How to Read Your Solar Return Almanac
The Solar Return Almanac in this photo is for illustrative purposes only.
Don’t you hate reading a general astrology transit report for your sign, and there’s no real way of knowing if, let alone when the transit will affect YOU personally?
You’re not alone in feeling frustrated or confused by this. While the movement of the planets is absolutely important for astrological prediction, we know by now that these transits don’t affect everyone to the same level or at the same time.
We live in an exciting time for predictive Astrology, where many ancient techniques once lost to history are being restored within the last 5 years. The restoration is happening largely thanks to the scholarship of my teacher, Ali Olomi. His work has elevated the ability of astrologers to give future predictions by date of birth like never before. The Almanac is a predictive astrology PDF that I prepare for my clients as part of a Medieval Islamic Solar Return.
🚨 Future predictions in the Almanac are made between my clients and I
It’s really important to know that the Almanac is not something I email you blindly without a walk-through of your personal astrology. The Almanac is just one piece of a complete synthesis of your natal chart, your solar revolution chart, and your 12 monthly revolution charts.
During your Solar Return reading, we’ll talk through the major themes that emerge from your astrology, and this conversation with you helps me dial in your predictions. I provide the astrology part of your year-ahead, and you provide the lived experience.
For my Almanac example, I prepared a Medieval Islamic Solar Return for the young Judy Garland in 1939, the same year The Wizard of Oz was released and she became a star.
LET’S GET INTO THE ALMANAC
The Almanac Dates
The most important thing to remember is that your Solar Return Reading runs from Birthday to Birthday.
So unless you are born on January 1, your almanac dates will not follow the calendar year. As we see with Judy’s Almanac on the top right, her “effective dates” for this almanac are from June 10, 1939—June 9, 1940.
Similarly, in the “Dates” column on the left side, the months do not start with the first day of the month. Judy’s first month (June) starts June 10th, and runs through July 11. Her next month runs from July 11 through August 12, and so on.
💡You’ll also see some green writing underneath some of the dates — please ignore this. I use the almanac as a worksheet, and these symbols help me read what your months have in store.
The Types of Months
Various types of months are identified by the ancient medieval astrologers, and they are just as relevant today as they were back then. Let’s walk through each one. Again, all the credit goes to Dr Ali Olomi for restoring this method of producing a robust, personalized solar return report. If you’re an astrologer and would like to learn these methods, I highly recommend his podcast: Head On History.
💡My almanac includes each “Type” definition at the bottom of the almanac for easy reference.
The Alignment of the Moon (AM)
“The actions in this month align with your values, there is a feeling of flow and harmony between what you do and what is most important to you.”
- Ali Olomi
Here we see Judy had several Alignments of the Moon: August 1939, and in January, April and May of 1940. Alignments of the Moon are noted as “AM” in the Type column of her Almanac.
The Corruption of the Moon (CM)
“A stressful month. The ailments of the soul and body.”
- Ali Olomi
Judy had a Corruption of the Moon in November 1939 as noted by the “CM” in the Type column of her Almanac.
The Enemies of the Moon (EM)
“A month in which someone is talking behind your back.”
- Ali Olomi
I don’t see Enemies of the Moon come up a whole lot in client work. Judy had Enemies of the Moon in October 1939 because we see the “EM” in the Type column of her Almanac.
The Estrangement of the Moon (ES)
“A time of difficult travel, OR it can be a time in which you may feel unanchored, exiled, unrooted from what is familiar to you.”
- Ali Olomi
Estrangement of the Moon is even more rare; Judy Garland does not have “ES” in her Almanac, so we know she did not have an Estrangement of the Moon in this Solar Return.
💡Not all the Types appear in the Almanac, and some months may not have ANY type assigned to them at all!
The Month of Action (MOA)
“These are months when you make significant moves. 💡The actions you take may be private or public.”
- Ali Olomi
Judy Garland had a very busy 1939 based on the SIX Months of Action she had. Months of Action are noted as “MOA” in the Almanac.
The Month of Burden (MOB)
“A challenging month in the year, usually with a feeling of having to endure and get through it. Usually involves a matter of time”.
