May 2021 By Bob Mulligan (a personal note is at the end of the newsletter) In May of 2021, the world moves from a mostly sedentary state to being electric, active, and curious. Some people still wish we could return to the way things used to be. Even they will have to find a new way of responding to social and environmental change. Mercury enters Gemini on the 3rd. Venus enters Gemini on the 8th. The Sun enters Gemini on the 20th. Saturn turns Retrograde on the 23rd. These are all stepping stones on our path forward. We stop looking back. May has three other significant and revealing astronomical events: Jupiter briefly enters Pisces (May 13th until July 28th) on the 13th, a Lunar Eclipse on the 26th, and Mercury turns Retrograde on the 29th. Jupiter in Pisces will increase our empathic bond with each other and the planet, the Eclipse will further stimulate our mental life, and Mercury’s backward motion helps us change our thinking. The New Moon is on May 11th on the 21st degree of Taurus at 2:59 PM EDT. It falls exactly Square the midpoint of Jupiter/Saturn. Hard work, perseverance, and government intervention bring change. We are going it alone. It is good to feel self-sufficient and capable of doing what must happen. Sun/Moon Trines Pluto and Sextiles Neptune; the divine plan of spiritualizing the material world takes personal meaning and the potency of history is with us. Mars is Sextile Uranus and Quincunx Saturn; forward-looking ideas move us to our betterment, but we can easily be tripped up by taking on duties not our own, while missing true obligations. It is not easy to see what our real responsibilities are. Mercury is Conjunct the North Node of the Moon and Trine to Saturn. Life is most interesting when we let the facts we gather imprint themselves and give context as our values transform. The Sun enters Gemini on the 20th at 3:38 PM EDT. With Mercury Square Neptune and Sun Square Jupiter, the big problem can be overreach. Trying to do too much too fast can cause problems. The Moon in Virgo is Trine Uranus in Taurus, so we may find the general public coming along with some ideas that are common sense. Mars in Cancer Trines Neptune in Pisces; big ideas may not have the energy to reach completion. Venus and the North Node of the Moon are Trine a Stationary Saturn getting ready to turn Retrograde. People may be very fickle, but at least we are open to new ideas. On May 26th at 7:13 AM EDT we have a Full Moon which is a potent Lunar Eclipse, occurring on 5 degrees of Gemini/Sagittarius. Lunar Eclipses are a time for meditation and acknowledgement of past achievements. Jupiter Squares the Eclipse from the first degree of Pisces. This adds to the excitement and encourages us to dream big dreams. Mercury/ Venus are Conjunct and Square Neptune; our mental life is shaky because part of us wants to confirm our higher values against the flow of the common culture. We can use this nervousness to reinforce and live from our ideals. From the 1st to the 9th we are working to untangle the web of the illusion. The security we have been seeking is a mirage. To create something of value we need a place to plant our feet. But now we must venture beyond our root structure. Moving beyond our home base expands our horizons and brings light. From the 10th to the 16th we discover life is more interesting, and relationships more fulfilling, if our desires focus on tangible results aimed at helping others. “Charity begins at home” but shouldn’t end there. Helping others through a deep emotional investment in their happiness puts us on the right road. From the 17th to the 23rd after our present work is done, taking a vacation is meaningful and fun. Genuine relaxation has benefits. On the other side of handling basics, new projects emerge automatically. Resting between ventures is smart. It is a virtue to know when we have enough. Changes in the world keep us connected to each other. From 24th to the 31st we may be working against ourselves when restlessness fritters away our energy in meaningless and misunderstood actions. Our collective desire is for cohesion, still we run a gambit of emotions, bridging the gap between what we have and what we think will make us happy. Contentment and equipoise clears our vision. 1st – Saturday – Mercury Contra-parallel Venus, Venus Contra-parallel Neptune – Lots of new options make for exciting times. It is best to create harmony and beauty wherever possible. Our creative juices are flowing and need an outlet. 2nd – Sunday – Mercury Trine Pluto, Venus Sextile Neptune – Nailing down practical details provides a sense of security. We are safe and can move forward. Fears are baseless and we need to trust life. 3rd – Monday – Mercury Square Jupiter, Sun Square Saturn, Mercury enters Gemini – Fine tuning our mind can come courtesy of new inspiration. Limitations imposed by the environment are merely encouragement to provide focus. Pleasing our boss is always great, but we need to make sure that we are staying aligned with our real goals. 4th – Tuesday – Mercury Contra-parallel Pluto – Even though we may be moving in a world that appears new and different, nagging obligations from our past need to be recognized and addressed. Freedom comes through completions. 5th – Wednesday – Emotional depth can bring commitment but also confusion. We speed up our journey by acting on impulse and intuition. Demanding clarity keeps us standing still and ineffective. When concerned for others our attention moves to the truly important. Adventure will not require going beyond our foundations. 6th – Thursday – Venus Trine Pluto – Something beyond our common experience calls us. Imagination opens doors; we find inspiration. It is time to close the deal with people and situations we truly care about. 