February 2, 2025 • 35 mins
Ready to see your birthday in a whole new light? Think of it as your own personal New Year's Eve – a cosmic reset button built just for you. Let's talk about what's really going down a layer deeper when you blow out those candles.
In this episode...
🌟 The truth about what's happening in the cosmos on your birthday (hint: it's like a spiritual power-up!)
🪐 Why birthdays are actually cosmic checkpoints in your life story (and how to use them)
⚡️ The real reason your birthday feels extra charged with energy (it's not just the sugar rush)
🔮 How to turn your birthday into your own personal ritual (way cooler than just opening presents)
🌠 A fresh take on why you're actually the one giving gifts on your special day (mind = blown)
Whether astrology is your jam or you're curious about making your birthday mean more than just cake and ice cream, this episode is your ticket to transforming how you celebrate another trip around the sun. Get ready to see your birthday as the powerful cosmic moment it really is!
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🎙️ Brought to you by Lauren Poppins Raye
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Connect with Lauren on Instagram: @laurenpoppinsraye
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Welcome to the birthday episode.
(00:02):
Today, I want to look at thephenomenon known as birthdays
from the astrological lens ofsolar return and what that
phenomenon actually is.
Bring in some context to betterunderstand what's actually going
on energetically on yourbirthday and suggest the more
(00:25):
aligned version of a ritual thatI encourage you to do amidst the
otherwise culturally createdtradition of receiving gifts,
essentially.
Okay, so solar return.
Before we get into the specificsignificance of the solar part
(00:45):
of your solar return, aka yourbirthday, which by the way, part
of what is motivating me tospeak on this topic currently is
I am right around the corner.
I am an Aquarius Sun, mybirthday is February 8th, the
day this episode is airing, mybirthday is less than a week
away, and so I wanted to speakto this in part because I am
(01:08):
perfectly positioned at thistime to be a reflection of this
phenomenon because it isbasically my birthday.
Okay, so getting back to thereturn part of the solar return.
A return is when a planetreturns back to the position of
the 360 degree circle that isour map of the sky of your birth
(01:32):
moment.
It's not always necessarilyexactly on the same calendar day
when it comes to your birthday,but it's close and it's close
enough.
One way that I like to thinkabout the significance of having
an astral body return to yourbirth position, there's this,
uh, realm of mastery that youmay have heard of before.
(01:56):
Probably haven't, which is thememory Olympics.
There are people that canremember inhuman strings of
numbers, for example, and theway that they train themselves,
what the strategy is behind thatis that they're basically
placing objects or numbers orwhatever it is that they're
(02:20):
going to be remembering, they'replacing them in their mind
spacially.
So they're visualizing a room oran environment in their psyche,
in their mind's eye, and they'rein that visualization actually
placing things there so thatthey know that they will be
there for them to return to andrecall and remember.
(02:43):
I love this example, thisreflection of the phenomenon
that happens for us in the waythat we, as above, so below, as
without, so within, look to theplanets as a reflection of
what's going on for usinternally and what we are
experiencing energetically inthe unseen realms.
(03:06):
And because we have thisenvironment of this 360 degree
circle that we then overlay thezodiac on and then are able to
position the planets to seewhere they are in that pie with
12 slices of the zodiac, itbecomes this way for us to do
(03:28):
something similar.
We are placing spatially theseplanets, which represent
different aspects of ourselves.
And as we make our way aroundthe wheel of the year, one of
the things that I love aboutWestern Astrology, the kind of
astrology, the map that I use,what I study, is that we're
(03:49):
using the Earth as the anchorpoint, part of the challenge
when it comes to mapping theseastral bodies and their
movements in the heavens is thateverything is constantly moving.
So the way that we're able tomap it is that we just decide
something is constant.
And so in the case of Westernastrology and the tropical
(04:11):
zodiac, we use the earth as thatstable point, that then we are
looking at everything else'srelative movement.
This makes the most sense to me,in part logically, when I look
at the symbolism behind doing itthis way is that we are the
(04:31):
center of our own experience.
For us, Earth and the groundthat we stand on is the stable
part relative to everything elsemoving around us.
So that feels really fitting.
And then the effect that thathas is that we are looking at,
for example, zero degrees Aries,where that transition is between
(04:53):
Pisces and Aries is the point inthe sky that's rising in the
east on the first day of spring.
And what's powerful about thisis when it comes to our ability
to recognize and remember whatit feels like to be at certain
points around that wheel of theyear, we actually have a really
(05:17):
strong sensory input to do thatthrough.
So the first day of spring feelsreally different than the first
day of winter or the first dayof summer or the first day of
fall.
The seasons feel very differentto us.
And so that spectrum of theseasons around the wheel that we
experience, we actually havelike a really embodied
(05:40):
experience of what makes thosedifferent.
And it creates this opportunityfor us to experience deja vu of
like, oh, I've been here before.
Here I am again.
So to tie it together, the waythat the, that the memory
masters do this is that theycreate an environment that they
place things in so that they cango recall them.
(06:01):
Similarly, we have this wheel ofthe zodiac that surrounds us
that we are able to understandthe position, the relative
position of these astral bodies.
And it's the way that we're ableto know the sun was at 19
degrees Aquarius on that roundmap that we're using, the moment
(06:22):
that I took my first breath.
So every year when the sun comesback around to that part of the
sky, 19 degrees Aquarius, Iexperienced my solar return.
And part of that is that ithappens in winter every single
year, there's a certain vibe, acertain feeling, a certain set
(06:43):
of sensory inputs that are partof how I associate what it feels
like to be in that part of theyear.
And it could be feelings, itcould be smells, there's
different components, there'sdifferent features to how I've
experienced this moment yearafter year to where it creates
that feeling of, Oh, I'vearrived, I've landed.
(07:05):
This is actually a space and aplace, even though it's actually
similar to with the memoryOlympics, they're doing it in
the psyche.
In this case, we're doing it intime.
We're positioning ourselves intime, but I'm able to experience
that as a place that I return toyear after year.
