Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter January 23, 2008

Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
JANUARY 23, 2008
FreeWillAstrology.com

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"The Godhead resides quite as comfortably in the circuits of a digital computer or the gears of a cycle transmission as he does at the top of a mountain or in the petals of a flower."
- Robert M. Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

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WHAT'S TO COME?
BRAINSTORM ABOUT THE BIG PICTURE OF YOUR LIFE

with the help of my
Expanded Audio Horoscopes for the Coming Year

Go to RealAstrology.com

You can still listen to my long-range, in-depth explorations of your destiny in 2008. Each report in the three-part series is about 6-9 minutes long.

What will be the story of your life in 2008? How can you exert your free will to create the adventures that'll bring out the best in you, even as you find graceful ways to cooperate with the tides of destiny?

If you'd like a high-octane boost of inspiration to fuel you in your quest for beauty and truth and love and justice and meaning, tune in to my meditations on your long-term outlook.

A new short-range forecast for this week is also available, both on the Web and at 1-877-873-4888 or 1-900-950-7700.

To find out more about Your BIG PICTURE horoscopes, go to RealAstrology.com.

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My book
"PRONOIA IS THE ANTIDOTE FOR PARANOIA:
How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings"
is available for sale at
tinyurl.com/qaj62

Here's an excerpt:

FLIP-FLOP THE TRAUMATIC IMPRINT

Beauty and Truth Laboratory researcher Artemisia had just begun menstruating, and was suffering from debilitating cramps. Massive doses of ibuprofen were not relieving the distress, so she went to her regular acupuncturist, Dr. Lily Ming, to get relief.

Dr. Ming had Artemisia lie down on the table and proceeded to insert 10 needles in her belly and hand and ear. Then Dr. Ming introduced a treatment that Artemisia was unfamiliar with: She lightly pounded the nail of Artemisia's big toe with a small silver hammer for a few minutes.

"Why are you doing that?" Artemisia asked.

"It is good for the uterus," the doctor replied.

Indeed, Artemisia's cramps dramatically diminished as the doctor thumped, and in the days to come they did not recur.

After the session, as Artemisia prepared to leave, the usually taciturn Ming started up a conversation. Artemisia was surprised, but listened attentively as Dr. Ming made a series of revelations. The most surprising was Dr. Ming's description of a traumatic event from her own childhood.

During the military occupation of her native Manchuria, a province of China, she was forced to witness Japanese soldiers torturing people she loved. Their primary atrocity was using hammers to drive bamboo shoots through their victims' big toes.

The moral of the story: Dr. Ming has accomplished the heroic feat of reversing the meaning of her most traumatic imprint. She has turned a symbol of pain into a symbol of healing.

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OTHER PRONOIA RESOURCES:

GOOD, TOUGH NEWS
Victories in 2007
tinyurl.com/2y5ygq

MORE GOOD, TOUGH NEWS
"Let's Toast to Ten Good Things About 2007"
by Medea Benjamin
tinyurl.com/2w7k7f

FUTURE GOOD, TOUGH NEWS?
Global Flash Points: How to Spot Signs of Peace
tinyurl.com/25xn3z

(Note: I endorse these because I like them. They are not advertisements, and I get no kickbacks.)

Please tell me your own personal nominations for PRONOIA RESOURCES.

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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
Week beginning January 24

Copyright 2008 by Rob Brezsny
FreeWillAstrology.com

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):

You're entering an astrological phase when it makes sense to expand and dramatize your ego. In light of the poetic license that affords you, I'd like to introduce you to the concept of enlightened bragging. It will allow you to tout your own brilliance at the same time that you disarm anyone who might be tempted to sneer at you for doing so. The playfully self-mocking tone of your enlightened bragging will give you an opportunity to demonstrate your high opinion of yourself without feeling guilty or defensive. Here's all you need to do to get started: Make yourself a t-shirt or bumper sticker that reads, "I am a Jenius."

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):

Every now and then when the garbage I generate in a week's time exceeds what one trashcan is able to hold, I have to make a special phone call to the office of the refuse and recycling service to request that they pick up an extra can. If I'm reading your astrological omens correctly, this is one of those times for you, at least from a metaphorical perspective: You need to get rid of more than your usual amount of useless junk and residual wastes -- much more, probably, including a backlog of stuff you may not have even realized was garbage until now.

ARIES (March 21-April 19):

"Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year," said essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson. That's my first suggestion for you this week, Aries. Now, while you're at the energetic peak of your astrological cycle, is a good time to cultivate a knack for identifying the specific gift that each day has to offer you. You will also resonate well with the cosmic rhythms if you make use of another Emersonian gem: "Every great and commanding moment in the annals of the world is the triumph of some enthusiasm." Where does your purest enthusiasm lie? And how will you use it to fuel your ascent to a series of great and commanding moments?

TAURUS (April 20-May 20):

"In the human heart new passions are forever being born," said French writer Francois de La Rochefoucauld. "The overthrow of one almost always means the rise of another." I suppose that's true. We all have longings that come and go as we evolve. But I'd also like to propose an equally valid and contradictory truth: In every human heart there are a few passions that last a lifetime. They're with us from the moment we're born, and nothing can dilute their intensity. Our destiny revolves around them. These are the passions I hope you will define with precision and nurture with alacrity during the next eight weeks.

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EXPLORING YOUR LONG-RANGE FUTURE

Would you like some inspiration as you muse and wonder about your upcoming adventures in 2008?

You can still listen to my long-range, in-depth explorations of your destiny in 2008. Each report in the three-part series is about 6-8 minutes long.

Go to RealAstrology.com
for these EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES

A new short-range forecast for this week is also available, both on the Web and at 1-877-873-4888 or 1-900-950-7700.

