December 2016 By Bob Mulligan (a personal note is at the end of the newsletter) Because December is the last month of our calendar year, we have a tendency to think about where we have been and where we want to go next. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years is a frantic time, particularly in the United States. This 40 day period represents a major portion of commercial transactions for both consumers and retailers. We have the habit of joining together with friends and family to share meals, exchange gifts, and acknowledge our relationships to each other. This is an important ritual that helps strengthen the bonds between us, the glue that holds the fabric of society as a single unit. Many hard and polarizing activities have made this year particularly difficult; it is necessary for us to remember the goodness that ultimately makes us all one humanity. Jupiter (lord of opportunity) is closing on a Sextile to Saturn (god of limitation) all month. This can be a good business cycle as our forward and progressive judgment is structured by sensible realization of limits. Mercury Transiting through Capricorn turns Retrograde on the 19th. This ushers in a three week period of reflection and correction for any past carelessness. Saturn Trine Uranus on the 24th gives us a balancing point between our conservative and progressive ideas. On the 26th Jupiter Opposite Uranus gives us an opportunity to push our far reaching agenda as big plans for the future are taking shape. The Full Moon is on the 13th at 7:00 PM EST on the 22nd degree of Sagittarius/Gemini. With the Sun Conjunct Saturn, we are forced to slow down and evaluate our direction, but Mars, Jupiter, and the Moon are forming a Grand Trine in air giving us plenty of enthusiasm and great ideas for moving forward. The Sun Crosses in to Capricorn at 5:45 AM EST on December 21st. This is the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year as the Sun stands still and reverses direction. Even though the Sun and Moon are Square (showing adjustments), Mars is Sextile the Sun and both Jupiter and Saturn make aspects to Uranus showing a forward, even revolutionary journey is ahead of us for the next three months. The New Moon is on the 29th at 1:55 AM EST at 7 degrees 59 minutes of Capricorn. All of the planets are contained between the Trine of Saturn and Uranus, except for Jupiter in Libra. This shows a balancing act between the vision of a better world and the hard facts of the current reality. Jupiter is Opposite Uranus, Sextile Saturn, and Trine Venus in Aquarius. This is a positive sign that this next month will be one of finding inclusive compromises that brings people together, starting us off in a new direction. From the 1st to the 4th many goals are achieved through a process of concerted effort and refining our objectives. Help comes to us through being inclusive in our planning and sharing practical and specific ideas. Basic insights lift our spirits and inspire others. From the 5th to the 11th creative ideas boost our accomplishments. Relationships take on a new outlook as we both fashion a plan of behavior and explore new options. From the 12th to the 18th even though we have definite ideas about our immediate future, innovation and serendipitous interruptions color our plans. Personal growth holds the key to all other developments. From the 19th to the 25th some clear definition on the status of our most critical relationship emerges slowly. Both patience and effort can make this a most enjoyable week. The price of togetherness is not compromise but in finding a new method of personal expression. From the 26th to the 31st quick reactions to our current circumstances puts on a path of self correction. Both relaxing and finding an appropriate outlet for our energy brings us to a sense of seasonal peace and personal joy. 1st – Thursday – Mars Trine Jupiter – Sports, physical exercise, and anything that represents self-improvement is favored now. We have an opportunity to find a higher approach to solving current problems. 2nd – Friday – Venus Semi-square Neptune, Mercury enters Capricorn – Love and beauty are themes to be viewed through a practical lens. Our imagination can carry us away from necessary tasks but practicality can be a prison. Integrating vision with immediate needs brings success. .3rd – Saturday – Mars Sextile Saturn – Although effort is important, waiting until the right moment can be the difference between accomplishment and disappointment. Thinking through processes before starting can help us on our journey. 4th – Sunday – Relax and enjoy life. Nothing is so important that it should get in the way of friendships and quiet time alone. Joy can be found in simple things. 