Divorce and Breakups in the Solar Return Chart (Applied Astrology)

If there’s a sure sign of impending divorce or breakups in astrology, it’s in the Solar Return chart.  I’ve been pursuing astrology as a hobby to learn about myself and my friends long enough now to note certain patterns.  If you look ahead at your Solar Return charts for the next few years, you can see the trouble spots.  That’s trouble spots, spelled P-L-U-T-O and its conjunctions with either the Descendant or Imum Coeli (or, as I like to call it, your inner core) aka IC.  Pluto in the Seventh House of your Solar Return chart is trouble, too, though that one seems more attached to structured partnerships.

I went through my significant database of astrology charts, looking at charts of friends and family who’ve been through breakups and divorces over the last decade-plus and found an interesting trend.  It’s anecdotal, sure, but these are my anecdotes.  Take it for what it’s worth.

Here are my findings, from mildest to worst:

1.   Pluto in the Seventh House of the Solar Return chart

In some cases, this was just the nail in the coffin, the year the divorce finally took place and the couple was legally severed.  In some, this was actually a year when a new love arrived on the scene and blew apart what they thought a relationship had to look like.   In others, there was a big build up toward a divorce or breakup but matters were calmed and the couple made it through the year–I can’t say whether they’re happy but they are still together.

2.   Solar Return Pluto conjunct Descendant

Whether Solar Return Pluto is conjunct the Solar Return Descendant or Solar Return Pluto is conjunct the Natal Descendant, this spelled a legal untangling and end of a committed relationship in every chart I examined.   Some had already been through the decision of the heart to separate, even a year or so before, but didn’t finally end the legal partnership until this Solar Return year. Note that the exactness of the degree was a significant factor.

3.  Solar Return Pluto conjunct IC

Whether Solar Return Pluto is conjunct the Solar Return IC or Solar Return Pluto is conjunct the Natal IC, this conjunction always meant a big emotional breakup.  In cases of marriage, it meant divorce.  Note that the exactness of the degree was a significant factor.  In a few cases, the Solar Return Pluto conjunct Solar Retun IC at the exact degree fell in the Natal Seventh House, such as the graphic above.

On a sad note regarding the graphic above, this young friend asked me to read her solar return chart for the next year or two.   I did and saw her continued relationship with her mate, but I accidentally looked ahead one year too far to the Solar Return year above.   I never told her (she didn’t ask for this particular information that many years ahead) that I saw her Solar Return Pluto/Descendant/Moon conjunct her Natal Uranus in her Natal Seventh House as the end of her relationship.   I learned much later that they had indeed split up, almost a year after this Solar Return chart, and that they had been tearing themselves and each other apart for the entire Solar Return year in a game neither could win.  They finally, months after this chart’s end, decided it was time to call the time of death on the relationship and move on.   The exactness of Pluto conjunct IC was again very obvious in her chart as it is in others where a deeply emotional breakup takes place.

4. Solar Return Pluto conjunct IC and Descendant

This trifecta was pretty much the kiss of death.  No other way to say it.

The one that popped up several times in horrific emotional breakups followed by moving out of each other’s lives was Solar Return Pluto conjunct Solar Return Descendant to the exact degree and conjunct the Natal IC within 3 degrees.   That’s a severing at the legal/partnership level and at the inner core/heart level.

Other thoughts

Two last things I noted in these patterns:

1.  The exactness of Solar Return Pluto to the Descendant in the Seventh House (Sixth didn’t carry the same weight) and the exactness of Solar Return Pluto to the IC in the Fourth House (Third didn’t carry the same weight) was key to the effect of Pluto on the relationship.   After about 3 degrees,  the “burn” lessened.  In the cases where Pluto was in the Fourth House and not within 3 degrees of the IC, the effect was more about big changes in the home or in the location of the home.

2.  Some breakups and divorces took places in years where Pluto did not aspect the Descendant, IC, or Seventh House.  There were other things going on in those charts, however, and in some cases, the trauma and drama had been going on for a long, long time.

3. Solar Return Uranus showed up sometimes in the Fourth or Seventh houses or conjunct the Descendant or IC in times where the relationship underwent a lot of turbulence.   This didn’t usually mean it broke up that year, though sometimes these little bumps contributed to the final split.

4. Yes, I looked ahead for myself.   The worst I have to worry about is at age 76…long before my Sun conjunct Pluto at age 91.

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