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GEMINI (May 21-June 20):

If you have trouble resisting the urge to stay current with news about famous actresses, you may have a mental illness. A team of psychologists has certified "Celebrity Worship Syndrome" as an actual psychiatric condition. Now please listen to me closely: It is imperative that you stifle this malady during the next 25 days, even if you have a mild case of it. Your fantasy life needs to soar into unknown frontiers where more of the details of your own personal talents will be revealed, and you can't afford to be weighed down with fantasies about rich and charismatic people you don't know.

CANCER (June 21-July 22):

"Dear Brother Rob: We wanted you to know that our exceedingly sweet, holy, and pious dog, Magdalene, told us tonight that she feels you are a direct descendant of Melchior, one of those famous Bethlehem astrologers/magi mentioned as bringing gifts to the baby Jesus way back when! That's so cool! Raucous peace to you! -Gabriel and Deana." Dear Gabriel and Deana: I'm honored! Give my thanks to Magdalene. Does she have any messages for my Cancerian readers? I've been having visions that they will soon be getting gifts from the past and revelations about their heritage and updates concerning their birthrights.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):

We all tend to project onto other people the unattractive aspects of ourselves that we refuse to acknowledge. We're also drawn to anyone who expresses the fully activated versions of our own sleeping potentials. Everywhere we go, then, our vision is clouded by the disowned psychic material that is floating around our unconscious minds. That's the bad news, Leo. The good news is that in the next eight weeks you will have an enhanced ability to get access to the liabilities and powers that are buried beneath the surface of your awareness. As a result, your ability to see the objective truth about the world around you should grow dramatically.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):

"The ermine is so fastidious that he will allow himself to be caught by hunters before he will take refuge in a muddy spot," wrote Leonardo da Vinci in his Bestiary. The legendary behavior of this small mammal has a resemblance to certain Virgos. Let's hope you're not one of them. To avoid getting trapped in the coming days, you will have to be willing, even eager, to get dirty. Here's your motto: The miracle is in the mess.

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LET'S IMAGINE WHAT BEAUTIFUL MYSTERIES
MIGHT COME YOUR WAY IN 2008

What hidden factors will be massaging your destiny in 2008? Could you use some hints about how to prepare for the adventures awaiting you in the next 12 months?

You can still listen to my long-range, in-depth explorations of your destiny in 2008. Each report in the three-part series is about 6-8 minutes long.

Go to RealAstrology.com
for these EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES

A new short-range forecast for this week is also available, both on the Web and at 1-877-873-4888 or 1-900-950-7700.

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LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):

A friend recently said to me, "You really try hard to avoid conflict, don't you?" That surprised me. In my own perception of myself, I'm pretty combative, at least in the privacy of my own imagination. The injustice and suffering I see in the world make me mad, and I'm constantly plotting to overthrow the ignorant forces that are at the root of that bad stuff. It's true that I almost never express naked hostility or engage in outright combat with anyone. But that's because I think that the best way for me to fight the ugliness is to whip up lavish doses of beauty and truth and love. Sorry to be talking about myself so much, Libra, but it's in a good cause: I urge you to be like me in the coming week.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):

I don't usually recommend that you text-message a cohort who's sitting a few feet away from you in a meeting, or use your cell phone to call the cell phone of the person you're lying next to in bed. But this would be a good week to do things like that. It's an excellent time, you see, to experiment with how you communicate, to try alternate methods of conversing, to awaken unfamiliar responses as you engage with familiar people. You might want to write a letter in longhand to a comrade you see all the time, or sit down at a table together and exchange messages by drawing pictures rather than talking.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):

In my astrological opinion, you should adopt a miscellaneous and serendipitous receptivity in the coming week; you should be extra responsive to the primal flux as its odd luck whisks you through in-between zones and fascinating grey areas. And yet I also think you should be profoundly picky about which of the thousand and one stimuli you allow to grab your full attention. In other words, make your mind wide open and allow it to wander freely, but give your favors to only the most piquant twists and tasty bits.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):

To advertise its upgraded features, the search engine Ask3D.com rolled out a marketing campaign with a seductive catchphrase: "Instant Getification," as in immediately acquiring your desired results. I'm borrowing that mantra, or at least half of it, for your horoscope. Your getification levels will be way up in the coming weeks. That doesn't mean you will instantaneously and automatically obtain everything you crave without any effort. Rather, it suggests that you will have an enhanced power to summon the will and ingenuity and resourcefulness that will help you get what you want.

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HOMEWORK:

For three days, act as if you have far more resources and help than you ever thought possible. Report results by going to FreeWillAstrology.com and clicking on "Email Rob."

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WANT TO GET YOUR CHART DONE?

I'm not doing personal charts, but I highly recommend my astrological colleague, RO LOUGHRAN. Her approach closely matches my own. In our many discussions about astrology over the years, we've had a major influence on each other's work.

Ro utilizes a blend of well-trained intuition, emotional warmth, and a high degree of technical proficiency in horoscope interpretation; she is skilled at exploring the mysteries of your life's purpose and nurturing your connection with your own inner wisdom.

Ro is based in California, but can do phone consultations and otherwise work with you regardless of geographic boundaries.

Ro's website is at YourSoulJourney.com

She can also be reached at roloughran@comcast.net

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Submissions sent to the Free Will Astrology Weekly Newsletter or in response to "homework assignments" may be published in a variety of formats at Rob Brezsny's discretion, including but not limited to newsletters, books, the Free Will Astrology column, and Free Will Astrology website. We reserve the right to edit such submissions for length, style, and content. Requests for anonymity will be honored with submissions; otherwise, reader names, screen names, or initials will be used. Please be sure to note your preference when sending to us. We are not responsible for unsolicited submission of any creative material.

Contents of the Free Will Astrology Newsletter are Copyright 2008 Rob Brezsny

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