January 2012 Newsletter

By Bob Mulligan

In 2012 our perceptions turn right side up…our whole culture discovers we have it backwards.  We have perceived the world as something to which we have needed to adjust. The reversal of this polarity brings us to seeing that we literally create the world we inhabit.  This shift in consciousness started 50 years ago; we are at critical mass.  In 2012 the results of this gradual change will be seen world wide.  The whole process will take 4 years; month by month we will document the shift.  Be prepared; you are important; everything you, think, feel or do will have its effect on everything and everyone on the planet.

January 2012 is a month of massive readjustment.  Mars (god of war) changes direction.  Because he retrogrades now his journey through Virgo (sign of analysis) is almost eight months, instead of the allotted two.  In January, decisions made chart a course for us and the world during 2012.  We make judgments affecting our material future.  Neptune (god of culture) and Saturn (god of form) are very close to a trine with each other all month.  This will give us an ironic foreshadowing of events coming next fall.

The Full Moon is on January 9th at 2:30 AM EST.  The Sun is in Capricorn (sign of work) and the Moon is in Cancer (sign of family).  Saturn (ruler of Capricorn) is in Libra (sign of balance); we cope with balancing private and professional life.  This mirrors the tension between individual and group consciousness.  Venus (planet of love) trines Saturn and conjuncts Neptune to resolve this.  We meet our responsibilities and find an expression for an impersonal love.  

Sun enters Aquarius on January 20th at 11:10 AM EST.  The Moon (ruler of public and personal life) is in Sagittarius Conjunct the galactic center and Sextiling both Saturn (god of manifestation) and Neptune (god of ideals).  This month will be hard work but diligent effort will allow the manifestation of a higher ideal.  Venus (goddess of love and beauty), in her exaltation in Pisces, Sextiles Pluto (lord of life and death) in Capricorn (sign of fundamental structure).  Through kindness and emotional depth we are able to take a great stride forward during the solar month, altering a basic aspect of our society by changing properties of our own personality.  

The New Moon is on January 23rd at 2:41 AM EST.   This sets the tone for our work during the next four weeks.  Mercury (messenger of the gods) is rising before the Sun and Moon in Capricorn (sign of practicality).  Mercury is trining Mars just hours before Mars turns retrograde.  This sets a very conservative tone for world events but also gives us a message to hurry up and get many projects off the planning board and into action.  This will be a time of great productivity without having the luxury of either enough time or energy.  Settling our priorities is  absolutely essential for getting on a direct path to our goals.

From the 1st to the 8th we are excited and enthusiastic about our key relationships.  This is a week of focusing on communications.  We need to really listen to what others are offering and also take the time to communicate clearly our intentions.

From the 9th to the 15th practical concerns dominate our thinking and we are able to achieve quick results for the first time in many months.  Still, this is a wonderful week for aesthetic experiences and artistic expression.  Make your contribution.

From the 16th to the 22nd there are a number of things that don’t work out as we would like.  Barriers to our forward momentum emerge and block our progress.  We may be tempted to take some shortcuts to achieve our goals.  In the long run we make more real progress by accepting limitations and just dealing with them in a responsible manner.

From the 23rd to the 31st retracing our steps and recognizing the virtue in offering a sincere apology brings us luck.  When we have made mistakes and take the time to heal past relationships, we put them on a more positive footing.

1st – Sunday – Mercury Square Mars – Welcome to mental confusion and bursts of emotion.  Consistent attempts at real communication can help us inspire others as we enter a new year.  Don’t be afraid to say what you really mean and to keep looking for a way forward.

2nd – Monday – Venus Semi-square Uranus – An abrupt change of circumstances leads us down a new road.  Be willing to trust your initial impulses even though they may be something that you have never thought about before.

3rd – Tuesday – Mercury Parallel Sun – Trying to get things done can be exhausting.  Be willing to have your plans change.  Resistance can only cause grief.  Life is more fun if you are willing to be wrong.

4th – Wednesday – Sun Semi-square Neptune – Progress comes through keeping our feet on the ground while we get closer to each other.  We celebrate our diversity and take joy in each person’s unique vision of life.

5th – Thursday – We are on the edge of expectancy.  Excitement is in the air and we are very interested in trying new things.  However, we are best to just observe and plan now.  Action can come later.

6th - Friday – A new love interest can be perplexing.  This is a perfect moment to notice the beauty in the people you have been with for a long time.  Changing our attitude is much more important than changing partners.

7th – Saturday – Venus Quincunx Mars, Mercury Sextile Saturn, Mercury Sextile Neptune, Venus Semi-square Pluto – This is a magical moment for thinking about something important, then doing it.  We are in a time where news affects our thinking and friends come to our aid when we ask.  Be willing to put forth extra effort for an important cause.

8th – Sunday – Mercury enters Capricorn, Mercury Trines Jupiter, Mercury Square Uranus – Telling the truth and keeping our word helps us separate the reliable from the unreliable.  People seem to be in a hurry but it is the slow steady pace that helps us get to the goal.

9th – Monday – The Full Moon is at 2:30 AM EST – Personal and professional goals pull us in two directions.  Navigating the requirements of the day can be stressful.  Don’t be afraid to let go of long standing projects that have gone uncompleted.

10th – Tuesday – Finding an independent path may be just what is needed now.  Make sure you are doing what you really want and that you are not motivated by what other people think about your activities.

11th – Wednesday – Enthusiasm dwindles as emerging difficulties drain our energy.  Staying single minded and simple is the best strategy for moving through this day. 

