Lunar Return: What does it symbolize?
Lunar Return – Each month seems to focus on different activities. The way we express ourselves changes each month. It could be the seasons or the events that each month holds. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a predictor to what the month holds for you? There is a powerful astrological tool, the lunar return, that reveals this information and more.
This is one of the predictive tools of astrology research. An astrological chart is calculated for the time of the month that the Moon arrives at the exact position of the Moon in the natal chart. This happens every month at a varying date. The placement of the Ascendant and the Moon in this specific chart gives an indication of the nature of the upcoming month for the individual who is having a lunar return calculated.
The most important factor in interpreting it is the Ascendant. The zodiac sign rising over the horizon at the time that the chart is cast is called the Ascendant, or Rising Sign. In a natal or birth chart, the Ascendant governs your outer personality and physical attributes. In the return the Ascendant governs the personality of the month for which the lunar chart is cast.
The Moon also has a very important role in its interpretation. The Moon is associated with expression of feelings, urges, and intuition. Ruled by water, the zodiac-based interpretations of the Moon can be as varied as the states of the fluid associated with it. Emotions can be stubborn and fixed like ice, changeable and flowing like a stream, or hot and burning like steam. Emotions can be visible like the surface of a lake or invisible like the murky depths of the same body of water. It is little wonder that emotions can be confusing. The interpretation of the Moon’s zodiac sign in the lunar return is key to understanding the emotional quality of the month.
The Ascendant’s zodiac sign and the Moon’s zodiac sign work together towards an integrated interpretation. The Ascendant supplies the personality of the month. The personality speaks the character and overall direction of the month’s activities. The Ascendant speaks to where the month is going. The Moon’s zodiac sign supplies the character of that journey. It reveals how the month will get to the destination determined by the Ascendant.
Let’s look at an example of how this would work. In our example, John Smith’s return for this month has Aries on the Ascendant and the Moon in Leo. The personality of the month is predominated by the self-striving with courage and activity. Notable events of the month will be energetic, excitable and impulsive. The month is likely to have change and new experiences. The Moon’s position gives an emotional quality of warmth, vitality and charisma. This would be a good month for John to get things started while he provides leadership of a group!
There are other ways that it is interpreted. However, the basic interpretation tools of the return presented here can reveal much about what a month holds for a person. The knowledge this predictive technique allows a person to best leverage the natural astrological tendencies of a month. It may not predict exact events, but who wouldn’t want to know how their month can be made most productive? The Moon hides many emotions from us, and this is one technique that gives a monthly look into that world of moon-drenched shadows.
Resources to look at:
How to read a return chart
https://stardate.org/nightsky/moon