And I pay attention to becauseit's my birthday.
(07:26):
Now that said, we have returnsfor the sun.
That's your birthday and yoursolar return.
But you have returns for all ofthe planets in the sky.
The one that you've probablyheard the most of is the Saturn
return.
So that's about every 29 and ahalf years.
And each of these are going tocreate a phenomenon of ending
(07:51):
one cycle and beginning thenext.
And so in this experience ofseemingly endless time until our
time actually comes to an end,it's a way to break up that time
into smaller containers that wecan then reflect on and look
back on and actually perceive astory that's unfolded.
(08:12):
So it's not just this endlessongoing thing.
It's that in the case of yoursolar return, you have these
years, you can look back on whatwas it like for me from one year
to the next, to the next withSaturn return, most people only
experience three Saturn cyclesand there's a big difference.
It's like a generationaltransition that happens through
(08:34):
your maturation process fromyour youth chapter to your adult
chapter to your elder chapter.
So that's one of the bestexamples to understand the power
and the potency of thosereturns.
Because in the case of Saturn,Saturn is about your
relationship to responsibilityand maturity and your karma and
(08:57):
your dharma and the biggercycles of time that are
unfolding in your life throughyour development in maturing and
getting more responsible andstepping more into your sense of
purpose and your work in theworld.
And so with Saturn, and I'lltalk more about this in another
episode, I could talk foreverabout Saturn's return.
(09:19):
It's a huge rite of passage.
And all of these are.
But with Saturn, there's thissense of a progression from the
youth to the adult to the moremature elder that are chapters
in this unfolding story of alifetime around your work in the
world.
So that first chapter being theexploration, the failing
(09:41):
forward, the trying things onfor size and categorizing what's
yours and what's not, decidingwhat's going to stay in Saturn's
ring that is the boundary ofwhat you choose to commit to or
what you're going to let go onthe outside of that.
And then there's a big shiftthat happens when you move into
(10:02):
your thirties and you startdeveloping yourself and your
work in the world, your body ofwork, and you're helping people
and you're mastering your craftand learning more about your
capacity and what you'redeveloping to offer to people,
the legacy that ultimatelyyou'll leave behind, all of that
during your adult chapter.
(10:23):
And then eventually there's abig transition that happens into
your 60s when you step into yourelder years.
And it's more about how can youleave your work, your body of
work behind for others tobenefit from?
How can you package and teachand transmit everything that
(10:43):
you've mastered and developed toleave behind to the next
generations so that they canstand atop your shoulders and
continue on in whateverdirection they end up taking it.
So it is one big long story, butthrough those returns, it breaks
it up into these very clearchapters that can really stand
on their own in terms of thestory that they tell, and then
(11:06):
like a trilogy, it can be piecedtogether into a bigger story.
So that's Saturn's returns.
There's lunar returns.
Those happen much more quicklyand often.
That's every 28 days you gothrough an emotional body cycle
of playing out a full storyaround that wheel of archetypes.
When it comes to your emotionalbody, there's your Mars returns
(11:28):
that happen every two years, themost, familiar one being what
the world calls"terrible twos"when we have our first Mars
return and Mars returns to thatplace, that moment of our first
breath to reset our relationshipwith and our awareness to our
will and our motivation.
(11:48):
And we start the two year olds,I have one right now that starts
experimenting a lot with thegame that is saying no and
deciding what they are and arenot into or okay with.
All of the planets have them.
So that's the return.
And I want to also bridge thisto the broader concept of ritual
(12:12):
and having an opening and aclosing to create potency in the
space, both the time and thespace space that we create when
we decide the beginning and theend of something, and we
commemorate that throughintention and awareness and
witness in a ritual way.
And I want to point to that nowbecause I'm going to circle back
(12:33):
to it when I talk about thespecific ritual that's so
powerful to do on your birthdayor on any anniversary really.
And I'm going to diffuse whatI'm talking about eventually at
the end to apply to reallyanything that we commemorate
from year to year in that way.
The start of a business, thestart of a relationship, the
(12:53):
start of a lifetime.
Okay, so that's the power of thereturns.
Now let's look specifically atthe power of the solar return,
the sun returning to itsposition.
One of the things that's worthnoting that makes the solar
return special in a way that noother return is, is that it
(13:15):
takes exactly one rotationaround that 360 degree circle to
get back to the place that itwas the moment that you took
your first breath, the moment ofyour birth.
Right?
Every other one, it's more orless time relative to a year.
But it is actually the sunmoving around relative to us,
(13:40):
that wheel, and getting back toits position that creates the
wheel itself.
That is the wheel.
So that's really interesting tonote, is that the sun is the
only one that takes us aroundthe circle of its own creation
and its own design and its owntimeline.
Okay.
With that, let's look at some ofthe symbolism around what is it
(14:03):
on a solar return that we areritually noticing end and begin
again?
What are we breaking up intochapters when it comes to our
solar story?
There's a few things that cometo mind for me when I think
about the symbolism of the sunfor us.
And even though I'm anastrologer, It's so valuable.
(14:26):
It's so helpful when it comes tounderstanding these things, to
get back to the basics andliterally look to the sun in the
sky and what its purpose is inour life and reality to
understand what its symbolism isfor us in our inner experience.
And so the Sun is 1, the sourceenergy of all of life, right?
(14:49):
It's the warmth and the lightand the energy that keeps this
whole show going.
That's 1.
2, it's the gravitational centerthat keeps the solar system in
rhythmic rotation and the earthdancing around in an ordered way
so that we can have this humanexperience.
(15:11):
So that's And the third I'mgoing to look at as some
combination of the two, somekind of the sum is greater than
the parts feature of the sunthat is made possible by it
being the life source and thegravitational center and the
power of that, that I'm going tospeak to in the reflection in
(15:34):
our experience.
So the first, the energy source.
Over the course of a lifetime,from year to year, you can think
back to that there weredifferent things when you were
much younger, I think a decadeago, there were different things
that fed you and lit you up.
