Ayrton Senna and Valen’s special method of Solar Return charts

Ayrton Senna was a famous Brazilian Formula One driver. He lost his life in a car accident. In this short article I will look at the Solar Return of the year he passed on.

Vettius Valens has his own method for Solar revolutions.[1]

We consider the recasting of horoscopes to be essential because the recasting contributes greatly to the temporal interchanges of the chronocrators. Sometimes the recasting increases the strength of the results, sometimes it is indicative of delays in the results. After we calculate precisely the positions of the stars on the birth date in the current year, we fill find the Ascendant as follows: while the Sun is still in the natal sign, we examine where the Moon was then and when the Moon will come to the exact same degree where it was in the nativity, and we call that point Ascendant. If that exact degree is found to be during the day, even though the nativity was nocturnal, we examine the diurnal houserulers, the ruler of the term and of the Ascendant in order to find their relationships with the stars of the nativity.

Valens takes the exact time that the Sun comes back to its own place at the same degree, minute and second. All the planets are positioned according to the Sun’s position at that moment. But then he also casts the chart of the Lunar Return (LR) that follows the Solar Revolution (SR). Valens then checks which sign arises at that moment. The Ascendant of the Lunar Return will then be taken as the AC of the Solar Revolution of that particular year. And as we know, the AC in the SR is the most important point to look at.

This is an interesting technique, because Valens tried to match Solar and Lunar charts at a time when Lunar Returns were not widely used, as far as we know. I will show how this works in the example of the Brazilian Formula One driver Ayrton Senna and the year and month he died in a terrible crash. First, we need to look at the birth chart and gain a general understanding. I will focus only on a few positions.

In Senna’s natal chart we find Mars, the ruler of the 3rd house (movement, short distance travels and cars) as well as the ruler of the 10th house (career) in the 1st house, which describes his physical body as well as his personal course of life: Senna’s life direction is therefore orientated towards cars and career. Mars is the minor malefic in this chart and the natural significator of injuries, adrenaline, war and competition.

Mars in the 1st house makes Senna competitive, a born winner and a bad loser, a person who continuously needs to feel adrenaline. Also, since Mars is a malefic and he is in the 1st house which represents the head, his presence here makes Senna a possible victim of head related injuries. [2]

Mars does not make any traditional aspect in this chart, which makes him “feral”, his power, either good or bad, is not used to find a “compromise” with the topics related to the other planetary players. This can make Mars uncontrollable.

The part of Fortune also describes the physical condition of a native. Valens for example looks for the “destroyer”,[3] the planet which rules the 8th house from Pars Fortune, which, in this chart, in Mars, too. [4]

In 1994, the particular year we are going to look at, Senna’s directed AC was Pisces, in the bounds of Venus, while her partner was Jupiter.[5] This was probably a mainly happy period in his life. However, Venus is the natural ruler of love, she rules the 4th house of home, family but also of the grave — end of life matters. She also rules the 9th house of foreign countries. The partner Jupiter (in the natal chart) rules the 2nd house of money and (self-) value and the 11th of friends and help. In this period Senna had several love affairs, was living abroad and made a lot of money. Nevertheless, the partnering planet Jupiter is in the 12th house, which adds difficulties linked to the nature of this unfortunate house and the presence of the Moon and Saturn there (depression, self-restriction) as well as issues with his self-control due to the Mars/Saturn conjunction.

His profected AC was in the 11th house (red dot in the chart above) and Jupiter was therefore also the Lord of the year (LOY). Jupiter is the major benefic in Senna’s chart, and is the natural significator of expansion, growth and success. Nevertheless, Jupiter brings also into focus issues related to the 12th house, such as trouble, sorrow, grief, hospitals, closed places.

Now let’s first examine his “regular” SR for the year of his death followed by the Lunar Return and finally Valen’s “Sun/Moon Revolution” (my nomenclature).

The AC is in the last degrees of Aries, and thus Mars describes the physical body of Senna in this year. He is also the natural ruler of injuries, racing, adrenaline and accidents. The AC is in the bounds of Saturn, who is the major malefic in this chart and he is conjunct Mars. We also have to remember, that Mars is in Senna’s natal 1st house, and therefore describes his physical condition. In the SR, the planet is conjunct the (natal) malefic out of sect Saturn in the 12th house, an unfortunate house, as we have seen above. So both malefics are together is this very difficult place. Mars also rules the 8th house in this chart and is thus disposed by the lord of the year (Jupiter) , connecting his physical body both with death and hospitals /grief/loss/sorrow.

We can also see, that the boundruler for this period, Venus, is in his 1st house, nearly exactly opposite her retrograde and peregrine partner Jupiter, in the 8th of death, who in this year is also the Lord of the year. Mars is in the bounds of Venus. He is not only trining Jupiter, but since he is in Scorpio,  there is also a mutal reception between them. However, this reception is very difficult due to the house positons of both planets. They link their power with ease to negative or potentially destructive issues. Jupiter generally describes good things, but here, his natural outgoing manner is linked to death, to exageration, to too much adreanaline (trine Mars) which is why he is described as potentially dangerous.

