The Greater Malefic

Seeing as how I just had a lunar return yesterday, I figured that I would post my reading of it, with a discussion of my methodology.  While I don’t read Lunar return charts with the same frequency as I used to, that is only because it takes me a long time to do them and I have been very busy lately.  I don’t really use them as a predictive tool, but more as a chance to guess what sort of issues and questions will be posed to me by the world–I particularly enjoy looking at my notes after the fact to see how things developed (for awhile there I was really quite spot-on, but that was with practice).

What books have I used to help me with Lunar returns?  My primary source of education on the subject is Teal’s Planetary Triggers book.  I don’t deviate much from her basics, although, as I said, I don’t focus as much on the predictive aspects of things.

Here are the basic chart stats:
ASC     25 46′ Gemini
Midheaven    1 44′ Pisces
Sun   1 33′ Cancer (1st house)
Moon   10 37′ Libra (5th house)
Mercury (chart ruler)   9 42′rx Cancer (1st house)
Venus   16 04′ Leo (3rd house)
Mars    28 54′ Aries (11th house)
Jupiter   12 46rx Sagittarius (6th house)
Saturn    21 33′ Leo (3rd house)
Uranus    18 42′ Pisces (10th house)
Neptune    21 49′rx Aquarius (9th house)
Pluto   27 32′rx Sagittarius (conjunct DSC)

While Lunar returns are best read as a series that build on each other, I can still see that this will be a fairly active return period.  While the Moon itself is relatively unaspected (squared by Mercury and sextiled by Jupiter), there are two major oppositions here: the Saturn/Neptune opposition and the Sun/Pluto opposition.  Most importantly, the Sun/Pluto opposition takes places very close to my ASC/DSC axis.  While the Moon’s position in a succedent house marks this return period as one that consolidates and completes tasks, the Sun’s position in an angular house also indicates that new endeavors will be started around this period.  Indeed, I note that in my next Lunar return, the Sun is conjunct the Midheaven, while the Moon in is the twelfth house–in the prior return, the Moon was widely conjunct an angular cusp while the Sun was conjunct a cadent cusp…these are the types of patterns one must look for, as they indicate very different stages of development for my ’sun’ side and my ‘moon’ side.

Those preliminary remarks aside, one of the first things I do with a Lunar return chart is look at which houses to highlight and see what they correspond to in my natal chart.  For this return I focus on:
1st return house (has Sun conj. cusp and in hard aspect, also has chart ruler)–>natal eighth house
3rd return house (has Venus conj. Saturn in hard aspect and part of a Grand Trine)–>natal ninth house
5th return house (contains Moon)–>natal eleventh and twelfth house
7th return house (has Pluto conj. cusp)—>natal second house

I then identify the location of key natal parts:
Natal ASC:  sixth house
Natal Sun: twelfth house
Natal Pluto, Chart ruler: fifth house
Natal Venus, ruler of Sun and Moon signs: twelfth house
Natal Saturn: conjunct fifth house cusp

In the case of something like that Saturn/Neptune opposition that has been going on for a long time, I just check its location in this chart and previous return charts to create a linkage (the opposition was in the 2nd/8th houses in the previous return and will be in the 4th/10th houses next return).  With the move to 3rd/9th houses in this return, I should have an easier time thinking about and talking about the lessons and experiences that I have undergone with this transit (which was particularly interesting for me since the opposition made a Grand Cross with my ASC/DSC axis and was also squared by my Sun).

After that, I look to the new figures and key aspects in the chart.  This return chart comes close to reversing my natal chart (in fact the Midheaven and IC are almost exactly reversed), so what I have the chance to do during this return is examine ‘upper half’ issues (issues of public presentation, perhaps also represented by Sun conjunct ASC and trine Midheaven in the return chart) through the lens of communication (about ‘ninth house issues’) and new relationships (perhaps some relationships/friendships that might have had fifth house status being moved to eleventh house status or some of those casual fifth house people actually helping me with the twelfth house, which is very remote for me).  Seventh house issues will obviously be big with Pluto right on the cusp; I might have to watch for blowups with my closest friends and associates (with Pluto as ruler of Scorpio, there might be some jealousy about fifth/eleventh house people–given that my key natal points fall in the return fifth and twelfth houses, I think this is likely), because, if I were to be honest with myself, I would have to admit that I’ve been putting them aside lately for a new group of people.  I’m also about to move, so there are issues involved with that (who will help, when will I visit, et cetera).

So far I have paid short attention to the Fire Grand Trine in the return chart (which is one of a series of Fire GTs that we have seen over the last few months), and that is probably due to the lack of Fire element in my natal chart!  However, even I have had to admit that these Fire Grand Trines have brought a sense of warmth, activity and positive energy to my life (they’ve given me a different type of initiative and drive–my drive is very typical of a Mars in Taurus, and lately that drive has been lighter and more social), and I hope that it contributes the same thing during the return period.

After I highlight the areas of emphasis, examine the figures and aspects, and look for trends in previous and future return charts, I then allow the chart to settle and generally return to it in a day or so–when I do that, I’ll post additional thoughts if I have them.