There were different things thatdrained you and made you feel
(15:56):
low energy.
There's an evolving storythroughout our lives and our
biographies of what we turn to,to have more energy and what we
turn away from to retain more ofour energy.
So that's one that's worthlooking at on your birthday.
So much of the power and thevalue of astrology is in our
(16:20):
awareness and our willingnessand ability to take a moment and
acknowledge what's alreadytaking place.
Similar to when I do a session,I'm not telling people anything
they don't already know.
It's already there.
These cycles are happening.
These endings and beginnings aretaking place.
But it's through that ritualobservance that we're able to
(16:41):
see more into the meaning ofwhat's unfolding, become aware
of the story and the saga that'sbetter than any movie that you
could watch playing out in yourown life and to be able to step
more fully into the role of cocreator and your ability to
wield your agency around thetrajectory of your life.
(17:05):
So it's not that these thingsaren't happening if you're not
paying attention.
It's that so much more becomespossible and available when you
are.
So, the second thing, feature ofthe sun, reflection that it is
in our experience, is aroundthat it is the gravitational
center of our solar system and,When it comes to your own life
(17:25):
story, you have all of thesedifferent storylines playing
out.
I mentioned the moon is playingout story after story every 28
days, Mars every two years,Saturn every about 30 years, and
all of these differentstorylines playing out at
different speeds and differentways, and then you have the sun.
(17:46):
The sun is like that centralnarrative, that gravitational
center storyline that everythingelse is dancing around that ties
everything together into onecohesive narrative or storyline
that creates a sense of orderand sanity and a way for us to
(18:08):
be able to wrap our mind aroundwhat's going on and to
experience the trajectory andthe experiences that we have in
our life.
as part of one me, right?
One life that I'm living.
It's what helps us not to feelso scattered.
And so the second thing that'sreally valuable to reflect on as
(18:31):
part of a ritual observance ofthe last year long chapter
that's closing and the next yearlong chapter that's opening is
to consider What has felt likethe central storyline?
This is a big one that's commonwhen it comes to the flip of the
calendar year.
People will think about what ismy word of the year?
(18:52):
So this is a really good time todo that for your solar return
year, for the years that existbetween your birthdays.
And to think back on What wasthe theme?
What was the main theme?
What was the main, like, whatwas the word that encapsulates
the main storyline of my lastyear?
And through my intention, whatdo I want to focus on or give
(19:14):
energy to or prioritize as themain theme or storyline of my
next year till my next birthday?
And then the third piece is whatI mentioned is kind of this
combination of the two thatshows up in our lives as our
sense of identity.
And this is where I want tospeak to the difference between
the kind of backwards way thatthe prominent cultural narrative
(19:38):
places birthdays, and what mightmake a little bit more sense, is
that we have birthday partiesand we invite everybody to come
celebrate us with us and theybring us gifts and while on some
level, it's a beautiful thing togive offering to essentially the
embodiment of the sun in thatmoment at that time on our
(20:01):
birthday at our solar returnthat we are, but on the other
hand, it's worth acknowledgingthat we are the ones being
beaming outward.
We are like the sun at that timeshining on everybody.
My husband has had this ideathat he would love to implement
if he ruled the world, right?
Where on your birthday, youactually get gifts for all of
(20:23):
your loved ones instead of themgiving gifts for you.
So something worth thinkingabout, not actually suggesting
that we change that because Ilove birthdays and I love
getting gifts for the people Ilove on their birthdays.
I love seeing my son get to bethe center of attention and open
up gifts on his birthday.
So not actually suggesting thatwe switch things up, but worth
(20:45):
looking at the symbolism aroundthese things.
And so when it comes to thissense of identity, looking at
and reflecting on as part ofthis ritual observance that is
your solar return.
Taking a quiet moment alongsidewhatever celebration and
birthday party and gathering ofpeople might be taking place for
(21:05):
you, probably more so in ouryounger years than when we get
older.
Maybe as time goes on and wemature, we actually, whether
we're aware of it or not, startto feel more aligned with the
opportunity that your birthdayand your solar return is to have
this introspection, this ritualobservance.
So this third piece is aroundthe shifting and the changing of
(21:27):
the guard that is your identity.
How are you shining into theworld?
Another one where if you thinkback a decade ago, the way that
you showed up, the role that youplayed was very different.
This one I like to think of asthat we each are this little
piece of the sun shining in ourrespective corner of our
reality.
(21:48):
That is the center of our, ofour universe, each of us, right?
And that there's this grid ofall of us like candles or lights
at the center of each of us, andwe're each playing a role in
this greater story, this greaterplay of the unfolding of the
human experience, and we haveour torch, our light, our flame
(22:10):
that is playing out its ownindividual story and role in the
bigger picture.
What role was that for you atthe last year?
What role would you like to playthe next year?
What is that identity that isshifting on your solar return to
where you are acknowledging andgiving thanks for the person
(22:30):
that you were the last year andcreating space for and setting
intention around the person thatyou would like to be and the
ways that you would like to showup in the year to come?
These are the things that Iencourage you to tune into on
your birthday because your solarreturn is an opportunity for you
to mindfully acknowledge whatthose features were of your last
(22:53):
year and which ones you wouldlike to call in for the year
ahead.
And it's such a powerful momentbecause getting back to that
energetically there was thisspace, there was this point,
there was this area of the sky,there was this direction
relative to you in the 360degree circle that surrounds
you.
(23:14):
That is where you first met thesun.
Whether or not you actuallyfirst felt the sun as warmth on
your skin, but energetically youexperienced the energy of the
sun from a certain direction.
And then on your birthday, everyyear, the sun goes back to that
point in the sky and becomeslike a portal to that bigger
(23:36):
source energy that you are acandle or a flame or a part of.
And the way that I like toimagine it is it's literally
like an energetic power up.
You are aligning and so pluggingback into the source energy and
the direction That firstanimated you the moment that you
were born.
So you're given this huge surgeof energy to support that
(23:59):
transition.
It's like in monopoly, you know,passing go and collecting$200.
