How Your Solar Return Ascendant Influences Your Life Each Year
You experience a solar return each year and your chart will reveal that year's rising sign and overall theme.
wellabels, Trendify / Canva Something unique happens every year on your birthday in the realm of astrology. You begin a new solar return cycle, which governs the next year of your life right until your next birthday, and results in a solar return Ascendant for each year.
In astrology, when the Sun returns to the exact point it was when you were born, it's called a solar return. Astrologers have a special chart to look at called a solar return chart, which is very similar to your zodiac birth chart. The only difference is that it lasts for exactly one year from one birthday to the next.
You can easily draw up your unique birthday solar return chart by using a birth chart calculator. Just make sure to use your exact time of birth in combination with the year for which you are drawing the chart and use your current city of residence instead of your place of birth. The resulting solar return chart comes with a solar return Ascendant, or Rising sign. The solar return Ascendant shows the overall theme of your upcoming solar year.
If you travel a lot (or are so inclined), you can also use astrocartography techniques to pick a good location to celebrate your birthday so you can intentionally create a good solar return cycle for yourself.
Solar return Ascendant meanings
Solar return Aries rising
If you have an Aries rising or Ascendant in your solar return chart, the next year of your life will be very focused on starting new adventures, focusing on your self and physicality, and charging forward in the world.
Even if you are naturally introverted, you will feel more energetic than usual and extroverted. A lot of new opportunities and people will come your way in the next year. But whether or not they stay for long will depend on other factors in your Solar Return chart and natal birth chart.
Solar return Taurus rising
If you have a Taurus rising or Ascendant in your solar return chart, the next year of your life will be very focused on finding stability, increasing your wealth and personal power and finding your place in your community.
A lot of people tend to start thinking about marriage and settling down when they have a Taurus solar return Ascendant. Others make high-value purchases that year such as a home, a car, big appliances for their business or very expensive fashion products. The focus is on material possessions and improving one's security in life. A Taurus rising year is also a good time to invest in stocks, bonds, and other conservative investment products with a focus on long-term payout. People also get serious about insurance coverage and retirement savings during this year.
Solar return Gemini rising
If you have a Gemini rising or Ascendant in your solar return chart, the next year of your life will be very focused on communications, building your network, short-distance travel and your relationship with your friends and siblings.
You will be more talkative than usual and will find it hard to focus on just one thing. A lot of people tend to pick up multiple hobbies during such a year and even learn a new language. Personal relationships tend to be more lukewarm though and focused on the feel-good rather than on heavy commitment.
Solar return Cancer rising
If you have a Cancer rising or Ascendant in your solar return chart, the next year of your life will be very focused on building a safe home environment for yourself, tuning into your compassionate or maternal side (gender no bar), connecting with your family and inner circle and turning away from the world.
Even if you are naturally extroverted, you will be more introverted and find yourself craving your private time. Some people even bring home pets or start a family during a Cancer Ascendant solar return year. You will also be more sensitive than usual to the emotional currents in you and others. Your intuition will also be heightened throughout the year. A lot of people become conscious about what they eat and the health of planet Earth as well.
Solar return Leo rising
If you have a Leo rising or Ascendant in your solar return chart, the next year of your life will be very focused on shining as brightly as you can. It will be an extroverted year for you, even if you are a natural introvert.
You will also be luckier than usual and feel incredibly blessed. A lot of people experience a glow-up during a Leo Ascendant solar return year. Your self-esteem will be at an all-time high. Leadership opportunities and the chance to put yourself on a stage (or be under the spotlight) will also come your way. Love and romance feature heavily during a Leo rising year. And some people get accidentally pregnant, so be careful. But whether or not these relationships become long-term or end as a short dalliance can only be determined by other factors in your solar return and synastry chart.
Solar return Virgo rising
If you have a Virgo rising or Ascendant in your solar return chart, the next year of your life will be very focused on everyday work, routines, chores, bureaucratic proceedings and how you are of service to other people.
Those who are employed by other people tend to become workaholics, even if they aren't like that usually. People in the service industry do well during a Virgo rising year. Some even get better tips than usual for their hard work. Your hard work will be noticed, but whether it's acknowledged depends on other factors. Most people find themselves in their modest era in a Virgo Ascendant solar return year.
