Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter July 2, 2008

Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
July 2, 2008
FreeWillAstrology.com

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"All of this is the Earth educating itself. Think of the language that has come alive in just this one afternoon: Do you think we are solely responsible for that? Good heavens, no! Think of the sacrifices required of billions of creatures to make such language possible.

"Take a single sentence: 'The fireball exploded twenty billion years ago at the beginning of time.' That sentence required nothing less than the full twenty billion years of cosmic development.

"It is not 'my' sentence; nor does it 'belong' to the theoretical scientists who first predicted the existence of the fireball, nor the experimental scientists who first detected its heat; it is a sentence of the whole Earth. Nothing less than that is required for its speaking forth.

"The sentence could not exist without the oceans, the rivers, the air, the life forms, and all the thousands of years of human cultural activities. Every sentence is spoken by the whole Earth."
- Brian Swimme

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WHAT'S AHEAD FOR YOU in the next six months?

EXPLORE THE BIG PICTURE OF YOUR LIFE
with my Expanded Audio Horoscopes for the Second Half of 2008

To hear my IN-DEPTH, LONG-TERM AUDIO FORECAST for YOUR LIFE between now and January 1, 2009, go here:

RealAstrology.com

Log in and click on the link
"Long Term Forecast for Second Half of 2008"

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What areas of your life are likely to receive unexpected assistance and divine inspiration?

Where are you likely to find most success?

How can you best cooperate with the cosmic rhythms?

Tune in.

The horoscopes cost $6 apiece. Discounts are available for multiple purchases.

You can also listen to your short-term forecast for the coming week by clicking on "This week (July 1, 2008)."

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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:

BIGGER, BETTER, MORE INTERESTING PROBLEMS

Is there anything more dangerous than getting up in the morning and having nothing to worry about, no problems to solve, no friction to heat you up? That state can be a threat to your health, because if untreated it incites an unconscious yearning for any old dumb trouble that might rouse some excitement.

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Acquiring problems is a fundamental human need. It's as crucial to your well-being as getting food, air, water, sleep, and love. You define yourself - indeed, you make yourself - through the riddles you attract and solve. The most creative people on the planet are those who frame the biggest, hardest questions and then gather the resources necessary to find the answers.

Conventional wisdom implies that the best problems are those that place you under duress. There's supposedly no gain without pain. Stress is allegedly an incomparable spur for calling on resources that have been previously unavailable or dormant. Nietzsche's aphorism, 'That which doesn't kill me makes me stronger,' has achieved the status of an ultimate truth.

I half-agree. But it's clear that stress also accompanies many mediocre problems that have little power to make us smarter. Pain frequently generates no gain. We're all prone to become habituated, even addicted, to nagging vexations that go on and on without rousing any of our sleeping genius.

There is, furthermore, another class of difficulty - let's call it the delightful dilemma - that neither feeds on angst nor generates it. On the contrary, it's fun and invigorating, and usually blooms when you're feeling a profound sense of being at home in the world. The problem of writing my book is a good example. I've had a good time handling the perplexing challenges with which it has confronted me.

Imagine a life in which at least half of your quandaries match this profile. Act as if you're most likely to attract useful problems when joy is your predominant state of mind. Consider the possibility that being in unsettling circumstances may shrink your capacity to dream up the riddles you need most; that maybe it's hard to ask the best questions when you're preoccupied fighting rearguard battles against boring or demeaning annoyances that have plagued you for many moons.

Prediction: As an aspiring lover of pronoia, you'll have a growing knack for gravitating toward wilder, wetter, more interesting problems. More and more, you will be drawn to the kind of gain that doesn't require pain. You'll be so alive and awake that you'll cheerfully push yourself out of your comfort zone in the direction of your personal frontier well before you're forced to do so by divine kicks in the ass . . . .

. . . To read the rest of
"BIGGER, BETTER, MORE INTERESTING PROBLEMS,"
go here:
tinyurl.com/2ceskw

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To read news and features from my book, go here: tinyurl.com/lhwx2

You can buy the book here:

AMAZON
tinyurl.com/qaj62

POWELLS
tinyurl.com/3dsx6q

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OTHER PRONOIA RESOURCES:

THE WEIRDEST PRONOIA EVER?
"Thank you, George W. Bush! Without your dark and spectacular failures, we wouldn't be so ready to leap forward. Kudos!"
by Mark Morford
tinyurl.com/4v6j7h

BALANCING OUT THE POP-NIHILISTS OF THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA
Nothing but good news here
gimundo.com

MIX SOME EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE IN WITH YOUR IRONY
Empathy Deficit Disorder: Do You Suffer from It?
If So, What are You Gonna Do About It?
tinyurl.com/3tnadu

(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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Dear Readers,

There is not exactly a huge staff working here at the Free Will Astrology Headquarters. In fact, it's really only me. Maybe someday that will change, and I'll find the time to hire people to help me create more stuff.

