August 2023 By Bob Mulligan (a personal note is at the end of the newsletter) August Highlights August starts with a Full Moon on the 1st and ends with another one on the 30th. The signs are positive with each of the Full Moon charts, but also with the chart for the New Moon. Jupiter rises before the Sun and is in Square on the 1st. The chart for the New Moon is Conjunct Retrograde Venus; Venus rises before the Sun. The Full Moon on the 30th is with Venus, (which is Square Jupiter) rising before the Sun. Great expectations are with us all month. Mercury is in Virgo and turns Retrograde on the 23rd, before completing his Trine to Uranus in Taurus and Pluto in Capricorn. We can look at this as a practical master plan that will not be implemented. Instead, it will be back to the drawing board, with scaled back demands that will be implemented next month as Mercury Trines Jupiter twice, then Uranus and Pluto. August is a time of revision. Venus remains Retrograde in Leo all month. This shows emotional cleansing. In the last week of August, Mercury will have turned Retrograde as the Sun enters the sign of the virgin. This opens the door to re-evaluate all things. This is a gift moment. We put life’s experiences through a strainer. Mars enters Libra on the 27th. Forcefulness will involve collusion to be effective. Libra is ruled by Venus. In her Retrograde motion, Venus backs through the second decanate of Leo (the Sagittarius part of the sign). The fighting spirit of Mars is mitigated by an emotional need for harmony through seeking a higher value. The Full Moon The Full Moon is on the 1st at 2:31 PM EDT on the 9th degree of Leo/Aquarius. The fixed T-square, Jupiter Square both Sun and Moon, makes real change difficult. We tend toward seeing ourselves as an exception to the general rules that everyone else lives under. Mars Trine Jupiter shows that we make progress by feeling the competition. Others set the pace and we strengthen ourselves by keeping up with them. With Mercury Opposite Saturn, we may need extra discipline to fulfill our desired goals of the moment. We need to do our own thing, but still be aware of how others are doing. Uranus in Square to Venus, while being Trine Pluto and Sextile Neptune, we can feel overwhelmed by changing circumstances in the world writ large. We have to embrace our uniqueness without disparaging others. The New Moon The New Moon is on the 16th at 5:37 AM EDT on the 23rd degree of Leo. Sun and Moon are Square Uranus. Letting go of things, people, and situations from the past is necessary now. Retrograde Venus Square Jupiter brings luck, but it is not an easy trick to see what the luck refers to. Mercury in Virgo is Conjunct Mars and Trine Uranus. Analysis, discretion, and practical grounding are necessary to make quick, accurate, and satisfying steps forward. Advice from friends and associates, while well meaning, can mislead us. Mars Opposite Neptune has us looking for the needle in the haystack, without recognizing that we are in the middle of a pile of hay that is on fire. Real practicality now means being able to keep track of the larger context of our environment, society, and the world. The Sun enters Virgo The Sun crosses into Virgo on the 23rd at 5:02 AM EDT. Virgo’s purpose is to create order and to label the contents of our experience. Mercury (ruler of Virgo) is Stationary turning Retrograde. Whatever we are working on needs to be to scaled back. With the Moon in Scorpio Opposite Jupiter, and Uranus in Taurus, eliminating the things that must go is a cleansing and purifying act. Mercury is Sextile the Moon and Trine Jupiter/Uranus. Well, we know what habits must change in order to experience the freedom we long for. Mars in Virgo is in a Grand Trine in earth (substantive) with Pluto and Uranus. The Opposition of Mars to Neptune triggers this very practical pattern into motion. Throughout this Solar Month we must aim, and take determined steps, to manifest our higher ideals. The Full Moon The Full Moon is on the 30th at 9:35 PM EDT on 7 degrees 25 minutes of Virgo/Pisces. Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto are in harmonious relationship with each other. However, since the Moon has just crossed over Saturn (restriction) and both Mercury and Venus are Retrograde, we are may see a Divine promise that we can manifest right now. It’s a waste of time and energy to attempt projects now that have no chance of working out. This is a time for observing and planning. Much of our activities must be available for major alterations next month. The Weeks From the 1st to the 6th there is so much joy in the world. Why worry about the changes? We need to recognize and build on our differences. We have the answers to the really important questions. We have the tools to comprehend and rectify our collective missteps. Nervousness is just an understandable response to a shifting landscape. From the 7th to the 13th just getting into motion is half the battle. Innovation is all around us and it is a blessing. However, our best posture is to rely on the habits that brought us this far. The real magic of the moment is to recognize that we have diamonds in our pockets even when we feel that we don’t have the price of a loaf of bread. From the 14th to the 20th we don’t