of deep restlessness, where you're trying on new identities, seeing how they fit, and you're so close to realizing a breakthrough that is connected to your attitude to work or how you manifest your skills in the world, what you bring to the table (6th) and contribute to the world and how other people see you (10th). You might need a change at this point, even change location or explore by traveling, but you're in the right place to do this (you've got the energy behind you). Use your communication skills as they'll serve you well. Also, if you pay attention to your body, and take good care of yourself during this time (possibly establishing some kind of conditioning routine if you don't already have one, or paying attention to nutrition), you will be better equipped to make sound decisons for yourself that you can commit to.

Anyway, do look at the article. There's an example reading and at the end, you'll find brief descriptions the energy a planet brings.

Just two questions that surfaced when I was looking through solar return interpretations:

1. True or False: The solar return begins to influence a person three months before their birthday, and generally last the entire year.

2. True or False (paraphrased from the article): In the solar return, if the Sun is in an angular house, the beginning of the year will bring the greatest activity. If it is in a succedent house, the middle portion brings the most productivity. If in a cadent house, the last part of the year may show the most movement. However, a prominence of planets in one of the three sectors may modify this.

Bettie,

Happy belated birthday! I just caught this!