- Ali Olomi
Everyone gets a Month of Burden every year as part of their Solar Return, this is not unique to Judy. Interestingly for Judy Garland, her Month of Burden fell in the same month as her Enemies of the Moon. The Month of Burden is noted as “MOB” in her Almanac. We can say October 1939 may have been particularly challenging for her.
💡As you can see by now, the Month Types CAN and often DO pile up on each other. These months are busier than the quieter months when not as much is going on.
The Month of Joy (MOJ)
“Something outside your control will lead to a significant change in your outward circumstances. A major shift happens.”
- Ali Olomi
The Month of Joy is also known as a Month of Blessing, when something outside of your control happens to you for your own good.
The Month of Joy can be somewhat misleading - it is not necessarily that something happy or joyous happens to you. I’ve seen clients have a Month of Joy where something subjectively negative happens, but LATER, they look back and are REALLY GRATEFUL that things happened the way that they did.
💡Months of Joy don’t roll up very often, so it is significant when they appear in the Almanac of your Solar Return. It is noted as MOJ in the Almanac. Judy Garland did not have a Month of Joy in her 1939 Solar Return.
The Month of Destiny (MOD)
“A time when you will come to a decision, based on some type of new awareness. There’s a turning point, a conclusion you make about yourself.”
- Ali Olomi
Some people regularly get more than one Month of Destiny in their Almanac, but everyone gets at least one in every Medieval Solar Return reading.
Judy Garland had her Month of Destiny in April of 1940, as noted by the MOD in her Almanac.
Peak Months (PEAK)
“Months with significant turning points, advancements, or events.”
- Ali Olomi
Everyone gets a few Peak Months identified in their Medieval Solar Return. It’s important to note that “Peak” just means Important. It’s not necessarily good or bad; they are the turning points in your year.
💡We’re starting to see the Months start to stack; for example, in December, Judy had a Peak AND a Month of Action. We could say December was an important month in Judy’s timeline.
Judy Garland had 5 Peak months, as noted by the PEAK in her Almanac.
The Zodiac symbols, Planet Symbols and the Green Line
Please ignore the symbols, they are there for me! I use the Almanac as a worksheet to figure out the essence of each of your months. The Columns for “Rulers” “H” and “12th” are nothing for you to worry about.
💡The Green Line in the almanac marks the turning point in a person’s year. This is when there’s a shift in your year as a whole.
Since Judy Garland is no longer with us, I relied on historical records to corroborate her Almanac.
Almanac Predictions in Practice
As I said earlier, the Almanac and Solar Return consultation is a collaborative process between my clients and I. Obviously, I did not sit with a 17-year-old Judy Garland in 1939, nor did I meet with her in person before she passed away to go through her Almanac.
This brings up an added value to Medieval Solar Return readings in that we can analyze PAST YEARS in our lives to make sense of things through our hindsight and the lens of astrology. Solar Returns for past years can help us make peace with the difficulties we endured in the past.
Let’s get into some predictive astrology examples
Example 1: Judy Garland - September 1939
We see in her Almanac that she’s having a Peak Month, and a Month of Action. Peak months are important turning points of her year, and Months of Action are months when she makes important moves. September is the first Peak month in her 1939 Solar Return.
How I would read this month in her Almanac:
My notes under her “Dates” show the transfer is coming to an opposition with the Sun and arrives at Mars, and her “12th” is coming to the sign of Cancer. Judy Garland is a Cancer Rising, and the First House in Astrology speaks to her self-identity, her personhood, her physical body. Typically — but not always — when the transfer comes to the Sun there’s often some type of honor, or spotlight moment happening for the person.
The “Ruler” is Jupiter. The ancient astrologer Abu Ma’Shar says Jupiter signifies “beautiful architecture, the creation of beauty in the world, and the spreading of joy. The “H” is the Moon - the Moon can signify the physical body but also crowds, literally the public, the people.
In her Almanac “Notes” I would write:
“Pivotal month, important action taken around her personhood or selfhood, an honor in social standing. Transfer comes to Mars...expect some kind of physical difficulty.”
What happened to Judy Garland between September 12 and October 12, 1939?
