Skyscript Astrology Forum

Posted: **Fri Aug 30, 2019 11:13 pm**

EDIT: 18 October 2019

Through the years I’ve found the solar return chart and its derivatives the easiest to use for predictions. By derivatives I mean the Ennead chart that divides each solar year into nine 40 day periods, similar to the navamsa division through the zodiac, and the Decan chart which divides each Ennead into four ten day charts or 36 “decans??? for each solar return year.

The Ennead was discovered by Donald Bradley, and discussed in James Eshelman’s Interpreting Solar Returns (Astro-Analytics Publications. 1979) I have tried working with the many complexities of the Indian Varshaphal chart, but find the simplicity of the western (Fagan-Bradley) techniques easier to use along with the Khullar/Krishnamurti star (mansion/nakshtara) placement of planets.

I’ve found that the ten day Decan charts produce dramatic pictures of main events within each time period. It may be possible to discover specific days for events by noting transiting planets, but I never had the time to test transits to either the ennead or decan charts. It’s important to mention that all of these charts, the solar reuturn, ennead and decan chart have to be used with the natal chart. So a bi-wheel is the easiest way to see the connections between the charts.

Posted: **Fri Aug 30, 2019 11:36 pm**

ORIGIN OF THE ENNEAD
Exerpts: Posted on the Solunars Forum, July 10, 2018 by Jim Eshelman

In writing about the Ennead the last few days, it has occurred to me that most students have no information on the statistical basis of its discovery. I didn't reproduce this in Interpreting Solar Returns, in the Ennead chapter, and it doesn't get much attention elsewhere.

Garth Allen introduced the Ennead less than a year before his death, in the September 1973 issue of American Astrology. The salient points are as follows, under the title "Return Theory Updated:"

When the Solar Monthly Return was first introduced (Sun every 30° around the zodiac - same degree, minute, and second as at birth, but of each successive sign, once per month), Bradley investigated its possible merit. He tested it "statistically, using mainly death and accident cases." He found statistically significant results in favor of the SMR [solar monthly return].

However, the results were anomalous. The charts for Sun trine natal Sun (two of the non-SSR SMRs in the course of the year) were "surprisingly" on the plus side, even more than the 'square' returns, called the quartisolars.

(...The key here is that, other than the SSR itself, the SMRs that were most strikingly significant were the two where Sun trined Sun.)

Initially bothered by this, Bradley soon realized "that the originally Egyptian, currently standard Hindu, system of 'novienic' or 'navamsa' divisions of the ecliptic also held true as viable returns." This meant "nine basic 'solar returns' during each year," one for every 40° of Sun's travel.

He went on to show how often the Bible etc. spoke of life circumstances that lasted "40 days" or "40 days and 40 nights" - the average duration of an Ennead being just over 40 1/2 days (ranging from 38.3 to 41.9 days).

"With the exception of the first or conjunction solar return, which applies to the full year ahead in general and the first 40 days after one's birthday in particular, each of the novienic solar returns holds sway over a period averaging just over 40 days and nights."
(...)
Garth Allen wrote:

"I believe it can be stated quite unequivocally, on the basis of extensive statistics, that the novienic solar return is more intense in its impact than even the familiar lunar return. So lucid are its indications, we are tempted to suggest that the recent proliferation of "return" formulas - kinetics, anlunars, and all their cousins - amounts more [to] a scratch [compared to] the novienic return than to practical truth."

What is more, there is evidence that the 40-day period breaks down into four "decanate" sub-intervals of 10 days apiece...

Jim Eshelman
www.jeshelman.com

Posted: **Sat Aug 31, 2019 12:29 am**

therese,

thanks for introducing a new concept with charts... what astro software are you generating these charts from? thanks.. it would help if i could do that too, or better yet - understand the concept more thoroughly then i do...

Posted: **Sat Aug 31, 2019 4:52 am**

I use an old version of Solar Fire (5.2 very old!!) but the module that places the solar return/ennead/decan ascendant on the outer wheel along with the transiting planets was designed by a sidereal astrologer, now deceased. I don't know if the newer versions of Solar Fire have this option.

Usually with return charts software puts the natal ascendant on the cusp, which doesn't correctly show the solar return angles and houses in bi-wheels. So then you have to place the SR in the center wheel and the natal planets on the outer wheel to get the right relationship between the charts. (James Eshelman probably has the correct module for recent versions Solar Fire.)