Like you're given this power upand part of the way that you can
leverage that is to become awareof, okay, what am I letting
behind?
And what am I using?
What am I projecting into mynext year intentionally that I'm
(24:20):
going to charge up with thatextra energy boost that I'm
being given on my birthday.
Now, up until this point, I'vebeen mostly love, light,
sparkles, and shininess, right?
Because in big part, the sun isabout that.
That is the sun.
But let's look at an aspect ofit that maybe isn't so positive.
(24:42):
I want to take a moment here,and especially in the context of
both your life and yourbirthday, but again, like I
mentioned before, thatcheckpoint that your solar
return is that is theanniversary of the moment of
your birth.
So that could also be theanniversary of a relationship or
the anniversary of a business,whatever it might be taking this
(25:03):
ritual moment, not just to givethanks and celebrate what felt
good and what worked for you andwhat you appreciate about the
last year, but also to getreally real with yourself about
aspects of your last year again,with the example of the first
with the energy source, whatdrained you look at that too.
(25:25):
In the example of the cohesivestoryline, that main primary
theme was part of your lastyear.
Maybe you look at the light andthe shadow version.
What was the thing that playedout for you that you're really
proud of?
But what's the word for thething that really you struggled
with and plagued you over thelast year?
(25:47):
Look at that too.
And on the third one, the samething with your identity.
What's the role that you playedthat felt really good, that
you're really proud of, but thenwhat's the role that you played
that you wish you could stepmore out of and away from, that
didn't feel so aligned for you,that doesn't anymore feel so
aligned?
It's worth looking at the lightand dark side of this, because
(26:09):
just like the sun in the sky,sometimes the sun is actually up
in the observable sky and we cansee the light and we can feel
the warmth, but sometimes thesun is hiding behind the earth
and we can't.
And so with that same symbolismof that reflection of the
phenomenon of the sun, there aretimes that we are our not self.
(26:31):
And so in terms of ourrecapping, honestly, what our
relationship to our energy wasthat we were playing out and the
role that we played in the senseof identity that we embodied,
what was the light and dark sideof that?
And take a moment to have anhonest review of what that was
for you so that you can have asmuch information as possible to
(26:54):
feed the intention that you setfor your next year in those
three areas with realism as muchas optimism.
And this is especially true,again, to create a contrast
between the way that weculturally do things and the way
that maybe cosmically makes alittle bit more sense when it
(27:15):
comes to the anniversary of arelationship.
Yeah, of course.
It's awesome to do something tocelebrate the last year, go out
to dinner, do something fun, butit's also a great opportunity to
look at what didn't work overthe last year and to be really
honest about what you would liketo shift together moving forward
(27:36):
into the next year.
And with that, I'd like to endthis episode by being an example
of what this reflection lookslike on your birthday, because
it is my birthday starting withthe first one, what gave me
energy over the last year andwhat was draining for me?
What gave me energy was takingmessy action toward building my
(27:59):
new business as part of thepivot that I've been in since
letting go of my tax practice.
I have a tendency to be aperfectionist.
And think more about things thanactually doing them.
And what really fueled andinspired and lit me up over this
last year was just doing thedamn thing.
Whatever that was.
(28:20):
And learning as I went.
What really drained my energyhas been scrolling when I could
be creating or being moreproductive or mindfully resting
and getting distracted by thereality of the season I'm in
right now with my business ofhaving lower engagement and
(28:45):
sales than I know I willeventually.
What I'm intending into my nextyear when it comes to what gives
me energy.
Is creating more structurearound the time that is
available for me for my businessor for anything for that matter,
having more mindfulness,realism, and strategy around how
(29:13):
I budget my time so that I canmake sure that I'm creating
enough of it in the rhythm thatis most supportive to me around
all of the things that give meenergy.
And when it comes to what drainsmy energy, it's a similar thing.
My intention really is to createmore mindful structure and
(29:34):
strategy around my time so thatI'm not as susceptible to
spending it doom scrolling andthen seeing how much time went
by and was wasted.
And in terms of the distractionof the feels that have come up
as part of this pivot andtransition and season of letting
a really successful business goand starting over to rebuild a
(29:57):
new one, I will circle back tothat with my word of the year,
That is number two.
And for my last year, I wouldsay that my word has been
courage.
I found that what has beenrequired of me over the last
year around being willing to letsomething successful go and
really dive headfirst into thisnext new thing that is much less
(30:21):
developed, and all of the thingsthat I've had to learn and try
on for size and almost movethrough like the Aries fool of
just not being as good atthings.
I went from being so seasoned inthe previous business that I had
into having to really be a noobin a lot of areas to start out
(30:44):
where I was to embrace this newdirection And the word that I'm
intending for the theme into mynext year is traction.
I have courageously put a lot ofthings in motion and made a lot
of commitments and a lot ofprogress that I feel so
confident is going to createtraction into this next year.
(31:05):
I'm going to start to see moreand more exponential growth and
results for the efforts thatI've put in.
And I'm calling that in throughmy continued effort, through the
mentorship that I receive andthrough the networking that has
been taking place that hasreally been setting the stage
(31:25):
for more exposure and moretraction with the people that
need it.
And lastly, my sense ofidentity, the way I've been
shining and showing up in theworld.
My last year, being the secondyear of my son's life, really
felt like the bringing my workback into the fold and the
(31:47):
balance that was made possibleby equal parts showing up as mom
and business owner and gettingto experience those in symbiosis
together that has felt verybalanced where one doesn't take
up more of my time or bandwidththan the other.
They've been placed alongsideeach other in this really
(32:07):
beautiful new world of that Iget to have And the identity
that I see taking shape and thatI'm calling in for my next year
is one of really getting to makean impact on more people.
So much of this last year wasreally an inside job of what
needed to shift in me to be ableto show up more for my work in
(32:28):
the world and how I'm supportingpeople.
And this next year, I see myselfreally offering more support,
taking more time actuallyserving clients and helping
people that need to experiencethe transformations that my work
provides.
