Astrology shows time as cyclical. A cycle is not a perfect circle. It is a spiral. Spirals allow for development and growth. Every 12 years, Jupiter returns to the same place it occupied in your chart when you were born – for the rest of your life. You may be a different age and you may be in a different physical location, but the return occurs.

Jupiter has a specific symbolic meaning in astrology. It is not the planet’s size or its atmosphere we are thinking about. We don’t care because we don’t live there. We don’t worship Jupiter as a god. But the mythology we share indicates certain attributes or principles that Jupiter represents. Among other things, Jupiter symbolizes prosperity, power and abundance, generosity and fair dealing but for all this to be fully expressed, it must be well placed in the chart.

Signs and symbols are everywhere. Human language is full of metaphor. There is even a large branch of serious academic study devoted to signs and symbols called semiotics.

The dreaded Saturn Return takes roughly 29.5 years. Saturn is about boundaries, limitations and discipline. For many, its return represents hard lessons or the chickens coming home to roost because of previous life choices. Saturn is severe, austere, grave and patient. It is slow and withholding and emphasizes, conformity, structure, old age, time, hard work and study – if it is well placed. If not, it can signify malice, jealousy, ill will, fear, envy, malcontent, hardship and stubbornness.

Your Solar return is your birthday when the Sun returns to the place it occupied on the day you were born. Did you ever wonder why we wish “many happy returns” on a birthday? For Star Trek fans, it is the equivalent of the Vulcan salutation “live long and prosper”.

Astrology is a system of symbols that attributes meaning to these events. What is the quality of the time this year, this month, this week? The answer is derived from looking at the transiting planets of the time and their aspects to each other. The skill of an astrologer lies in interpreting this information.

Which issues will you be dealing with this year? Marriage, work, money, children? How do the planets align – or not? How will they present themselves in your unique life? Do you have an opportunity now to fix something you wouldn’t or couldn’t in the previous phase?

Is there something you need to learn or remember or understand about your life? Maybe you must revise previous life choices. What insights for the specific year ahead can a solar return reading offer you? Some say that the purpose of our lives is to learn certain lessons through experience. If we don’t learn our lessons the first time, they will be presented to us repeatedly in different ways.

People’s lives have a distinct theme that only becomes apparent over time. How do they handle success or failure? Do they learn to better control their emotions or their thoughts? How do they handle fear, injustice, wealth, poverty or relationships? Do they show courage and persistence in the face of adversity? Do they show leadership or generosity when times are hard?