The solar return/ennead/decan/lunar return charts can't be correctly read unless they are compared to the natal chart so we can see which natal planets are active for the period. The relationship between natal and return chart is critical. Basically the return charts are simply transits to the natal chart. (But I think the lunar mansions are much better at showing areas of life that are activated which was the great discovery of K.S. Krishnamurti.) so I'm combining western sidereal and contemporary Indian methods in reading return charts.

This type of comparison made easy to see with a bi-wheel has been used by western siderealists since the time of Cyril Fagan. I have to review the literature to see how solar returns were used through the centuries, especially the time period that Abu Ma'shar's book on solar revolutions covers. (Gotta' bring out the storage crates from the basement in my brain!)

Posted: **Sat Aug 31, 2019 4:26 pm**

thanks therese,

i thought the charts looked life solar fire prog... it looks like this option was removed some time ago.... how did you access it on the menu? i can find a lot of options, but not this option... was it under the harmonics and transform heading??

i have no problem using biwheels, as you have probably seen from some of the charts i have posted... my problem is generating the chart you have generated!

with regard to what ben dykes has articulated in the persian nativities from abu ma'shar, one uses the solar return chart in this regard... they examine the profection lord in the solar return chart and how it fairs to get a better understanding of how the profection lord's rulership over the year will pan out.. this also hinges directly on the quality or state of that same planet in the natal chart...

Posted: **Sat Aug 31, 2019 5:42 pm**

Deleted

Posted: **Sat Aug 31, 2019 5:54 pm**

James wrote:

I thought the charts looked life solar fire prog... it looks like this option was removed some time ago.... how did you access it on the menu? i can find a lot of options, but not this option... was it under the harmonics and transform heading??

This option was never in Solar Fire. It was programmed by a sidereal astrologer and then inserted in the proper directory. I don't even remember how I added it to the program, it was so long ago. But this option appears in my chart option list in version 5.2 on my ancient XP computer. (5.2 won't run on newer versions of Windows. I wonder if I sent you this module if you could add it to Solar Fire??)

I have no problem using biwheels, as you have probably seen from some of the charts i have posted... my problem is generating the chart you have generated!

I think James Eshelman may have a module for this choice, especially made for sidereal astrologers. His forum is Solunars. It might be good to email him and ask about this option that places the return angles on the outer ring of the bi-wheel. I think that Jim has been able to tweak Solar Fire in various ways, and he will be using an updated version of the software.

With regard to what ben dykes has articulated in the persian nativities from abu ma'shar, one uses the solar return chart in this regard... they examine the profection lord in the solar return chart and how it fairs to get a better understanding of how the profection lord's rulership over the year will pan out.. this also hinges directly on the quality or state of that same planet in the natal chart...

This is something important to discuss, how Abu Ma'shar combines the profection and solar return...hoping I'll have time later today. (Ben Dykes' book just arrived, but I have to wait until later to review it.)

Posted: **Sat Aug 31, 2019 7:11 pm**

hi therese,

if you want to send the module to me, i can get my friend brian to try to set it up for me... presently i am running solar fire latest version 9 something on ubuntu... wine was used to get to this! as i said - i already have biwheels and etc. on this program... tri-wheels and more too!

so, let me understand this concept better... you take the relevant solar return and get a number of charts off it breaking down the time frames of when something ought to manifest off the solar return chart? is that what these ennead / decan charts are? if i do a 36th harmonic off the solar return, will i get this chart you have posted up top?

i will send you a pm with my e mail address.. . thanks! james

Posted: **Sat Aug 31, 2019 10:09 pm**

James wrote:

So, let me understand this concept better... you take the relevant solar return and get a number of charts off it breaking down the time frames of when something ought to manifest off the solar return chart? is that what these ennead / decan charts are? if i do a 36th harmonic off the solar return, will i get this chart you have posted up top?

James, I emailed you the Solar Fire steps to get the ennead and decan charts, but I'll post them here if other readers have a program that does harmonics of the solar return chart.

First I highlight the chart in the list of charts.
Then I click on "return or ingress chart."
I set for "current" and "natal."

Chart to generate: "Advanced and ingress" which brings up "Options."
Click on Options.