I hope that this has beeninspiring to you and for you and
that this will come to mind whenyour next birthday comes around
(32:52):
and every birthday after, everyanniversary, every ritual
commemoration of the turn of thewheel that happens between
powerful, initiating events likethe start of you, the start of a
business, the start of arelationship.
I hope you really take a momentamidst the celebration to
(33:12):
honestly take stock of what thelast year was for you so that
you can thank it and let it goand what you're calling in for
the next year so that you canset in motion the intentions
that are going to support itsunfolding as the best year yet.
Welcome to the birthday episode.
(00:02):
Today, I want to look at thephenomenon known as birthdays
from the astrological lens ofsolar return and what that
phenomenon actually is.
Bring in some context to betterunderstand what's actually going
on energetically on yourbirthday and suggest the more
(00:25):
aligned version of a ritual thatI encourage you to do amidst the
otherwise culturally createdtradition of receiving gifts,
essentially.
Okay, so solar return.
Before we get into the specificsignificance of the solar part
(00:45):
of your solar return, aka yourbirthday, which by the way, part
of what is motivating me tospeak on this topic currently is
I am right around the corner.
I am an Aquarius Sun, mybirthday is February 8th, the
day this episode is airing, mybirthday is less than a week
away, and so I wanted to speakto this in part because I am
(01:08):
perfectly positioned at thistime to be a reflection of this
phenomenon because it isbasically my birthday.
Okay, so getting back to thereturn part of the solar return.
A return is when a planetreturns back to the position of
the 360 degree circle that isour map of the sky of your birth
(01:32):
moment.
It's not always necessarilyexactly on the same calendar day
when it comes to your birthday,but it's close and it's close
enough.
One way that I like to thinkabout the significance of having
an astral body return to yourbirth position, there's this,
uh, realm of mastery that youmay have heard of before.
(01:56):
Probably haven't, which is thememory Olympics.
There are people that canremember inhuman strings of
numbers, for example, and theway that they train themselves,
what the strategy is behind thatis that they're basically
placing objects or numbers orwhatever it is that they're
(02:20):
going to be remembering, they'replacing them in their mind
spacially.
So they're visualizing a room oran environment in their psyche,
in their mind's eye, and they'rein that visualization actually
placing things there so thatthey know that they will be
there for them to return to andrecall and remember.
(02:43):
I love this example, thisreflection of the phenomenon
that happens for us in the waythat we, as above, so below, as
without, so within, look to theplanets as a reflection of
what's going on for usinternally and what we are
experiencing energetically inthe unseen realms.
(03:06):
And because we have thisenvironment of this 360 degree
circle that we then overlay thezodiac on and then are able to
position the planets to seewhere they are in that pie with
12 slices of the zodiac, itbecomes this way for us to do
(03:28):
something similar.
We are placing spatially theseplanets, which represent
different aspects of ourselves.
And as we make our way aroundthe wheel of the year, one of
the things that I love aboutWestern Astrology, the kind of
astrology, the map that I use,what I study, is that we're
(03:49):
using the Earth as the anchorpoint, part of the challenge
when it comes to mapping theseastral bodies and their
movements in the heavens is thateverything is constantly moving.
So the way that we're able tomap it is that we just decide
something is constant.
And so in the case of Westernastrology and the tropical
(04:11):
zodiac, we use the earth as thatstable point, that then we are
looking at everything else'srelative movement.
This makes the most sense to me,in part logically, when I look
at the symbolism behind doing itthis way is that we are the
(04:31):
center of our own experience.
For us, Earth and the groundthat we stand on is the stable
part relative to everything elsemoving around us.
So that feels really fitting.
And then the effect that thathas is that we are looking at,
for example, zero degrees Aries,where that transition is between
(04:53):
Pisces and Aries is the point inthe sky that's rising in the
east on the first day of spring.
And what's powerful about thisis when it comes to our ability
to recognize and remember whatit feels like to be at certain
points around that wheel of theyear, we actually have a really
(05:17):
strong sensory input to do thatthrough.
So the first day of spring feelsreally different than the first
day of winter or the first dayof summer or the first day of
fall.
The seasons feel very differentto us.
And so that spectrum of theseasons around the wheel that we
experience, we actually havelike a really embodied
(05:40):
experience of what makes thosedifferent.
And it creates this opportunityfor us to experience deja vu of
like, oh, I've been here before.
Here I am again.
So to tie it together, the waythat the, that the memory
masters do this is that theycreate an environment that they
place things in so that they cango recall them.
(06:01):
Similarly, we have this wheel ofthe zodiac that surrounds us
that we are able to understandthe position, the relative
position of these astral bodies.
And it's the way that we're ableto know the sun was at 19
degrees Aquarius on that roundmap that we're using, the moment
(06:22):
that I took my first breath.
So every year when the sun comesback around to that part of the
sky, 19 degrees Aquarius, Iexperienced my solar return.
And part of that is that ithappens in winter every single
year, there's a certain vibe, acertain feeling, a certain set
(06:43):
of sensory inputs that are partof how I associate what it feels
like to be in that part of theyear.
And it could be feelings, itcould be smells, there's
different components, there'sdifferent features to how I've
experienced this moment yearafter year to where it creates
that feeling of, Oh, I'vearrived, I've landed.
(07:05):
This is actually a space and aplace, even though it's actually
similar to with the memoryOlympics, they're doing it in
the psyche.
In this case, we're doing it intime.
We're positioning ourselves intime, but I'm able to experience
that as a place that I return toyear after year.
And I pay attention to becauseit's my birthday.
(07:26):
Now that said, we have returnsfor the sun.
That's your birthday and yoursolar return.
But you have returns for all ofthe planets in the sky.
The one that you've probablyheard the most of is the Saturn
return.
So that's about every 29 and ahalf years.
And each of these are going tocreate a phenomenon of ending
(07:51):
one cycle and beginning thenext.
And so in this experience ofseemingly endless time until our
time actually comes to an end,it's a way to break up that time
into smaller containers that wecan then reflect on and look
back on and actually perceive astory that's unfolded.