October 10, 1939
Judy is honored by putting her hands on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The historians at judygarlandnews.com share this quote from Judy talking about that day:
“One of the most exciting nights of my life turned out to be one of the most embarrassing. It was the premiere of [the film]“Babes in Arms,” and the night Mickey [Rooney] and I placed our foot and handprints in the forecourt of Grauman’s Chinese theater. I wanted to look more glamorous than ever before in honor of this great occasion. Now, I must confess I had the habit of biting my fingernails. I was just sick that I couldn’t have long, glittering fingertips. But the manicurist promised to fix that up for me. She did – by putting false nails on.”
After I placed my hands in the cement, we went inside to see the picture. Suddenly I thought creeping paralysis had set in, beginning at my fingertips. They were numb and heavy. I was in a cold sweat before we left the theater – then I realized some of the cement had gotten under my nails and hardened on the false ones. I went to a party afterward feeling much like the “tiger woman with talons.” The next day I had to have them chipped off. The manicurist considered using a blowtorch for the job, but finally settled for a small hammer.”
Judy colors in the lines for her September Almanac. We see indications of the honor but ALSO the physical challenges that came with it.
If “Tiger woman with talons” and a blowtorch isn’t Mars then I don’t know what is, LOL! The Moon prediction also fits here, with her physical body being affected but also this highly public event happening in front of many people.
Let’s do one more!
Example 2: Judy Garland - February 1940
She’s having another Peak Month + Month of Action combo. 💡Remember: The Solar Return runs from birthday to birthday, so February 1940 is still within range between her birthday in June 1939 and June 1940.
How I would read this in her Solar Return Almanac:
My green notes under her “Dates” show the transfer is coming to a square with Saturn and an opposition with Mercury. Capricorn for Judy in her natal chart is her 7th house of one-on-one partnerships. Mercury in traditional astrology is writing, publishing, business dealings and young people.
The “Ruler” is the Sun. The ancient astrologer Abu Ma’Shar says the Sun signifies, “wealth, honors, pride and adornments of gold”. The “H” shows Mars - a common signification for Mars is contests and competitions. Saturn in the transfer speaks to old, traditional establishments and old aristocracy.
In her Almanac “Notes” I would write:
“Pivotal month involving a partnership, in a contest or competition where she will receive honors. Involves old, traditional establishment.”
What happened to Judy Garland between February 8 and March 9, 1940?
February 29, 1940
Judy won a special juvenile Oscar for The Wizard of Oz at the 12th Academy Awards Ceremony.
Mickey Rooney, her close friend and co-star in “Babes in Arms,” presented her with the award.
The Almanac - What it is, and what it isn’t
Please note that every astrologer will have their own unique style of presenting a Medieval Solar Return. Some astrologers will give you just a recording; others will give you an almanac without written predictions. If you decide to sit with another astrologer and you’re curious about what you’re paying for, please ASK them.
My Almanac:
✅ Can give you the vibe of the month, whether this will feel like an easier or challenging month for you
✅ Can predict the inner workings of your world - months where you secretly realize important ideas, or take important actions.
✅ Can predict travel, upheavals at work, or school, family, and just about any other area of life.
✅ Can predict important relationships in your life (endings or beginnings)
✅ Can predict raises, promotions, honors or loss of employment
✅ Can give you a date range when you may expect the prediction to happen.
✅ Can tell you months when you may experience health challenges - without specific diagnosis.
✅ Can tell you when you may experience financial changes without giving you financial advice or specifics.
❌ Cannot tell you exact person’s names, places or similar, highly-specific details
❌ Cannot (yet!) tell you the exact day or time something will happen.
❌ Cannot get into past lives, or future karma, or messages from beyond the grave
❌ Cannot be infallible, perfect, or error-proof. No astrologer is perfect!
❌ Cannot predict death
❌ Cannot predict the stock market
❌ Cannot tell you everything that will happen in a given month, some months will have more than one theme. The Almanac may speak to one or both themes.
❌ Cannot give you financial, medical, legal or mental health advice. I am not a licensed professional in any of these fields.
The Almanac is just one part of my Solar Return Consultation
I offer both a recording AND an easy-to-read 20+ page PDF going over everything that we cover in your solar return. It’s not a written report — think of it as a high-level recap of our session that you can quickly reference later.
Check out a sample of a Solar Return PDF below:
If this sounds like something you’d like to experience for yourself, head over to my Solar Return Consultation page.
Let me know if you have any questions in the comments below or message me privately here.
I look forward to working with you!