have to travel to the Serengeti in order to have an adventure. We don’t need a new friend or a new lover. We have already been given the people, the terrain, and the equipment we need. Inner exploration is great; but tremendous treasure in our environment is waiting to be recognized. From the 21st to the 27th luckily our bicycle has more than one gear. To change into a better one makes the pedaling easier. Drilling down into the bare facts allows us to see what is worth our time, money, and energy. Even though the journey becomes more important than the destination, we must be careful to not get lost in trivia for its own sake. From the 28th to the 31st we move toward our month end adventures with renewed enthusiasm. However, the best advice we can give ourselves is wait and see, move cautiously. There is real treasure to be found, but we need to be conscious of others, bring them along. We are all connected, but we don’t need to be lemmings following the group as they jump off the cliff. The Days 1st – Tuesday – Venus Parallel Mars, the Full Moon is at 2:31 PM EDT on the 9th degree of Leo/Aquarius, Mars Trine Jupiter, Mars Sesquiquadrate Pluto, Mercury Opposite Saturn – We may think we are helping a friend when we swat a fly off their nose with a brick. Yes, there is such a thing as using too much force to accomplish a goal, even when our intentions are honorable. Taking time to help others is golden. Reason is a good tool, but so is checking the facts. Be empirical. Use a long stick to find out how deep the water is. 2nd – Wednesday – Big plans alter as new information exerts an influence. Observation reveals more of the truth. What looked like solid ground turns out to be a mirage. Confusion is closer to reality than mistaking an illusion for substance. We have an opportunity to find our future by letting go of the past. 3rd – Thursday – The way forward is with careful steps. Tentative moves are more productive than brazen foolhardy assertions. If we feel that we must do everything on our own, we will not make much progress; we will be alone. It is time to build bridges. 4th – Friday – Sun Sesquiquadrate Neptune – Trusting our psychic impressions is neither bad nor good. Balance requires integration of many mental tools. Dreaming of a better life is good, but not sufficient to go on living. The peripheral of life will not inspire us. It is time to find true purpose. 5th – Saturday – Mercury Parallel Venus – Reason tends to win. However, success comes by letting heartfelt impressions flavor logical conclusions. A good friend or confidant can help us gain useful perspective. 6th – Sunday – Sun Square Jupiter – A healthy dose of self-confidence prompts us to take risks that we wouldn’t ordinarily entertain. This is a red banner day for promoting our own projects. However, people matter. When taking new initiatives, we need to keep our eye on tangible results. 7th – Monday – Mercury Parallel Mars – Diligent attention to detail is emotionally rewarding, but when carefully crafted, it contributes to completing a project. Keeping our attention in the present makes better use of our time and energy. There are mistakes made in the past that have imprinted themselves on the current situation in the world. We need to acknowledge the difficulties, then move on. 8th – Tuesday – Even though our pace may be slow, we can progress. There are some circumstances that have been overlooked. Left-handed compliments can actually show us something important. A new approach to our repetitive tasks can open doors. Some habits are up to modify. 9th – Wednesday – Mercury Sesquiquadrate Pluto, Venus Square Uranus, Mercury Trine Jupiter – Obsessive attention to things gone by can leave us exhausted. Emotional capriciousness puts us out on a limb, soon to be sawed off. We must relax, have faith, and pay attention. We don’t need a ski mask and a gun to take money out of our own back account. We earned the gifts that naturally come to us. 10th – Thursday – Not every scrap of information has to fit into our personal filing system. We can appreciate the beauty of a tree without counting every leaf, or even identifying its kind. Mental gyrations and fascinations have their place. But, pleasure and purpose work hand in glove. 11th – Friday – We move fastest if we accept the help as it comes, without question. It is easy to get freaked out by the future. Preparation for change should be joyous. Relinquishing habits from the old world requires letting go of prejudice and privilege. 12th – Saturday – Sun Parallel Jupiter, Venus Semi-sextile Mars – When we lift our sights above the conflict, friction becomes harmony. Listening to others builds bridges when we are authentic and compassionate. Ground clearing for a new civilization requires true understanding and concern for the welfare of others. We get closer every day. 13th – Sunday – Sun Conjunct Venus – To express our true beauty, we need to share what we have with others. Art, music, drama can all express the Divine’s love for humanity. As our values shift, many things we strive for will disappear in the mist. To hold our most sacred possessions close to our heart transforms us for good or ill. 14th – Monday – Mercury Contra-parallel Neptune – Inner charm awaits us. However, outer activity is a bit restricted. Our perceptions of things in the world tend to be distorted by our imagination, working in combination with wishful thinking. Regardless of our sincerity or level of consciousness, we need to take the next step. 15th – Tuesday – Sun Semi-sextile Mars, Mercury Semi-sextile Venus, Sun Square Uranus – Balancing our needs with circumstances in other people’s lives helps us maintain a reasonable perspective. Our big danger now is that we can act too abruptly. Circumstances seem to encourage us to be in a rush. Reason and common sense help focus our attention on common decency. Lack is an illusion. 