(08:12):
So it's not just this endlessongoing thing.
It's that in the case of yoursolar return, you have these
years, you can look back on whatwas it like for me from one year
to the next, to the next withSaturn return, most people only
experience three Saturn cyclesand there's a big difference.
It's like a generationaltransition that happens through
(08:34):
your maturation process fromyour youth chapter to your adult
chapter to your elder chapter.
So that's one of the bestexamples to understand the power
and the potency of thosereturns.
Because in the case of Saturn,Saturn is about your
relationship to responsibilityand maturity and your karma and
(08:57):
your dharma and the biggercycles of time that are
unfolding in your life throughyour development in maturing and
getting more responsible andstepping more into your sense of
purpose and your work in theworld.
And so with Saturn, and I'lltalk more about this in another
episode, I could talk foreverabout Saturn's return.
(09:19):
It's a huge rite of passage.
And all of these are.
But with Saturn, there's thissense of a progression from the
youth to the adult to the moremature elder that are chapters
in this unfolding story of alifetime around your work in the
world.
So that first chapter being theexploration, the failing
(09:41):
forward, the trying things onfor size and categorizing what's
yours and what's not, decidingwhat's going to stay in Saturn's
ring that is the boundary ofwhat you choose to commit to or
what you're going to let go onthe outside of that.
And then there's a big shiftthat happens when you move into
(10:02):
your thirties and you startdeveloping yourself and your
work in the world, your body ofwork, and you're helping people
and you're mastering your craftand learning more about your
capacity and what you'redeveloping to offer to people,
the legacy that ultimatelyyou'll leave behind, all of that
during your adult chapter.
(10:23):
And then eventually there's abig transition that happens into
your 60s when you step into yourelder years.
And it's more about how can youleave your work, your body of
work behind for others tobenefit from?
How can you package and teachand transmit everything that
(10:43):
you've mastered and developed toleave behind to the next
generations so that they canstand atop your shoulders and
continue on in whateverdirection they end up taking it.
So it is one big long story, butthrough those returns, it breaks
it up into these very clearchapters that can really stand
on their own in terms of thestory that they tell, and then
(11:06):
like a trilogy, it can be piecedtogether into a bigger story.
So that's Saturn's returns.
There's lunar returns.
Those happen much more quicklyand often.
That's every 28 days you gothrough an emotional body cycle
of playing out a full storyaround that wheel of archetypes.
When it comes to your emotionalbody, there's your Mars returns
(11:28):
that happen every two years, themost, familiar one being what
the world calls"terrible twos"when we have our first Mars
return and Mars returns to thatplace, that moment of our first
breath to reset our relationshipwith and our awareness to our
will and our motivation.
(11:48):
And we start the two year olds,I have one right now that starts
experimenting a lot with thegame that is saying no and
deciding what they are and arenot into or okay with.
All of the planets have them.
So that's the return.
And I want to also bridge thisto the broader concept of ritual
(12:12):
and having an opening and aclosing to create potency in the
space, both the time and thespace space that we create when
we decide the beginning and theend of something, and we
commemorate that throughintention and awareness and
witness in a ritual way.
And I want to point to that nowbecause I'm going to circle back
(12:33):
to it when I talk about thespecific ritual that's so
powerful to do on your birthdayor on any anniversary really.
And I'm going to diffuse whatI'm talking about eventually at
the end to apply to reallyanything that we commemorate
from year to year in that way.
The start of a business, thestart of a relationship, the
(12:53):
start of a lifetime.
Okay, so that's the power of thereturns.
Now let's look specifically atthe power of the solar return,
the sun returning to itsposition.
One of the things that's worthnoting that makes the solar
return special in a way that noother return is, is that it
(13:15):
takes exactly one rotationaround that 360 degree circle to
get back to the place that itwas the moment that you took
your first breath, the moment ofyour birth.
Right?
Every other one, it's more orless time relative to a year.
But it is actually the sunmoving around relative to us,
(13:40):
that wheel, and getting back toits position that creates the
wheel itself.
That is the wheel.
So that's really interesting tonote, is that the sun is the
only one that takes us aroundthe circle of its own creation
and its own design and its owntimeline.
Okay.
With that, let's look at some ofthe symbolism around what is it
(14:03):
on a solar return that we areritually noticing end and begin
again?
What are we breaking up intochapters when it comes to our
solar story?
There's a few things that cometo mind for me when I think
about the symbolism of the sunfor us.
And even though I'm anastrologer, It's so valuable.
(14:26):
It's so helpful when it comes tounderstanding these things, to
get back to the basics andliterally look to the sun in the
sky and what its purpose is inour life and reality to
understand what its symbolism isfor us in our inner experience.
And so the Sun is 1, the sourceenergy of all of life, right?
(14:49):
It's the warmth and the lightand the energy that keeps this
whole show going.
That's 1.
2, it's the gravitational centerthat keeps the solar system in
rhythmic rotation and the earthdancing around in an ordered way
so that we can have this humanexperience.
(15:11):
So that's And the third I'mgoing to look at as some
combination of the two, somekind of the sum is greater than
the parts feature of the sunthat is made possible by it
being the life source and thegravitational center and the
power of that, that I'm going tospeak to in the reflection in
(15:34):
our experience.
So the first, the energy source.
Over the course of a lifetime,from year to year, you can think
back to that there weredifferent things when you were
much younger, I think a decadeago, there were different things
that fed you and lit you up.
There were different things thatdrained you and made you feel
(15:56):
low energy.
There's an evolving storythroughout our lives and our
biographies of what we turn to,to have more energy and what we
turn away from to retain more ofour energy.
So that's one that's worthlooking at on your birthday.
So much of the power and thevalue of astrology is in our
(16:20):
awareness and our willingnessand ability to take a moment and
acknowledge what's alreadytaking place.
Similar to when I do a session,I'm not telling people anything
they don't already know.
It's already there.
These cycles are happening.
These endings and beginnings aretaking place.