7th – Friday – Certainty comes through activities. We start slow but every step strengthens our purpose. Our enthusiasm may not necessarily inspire a positive response in others. Awareness of other people’s moods can help us avoid unpleasant and unnecessary confrontations. Going it alone in silence is helpful. 8th – Saturday – Venus Square Jupiter, Venus enters Gemini, Sun Contra-parallel Saturn – Possessions and position oppose freedom. Self-created limitations come from indecision. If we have difficulty making up our mind, friends can help. 9th – Sunday – Fear of taking a wrong step can put us in a quagmire. Relax and take a day of rest. A tired mind usually makes poor decisions. Self-judgment is not the same as self-study. Dealing effectively with life’s limitations helps expand our perceptions. There are complexities in the moment, but most data is superfluous. Lingering addictions to transactional falsehoods are still embedded in the collective mindset. Taking a stand on a higher truth has potency when we can stay calm. 10th – Monday – Mercury Semi-sextile Mars, Mercury Parallel Mars, Mercury Semi-sextile Uranus – Not only do we get to act efficiently and immediately, we can actually understand the purpose of our actions. We are linking the global turbulence with our personal life circumstances. Family and close associates help us and we help them. 11th – Tuesday – Mercury Sesquiquadrate Pluto, The New Moon at 3:01 PM EDT on 21 degrees of Taurus, Mars Sextile Uranus – We are changing along with the world; things that represent security provide practical grounding. Make a definitive list of objectives for the coming month. Power comes when we are specific. Goals are closer than they look. 12th – Wednesday – Mercury Trine Saturn – A steady mind comes through discipline, which in turn spells success. There are no surprises; we receive rewards commensurate with our effort. Self-reliance brings satisfaction and success. 13th – Thursday – Sun Sextile Neptune, Jupiter enters Pisces – Possibilities sprout in front of us. We are filled with hope; the world can be a better place. Translating our great sounding ideas into practice can in itself bring changes of mind and heart. The world looks different from the top of a mountain than is does from the ocean floor. 14th – Friday – Traditional methods for approaching higher values or religious beliefs will invoke memories of days gone by. If we are able to see what we need to do now through the lens of past happenings, life improves. Our imagination can play tricks on us; our past has significance. Personal history is for our growth. 15th – Saturday – Mars Quincunx Saturn – Hard work and discipline alone does not promise success. To achieve anything of real value, we need to step back and appraise. There are simpler ways to climb the mountain in front of us. We are not obligated to instruct anyone else; others are not necessarily guideposts to our own responsibilities. 16th – Sunday – Venus Contra-parallel Pluto – Commitment, even to the simplest things, may evoke inner conflict. The desire to learn from new experiences is titillating and encourages us to wander from our current path. The lessons confronting us lead to the same destination regardless of the path we take. 17th – Monday – Sun Trine Pluto – Putting energy into our current direction brings reward. Anything leading to tangible results provides satisfaction. Tradition and past responsibilities are not the same thing. Letting go of yesteryears requires self-forgiveness and releasing others. 18th – Tuesday – Venus Semi-sextile Uranus, Venus Sesquiquadrate Pluto, Mars Sesquiquadrate Jupiter – Even though we can see a new life for ourselves, and maybe the rest of the world, getting there takes effort and patience. Our situation has changed dramatically over the last 18 months, there are people, situations, and ideas that have been companions on this journey. We need to acknowledge all of these in order to recognize the brilliance of our unique gifts. 19th – Wednesday – Venus Trine Saturn – It’s ok to be different and run against the grain of regular society. Stability of moods, feelings, emotions within our daily lives is the vehicle for the systematic unfoldment of our life’s purpose. Some problems just disappear; some issues require a new approach; some circumstances need to be looked into more deeply. 20th – Thursday – The Sun enters Gemini at 3:38 PM EDT – Tremendous promise is in front; yesterday is as if it never was. An inner drive is attempting to raise our vibration. This will appear as nervousness, indecision, or inspiration; all dependent on our level of consciousness. 21st – Friday – Sun Square Jupiter – Too many options can make us fretful. If we choose a course of action and stick to it, we see immediate payback. Material results may be the world’s yardstick for our efforts now. However, our true goal is further away and will take time. Detachment from the rapidly changing circumstances in the world speeds up our progress. 22nd – Saturday – Mercury Square Neptune – We need to be careful in conversation; we may tell people what they want to hear, even when this doesn’t correspond with facts. Conversely, we may buy into things that match what we want to believe. Separating fact from fiction, fantasy from true ideals, allows us to perform a major surgery on our own consciousness. 23rd – Sunday – Saturn turns Retrograde, Venus Parallel Mars – A magical moment is upon us. The brakes are off. We can tell special people in our lives how we really feel. This is not a lightning bolt, just an important first step. Common ground and drastic differences are two sides of the same emotion. 24th – Monday – Venus Semi-sextile Mars – A brighter mood prevails when we keep conversations light, lively, and relevant. Emotional bonding and intellectual stimulation is a natural byproduct of respectful examination of our relationships. We need to feed our curiosity and fulfill the same in others. 