16th – Wednesday – The New Moon is on the 16th at 5:37 AM EDT on the 23rd degree of Leo, Mars Trines Uranus – Picking apples from the tree before they are ripe is fine, as long we are aware of what we are doing. Fruit matures over time; we can’t put Mother Nature in a microwave and get a natural meal. Compromises are made somewhere. Our choices matter. 17th – Thursday – Boundaries are mostly illusions. We have real limitations, but we don’t want to limit ourselves prematurely. Picking on ourselves, or others, is like an auto-immune disease of our behavior monitor. Refining our ethical grid is almost always a good thing. However, you don’t rebuild your car engine in the middle of the Indianapolis 500. 18th – Friday – For better or worse, we are on a waterslide. Shortly, we will land in the swimming pool. Effort counts, but changes in orientation need to be minor. Conserving our strength for the next round makes more sense than struggling against the inevitable. 19th – Saturday – Even when we struggle to maintain our passion, the higher light is always watching over us, and is there to guide us. Fighting against restrictions strengthens us. Are we truly committed to self-improvement? What does that even look like? Clarity comes from reflection. 20th – Sunday – Sun Quincunx Neptune, Mars Contra-parallel Neptune – Ends and means don’t always agree. We need to be more affirming and less critical. Even when our goals seem vague, we all know the general direction and the rules for good behavior. The light of heaven pours down and lights the way. We just need to honestly want direction, and then it appears. 21st – Monday – Sun Quincunx Pluto – Our attempts to bring missing pieces into the puzzle probably will misfire unless we keep it simple. To fight against external forces is a waste of energy. We can have rest and recharge time with friends, but it is not a good day to go to the beach. It is raining, stay covered. 22nd – Tuesday – Venus Square Jupiter, Mars Opposite Neptune, Sun Contra-parallel Saturn – We can consider it a victory if we don’t lose too much ground. Viewing other people’s lives that have a modicum of freedom is inspiring. This is not a time to emulate them, or even engage in wishful thinking. Still, we can imagine a better day while we handle mundane tasks. 23rd – Wednesday – The Sun crosses into Virgo on the 23rd at 5:02 AM EDT, Mercury turns Retrograde – Without any special effort, we revise our thinking. Things that seem to be certain now enter the category of maybe not. This sudden turn of events can open the door to deep and comprehensive reevaluation of our aims. It isn’t that doors close, or that we lose interest, the shape of our lives change, and this requires some recalibration. 24th – Thursday – Mars Trine Pluto – That extra push carries us over the finish line. Practical effort allows us to move without too much forethought. When our aim is true we can trust our intuition. Some problems can’t be solved, but when we let go and move forward, they become irrelevant. There is no need to alter our course, we must keep moving in well-trod grooves. 25th – Friday – Venus Semi-square Mars – Someone or something can slip away if we are not careful. To preserve our options for the future, we must slow down and observe. We can have love, express it, and still be dutiful. Events reveal aspects of our nature and personal preferences that we may need to rectify. 26th – Saturday – Don’t poke the bear. Ham-handed attempts to clear up disagreements can leave us feeling less than diplomatic superstars. If our heart is peaceful, we can respond to overtures with love. All in all, it is still not a great day to initiate. We should let others come to us, or turn our attention toward areas where our energy will make a positive contribution. 27th – Sunday – Sun Opposite Saturn, Mars enters Libra, Mercury Contra-parallel Mars – Channeling our effort correctly means being able to see the outcome before we move. This is not possible. However, if we accept our fallibility and remain humble, we can correct in motion. The results are amazing and beyond expectation. 28th – Monday – Mars Sesquiquadrate Jupiter, Sun Parallel Venus, Uranus turns Retrograde – Our fuel is high octane; it will work, but it is actually beyond the requirements of our vehicle. Our enthusiastic energy must be appropriately channeled. We get further if we are non-confrontational. Challenges of the moment are in the middle of the spectrum. There is plenty of time to spread joy. It is ok to drive to our destination and still have three quarters of a tank of gas. 29th – Tuesday – The general feeling is that people are unapproachable. Consensus is difficult; by driving alone we get further down the road. Trying to convince others to join us is probably a waste of time. Freedom comes when we claim it for ourselves first. To lead by example broadens our impact. 