I do have two helpers who live far away and work very part-time: Beth Danica, who formats the RSS feed for this newsletter, and is doing research to help me figure out the best way to approach podcasting; and Karry Walker, who helps me keep track of my finances.

Karry happens to also be a talented singer-songwriter who has recorded four CDs. That's definitely her REAL gig, as opposed to her now-and-then numbers work for me.

Karry has just released her latest gem under her band's name Ultralash. It's called "FOAMY LATHER," and was co-produced by Myles Boisen, who has also worked with Tom Waits, Fred Frith, and David Lynch. I don't know if "Foamy Lather" is pronoiac, but it's really good folked-out trip-hop music that I like.

Here's what critics have said about her work in the past.

"Too powerful to let you stop and figure it all out . . . an engaging and literate work from an enigmatic artist."
- CMJ New Music Monthly

"A soundtrack to a dream . . . edgy and beautiful, haunting and captivating, filled with intriguing vignettes and riddles . . . "
- Women Who Rock Magazine

My favorite tracks are "Bury Me" and "Alice in Colorvision."

You can find out more about the CD, which I highly recommend, and listen to 8 of the 14 tracks, here:

ultralash.com/foamylather.html

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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
Week beginning July 3

Copyright 2008 by Rob Brezsny
FreeWillAstrology.com

CANCER (June 21-July 22):

It's Beautify Yourself Week, dear Cancerian. A conspiracy of cosmic proportions is preparing the conditions necessary for you to capitalize handsomely on this opportunity. At this very moment, there is beauty behind you and beauty in front of you. There is beauty to your left and beauty to your right, beauty above you and beauty below you. All you have to do is inhale, drink in, and otherwise suck up this lushness. It will interact synergistically with the splendor that is also welling up in you, and you will transform into an almost unbearably gorgeous work of art.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):

Are you up for some cutting-edge slashing and smashing and crashing? I'm talking about slashing the price you've been paying for following your dreams; smashing beliefs that made sense years ago but are irrelevant now; and crashing parties where your future teachers and allies are gathered. Once you get the hang of all that, Leo, you can move on to other brilliant demolitions, like cracking codes, breaking trances, and shattering spells cast on you by the past.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):

When Tom first arrived in Santa Cruz from South Carolina at age 22, he was homeless and had $110. He quickly scored a temp job as a laborer, doing menial tasks at construction sites. His first assignment was at a place where a delivery truck had accidentally dropped a load of lumber at the bottom of a hill instead of at the top where a new house was to be built. Tom's job was to carry the heavy boards and beams up the hill one by one. He felt a bit like Sisyphus in the Greek myth -- that forlorn character whose punishment by the gods required him to push a boulder up a hill again and again, only to have it plummet down each time as he reached the peak. Unlike Sisyphus, things got better for Tom. During the next 15 years, he became a successful real estate agent. One day he sold the million-dollar house that had been built from the wood he'd once toted up the hill. This is a perfect time, Virgo, for you to predict and plot out a long-term personal triumph that will match Tom's.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):

It's the Power-Gathering Season for you, Libra. A good way to energize your efforts would be to define clearly and imaginatively what power means to you. I've got two riffs to get you started. First, here's one from a famous French ruler whose name I'll withhold so as not to distract you from the riff itself: "I love power. But it is as an artist that I love it. I love it as a musician loves his violin, to draw out its sounds and chords and harmonies." Here's the second definition, from poet Dennis Holt in his newsletter "Quincunx": "Power is what sends the woodpecker down from his tree to poke for worms in the muddy road one morning after all-night rain on a ridge above the Pacific within earshot of the surf."