12th – Thursday – Sun Trine Mars – It is as if every problem on our radar screen submits to the right use of force.  Optimistic attitudes and intelligent acts are naturally supported by circumstances.

13th – Friday – Venus Trine Saturn, Mercury Conjunct Pluto, Venus Conjunct Neptune – Be willing to harness your brilliant ideas to unrelenting pursuit of perfection.  Every molecule in the universe is searching for a new path or strategy; persistence brings results.  

14th – Saturday – Venus enters Pisces, Venus Sextile Jupiter – A radical commitment to love can lift us to a new perception of our world.  Focusing on our own best qualities can bring us things that we have known but forgotten….now is a time for getting in contact with ourselves.

15th – Sunday – Venus Semi-sextile Uranus, Venus Parallel Neptune – We are starting something new.  Is it with new people, or just a new approach to our old peer group?  Are friends telling us who we are, or is who we are telling us who our friends are?  If we are wise we are finding out something new about ourselves.

16th – Monday – We finish a project one way or another, and then go on to a new one.  This is a time for discovering a new emotional depth.

17th – Tuesday – Mercury Semi-square Neptune, Jupiter Semi-sextile Uranus – It is easy to just drift as our perceptions of the world and our values seem so out of step with each other.  Be brave and embrace the contradictions; stay true to yourself and life gets easier in a day or so.

18th – Wednesday –Venus Contra-parallel Jupiter – Don’t let the magnitude of the road ahead stop you from moving.  A few steps taken whole heartedly will bring an amazing response from the world.

19th – Thursday – Sun Square Saturn, Sun Semi-sextile Neptune – We have reached the end of a long process; the wise man knows that the chapter is closed and will live in the new reality.  Avoidance brings pain; acceptance brings joy.

20th – Friday – Sun enters Aquarius, Venus Sextile Pluto – Only love has the power to really transform us.  Planning is quite difficult as we need to be able to change directions in order to follow our heart.

21st – Saturday – Sun Sextile Uranus – We all work together in innovative ways.  We wish to establish some sense of independence but the blessing of teamwork help us come to understand the true nature of being a real individual.

22nd – Sunday – Sun Square Jupiter, Venus Parallel Saturn – Getting the benefits of past actions to serve the needs of our current situation takes more effort than it may seem to be worth.  A bountiful future is built on the good deeds unfolding from our history.

23rd – Monday – The New Moon is at 2:41 AM EST, Mercury Trine Mars, Mars turns Retrograde - It’s a day of experiencing meditation in action.  We implement very basic ideas with a tremendous amount of speed and agility.  Telling your truth is a liberating experience.

24th – Tuesday – Sun Parallel Pluto – Are we going our own way or operating as part of a group.  This is the time when self transformation requires the interaction with others.  Be prepared to go slow and stay with a process for a while.

25th – Wednesday – We all seem a little over sensitive; we change our minds and so do others.  We are easily influenced by the people in our environment so it is good to be with positive people.

26th – Thursday – Venus Sesquiquadrate Saturn – We have reached the end of doing things a certain way.  Relationships improve by being loving and responsible.

27th – Friday – Mercury Square Saturn, Mercury Semi-sextile Neptune, Mercury enters Aquarius, Venus Contra-parallel Mars – Good news from several areas makes the world a more pleasant place.  We struggle to find our place with others and careful analysis and consistent feelings create the context for more meaningful relationships.   

28th – Saturday – Sun Sesquiquadrate Mars, Venus Semi-square Jupiter, Mercury Sextile Uranus, Sun Semi-sextile Pluto, Mercury Square Jupiter – We are struggling to create something new today…if we are careful though, we can see what gets in our way.  Our impulses are progressive and take us in a new direction.  Be careful with what you say as we will have a tendency to overstate our case.

29th – Sunday – We are rapidly counting up facts and coming to some new conclusions.  We are no longer trapped by our past.  We experience some pain in the normal growth process which is very speeded up today.

30th – Monday – Mercury Semi-square Venus – Although we are lucky and many things work out well, we experience a certain awkwardness with the people with whom we are most emotionally connected.

31st – Tuesday – Bold assertion and clever anecdotes spice up this very exciting day.  Intuition can guide us through a mountain of details very quickly.  It is necessary to be absolutely certain as to what is important before we act.

Bob Mulligan is available for personal appointments, astrology classes, and astrological material.  Call him at 239-261-2840 or by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .  Visit our web site, www.theastrologycompany.com.

As you all know, CD’s, DVD’s, and mp3’s are available for my talk "2012 – The Year of Finality", given at the Salt Cave on December 17th.

I've received so many complimentary calls and emails about this talk….I used the story in the talk from an article in the newspaper about a woman having her Kmart Christmas layaway paid off by a stranger; this happened at other Kmarts across the country.

Leaving my talk I went directly to the airport to fly to see my mother.  Delta Airlines had changed my seat; I ended up sitting next to the regional manager for Kmart.  When he became part of the management he started paying off some people’s layaways himself every Christmas.  He did it anonymously, oh just $200 - $500. He was planting a seed.

In the newspaper the day after Christmas there was a follow-up article about hundreds of other stores around the country, including here in Naples where this had happened, BECAUSE people had seen the story in the newspaper.  My major point in my talk 2012, we will recognize, "what you do makes a difference." I want to thank each and every one of you for taking the time to read my newsletter and may your 2012 be profoundly fulfilling.