30th – Wednesday – Mercury Parallel Mars, the Full Moon is at 9:35 PM EDT in Virgo/Pisces at 7 degrees 25 minutes – Analysis and dead reckoning work hand in glove. Vague fears block our way until we realize they lack substance. At the same time, it is true that we can see possibilities that are further off in the timeline than we would wish. The process of separating fact from fiction matures our approach to life. 31st – Thursday – The spark is lit, the inspiration is present. Now we just have to head in the right direction. The loss of things we recently threw away can haunt us. The higher truth is that we have what we need. We are more fortunate than many of us will be able to see. The next month brings big surprises; we will welcome them. Bob Mulligan is available for personal appointments, astrology classes, and astrological material. Call him at 239-261-2840 or e-mail bobmulliga@aol.com. Visit our website, www.theastrologycompany.com. My Personal Note As you know, I am moving to Myrtle Beach, SC. My new apartment is smaller than the space I now occupy, but it does have two bedrooms, one of which will be my office. The exact moving date is to be determined; just now I found out the renovation has been completed on the new building. I am working to select the best astrological time to make the move. Katie is moving to Myrtle Beach when I do. She will live with a friend for a few months and explore the area. She plans to spend a month in West Virginia to hike and see the leaves change. She isn’t certain if Myrtle Beach is her home so she is giving herself the great gift of time and adventure. She is finishing her Bachelor’s degree online, and plans to spend January in India. The mother of my two oldest children (Hannah and Sylvan) is quite ill which creates a ripple effect through the extended family. My youngest child (Bailey) is taking care of her life partner who is also seriously ill. At least when I’m in Myrtle Beach we will all be within reasonable proximity. I have a new iPhone 13. My old one was an iPhone 6S. The new one is quite a different creature. Any change is one I approach with, “Do I really have to do this?” Learning new technology is just an extra drain on time. I’m a content guy; the message gets the lion’s share of my attention. However, an old dog can learn new tricks and this one seemed necessary…BTW, my old phone died as soon as the data was switched from the old to the new. My talk, “The Hierarchy of Planets” will be delivered via Zoom on September 16th at 2:00 PM EDT. NCGR San Diego chapter is sponsoring this talk. Registration begins August 19th. Here is the link: https://ncgrsandiego.org/wp/ Here is a description: The three Trans-Saturnine planets show the development of civilization. Saturn and Jupiter show the timing within society. Together these five planets create our external environment. The five personal planets (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, and Mars) show how we become aligned with, and work through our personal karma. Personal struggles within a lifetime must accommodate the larger concerns and challenges posed by the external world. This talk demonstrates practical guidelines for dealing with these circumstances. My long time friend, Mary Weiss, sent me this. A very positive thought: We join spokes together in a wheel, but it is the center hole that makes the wagon move. We shape clay into a vessel, but it is the emptiness inside that holds whatever we want. We hammer wood for a house, but it is the inner space that makes it livable. We work with being, but non-being is what we use. Dao De Jing chapter 11 A newsletter subscriber sent me this quote last month because they knew I was grieving the loss of my dog, Teddy. “In grief we access parts of ourselves that were somehow unavailable to us in the past. With awareness, the journey through grief becomes a path to wholeness”. – Mark Matousek, “A Splinter of Love” Coming to terms with loss, it is always good to remember life is impermanent. What begins, ends. I’ve watched this documentary a number of times. This is not just a trip down memory lane. It is not just a reminder that we have a better self. It is a clarion call to each of us to take what is precious from our innocence and use it to build a better world. We have the ability to create a real utopia. At the time, we thought Woodstock was the beginning of a new revolution. Actually it was the end of something unbelievably beautiful. That world is gone, but the love lives on because it is Infinite. Woodstock Three Days That Defined a Generation Full Movie – YouTube The urge for freedom is rooted in every soul; 1969 music is a perfect demonstration of this: White Bird – YouTube Even some of today’s music demonstrates the limitlessness of love: Ed Sheeran – Best Part Of Me (feat. YEBBA) (Live At Abbey Road) – YouTube Bob Mulligan is available for personal appointments, astrology classes, and astrological material. Call him at 239-261-2840 or e-mail bobmulliga@aol.com. Visit our website, www.theastrologycompany.com. | 
