The Tropical 1953 Solar Return of Marilyn Bell
This photo of Marilyn Bell at 16 years of age was taken during the period when she made her swim across Lake Ontario in September, 1954. The photo is a copy of the book, Marilyn Bell by Patrick Tivy, 2003. Marilyn’s 1953 Solar Return occurred Oct. 19, 1953 at 2:58 am, Toronto, Canada.
That Solar Return, cast as a standard chart using the Tropical zodiac, has an MC of 9:25 Gemini, an Ascendant of 12:52 Virgo. Although I do not use Tropical return charts, I will interpret this chart using the methods outlined in a prior post. Those who do use Tropical Solar Returns are encouraged to offer their views and comments.
Cardinal signs contain four planets, three planets are found in mutable signs, two planets are in fixed signs….Marilyn is an active, very energetic young woman with the capacity to adapt to changing situations.
The Solar Return Sun is in the second house, its natal position was in the first house….she will be acting on her personal values and capabilities this year, striving to accomplish in actuality that which she has been working towards. So far, so good. For a swimmer, this can only mean an effort to prove herself in her sport.
The Solar Return Moon is at the Descendant angle….just as it was in her natal chart. This re-emphasis turns our attention to how the natal Moon expressed itself in her life generally, as this will show us how it might work in this solar return annual period. Moon opposes Mercury at the Ascendant, squares Jupiter (and Mars) at the 4th house cusp, and (of course) the MC. Moon= rhythm, Mercury = agility and movement, Jupiter = large dreams of social consequence, MC = life goals and public image. When we carry this overall sense forward into the Solar Return, we find transiting Jupiter in the tenth house while Mercury is found in the third house. Transiting Mars is in the first house, conjunct natal Neptune. So, we have indications of success, of great effort (dare we say “on the water” due to natal Neptune), of a need to respond to others (competition, public expectations). All in all, this represents a positive indication for the coming year–although one might expect this from a teen-aged champion swimmer in the prime of her swimming career.
Angular planets show strength and need to be emphasized. In this category we have the Moon, natal North Node, natal Neptune, transiting Mars and transiting Jupiter (a bit wide of the MC). We can parse these in detail or we can just let our sense of their meaning come to us–Mars acting through Neptune points to swimming (for Marilyn), Moon brings in a seeking of public recognition, Jupiter a sense of fulfillment, natal North Node a reliance on associates.
We now need to address the “when might this happen” question.
On September 8th, 1954, at 11:07 pm, Marilyn dove into Lake Ontario and commenced her amazing swim. She was following the (then) famed swimmer and Hollywood actress Florence Chadwick. Following the steps in a prior posting, we might follow the progress of the Sun through the Solar Return chart’s houses. This would put the Sun near the Ascendant, always a good timing indicator.
The progressed Solar Return Moon is one of every astrloger’s favorite timing methods. Checking an ephemeris for Oct. 19, 1953, we find the Moon’s daily motion to be 14d 48m 17s. Dividing this by 12 (months), we get a progressed monthly movement of 1d 14m 01s. A quick eye-scan sees the Moon 1) trine Mercury about six months later, 2) at an inconjunct about eleven and a half months later, 3) opposing Mars about 10 months later. We have to keep in mind the interpretation and context of the solar return chart. There, we noted transiting Mars conjuncting Neptune–a swimmers indication. Jupiter in the tenth house would be another logical contact, but it is outside of the daily range of motion of the Moon and cannot be a timing indicator. Natal Mercury at the natal Ascendant is another indicator, but that would work with the Moon about eight months later. As a tropical astrologer, I would propose either June (Mercury-Moon) or late August/September (Mars-Moon) as the periods when some form of success or recognition might occur.
Directing the MC according to the Sun’s daily rate of advance is another method advocated by some. The MC would advance to inconjunct Solar Return Mercury about ten months later (late August), and would square Mars about 11 months later.
In this case, these timing factors are reasonably good. However, tropical astrologers often turn to the use of Lunar Returns, Novian (9th harmonic) charts, demi-Solar Returns (half year), or whatever. So, you have here a very nice example that probably works better than most solar return charts that you would typically encounter. The only problem for the astrologer in most cases is, “Which other charts, and how many charts, do you need to look at in order to determine the timing of events?” Dave
The orbital path of the Earth is shown. When the Sun reaches a point defined by its alignment with the Sun relative to the Zodiac Reference, as defined from the Aries Point, the Sun is said to have returned to its natal position. Because the Aries point “precesses” or moves backwards along the ecliptic, the return of the Sun is accurate only in relationship to this moving zodiac. This backward slide amounts to one degree every seventy two years. Note that the second Earth position, the Sidereal Return Position, places the Earth relative to the Sun and relative to the star background of the galaxy. This reference basis does not slide backward or move. The Precessional Difference, as shown in the diagram, requires that the Earth continue in its orbit for a longer period of time, often several hours. Due to the added rotation of the Earth, a Solar Return chart cast in either the Sidereal Zodiac or in a precession-corrected Tropical Zodiac format will appear to be quite different from a “conventional” Tropical Solar Return.
The Ninth House 3 