Tag Archives: year

An Overall View of 2021

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Reading Time : 6 minutes

One of the problems with Astrology is fragmented information. Usually, we focus on a single event during the course of the year. We analyze it, we try to understand it better. But in the end we easily loose the perception of the bigger picture. And with it, the context that would enable us to have an idea of what’s going on.

This article wants to be an answer to this problem. Not only providing next year’s bigger picture well in advance. But also stepping back and looking at it, in order to understand how basically an astrological year is made. In fact a lot of events are going to occur, and it might get confusing. But if we display them together, arranging them into groups they immediately become more understandable.

Let’s start by looking at this picture, that summarizes in a single glimpse what we are going to be talking about during 2021.

An Overall View of 2021

It may seem messy and confusing at first, but bear with me. First of all, I’ve chosen a background image that could immediately communicate the elemental forces at work during the year. Since 2021 is going to be a year centered on the Air Element, the background is a clear golden sky—being yellow the color of Air and Light.

The glyph in the middle is a representation of the main events that are going to occur in 2021. The circle in black at the center is the wheel of the Zodiac, as you can see from the twelve Zodiac Signs of the same color all around it. Then, we find:

  • In white, the orbit of Mercury doing its three retrogrades stops during the year. Isn’t it beautiful? It forms a three petal flower, with Mercury stopping in all three air signs: Aquarius, Gemini and Libra. As you can see we are immediately introduced to the air element.
  • In purple, we find the positions of the two lunar nodes. They are important because they are the spots where eclipses take place. The North Node, the so called head of the Dragon, in Gemini (which again, is an air sign); the South Node, the tail of the Dragon, in Sagittarius. This means that most of 2021 Eclipses are going to occur in those signs.
  • In blue, we have Jupiter. This planet changes sign once a year, giving it a specific color. For this reason looking at Jupiter gives us another clue about the new year. Jupiter’s just entered Aquarius on December 19th. But what’s interesting here is that in 2021 it’s going to move so fast that it’s going to enter Pisces as well, turning retrograde, and going back again into Aquarius. Also note that Saturn also just entered Aquarius—another air sign. Can you see the elemental pattern forming?
  • Lastly, we have in red the main aspect of the year: the Saturn Uranus square. This aspect is particularly important, not only because it’s going to last for a year and a half. But also because it’s going to be the foundation on which several Planetary Configurations are going to form on during this period of time.

Let’s see all these points into more detail. Of course we are going to deepen them in specific articles as the year unfolds. Nevertheless, we can have here a preview of what’s coming next.

Mercury Elemental Triangle of Air

Mercury turns retrograde three times a year. The beauty of this rhythm is that Mercury tends to stop in zodiac signs of the same element (of course, this is not always the case). During 2020 Mercury formed an Elemental Triangle of Water. In 2021 he is going to create an Elemental Triangle of Air.

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What are Solar and Lunar Returns?

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Reading Time : 2 minutessolr_1280

As you may know I don’t like general horoscopes, but I don’t want to give you the wrong impression: I think astrological forecasts are a valuable tool, if done properly. So, in this article I’m going to talk about two well known—very effective—predictive techniques: Solar and Lunar Returns. Let’s start with the first one.

So, what exactly is a Solar Return? Basically, it is your astrological birthday. It falls every year on the same day of your proper birthday, or on the previous/following day—it really depends on your time of birth. It is called “Solar Return” because it occurs when the Sun returns exactly on the same spot (degree) it had at the moment of your birth.

Your birthday is a special day, right? People traditionally celebrate it because in ancient times they knew that what happens on your birthday is reflected on the whole year to come. From an astrological perspective, this is literally true. By overlapping your Natal Chart with the Solar Return Chart, we are able to understand the main issue of the year and its potential.

Looking back, we can say that every year had a major event that marked it. After all it is the reason why you still remember it, isn’t it? That year when you met your partner, or that time you moved to another house: every year had a story to tell—a chapter in the book of your life. Astrology is able to give them a title, so to speak.

No, we don’t have a crystal ball. But with your help we can figure out pretty accurately what this year has in store for you. Good astrologers make questions about your life because our main concern is to help you—not to guess the future.

Lunar Returns

Now that you know what a Solar Return is, understanding Lunar Returns is very simple. In fact as the Sun, the Moon also returns periodically on the same spot (degree) it has on your Natal Chart—but it does so on a monthly basis.

You can think of them as customized monthly forecasts—a smaller version of Solar Returns. In a year we’ve got 13 of them, and they can be used to refine better our yearly prevision. In fact one of the Solar Return problems is that it doesn’t tell us when exactly the main issue of the year is going to manifest. Lunar Returns are the answer.

Another advantage of Solar Returns is that they give planetary transits a more precise context. For example, understanding a Mercury Retrograde cycle in its Lunar Return definitely makes the difference.

Nothing is Written

Both Solar and Lunar Return readings heavily depend on your location at the moment they occurred. If you are in Tokyo for your birthday instead of being in New York your Solar Return chart is going to be completely different. The same applies to Lunar Returns.

Obviously, you can assume where you will probably be that day at that time—but you can’t take it for granted. This is what I like most of these techniques: they always leave a way out. And don’t get me wrong: I personally believe that our destiny is written by us, not for us. But it is also true that we have no control over the lessons that the Universe has in store for us.