Read a year or a month from the moment a planet returns to its birth position.
A return chart is drawn for the moment a planet comes back to the exact position it held when you were born. The time from that moment until the next return is one cycle, and the chart describes that period.
Solar Return
The chart when the Sun returns to its birth position on your birthday—used to read themes for the year ahead. It comes once a year, around your birthday. The rising sign of that chart and the house the Sun falls in show the main themes of the year.
Lunar Return
The chart when the Moon returns to its birth position—about every 27 days—to read a month's emotional flow and themes. It comes about every 27 days. It shows where your feelings and attention gather that month.
Read it with your birth chart
A return chart isn't read on its own. It is a tool for seeing how the potential in your birth chart shows up during that period. The houses can change depending on where you are at the moment of the return.