My birthday’s coming up in just a few weeks, and you know what that means? I’m finishing up a year when my Solar Return Sun was in my Eighth House. Yeah….
I admit, I’d been really dreading this past year for a long time now. I have heard dire warnings from astrologers to consider traveling just to make certain that my Solar Return Sun was either in the Seventh House of relationships and partnerships or in the Ninth House of education and travel. Any place but in the Eighth House! The idea was that I might be at some other spot on the planet at that exact moment and by traveling on my Solar Return birthday to somewhere else, it would change the position of the houses within my Solar Return Chart. Lost yet?
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A Solar Return Chart is a special chart for your birthday year based on where you are on the day that the Sun is in the exact place that it was on the day you were born. Though my birthday is March 3rd, my solar return usually takes place on March 2nd. A chart is cast for that day when the Sun matches its position on the day of my birth and it’s like a natal (birth) chart for the entire year–yep, with planets and houses and everything. The thing is, while the planets for that day are in the same conjunctions, oppositions, squares, etc, regardless of where you are in the world, the houses can change–a little bit, at least–if you travel, thereby putting a planet in a more favorable house. Some astrologers believe you can alter your chart for the year by making a birthday trip and others think that your chart reverts back to where you live most of the year and so a trip out of town just isn’t worth it. Most people can’t afford to fly to Europe for a better chart, anyway.
For me, it didn’t really matter that much. I would have had to travel out of the country to have made any difference with an Eighth House Sun, and it would have adversely affected a lovely stellium (a whole bunch) of planets in my Seventh House of relationships. I accepted that there was little chance of escaping an Eight House Sun and instead, made plans to enjoy a quiet day at home in my garden and try not to be too afraid.
What makes an Eighth House Solar Return Sun so terrifying?
When it comes to astrological charts and their twelve life sectors, called “houses,” the scariest piece of the pie is the Eighth House, followed closely by the mysterious Twelfth House. The Eighth House is about death, sex, regeneration, other people’s money, secrets. If your Sun is going to be shining a light on all those issues for you in a coming year, then yes, it can make you anxious.
I’d heard so many horrendous stories–though in hindsight, they were mostly from amateur astrologers who knew just enough to assume the worst and then blather about it. Even the best of astrology websites talked about a Solar Return Eighth House Sun bringing massive change and upheaval. And let’s face it: for most of us, the idea of change is frightening. We think of change as away from the security we know and love–and even sometimes hate–and rarely toward a good thing unless life has been really terrible recently.
Take heart, fearful ones, because here’s how it manifested for me.
Looking back over the past eleven months, I have to agree that it’s been an extremely important year where death, sex, secrets, other people’s money, and regeneration were all spotlighted for me. Most definitely a year of transformation but not in a bad way at all…and that’s after being at a nicely serene and happy place in my life the previous year. If you feel good about where you are in your life, then the idea of change is something you’re probably quite resistant to. But life can get even better.
Death — Death is probably the biggest concern when it comes to the Eighth House…
Other People’s Money — This wasn’t a particularly big area for me…
Secrets — I’ve always been very good at keeping secrets…
Sex — I really don’t know what to say about this one…
Regeneration — If the Eighth House is about death and rebirth…
In summary
So, yes, an Eighth House Solar Return Sun brought big changes–good changes–into my life. I’ll have another Eighth House Sun in a few years and I’ll keep in mind that they don’t have to spell disaster–they can mean better changes than I’ve ever known existed.
For more on Solar Return astrology, see the Solar Return Astrology Hub.
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