October 2020 By Bob Mulligan (a personal note is at the end of the newsletter) The whole month of October centers on our collective struggle for survival. Capricorn rules the structure that is necessary for form to develop. Aries rules the process of individual initiative. At the personal level this shows a struggle between the individual and the state. Retrograde Mars, having just completed a Square to Saturn, will go on to Square Pluto on the 9th and Jupiter on the 19th. This signals a period of violent upheaval. Much energy will pour into the first three weeks of this month, fueled by Jupiter Paralleling Pluto on the 3rd. Sun is Opposite Mars on the 13th just as Mercury turns Retrograde. This is a transition period, as Jupiter Sextiles Neptune on the 12th; as a moderating influence, this strengthens the positive aspects of our nature. The Mercury Retrograde period ends on November 3rd (Election Day) and will be Square to Saturn at this time. Our current period of stress will continue for a while longer. Capricorn and Saturn indicate the root chakra, which is: survival, the law of form, grounding. We will gradually get our balance. The Full Moon on the 1st is at 9o Libra/Aries at 5:06 PM EDT. Venus Trines Mars reminding us that we have a safe harbor in the company of others, during this turbulent time. Relationships become the foundation of forward momentum. Mars’s Square to Jupiter, Pluto, and Saturn shows an internal conflict we all must face. Others become the central force of bringing the pieces of life together as the Sun and Venus are in Mutual Reception. The New Moon is on the 16th at 23 degrees 53 minutes of Libra at 3:30 PM EDT. This New Moon Opposes Mars; Saturn, Pluto, and Jupiter are at the base of a T-Square with Sun, Moon and Mars. Confrontations and violence (even though moderated) will be with us all month. With a powerful Neptune in Pisces Opposing a relatively weak Venus in Virgo, our smaller life can be gobbled up by larger concerns. We can be pulled away from practical solutions always longing for an ideal world. However, with Jupiter in Sextile to Neptune and Trine Venus, some of our smaller personal goals can be achieved, as long as we are willing to play by the rules, and work for measured success. Retrograde Mercury Opposes an unstable Uranus in Taurus. Opportunities still abound as fresh information grants a myriad of great possibilities piercing through the mental chaos. The Sun crosses into Scorpio on the 22nd at 7:01 PM EDT. Air signs rule abstract reasoning and mental distancing. No planets are in air signs as we enter Scorpio; we act from one extreme or another; we are inert or impulsive. Venus (goddess of love) is in Virgo and Trines four planets in Capricorn. This favors giving and receiving help; our projects come to successful conclusion when we stay narrowly focused on the achievable. Mars (god of war) Squares these same four planets; this points to the danger of rash and impulsive actions. Mercury Opposite Uranus indicates difficulty assimilating a flood of great ideas; this integration is necessary for new material to be useful. The Full Moon is on October 31st at 10:49 AM EDT on the 8th degree on Scorpio/Taurus. Uranus is Conjunct the Moon and Opposing the Sun; Uranus demands change and Moon in Taurus resists. The Moon is strong and Uranus is weak, but change is upon us. Venus, Mars, Saturn, and Neptune tenant their own signs; a splintering of our energy and attention gives significant breakthroughs; we harvest the offered benefits by letting go of the past. Retrograde Mars Squares Jupiter, while Neptune and Jupiter remain in Sextile. We have energy and some luck; if we follow a carefully laid out course in front of us, we will be successful. Retrograde Mercury is Square Saturn so we might try several options before hitting on the right direction. From the 1st to the 4th we may easily jump into action to manifest projects that have been dormant for a bit. Big ideas have augmented our thinking for awhile. Now feels like the time to act. Outcomes are mixed. We accomplish important things, and unexpected results can be a blessing. From the 5th to the 11th chasing things that are perennially out of reach can be exhausting. It is as if nothing new is happening; we must be comfortable with our routines, even if they seem chaotic. Our daily dynamic will change next week; right now we must be patient and keep moving. From the 12th to the 18th mental clarity and new insight give us a change in direction. Some thoughts we’ve had in weeks past start to congeal. Negative feelings can be problematic. It is with difficulty that we rise above the intensity of the moment. The world seems so unstable; however, we still have a role to fulfill. From the 19th to the 25th improving our pattern of relationships requires determination and commitment. Intermittent reinforcement of other people, and their interests, eventually leads to breakthroughs. People are expressing their frustration with current circumstances; we need not take it personally. We all do better by practicing forgiveness. From the 26th to the 31st the free fall is over; we can choose harmony and joy over anger and violence. Holding a rational conversation with someone who is desperate or mentally unbalanced can be fruitless. It is wise to detach, and focus on love and acceptance, which can heal. We are not responsible for what others do, but we are culpable for our responses. 1st – Thursday – The Full Moon is at 5:05 PM EDT – Rash actions can bring necessary difficulties. Emotional tension runs high, but we can all reduce the stress by changing our thinking. Fear, anger, and negative attitudes diminish the goodness of the day. Harvesting the bounty of today comes by releasing the past and being generous. 