Your birthday comes around once a year and it is a time for celebration and reflection for you. Astrologically, you also have a yearly Solar Return, which is determined from a new chart that is created when the Sun returns to the place it held degree-wise at your birth. It is a time for you to deal with new energies, through the placement of the Ascendant, Moon, and planet positions that are created in the Solar Return chart, and compared to your natal (birth) chart.

Through your yearly Solar Return you can learn how your emotional energies will play out for the coming year. In addition, you can determine the positive trends you should be able to look forward to, along with some of the challenges you might face in the year ahead.

A Solar Return is about astrological energies, the way those yearly energies are captured into your Solar Return chart, and the impact they will have on you, and your life, in the coming year. But there is another way you can interact with the astrological energies surrounding your birthday, and that is taking note of your half-year birthday.

It's interesting that a half-year mark is always a real watershed time for children, and they can't wait to say they are six-and-a-half, or ten-and-a-half, since they instinctively know they have passed a barrier, and are on their way to a new birthday, and a new age, while still holding on to the present time, and the age they currently are. Children have a lot of innate wisdom about life, and the feeling that something important occurs when they hit their half-year mark is one of them.

No matter what your actual age is, when you are at the halfway period between your past birthday and the one that is due to come to you, if you can spend some time reflecting on the energy of the day, you might discover some important lessons for yourself, and a few intriguing ideas may occur to you, ones that could be pathways for you, or tell you something about yourself.

A woman in a metaphysical discussion group shared the story of how once while she was taking a long walk on her half-year birthday, she became lost in thought as she reflected about the events of the previous months, and how that in turn led her down memory lane, and she was feeling somewhat disheartened at mistakes she had made in her life. She turned the corner of the walking path she was on, and saw the word "sanctuary" listed on a sign.

She went home and looked up the word sanctuary in an on-line dictionary, and as she read the numerous descriptions given, she realized that all her life she had been seeking out a safe place to be, a place where she would feel respected, and free to express herself, and her thoughts and feelings. Once she saw the word written out for her, she forgave herself the mistakes in life she had made, and realized she had done the best she could do in dealing with her circumstances. Her new goal for herself was to create a safe place for herself, mentally and emotionally.

Taking note of the day your half-birthday falls on, by journaling, talking a walk, or making a list of goals you wish to achieve, can be very helpful, and act as a guide for the remainder of the year.

Each sign has something to learn from the other, and we all have something to gain from an understanding of what the Sun Sign opposite to our own Sun Sign has to say to us. You can look at the differences in the seasons between your full-year and half-year birthday, and make comparisons that way.

Noting each sign's colors, the gems associated with your own sign and your opposite sign, and reading a bit about your opposite sign's traits can also help you to define your counterpart and get some insightful clues to aspects of yourself you may not be aware you need to express. http://www.llewellyn.comFor example, if you were born in the spring, say on May 1, then your sign would be Taurus, and you are of the earth element. When your half-year birthday arrives on November 1, the sign, the season and the energies are much different than the ones in May. November is the realm of Scorpio, a water sign. Spring is the beginning of the flowering of the earth, and Autumn is the time of the leaves falling, and the longer, darker nights. November weather patterns are different than May, more tempestuous, and not as quickly finished and done with.

A Taurus color palette is composed of pastels, as in yellow, pink and green. Scorpio is prone to burgundy, maroon, and sexy black. Taurus is solid earth, and Scorpio is turbulent water.

A Taurus may find it hard to express his or her feelings, and when their half-birthday rolls around, they may want to try articulating their deepest feelings to someone close to them. A Scorpio can learn to ease up on their intensity when they celebrate their half-birthdays in May, and they might find that they enjoy a respite from their penetrating insight, and enjoy a pleasant walk in the park.

Here are a few guidelines listed below for each sign and its polar opposite:

Aries/Libra: Aries are usually very forthright and assertive in how they express themselves. A fiery Aries may decide he or she wants to stop and think before speaking when their half-year birthday hits in Libra. Libra is an intellectual air sign, and Libras pride themselves on their diplomacy and tact. When their half-year mark hits in Aries, a Libra may experiment with saying what he or she really feels and thinks in any and all situations.

Taurus/Scorpio: Covered in example listed above.

Gemini/Sagittarius: Geminis are busy souls, and they love to immerse themselves in current events and pop culture. For their half-year birthday, an airy Gemini may start to look for the deeper reasons behind the issues of the day, and lean less on superficial explanations. Fiery Sagittarius loves to travel to far off places. A Sagittarian may decide to celebrate their half-year birthday closer to home, as in their own backyard, and get to know his or her neighbors a little better.

Cancer/Capricorn: Watery Cancers are the homebodies of the zodiac, and they love to fuss over their loved ones. During their half-year birthday, they may decide to come out of their shells a bit, and give themselves permission to follow their ambitions. Earthy Capricorns know all about power, control, and status, but showing their tender side can be hard for them. They may ease up and tell those they love how much they care, once they experiment with the emotional energies on their half-year birthday date.

Leo/Aquarius: Fiery Leos love it when you notice they are in the room, and the spotlight was made for them. For their half-year birthday, they might look at the world from a humanitarian point of view, and look for worthy causes to donate their considerable talents to. Airy Aquarius may try being less distant in their close relationships when it is their half-year mark. Tolerant Aquarius is everyone's friend, but they could start a one on one relationship with a special person, and give more of their time and attention to him or her.

Virgo/Pisces: Earthy Mercury-ruled Virgos love to lend a hand, and be of service to others. But sometimes a Virgo can be a bit critical of people, even those they are trying to help. When their half-year birthday rolls around, the helpful Virgo may try to walk a mile in someone else's shoes before passing judgment. The empathetic watery Piscean can be very sympathetic to a sob story, but sometimes they can be taken in by unscrupulous con artists. When the Pisces knows their half-year birthday is at hand, they may want to put into use their analytical skills, and apply discernment when someone asks for aid.

Using your half-year birthday to develop aspects of your personality and psyche that you normally don't employ can be a great way for you to experiment with new ways of thinking, feeling, and acting, even if it is for only one day a year. And if you find the new aspect works for you, you may begin to incorporate that trait into your life on a regular basis.

The choice, as always, is your own.