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EXPLORE THE BIG PICTURE OF YOUR LIFE

with my Expanded Audio Horoscopes for the Second Half of 2008:

RealAstrology.com

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

To listen to my IN-DEPTH, LONG-TERM AUDIO FORECAST for YOUR LIFE during the next six months, go here:

RealAstrology.com

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SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):

I'm not a big fan of Disneyland, but that doesn't mean I can't borrow its ideas for your use. The fact is, Scorpio, the coming weeks will be an excellent time for you to identify your own personal versions of frontierland, adventureland, or tomorrowland. I'm not talking about experiences and places that resemble glitzy theme-parks, but rather the wild and thrilling things that gently shock your mind into expanding. You're in a phase of your cycle when you'll tend to generate good luck and helpful synchronicity by pushing your imagination beyond its usual fantasies.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):

Beginning in 1951, the U.S. government regularly set off nuclear bombs in the desert 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas. Most of the 1,021 explosions occurred underground, though for 11 years some were also done in the open air. Tourists used to flock to Las Vegas to watch the mushroom clouds, which were visible from that distance. As far as we know, the detonations ceased in 1992. Also as far as we know, the unusual lifestyles of Las Vegas's inhabitants are not the result of mutations in their DNA caused by radioactive contamination. Let's use this scenario as a departure point for your own personal inventory, Sagittarius. What dangerous or tempestuous events from your life are now safely confined to the past? Are there any lingering consequences from them? If so, what might you do to heal?

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):

By the year 2100, some human beings will be married to sophisticated robots. So concludes David Levy, who got a doctorate from a Dutch university for his thesis, "Intimate Relationships with Artificial Partners." Let's use his prophecy as a jumping-off point for your meditation, Capricorn. In your fantasies about togetherness, are you unconsciously harboring any unrealistic desires for robotic perfection? If so, are they interfering with your ability to have deep and satisfying relationships with interesting but flawed people? Take inventory of any tendencies you might have to want artificial partners. Then dissolve those delusions.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):

"Dear Rob: After a long stretch of patiently putting up with God's mean-spirited tricks, I decided I'd had enough. So I fired Him. Now I'm going to create a brand new deity from scratch. Do you have any recommendations on what qualities a truly cool divine being might possess? - Awakening Aquarius." Dear Awakening: One quality your fresh god should have is an appreciation for your originality. You also deserve a deity who likes it when you take your fate into your own hands. That's all I'll say. It's a good time for you Aquarians to shun other people's ideas about the divine influences and brainstorm extravagantly about what's true for you.

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WHAT'S TO COME?

BRAINSTORM ABOUT THE BIG PICTURE OF YOUR LIFE

with my Expanded Audio Horoscopes for the Second Half of 2008:

RealAstrology.com

What will be the story of your life during the rest of 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.

Go here:

RealAstrology.com

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PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):

What are the differences between tacky, meaningless fun and beautiful, constructive fun? What are the distinctions between dumb, trivial pleasure and smart, life-exalting pleasure? I'm hoping that meditations on these subjects will inspire you to overcome any laziness you might have about cultivating happiness. It's a perfect time for you to attempt this monumental accomplishment, you see. You're at a potential turning point in your astrological cycle, a time when you could get in the habit of treating your hero's journey as if it were an ever-evolving celebration.

ARIES (March 21-April 19):

Here's the first rule of panning for gold: Go to a slow-moving stream where flecks of the precious metal have been found by others in the past. The second rule is this: Although gold is carried along by the current, it's heavier than water and thus rarely appears right on the surface. Look deeper. A third pointer is that if you do ultimately find substantial treasure, it'll be because you will have gradually accumulated a number flakes and nuggets over an extended period of time. You've got to be patient. Now, Aries, apply everything I just said to your search for metaphorical gold.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20):

In his song "Get Behind the Mule," Tom Waits tells us to "Never let the weeds get taller than the garden." That's advice you should heed in the coming weeks. But don't go overboard and become a fanatic who acts as if weeds are evil demons from the ninth level of hell. Keeping a few well-trimmed wild plants and a mushroom or two would be quite healthy. You need a bit of messy serendipity mixed in with your law and order.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20):

In her book Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, Annie Dillard notes that there is only a tiny difference between the lifebloods of plants and animals. A molecule of chlorophyll contains 36 atoms of hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon arrayed around an atom of magnesium, while a molecule of hemoglobin is exactly the same except for an atom of iron instead of magnesium. I offer this as an apt metaphor to illustrate the choice you have ahead of you: As similar as the various possibilities may seem, the simple thing you put at the center of each option will make a tremendous difference.

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HOMEWORK:

True or false: You can't get what you want from another person until you're able to give it to yourself. Explain why or why not. Go to FreeWillAstrology.com and click 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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