5th – Monday – Connecting with someone we haven’t seen for a while is generally positive, however we need to control our enthusiasm until we get meaningful feedback. Our expectations may be out of step with other people’s reality. Finding common ground takes work. 6th – Tuesday – Sun Parallel Venus, Mars Sextile Uranus – It is easy to get confused as loads of new information makes finding the right choices more complex. Meditation and relaxing helps reduce possible tension. 7th – Wednesday – Mercury Semi-square Mars, Venus enters Aquarius, Sun Semi-sextile Pluto – We may be tempted to go our own way when communications are difficult. Others may have an important contribution to make if we can navigate the momentary turbulence. Finding peace and joy means taking the long view of life. 8th – Thursday – We desire closer connections with others and at the same time our own direction seems urgent. Life is easier when we are light hearted and accept that not everything has to be completed right now. 9th – Friday – Sun Sextile Jupiter – Luck is with us and being optimistic comes most naturally. Interruptions may come, but all things considered, this is a very pleasant time for advancing toward our ultimate goal. 10th – Saturday – Mercury Sextile Neptune, Sun Conjunct Saturn, Venus Parallel Saturn, Venus Semi-square Saturn – Practical steps toward our ultimate destination bring a sense of peace. We are stronger when we keep our mind focused on our objective. Dreamy visions need practical applications to enrich our lives. 11th – Sunday – Venus Parallel Pluto – We can experience a big release from our current frustrations and worry. Our needs and wants do not always agree and this can produce tension. Relaxing without expectation brings contentment. 12th – Monday – Sun Trine Uranus – New experiences bring us to the point of overstimulation but creative self expression moderates our difficulties. Higher inspiration can remind us of our ultimate values. Inspiration can be infectious. 13th – Tuesday – The Full Moon is on the 22nd degree of Sagittarius/Gemini at 7:08 PM EST- Many stops and starts make life interesting. Incredible energy is building and we need to take the good with the difficult. The nervous energy being generated now needs to be channeled to a good cause. 14th – Wednesday – Sun Semi-square Venus – We are exploring new horizons seeing far away yet enticing possibilities. The spirit of adventure can make even common place tasks seem important and fun. We can easily learn to put life experiences into context. 15th – Thursday – Venus Semi-sextile Neptune – Small steps in the right direction color the day with joy. Matters of the heart find expression through cultural pursuits. We need involvement with our community. 16th – Friday – Let your light shine. Show who you are; enjoy other people and encourage them to express their true feelings. Difficulties with others disrupt interactions if we let old wounds power the conversation. We need to put the past behind us. 17th – Saturday – Sun Parallel Mercury – Making the right choices now is paramount. Stable insights propel us forward, one step at a time. We gather information and recalibrate. 18th – Sunday – Far reaching decisions and animated discussions make for interesting interactions. Life is rolling out in front of us and today is one step in this journey. We rethink our recent actions and look for a higher way forward. 19th – Monday – Mercury turns Retrograde, Mercury Semi-square Mars – Self criticism can leave us stymied. It is even worse if we project our frustrations outward. This is the time to take stock of our situation without judgment. 20th – Tuesday – Mercury Semi-square Venus – A pleasant blending of the factual with idealistic visions of the world makes for positive communication. Easy interactions flow naturally from a feeling of comfort with ourselves. 21st – Wednesday – Mars Semi-square Pluto, Venus Semi-sextile Pluto – Different components of our own nature pull us in conflicting directions. Harmony comes through careful analysis and persistent effort. It’s a day of intensity for good or ill; drilling down to core problems can resolve basic issues in love relationships. 22nd – Thursday – Love, friendship, and adventure set the tone for the day. Finding a balance is easy if we make the reality of our limits the marker for decision making. 23rd – Friday – Mercury Parallel Saturn – Getting organized takes some work but is well worth the effort. Tuning in to the essential requirements of the moment brings peace. Mystical perceptions of life are on the other side of practical accomplishments. 