But it's through that ritualobservance that we're able to
(16:41):
see more into the meaning ofwhat's unfolding, become aware
of the story and the saga that'sbetter than any movie that you
could watch playing out in yourown life and to be able to step
more fully into the role of cocreator and your ability to
wield your agency around thetrajectory of your life.
(17:05):
So it's not that these thingsaren't happening if you're not
paying attention.
It's that so much more becomespossible and available when you
are.
So, the second thing, feature ofthe sun, reflection that it is
in our experience, is aroundthat it is the gravitational
center of our solar system and,When it comes to your own life
(17:25):
story, you have all of thesedifferent storylines playing
out.
I mentioned the moon is playingout story after story every 28
days, Mars every two years,Saturn every about 30 years, and
all of these differentstorylines playing out at
different speeds and differentways, and then you have the sun.
(17:46):
The sun is like that centralnarrative, that gravitational
center storyline that everythingelse is dancing around that ties
everything together into onecohesive narrative or storyline
that creates a sense of orderand sanity and a way for us to
(18:08):
be able to wrap our mind aroundwhat's going on and to
experience the trajectory andthe experiences that we have in
our life.
as part of one me, right?
One life that I'm living.
It's what helps us not to feelso scattered.
And so the second thing that'sreally valuable to reflect on as
(18:31):
part of a ritual observance ofthe last year long chapter
that's closing and the next yearlong chapter that's opening is
to consider What has felt likethe central storyline?
This is a big one that's commonwhen it comes to the flip of the
calendar year.
People will think about what ismy word of the year?
(18:52):
So this is a really good time todo that for your solar return
year, for the years that existbetween your birthdays.
And to think back on What wasthe theme?
What was the main theme?
What was the main, like, whatwas the word that encapsulates
the main storyline of my lastyear?
And through my intention, whatdo I want to focus on or give
(19:14):
energy to or prioritize as themain theme or storyline of my
next year till my next birthday?
And then the third piece is whatI mentioned is kind of this
combination of the two thatshows up in our lives as our
sense of identity.
And this is where I want tospeak to the difference between
the kind of backwards way thatthe prominent cultural narrative
(19:38):
places birthdays, and what mightmake a little bit more sense, is
that we have birthday partiesand we invite everybody to come
celebrate us with us and theybring us gifts and while on some
level, it's a beautiful thing togive offering to essentially the
embodiment of the sun in thatmoment at that time on our
(20:01):
birthday at our solar returnthat we are, but on the other
hand, it's worth acknowledgingthat we are the ones being
beaming outward.
We are like the sun at that timeshining on everybody.
My husband has had this ideathat he would love to implement
if he ruled the world, right?
Where on your birthday, youactually get gifts for all of
(20:23):
your loved ones instead of themgiving gifts for you.
So something worth thinkingabout, not actually suggesting
that we change that because Ilove birthdays and I love
getting gifts for the people Ilove on their birthdays.
I love seeing my son get to bethe center of attention and open
up gifts on his birthday.
So not actually suggesting thatwe switch things up, but worth
(20:45):
looking at the symbolism aroundthese things.
And so when it comes to thissense of identity, looking at
and reflecting on as part ofthis ritual observance that is
your solar return.
Taking a quiet moment alongsidewhatever celebration and
birthday party and gathering ofpeople might be taking place for
(21:05):
you, probably more so in ouryounger years than when we get
older.
Maybe as time goes on and wemature, we actually, whether
we're aware of it or not, startto feel more aligned with the
opportunity that your birthdayand your solar return is to have
this introspection, this ritualobservance.
So this third piece is aroundthe shifting and the changing of
(21:27):
the guard that is your identity.
How are you shining into theworld?
Another one where if you thinkback a decade ago, the way that
you showed up, the role that youplayed was very different.
This one I like to think of asthat we each are this little
piece of the sun shining in ourrespective corner of our
reality.
(21:48):
That is the center of our, ofour universe, each of us, right?
And that there's this grid ofall of us like candles or lights
at the center of each of us, andwe're each playing a role in
this greater story, this greaterplay of the unfolding of the
human experience, and we haveour torch, our light, our flame
(22:10):
that is playing out its ownindividual story and role in the
bigger picture.
What role was that for you atthe last year?
What role would you like to playthe next year?
What is that identity that isshifting on your solar return to
where you are acknowledging andgiving thanks for the person
(22:30):
that you were the last year andcreating space for and setting
intention around the person thatyou would like to be and the
ways that you would like to showup in the year to come?
These are the things that Iencourage you to tune into on
your birthday because your solarreturn is an opportunity for you
to mindfully acknowledge whatthose features were of your last
(22:53):
year and which ones you wouldlike to call in for the year
ahead.
And it's such a powerful momentbecause getting back to that
energetically there was thisspace, there was this point,
there was this area of the sky,there was this direction
relative to you in the 360degree circle that surrounds
you.
(23:14):
That is where you first met thesun.
Whether or not you actuallyfirst felt the sun as warmth on
your skin, but energetically youexperienced the energy of the
sun from a certain direction.
And then on your birthday, everyyear, the sun goes back to that
point in the sky and becomeslike a portal to that bigger
(23:36):
source energy that you are acandle or a flame or a part of.
And the way that I like toimagine it is it's literally
like an energetic power up.
You are aligning and so pluggingback into the source energy and
the direction That firstanimated you the moment that you
were born.
So you're given this huge surgeof energy to support that
(23:59):
transition.
It's like in monopoly, you know,passing go and collecting$200.
Like you're given this power upand part of the way that you can
leverage that is to become awareof, okay, what am I letting
behind?
And what am I using?
What am I projecting into mynext year intentionally that I'm
(24:20):
going to charge up with thatextra energy boost that I'm
being given on my birthday.
Now, up until this point, I'vebeen mostly love, light,
sparkles, and shininess, right?
Because in big part, the sun isabout that.
That is the sun.
But let's look at an aspect ofit that maybe isn't so positive.
