In this post I want to talk about using the four solar Cardinal Ingress charts in conjunction with personal natal charts.
It is common to look at New Moon charts, both stand-alone and in conjunction with a natal chart, to get an idea of what the upcoming month will be like. It is also sometimes used for a sort of simple astrological magic by using the time of the New Moon to “set your intentions” for the month ahead. If you know much at all about magic this is not a good practice; the time of the New Moon itself is traditionally considered particularly weak and malefic and will warp any intentional magic done then. If you are attracted to this practice, consider planning prior to the New Moon itself, and if you want to do a change-working meditation, wait until the Moon is past the dark phase and is starting to wax again.
New Moons are worth looking at, as they can give you information on what the tone of the upcoming month will be like. I think they are best used in conjunction with a natal, as the most important aspect of the New Moon chart is how it intersects and activates the natal. Like with Solar Returns, I find I get most meaningful results if I draw up the New Moon for my birthplace, although some people prefer to use your current location.
On the larger mundane level it is common to look at the cardinal ingresses for predictions relative to a nation. It is most common to use only the Ingress into Aries as the start of the year. Uranian astrologers use the Capricorn ingress for this purpose, and there is something to be said for that since that Ingress corresponds most closely to the New Moon phase, whereas the Spring Aries Ingress is more like the emergence into the world that starts with the Moon at the waxing quarter. I personally find that all four ingresses are important.
What I am arguing for in this post is using the solar Cardinal Ingress charts to map to individual natal charts as a way of seeing a larger context of activity for the period – and not just for heads of state to do mundane analysis, but for ordinary people.
If the New Moon shows a personal context and emphasis for a month, then the Cardinal Ingress shows a larger context for a person. The cardinal ingresses represent the a sphere of action, and mapping it to a natal can show areas of activity.
I know that for me I am finding them especially useful this year, especially since I am going through a renewed period of activity and writing. I find it important to me this year to see how the main themes of this year, and what I am working on, show up clearly in the interaction between my natal and the ingresses of the year, in a way that I just am not seeing in my solar return by itself. I get a sense of context that I have not found elsewhere.
In terms of setting the tone for the whole year I find that it works best to look at the closest Ingress prior to the birth date. Again, I get the best results when I use the natal location, just as I find that gives the best results with Solar Returns.
On the personal level, as on the mundane level, I find that it also is important to check all four cardinal Ingresses to see the tone of each part of the year. This can highlight particularly active parts of the year, and also show how the tone of activity changes with each Ingress.
There is a similarity to checking New Moons (and I track those also), but the ingresses seem both more important and more noticeable. I have been working with both analyzing Ingress charts and doing some meditation just prior to the Ingress time itself, and I find I can feel a distinct shift of tone at the Ingress.
You can think of this as using the interaction between the Ingress chart and your natal to get a feeling for how you are interacting with the world in this period. It gives some guidance as to areas I should be focusing on in my work. Also, it gives a sense of context, and I consider that to be extremely important so that we do not look at natal charts in isolation from the world around us.
Example – Maya Angelou
As an example of how you might analyze an ingress chart in conjunction with a natal I want to use the example of poet and writer Maya Angelou.
This is her chart for 1968, which was probably the most pivotal year in her life. This was the year that her close friend and colleague, Martin Luther King, was shot and killed on her birthday – an event that shows up very clearly in her Solar Return for that year. In her response to that tragic event she began writing what become her most popular and important book, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.
This is the year that made Maya Angelou’s world reputation, so we should expect to see some signs of that in the world context of the cardinal ingress chart.
In this chart, the outer wheel is Maya Angelou’s birth chart, and the inner wheel is the Aries Ingress for 1968 since Angelou was born in early April. I used her birth location for the Ingress.
There are definite similarities to the Ingress and her Solar Return for the year since she was born pretty close the the Ingress, but we still find that some factors are specifically highlighted here that we do not find in the Solar Return. I will concentrate on the angles and fast moving inner planets since that is where you find the main differences.
In examining Ingress charts like this, one of the things I am finding is that, in important years, you will find significant connections between the two charts with the points of the two main Lots, Fortune and Spirit. I also include the two Lot midpoint axes as they are points of activity and focus for the Lots. These midpoints are the Sun/Ascendant midpoint for Spirit and the Moon/Ascendant midpoint for Fortune.
These two major Lots are points of focus and integration for the whole chart, as they are the only two points in the chart that combine the energies of Sun, Moon and Ascendant, the three most important points in the chart.
These Lots are particularly significant since their location changes very quickly as they are timed from the rapidly moving Ascendant, which moves one degree every four minutes.
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Notice the sheer number of the hits between the charts. I am touching on only hard aspects that have a close orb, and am focusing mostly on conjunctions between the charts. I am not resorting to wide orbs or minor aspects, but only looking at the most blatant points.
– The Ingress Sun/Ascendant midpoint is at 14 Aries, which is exactly conunct Angelou’s natal Sun, and within two degrees of natal Jupiter! This is a spot of special activity for the year since the Ingress Saturn is within a degree of that point, and Angelou’s natal moon is in close opposition.
– The Ingress Moon is at 18 Sagittarius, which is in almost exact conjunction with Angelou’s natal Saturn – exact within three minutes! So, we have both Ingress and Natal Saturn involved in major connections between the charts – very appropriate for a year she experienced a devastating death.
– Ingress Moon/Ascendant midpoint is at 24 Aquarius, within a few degrees of natal Mars and Spirit, which is also tightly square Ingress Neptune, a planet that is right on the Ascendant in her natal and which is associated with her artistic creativity.
– The Ingress Lot of Fortune is right on the Ingress MC.
– Ingress Mars is prominent right on the Ingress Ascendant. We have significant configurations with both natal and Ingress Mars, so Mars themes are important this year. You have the violence of the assassination, and the book she wrote this year highlights an incident of her experience rape from a relative as a child.
– Angelou’s natal Sun/Ascendant midpoint is at 13 Cancer, tightly square Ingress Saturn and natal Sun/Jupiter, and opposite Ingress Fortune, right near the Ingress IC.
– Angelou’s natal Moon/Ascendant midpoint is at 17 Virgo, opposite her natal Venus/Mercury conjunction, and square natal Saturn and Ingress Moon. Saturn and Moon are connected to her Venus/Mercury point of artistic creativity – creativity coming out of suffering.
It is important to note that the Venus/Mercury conjunction in Angelou’s chart is the focus of her writing and creativity, and we find an echoing Mercury/Venus conjunction in the Ingress in the same sign. Repeating of an important natal configuration like this is particularly significant. From this one configuration we can look for a period of significant artistic creativity.
– And finally, note that Angelou’s natal Neptune and Ascendant are very near Ingress Jupiter. Neptune near Ascendant is a very important marker of Angelou’s artistic creativity – the Ascendant is her persona in the world, and this book was an autobiographical artistic presentation of her life.
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I think we have made our point, that there are significant places where the two charts light up with each other at some of the most important and active points. Her natal chart is tightly engaged with the Ingress chart for the year, and that is a very significant sign that this will be an important year for her.
I encourage you to take the time to examine your own natal chart relative to the Ingresses, for the current time period, and for years of significant activity for you. As I mentioned, I find that using birth location for the Ingress seems to give the most useful results, and if you examine only one Ingress for the year I suggest you look at the one closest prior to your birthday.