24th – Saturday – Saturn Trine Uranus – A giant step is taken when we accommodate both our security needs and our desire for freedom. Regular conversation can turn up important insights and options. 25th – Sunday – Venus Trine Jupiter, Venus Sextile Uranus, Venus Sextile Saturn, Mercury Parallel Pluto – Good feelings and pleasant interaction put a fresh face on life circumstances. Positive sentiments open the door for optimism, luck, and joy. Don’t waste the moment on anything less than the truly important. 26th – Monday – Mars Sesquiquadrate Jupiter, Mars Semi-square Uranus, Jupiter Opposite Uranus, Mercury Sextile Neptune – A very fortunate turn of events comes our way, if we don’t let our reach exceed our grasp. Danger comes from being in too big of a hurry. For all our enthusiasm, we may find others less motivated to go in our direction. Sit back and enjoy the show. 27th – Tuesday – Sun Sextile Mars, Mercury Semi-square Venus – Hard driving only carries us so far. Taking time to make sure we understand and are understood is very important now. “Haste makes waste”. If our thinking is too rigid we suffer. Being kind to others makes life easier. 28th – Wednesday – Sun Conjunct Mercury, Mercury Sextile Mars – Thoughts have a reality all their own; they do more than just direct our conscious actions; they manifest in many unsuspecting ways in our lives. We need to pay close attention to what occupies our minds. Conscious effort to direct our thoughts in a positive direction brings us joy. Meditate. 29th – Thursday – The New Moon is at 7 degrees 59 minutes of Capricorn at 1:53 AM EST, Uranus turns Direct – It is best to go through a structured course correction. Old ways don’t work; we need to take a fresh look at life. Our resolve to live a new life will bring us face to face with our real options. 30th – Friday – Sun Sextile Neptune – To be of service is to put our values into practice. Finding ways to make others happy increases the joy in the world and adds meaning to our lives. Life is too short to live it for ourselves. 31st – Saturday – Even though the world is planning to celebrate the New Year, a note of caution is advisable and we do well to ring in the New and take stock of the Old quietly this time. 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 Technical problems with my newsletter have sent me scrambling for alternatives. Every month several hundred, sometimes more than a thousand, email addresses sign up for my newsletter and then don’t send in a confirming email. These addresses are apparently spam. In order to send out my Newsletter, I have to pay Net Atlantic to issue it. I’m charged according to how many addresses are registered. Since I offered the newsletter for free, a solution must be found. It takes me two days each month to write this for you, my loyal readers, I may have to make it available only through my website or Facebook. This has gone on for about six months now and I’m running out of solutions to try. Several events have just happened in my life and more are coming soon. My dear friend Sylvia Willett has just passed away. We knew each other since the late 70’s and she was truly a gentle and beautiful soul. A gifted psychic, yoga instructor, and spiritualist minister, she was a very common sense and very practical Virgo. She had a series of health issues and had been having heart trouble for the last few years. I didn’t know how serious it was until she was gone. Sylvia, we will miss you in years to come and may you have a easier life going forward. My daughter, Katie, has started working for me again and is solving a lot of office issues that have hounded me in the last few years. We are taking a pilgrimage to the Meher Spiritual Center in Myrtle Beach from the 7th to the 13th of December. This is a chance to recharge our spiritual batteries and for me to get a rest before my upcoming workshop. Over the weekend of December 17th and 18th there is a two day workshop here in Naples, “Your Horoscope as a Spiritual Guide”. Since the workshop was limited to 7 participants, it filled up quickly. People at my talk on the 19th of November, for NCGR in Ft. Lauderdale, liked the idea so much there are now two of these workshops planned for next year, February 3rd – 5th in Ft. Lauderdale and March 31st – April 2nd in Miami. The details and contact information are on my website. My dear friend and spiritual sister, Leela Bruner, is returning from India and I can’t wait to hear about her adventures. She hasn’t been over there for many years. Mary Weiss, the Mulligan family member from Hawaii, will be here for Christmas. Our celebration will be focused on family and friends but most importantly to remember the spiritual importance of the birth of Christ. Be gentle with yourself; have a great year end; I’ll see you in 2017. | 