(24:42):
I want to take a moment here,and especially in the context of
both your life and yourbirthday, but again, like I
mentioned before, thatcheckpoint that your solar
return is that is theanniversary of the moment of
your birth.
So that could also be theanniversary of a relationship or
the anniversary of a business,whatever it might be taking this
(25:03):
ritual moment, not just to givethanks and celebrate what felt
good and what worked for you andwhat you appreciate about the
last year, but also to getreally real with yourself about
aspects of your last year again,with the example of the first
with the energy source, whatdrained you look at that too.
(25:25):
In the example of the cohesivestoryline, that main primary
theme was part of your lastyear.
Maybe you look at the light andthe shadow version.
What was the thing that playedout for you that you're really
proud of?
But what's the word for thething that really you struggled
with and plagued you over thelast year?
(25:47):
Look at that too.
And on the third one, the samething with your identity.
What's the role that you playedthat felt really good, that
you're really proud of, but thenwhat's the role that you played
that you wish you could stepmore out of and away from, that
didn't feel so aligned for you,that doesn't anymore feel so
aligned?
It's worth looking at the lightand dark side of this, because
(26:09):
just like the sun in the sky,sometimes the sun is actually up
in the observable sky and we cansee the light and we can feel
the warmth, but sometimes thesun is hiding behind the earth
and we can't.
And so with that same symbolismof that reflection of the
phenomenon of the sun, there aretimes that we are our not self.
(26:31):
And so in terms of ourrecapping, honestly, what our
relationship to our energy wasthat we were playing out and the
role that we played in the senseof identity that we embodied,
what was the light and dark sideof that?
And take a moment to have anhonest review of what that was
for you so that you can have asmuch information as possible to
(26:54):
feed the intention that you setfor your next year in those
three areas with realism as muchas optimism.
And this is especially true,again, to create a contrast
between the way that weculturally do things and the way
that maybe cosmically makes alittle bit more sense when it
(27:15):
comes to the anniversary of arelationship.
Yeah, of course.
It's awesome to do something tocelebrate the last year, go out
to dinner, do something fun, butit's also a great opportunity to
look at what didn't work overthe last year and to be really
honest about what you would liketo shift together moving forward
(27:36):
into the next year.
And with that, I'd like to endthis episode by being an example
of what this reflection lookslike on your birthday, because
it is my birthday starting withthe first one, what gave me
energy over the last year andwhat was draining for me?
What gave me energy was takingmessy action toward building my
(27:59):
new business as part of thepivot that I've been in since
letting go of my tax practice.
I have a tendency to be aperfectionist.
And think more about things thanactually doing them.
And what really fueled andinspired and lit me up over this
last year was just doing thedamn thing.
Whatever that was.
(28:20):
And learning as I went.
What really drained my energyhas been scrolling when I could
be creating or being moreproductive or mindfully resting
and getting distracted by thereality of the season I'm in
right now with my business ofhaving lower engagement and
(28:45):
sales than I know I willeventually.
What I'm intending into my nextyear when it comes to what gives
me energy.
Is creating more structurearound the time that is
available for me for my businessor for anything for that matter,
having more mindfulness,realism, and strategy around how
(29:13):
I budget my time so that I canmake sure that I'm creating
enough of it in the rhythm thatis most supportive to me around
all of the things that give meenergy.
And when it comes to what drainsmy energy, it's a similar thing.
My intention really is to createmore mindful structure and
(29:34):
strategy around my time so thatI'm not as susceptible to
spending it doom scrolling andthen seeing how much time went
by and was wasted.
And in terms of the distractionof the feels that have come up
as part of this pivot andtransition and season of letting
a really successful business goand starting over to rebuild a
(29:57):
new one, I will circle back tothat with my word of the year,
That is number two.
And for my last year, I wouldsay that my word has been
courage.
I found that what has beenrequired of me over the last
year around being willing to letsomething successful go and
really dive headfirst into thisnext new thing that is much less
(30:21):
developed, and all of the thingsthat I've had to learn and try
on for size and almost movethrough like the Aries fool of
just not being as good atthings.
I went from being so seasoned inthe previous business that I had
into having to really be a noobin a lot of areas to start out
(30:44):
where I was to embrace this newdirection And the word that I'm
intending for the theme into mynext year is traction.
I have courageously put a lot ofthings in motion and made a lot
of commitments and a lot ofprogress that I feel so
confident is going to createtraction into this next year.
(31:05):
I'm going to start to see moreand more exponential growth and
results for the efforts thatI've put in.
And I'm calling that in throughmy continued effort, through the
mentorship that I receive andthrough the networking that has
been taking place that hasreally been setting the stage
(31:25):
for more exposure and moretraction with the people that
need it.
And lastly, my sense ofidentity, the way I've been
shining and showing up in theworld.
My last year, being the secondyear of my son's life, really
felt like the bringing my workback into the fold and the
(31:47):
balance that was made possibleby equal parts showing up as mom
and business owner and gettingto experience those in symbiosis
together that has felt verybalanced where one doesn't take
up more of my time or bandwidththan the other.
They've been placed alongsideeach other in this really
(32:07):
beautiful new world of that Iget to have And the identity
that I see taking shape and thatI'm calling in for my next year
is one of really getting to makean impact on more people.
So much of this last year wasreally an inside job of what
needed to shift in me to be ableto show up more for my work in
(32:28):
the world and how I'm supportingpeople.
And this next year, I see myselfreally offering more support,
taking more time actuallyserving clients and helping
people that need to experiencethe transformations that my work
provides.
I hope that this has beeninspiring to you and for you and
that this will come to mind whenyour next birthday comes around
(32:52):
and every birthday after, everyanniversary, every ritual
commemoration of the turn of thewheel that happens between
powerful, initiating events likethe start of you, the start of a
business, the start of arelationship.
I hope you really take a momentamidst the celebration to
(33:12):
honestly take stock of what thelast year was for you so that
you can thank it and let it goand what you're calling in for
the next year so that you canset in motion the intentions
that are going to support itsunfolding as the best year yet.
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