2nd – Friday – Sun Quincunx Uranus, Venus enters Virgo – Good things await us if we know to focus our attention on the truly important details, and let everything else go. Now more than ever, practicing acts of kindness can work wonders. 3rd – Saturday – Jupiter Parallel Pluto – We have all the pieces of the puzzle we need to achieve success. We may not be able to accomplish everything we wish for, and can see right now, but understanding what we want, and why, bring us closer to action. Catching the general direction we wish to go is more important than working out the details. 4th – Sunday – Pluto turns Direct – A veil is lifted and mental clarity allows a vision of our future to emerge. We are still more than a week away from positive action, but preparation for our coming tasks is a good use of time. 5th – Monday – Venus Sesquiquadrate Jupiter – Our desire for quick results is at odds with the slow pace of development. Patience is necessary, but if we identify practical results within narrow parameters, we can take advantage of unique openings. Good fortune comes when we utilize our energy wisely. 6th – Tuesday – Sun Parallel Neptune – We are reminded of past choices. We can’t back up, but the learning from our history is instructive now. We need to ask ourselves, what brings joy? Does our current direction give us happiness? It is difficult to disentangle ourselves from other people’s emotions and actions, but true empathy requires some detachment. 7th – Wednesday – Mercury Opposite Uranus – Some things we see are not communicable. Personal insight doesn’t easily translate into universal truth. Listening is more fruitful than speaking. Brilliant information is best captured on paper and used later on. 8th – Thursday – Staying on task with simple routines in our immediate environment allows the residue from recent events to settle into place. Thoughts may be scattered, but time spent reading is more calming and useful than being glued to the news. 9th – Friday – Venus Sesquiquadrate Pluto, Venus Sesquiquadrate Mars, Mars Square Pluto – We can heal old wounds and cement important relationships, if (and this is a big if) we can corral our aberrant emotions. There is great opportunity and also great risk. A home run will require genuine finesse; compassion bridges the great divide. 10th – Saturday – Venus Trine Uranus – An unexpected change of circumstances provides an opportunity to advance. Flashes of insight allow us to take measured steps forward as a new avenue opens the door to deeper insights. Concentrating on familiar circumstances gives a method for improving relationships. 11th – Sunday – Sun Square Jupiter, Sun Quincunx Neptune, Venus Sesquiquadrate Saturn – Although luck is with us, we don’t have to achieve great victories to make this a helpful and beautiful day. Small and uncertain steps toward a real goal are more important than grand gestures made toward the unreachable ideal. 12th – Monday – Jupiter Sextile Neptune, Mercury Sextile Venus – All-around luck can magically boost our morale. If we are sincere and determined, we can accomplish much with a short burst of enthusiasm. It is a time of gaining clarity, forgiveness, and remembrance. We can assert the better side of our nature. 13th – Tuesday – Mars Parallel Neptune, Sun Opposite Mars, Mercury turns Retrograde – Our energy gets depleted needlessly if we are angry, disheartened, or vain. Getting to the point of acceptance of others means, at some level, accepting our own inner conflicts. Good energy aimed at a bad cause can be instructive, if we take the time to listen to our own inner voice. Our ideals need to be inclusive if we are to advance. 14th – Wednesday – Accepting limitations is the first step in overcoming them. We don’t need a map of the whole journey to make progress. Limitations of time, money, and energy help us to shape our actions. Aiming toward the truly important aspects of life allows us to overcome inner conflict. 15th – Thursday – Sun Square Pluto – Frustration is rooted in lack of understanding. Our desire to get things right can be in disharmony with the external circumstances. Reevaluation of our past journey can allow us to change courses; past mistakes can be corrected; procedures we have outgrown can be discarded. 16th – Friday – The New Moon is at 23o Libra 53’ at 3:30 PM EDT – Setting our intentions for the month comes with a caveat: plans need to be right-sized, taking into account the reality of the current situation. We need to be practical while still advancing without fear, anger, or self-doubt. Material world considerations can be truly blessed if we don’t lose sight of our larger goal. This is a watershed moment. Some will pass the test, some will go back to the starting line. 17th – Saturday – Blending our ideals with the practical details of everyday life, infuses common tasks with meaning. The simplest occurrences can be genuine omens, if we know how to integrate new information. Quiet time and meditation are beneficial. 18th – Sunday – Sun Square Saturn, Venus Opposite and Contra-parallel Neptune – Time allocation is a stumbling block which has the potential to teach us a great lesson. Normally we should “mind our own business” and “tend our own garden”; today concerns in our personal life come into direct challenge from events in the larger world. Winning or losing really doesn’t matter. What does matter is that we have the courage to stand up for what we ultimately believe in. 19th – Monday – Mars Square Jupiter, Venus Quincunx Mars, Venus Trine Jupiter, Venus Parallel Mars, Mercury Opposite Uranus – Corralling our basic instincts, and fashioning them into a tool for growth, is the best approach to the mixture of influences. When we put aside the idea that there must be winners and losers, we are on the path to creating real harmony. Suppressing the urge to point out other people’s weaknesses, can provide the real energy needed for the next step on our journey. 