Solar return Libra rising
If you have a Libra rising or Ascendant in your solar return chart, the next year of your life will be very focused on partnerships, relationships with other people, law and order and even marriage.
A lot of people tend to get serious about marriage in their Libra rising year. But the most prominent effect of this Ascendant is on your looks and how you carry yourself. You may go through a glow-up or find yourself becoming more refined, polished and well-mannered by societal standards. Opportunities that come your way will be through other people this year. This is also a good year for legal contracts and beneficial for people working in the legal field. Additionally, though, you'll find yourself conforming with your peers even if you consider yourself an independent thinker.
Solar return Scorpio rising
If you have a Scorpio rising or Ascendant in your solar return chart, the next year of your life can almost feel like it's shrouded in secrecy or being hidden away from the general public.
This can manifest in a lot of ways. You will be more introverted than usual, even if you are an extrovert. You will talk less and observe and listen more. You may even find yourself part of an organization or group that depends on secrecy or walk in circles that are closed off from the rest of the world and thrive on power dynamics. Power and powerful people will come into your life during a Scorpio Ascendant solar return year. You may also experience upheavals in the form of natural disasters and other sudden changes. People tend to become very obsessive or single-minded about something in their life during a Scorpio rising year. And while it has the potential to be positive, most people have a tough time because they are uncomfortable with power or don't know how to maneuver it.
Solar return Sagittarius rising
If you have a Sagittarius rising or Ascendant in your solar return chart, the next year of your life will be very focused on personal freedom, exploring distant places, leaning into your weirdness and learning about new things and ideas.
Higher education or distance learning will feature in your life in some capacity. Even if you consider yourself an introvert, you will be in your extrovert era and will be friendlier than usual. A lot of people tend to become friends with the most unexpected folks during their Sagittarius Ascendant solar return year. Foreign places and foreigners feature heavily. You won't be able to sit still for too long though and will travel more than usual. Religion, spirituality, and teachers will also play prominent roles. Some people tend to join new religious groups during their Sagittarius rising year.
Solar Return Capricorn rising
If you have a Capricorn rising or Ascendant in your solar return chart, the next year of your life will be focused exclusively on your career and work life. Some people unlock their inner workaholic during this year.
Even if you are usually jolly, you will find yourself being more serious. Health, aging and the distant future become major concerns. You will find yourself thinking about these more than usual. Your investments will also bring you fruits this year. But only if you made any investments in the past, whether in the financial realm or in terms of education, exploration, business, or other things. Traditions and family life are also a concern, but from the perspective of how everything fits into the larger whole of your community and if everything is appropriate. People tend to be more conservative during a Capricorn Ascendant solar return year.
Solar return Aquarius rising
If you have an Aquarius rising or Ascendant in your solar return chart, the next year of your life will be very focused on growth, expansion, engaging with new technology and pushing the boundaries of what's possible.
You may also feel like you are ahead of the curve in some regard. Weirdly enough, a lot of people experience a different kind of glow-up during their Aquarius rising year. They become more attractive in a way that's not traditionally considered beautiful in their part of the world. The way you stand out will be attractive and people will think you are cool. A lot of people become trendsetters in their Aquarius Ascendant solar return year. But they see the world following their footstep only after they themselves have moved onto their Pisces rising year.
Solar return Pisces rising
If you have a Pisces rising or Ascendant in your solar return chart, the next year of your life will be very focused on closing unfinished chapters in your life, finding inner peace and solace, chasing after spiritual and otherwordly concepts and believing in the “impossible” possibilities.
Weirdly enough, you will be both an introvert and an extrovert during the year. As in, you won't have a problem with other people and their company, but you will be a quiet listener and more tuned into yourself regardless of where you are. Your intuition will also be heightened. But because of the Piscean optimism, you may ignore red flags and think your utopic vision is possible in the near future even though realistically it will take another decade or longer. Some people get swept up in relationships that feel larger-than-life during this year or they encounter a lot of soulmates and people from their past lives.
Valeria Black is a Tarot Card Reader and YouTuber, obsessed with charm-casting, runes, and all things magic. She focuses her writing on astrology, tarot and spirtuality and her work has been featured on YourTango and MSN.