The Sun is in his 1st house, exalted in the very first degree, asking Senna fo even more energy. The Sun wants to show up, be admired, give his best and a little more; and he also tends to exagerate in doing so.

Mars exactly trines the Moon, the natural significator of an individual’s physical body. The Moon is in the 4th house, family, roots but also the grave.

I also noticed, that the 8th house from the SR Lot of Fortune is in Pisces, where we find both malefics, while its ruler is, once again, Jupiter, the LOY.

This chart does not only describe well Senna’s fatal accident, just a few months later, but also depicts possible causes: Mars seperating from Saturn describes him as breaking free from control or rules. In the 12th both planets are linked with general bad fortune. Mars breaks also free from self-control and any kind of restriction (Saturn).

The outer planet also rules the 11th house, Senna’s racing team; the trine to Jupiter might induce him to take risks that are too big. How did this pattern translate in “real life”? Senna was on a month-to-month contract with McLaren – and went to another team because McLaren (Saturn) was using a new engine which he didn’t think would perform well (Mars separating from Saturn).

Now let’s have a quick look at Senna’s “regular” Lunar Return. Please note that there is a particularity with this Lunar Return chart. Senna died just hours after his exact Lunar Return. This means, he died while the Moon was still in her natal sign. This might imply, that either his previous Lunar Return from April 3rd , 1994 as well as the one we will discuss here, might be relevant in judging the events of this particular month.

The Lunar Return that became exact one day before his death is the following:

The Moon is in his 9th house, Senna was in Italy at that time, she is in her detriment, showing that this month would by difficult. She squares Mars from his exaltation, while she also squares retrograde Jupiter, the LOY, who in this LR rules the 8th house of death and who is in the domicile of Mars and in the Moon’s fall.

Venus, the AC ruler in this chart (and boundruler of the period), is in the detriment of Jupiter and squares Saturn.

But there is more…the antiscion of the LR is conjunct Senna’s natal Mars at 20° Aquarius. I also noticed, that the 8th house from Fortune is in Leo. Its ruler Sun is in the 1st house of this LR, exactly opposing the LOY Jupiter.

Now let’s have a short look at Valens “combined” Solar-Lunar Revolution. All planets are in the position of the SR, only the AC changes, as we take the degree of the Lunar Revolution at 26° Taurus. I am interested to explore if this chart reveals similar or more connections than the “normal” SR.

In this chart, both time lords, Venus (boundruler) and Jupiter (partner and LOY) are activated. Venus rules the AC, that is opposed by the Lord of the year (by sign). Venus is in the 12th house in her detriment while Jupiter is in her other detriment. Both are applied by a very strong Moon, ruler of the 3rd of movement. The Moon rules the unfortunate 6th house of illness or accidents in Senna’s natal chart.

Venus rules the 3rd house is Senna’s birth chart, and her position in the 12th links “short journeys” such as races within circuit to very troublesome 12th house themes. While the ruler of the AC, Venus is applied by the Moon, she does not make any major aspects to the malefics or to Jupiter.

Conclusion

I find this “Valens SR” not as far as explicit in its message as the “regular” Solar Revolution. Contrary to the “regular” SR, I don’t see his physical injuries clearly described.

The point in favour is certainly the nodal axis on the AC-DC, but personally I will not include this technique in my astro toolbox, at least as far as I don’t see other “Solar/Lunar SR” that really work out better than SR and LR looked at separately.

However, it might be possible, that Valens was just an early outlier in the use of Lunar Revolutions whose application became more specific or implemented by the Persians in the 8th Century.

2023 Update: More on this topic can be found in Aswin Subramanyan’s article here.

[1] Vettius Valens, Anthology, Riley translation, p. 97

[2]  Traditionally, Mars describes weapons, in particular arrows. And indeed, he died from what we could call “modern arrows”: A piece of suspension attached to the wheel had partially penetrated his helmet and caused trauma to his head. In addition, it appeared that a jagged piece of the upright assembly had penetrated the helmet visor just above his right eye. (Source:Wikipedia)

[3] Vettius Valens, Anthology, Riley translation, p. 55

[4] See at this regard my article in the AYA Journal, The Ascendant, Revelore Press, 2018 https://revelore.press/product/the-ascendant-vol-2/?fbclid=IwAR2vfO4dCF04kCUAxm2fGlQWGm9d9QgOXRVYfBjejxniTRZg7ul2GgTm9Mk

[5] For this technique, see Persian Nativities III Abu Ma’shar on Solar Revolutions, Dykes transl. Cazimi Press, 2010

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