20th – Tuesday – Flights of fancy expand our horizons. Dreaming of things beyond our direct sense perception alters our comprehension of the world, and our place in it. If we can envision a better world, it is possible to create one. Others may have valuable contributions if we make the time to listen. 21st – Wednesday – Mercury Semi-square Venus, Venus Trine Pluto – We can take a bold step to undo past mistakes. Relationships can profoundly alter if we admit culpability for the harm we have unintentionally caused others. Self-correction leads to real change. Taking care of the most minor details can be mentally and emotionally freeing. 22nd – Thursday – Mars Semi-sextile Neptune, Sun enters Scorpio, Venus Sesquiquadrate Uranus – The well-trod path of current events keeps the pressure on all of us. It is easy to just block it out, or to go to the other extreme of being swept away in hysteria. A balanced approach is to recognize the seriousness of life on the planet, but at the same time, find our place within the chaos. Doing our duty contributes to the emerging calm that underlies the moment. 23rd – Friday – If we are sensitive to the changes around us, we can see that there is a universal struggle between the patterns of the past, and the opportunities of the future. For most of us, we are caught between our need for security and our ideal of freedom. Our only real decision is what to do first. But even this requires having some picture of what we value most. 24th – Saturday – Venus Trine Saturn, Mercury Contra-parallel Uranus – Adhering to the strictly practical does not mean that we lose sight of long-cherished beliefs. We are required to be creative, and take in new information as it emerges, without being pushed by circumstances just because they seem immediate. We can go dancing, but first we have to wash the dishes. 25th – Sunday – Mercury Sesquiquadrate Neptune, Sun Conjunct Mercury – We are all prone to precognitive perceptions. The future unfolds in front of us in many versions. We set our ideals in concrete and match them to unfolding events. Imagination, perception, and creation merge. This is the picture we will use to develop our plans. 26th – Monday – Sun Sesquiquadrate Neptune, Sun Parallel Mercury – Sensitivity to other people’s suffering can guide us into a more useful course of action. If our will to serve is a guiding light, we will be shown the correct use of our enthusiasm. 27th – Tuesday – Mercury Retrogrades back into Libra, Mercury Semi-sextile Venus, Venus enters Libra – We make final adjustments for all our joint projects. Compromise allows everyone to get something of what they want. Missing pieces of information magically appear as we question others. 28th – Wednesday – Today we act. Planning and negotiations served a purpose; now we must move on. Regardless of our desires, motives, and direction, we suffer if we do not acknowledge our personal and collective history. Limitations can only be transcended if we recognize them for what they are worth. 29th – Thursday – A big burst of energy is very helpful. We accomplish much in a short period of time. Impulses can force us into motion at inopportune moments, but we can also see the workings of our own unconscious hidden forces as they surface. 30th – Friday – Last minute changes of plans throw us off balance. An underlying tension can burst forward. We can be a force for good in our troubled environment by being kind, calm, and meditating. Overcoming a sense of lack is freeing. We really do have everything we need. 31st – Saturday – The Full Moon is on 8 degrees of Scorpio/Taurus at 10:49 AM EDT, Sun Opposite Uranus – Just when we thought everything would smooth out, an unexpected disruption changes the dynamic. After the completing and letting go, we will need to take stock of our situation in order to see what has to happen next. So much around us seems to be out of our control, so we must stay calm to be part of the solution. Bob Mulligan is available for personal appointments, astrology classes, and astrological material. Call him at 239-261-2840 or by e-mail at bobmulliga@aol.com. Visit our web site, www.theastrologycompany.com. On Sunday, October 11th at Noon EDT, we will have another Question and Answer Session via Zoom. If you would like to submit a question or just attend, send me an email and I will send you a link. On September 24th I turned 72. My three siblings, three of my five children, and two nephews met on-line for a birthday party. It was great fun. Katie got me on Facebook so I could acknowledge the birthday wishes people had sent me. Birthday wishes materialized from many unexpected directions. My first wife, Susan Quinn, sent me wishes by email. We hadn’t spoken for more than 20 years, so we are in a process of catching up. We were together on my first pilgrimage to visit the Tomb of our Master, Meher Baba, back in 1976. We were just kids, but shared some precious history. My personal history with astrology, and in the astrology community, is unique. There is some information distilled from my first 45 years in this profession that is instructive and entertaining. I offered this material to OPA and they were polite, but uninterested. In April of 2021, I will share this history through a talk or two over the internet. My friends, John and Michelle, sent me this link to a documentary on an important topic. Trust me, it is worth the time: “After Truth: Disinformation and the Cost of Fake News” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZKKah4vNhc Thanks to all of you. Vote early. Share your ideas with me. We will be here again next month. “It’s harder to crack a prejudice than an atom.” – Einstein Bob Mulligan is available for personal appointments, astrology classes, and astrological material. Call him at 239-261-2840 or by e-mail at bobmulliga@aol.com. Visit our web site, www.theastrologycompany.com | 