Set for "Natal Position" and "harmonic."
Enter either 9 (ennead) or 36 (decan) for the charts.

On the right set for "current, nearest or next."
And how many returns do you want?

I often do a set of charts at once, several decan or ennead charts or even two or three solar returns.

Posted: **Sat Aug 31, 2019 11:54 pm**

therese,

thanks for sending me the data to try this.. i have replied to you via e mail... for others here - i am unable to generate the decan charts, but i notice if i have the dates - i can generate the same chart as shown below in thereses earlier post... however, i can not get the 11 gemini on the ascendant unless i put the dec 23rd on the inside with hamishs chart on the outside... here is the same data, but with hamishs chart and ascendant on the inside, with dec 23 rd 1999 data on the outside...

therese can you tell me how this dec 23rd date is arriaed at? 36 decans is 10X36 or 360 degrees... why does it choose dec 23rd? nov 3 - to 13th, 13-23, 23-3, 3-13- 13-23 dec.. that kind of thinking? if so, why is this dec 23rd chart of more relevance? thanks..

Therese Hamilton wrote:Hamish’s Third Marriage
Ten day Decan chart: 23 December 1999, Vancouver, Canada, 4:25:58 PST

By this time Hamish is an old hand at marriage. This chart shows the importance of the location of natal planets in the return chart.

Natal 7th is the Decan ascendant with natal Jupiter close by.

Posted: **Sun Sep 01, 2019 12:53 am**

okay therese...

i finally figured out how to do this... i can take a solar return chart and divide it up into 9 - 40 degree wedges, or 10 - 36 degree wedges, although it would be helpful to have the software do this in a simpler way... it appears to run it off the degree of the sun... in hamishs chart sun is at 17 libra 58' and 14"... to get the last decan prior to his birthdate on nov 3rd 1969, i would put the sun at 7 libra 58' 14" in the advanced ingress option for 1969..

this chart is almost exactly the same as the one therese has generated in her first post.. however, i can get the biwheel to have the 5 cap ascendant on the outside with hamish natal on the inside wheel.. whatever wheel is on the inside gets the ascendant degree from the inside wheel...

here is the biwheel i can generate.. as therese noted earlier - the nodal axis is right on the ascendant of the last decan before hamishs 16th birthday when he married... good score on that therese!!

Therese Hamilton wrote: By derivatives I mean the Ennead chart that divides each solar year into nine 40 day periods, similar to the navamsa division through the zodiac, and the Decan chart which divides each Ennead into four ten day charts or 36 “decans??? for each solar return year.

The Ennead was discovered by Donald Bradley, and discussed in James Eshelman’s Interpreting Solar Returns (Astro-Analytics Publications. 1979)

I’ve found that the ten day Decan charts produce dramatic pictures of main events within the decan time period. It may be possible to discover specific days for events by noting transiting planets, but I never had the time to test transits to either the ennead or decan charts. It’s important to mention that all of these charts, the solar reuturn, ennead and decan chart have to be used with the natal chart. So a bi-wheel is the easiest way to see the connections between the charts.

-----

Comparing the new solar return chart for Hamish with the final decan chart for 1968, the previous year, it seems obvious that the marriage occurred in the 1968 final decan chart.

Posted: **Sun Sep 01, 2019 1:10 am**

James wrote:

I can not get the 11 gemini on the ascendant unless i put the dec 23rd on the inside with hamishs chart on the outside..

This is what I was asking you about, if the new versions of Solar Fire allows you to place the SR ascendant on the ascendant and still have the SR planets transiting in the outer wheel. This is the bi-wheel module I might be able to send you, but first it's a good idea to ask Jim Eshelman if he has the programming for that option for your version of Solar Fire.

therese can you tell me how this dec 23rd date is arriaed at? 36 decans is 10X36 or 360 degrees... why does it choose dec 23rd? nov 3 - to 13th, 13-23, 23-3, 3-13- 13-23 dec.. that kind of thinking? if so, why is this dec 23rd chart of more relevance? thanks..

This is the decan chart Solar Fire gave me. It's significant because it includes the date of Hamish's marriage, 31 December, in the ten day period, counted from 23 December.

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Reading SR/Ennead/Decan Charts

Reading SR/Ennead/Decan Charts