Like the moon, the sun exerts a cyclic pull on us, but the pull is much stronger -- it's what keeps the earth in orbit, determines the seasons, and keeps us all alive. The sun's cycle, 365+ days, serves very much as an overall personal energy and health cycle and often determines what season of the year you will do best in.
The Sun & the Ascendant Cycle
One may look at the position of the sun at any time of year as a direction from which a positive, favorable, 'sunny' pull is being exerted upon us all. When that pull is coming from the same direction as your Ascendant, you get the benefit of that positive energy when people see you or deal with you. Thus that time of year will be busier for you and will often serve as the real starting point of your year in the professional sense. This can even be the case when you are in a profession where most of the work is done at a time of year when the sun is not near your Ascendant.
I know a writer, for instance, with Leo on the Ascendant who gets most of his important commissions in the middle to late summer, when the sun is passing over his Ascendant, even though the publishing industry is considered dead at that time of year because everybody is on vacation. Somehow this writer manages to get what little work there is at that time, while others go hungry.
As a general rule, however, that kind of positioning is a real disadvantage. Sometimes there just isn't any work at your best time of year, so your best time is regularly wasted. It is better to choose a profession or industry where the major jobs and commissions are handed out at the time of year when the sun is passing over your Ascendant. This will put you automatically at the head of the line, all other factors being equal. When there is a break to be had, you'll be the first to get it.
When the sun is at the bottom of its Ascendant cycle, that is, the seventh sign from the Ascendant, you are likely to experience a quiet period in which less happens in general and fewer opportunities come your way. If you can take a vacation at this time, do so. You won't be missing much.
Sun Cycle: Your Birthday Month
The other solar cycle worth considering centers around your birthday, a time when you are likely to have more energy than any other. This is a trend that will follow you to your grave, because it has been several times demonstrated statistically that significantly fewer people die in the months surrounding their birthdays than in the months further away from them.
There have been various theories proposed to explain this, but nothing definitive. Whatever the reason, it would appear you have more real life force working for you around your birth date, and six months away from it you have less energy and are more susceptible to health problems. Therefore, perhaps the other most ideal time for a vacation would be six months after your birthday -- an 'unbirthday' celebration and recuperation.
At the least, you should expect less to be happening at this time and count on fewer potential sources of extra income -- and you should take extra care of your health. Get lots of vitamin C (I go on a grapefruit binge that time of year) and go easy on yourself so the local viruses won't pick you for their next victim.
Solar Cycle: Business Activity Peak and Energy Peak
Naturally, the relative positions of your Ascendant and your natal sun will determine a sort of double rhythm for the year, such that you will have a business activity peak followed by an energy peak or vice versa. They will occur together only if they both fall in the same sign. If they occur six months apart, you will be one of those unusual individuals who looks best when feeling worst, and vice versa. By keeping an eye on this combined cycle, you can try to plan things so it gives you the extra added push when you want it and you don't find yourself struggling through important matters at the very bottom of a cycle.
Another personal example: I have a Gemini Ascendant, so every year just as summer is about to begin (as the sun goes into Gemini), I get into gear. Unfortunately, the rest of the world is getting ready to take off for summer vacations, but I manage to pick up whatever out-of-the-ordinary business is to be had at this time.
This advantage is reinforced by the fact that my natal sun is in Leo, so I'm at an energy peak when everyone else is dropping from the heat in the dog days of August or off on a cool European vacation. But when the rest of the business world is busiest, during the fall, winter, and early spring, I'm neither looking nor feeling my best and it puts me at a real disadvantage. In effect, it tends to herd me into less-frequented areas in the pursuit of a living, so I have found myself writing about unusual topics and performing obscure music for most of my life. If I wanted to be in the mainstream, I'd be better off in the southern hemisphere where the seasons are reversed.
This is not to suggest that everyone with natal sun or Ascendant in summer signs should pack up and move to Australia or is doomed to take second position in the everyday business world. It merely means that these people will have to struggle harder than their neighbors, all other things being equal, to reach the same spot or be willing to go into areas that are more off the beaten track. Being naturally lazy, I chose the latter course, but whatever your choice, it helps to be aware of all the factors affecting it.
One final comment: Astrologers say that the sign of your Ascendant determines the nature of your physical appearance. Well, there's no proof of that as yet, but perhaps it's an explanation for the similarity of appearance of so many people within a given industry. I know I can spot a music biz type walking down the street by appearance alone -- and the same goes for ad men, garment industry salesmen, and so on. Perhaps their Ascendants are just more naturally in tune with the yearly rhythm of their industries. It may be idle speculation, but it is thought provoking.
This article was excerpted from the book:
Dynamic Astrology: Using Planetary Cycles to Make Personal and Career Choices, ©1997,
by John Townley.
Reprinted with permission of Destiny Books an imprint of Inner Traditions, Rochester, Vermont, USA. www.innertraditions.com
Info or Order this book.
About The Author
John Townley is a lifelong astrologer, author, composer, and historian. His professional experience has spanned the fields of business, science, journalism, maritime history, and the creative arts. He may be reached at