25th – Tuesday – Sun Semi-square Mars – Difficulties in our outer world stem from friction in our inner environment. Being upset with anyone else is a waste of time; engaging in disagreements are not likely to bear fruit. Anger comes from insecurity. Passing the peace to others can only happen when we have it ourselves. 26th – Wednesday – The Full Moon Eclipse is at 7:13 AM EDT on the 5th degree of Gemini/Sagittarius – Adherence to the literal truth is difficult if our primary motivation is to sway others in a specific direction. In a sense we are all artists; our challenge is to paint what we feel, not just what will sell. It is wonderful to “spin a yarn” as long as everyone understands this is fiction. 27th – Thursday – Venus Square Neptune, Mercury Parallel Venus – When we are settled, and in our right mind, we know exactly what to do and say. With so much turbulence in the world, it’s hard to put our attention where it will matter the most. Peace comes through constructive mental stimulation. 28th – Friday – One measured step in the right direction is worth more than tremendous gyrations. Innovations are not new or unique anymore. What needs to happen has been obvious for a very long time. It just takes awhile to get it right. We hang out with the right people when we realize the role they play in our lives. 29th – Saturday – Mercury Conjunct Venus, Mercury turns Retrograde – Progress isn’t made by being glib. Collaboration solves problems if we haven’t burned our bridges. Sitting still presents us with new possibilities. Just observing is pleasurable and informative. Meditation, taking notes, planning are all more promising than direct action. 30th – Sunday – Venus Quincunx Pluto – Addiction and habit are only differentiated by a matter of degrees. Inner balance and a sense of personal freedom are achievable. We are moving forward in life. It is important to acknowledge the luggage we are bringing with us, and see what is really by conscious choice and what is merely inertia. 31st – Monday – Mars Trine Neptune, Venus Semi-sextile Uranus – We feel strongly about our commitments. When other people intersect our lives, their investment may seem less than our own. Our emotional intensity is only meant to be instructive for us. We are happiest when we free everyone else. 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. This time of the Pandemic has pushed us all inward. Our inner world means more than the external environment. This is easy for us, but some people are not used to spending time by themselves. We are all linked together, mentally by the internet, emotionally by the world wide economic system, and now Covid reminds us we are all connected in the material world. Everything most of us use in our daily life came from somewhere else. We are materially interdependent. This short article is a lighthearted reminder of how life has changed: Even with hope on the horizon in this pandemic, what’s the point of ever leaving home again? – CNN I’m not moving, at least until June of 2022. So much is happening quickly so I’m looking for options going forward. Decluttering my environment must happen first. Genevieve, daughter of my dear departed friend, Caroline Beebe, drove down to see me from her home in Bloomington, Indiana. She brought me many new astrology books, as well as books and memorabilia from Caroline’s time with Meher Baba’s disciples in India. Katie has been working on updating my website theastrologycompany.com. For years I have allowed it to languish. My time and attention always seemed to be needed elsewhere. With the help of my friend, Aswin Balaji Subramanyan, I got a new microphone for my computer. Katie chose a new webcam for it as well. This will make my Zoom work smoother going forward. In addition to my monthly Question and Answer sessions, I’ve started seeing clients via Zoom. My telephone work may be drawing to a close. Thank you all for spending some time with me on April 18th when I talked for forty-five minutes describing my early years in astrology, then 15 more minutes answering question. If you missed it and would like to see it, here is the link: https://youtu.be/D8tXKC4SCJ8 Bhutan used astrology to time the vaccination of its population. Here’s the link to the story: Bhutan administers coronavirus vaccines to 93 percent of adults after waiting for auspicious date selected by astrologers – The Washington Post I got this note from Deb Hoagbin: “I wanted to thank you for sharing the link to “The Story of Stuff.” I hadn’t seen it. After watching I encouraged my husband to watch it and urged him to share it with his students. After watching, he agreed. More than 100 of his middle school students viewed the video in his class and were highly interested and enthusiastic about how they could help. His creative writing class will use this as the subject for their next writing assignment. Numerous other teachers heard about it and the interest spread. It’s amazing what the planting of one seed can yield!” So I wrote back to Deb and asked if I could share her comments in this newsletter. She sent this back: “Yes, please! You might also add to that story that the Science department picked up on the great idea and followed suit as well. What a wonderful thing to spark the interest of those who will carry on after us.” Just when I started feeling ok about getting older, and having a younger generation coming along, and being able to do things that I couldn’t do at their age, then I stumbled on this 50 second video. Take a look: https://youtu.be/FoEdXS3mXTI As you all know, we are in the midst of a gigantic shift in culture. We are raising consciousness on the planet and we all have a role to play. Thank you for letting me be in your life process. 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. | 
