Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
SEPTEMBER 17, 2008
FreeWillAstrology.com
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Check out my podcast here:
FreeWillAstrology.com/Gazing.mp3
Last week's podcast is available here:
FreeWillAstrology.com/Pronoia.mp3
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You Don't Have to Act Crazy Anymore
You don't have to act crazy anymore -
We all know you were good at that.
Now retire, my dear,
From all that hard work you do
Of bringing pain to your sweet eyes and heart.
Look in a clear mountain mirror -
See the Beautiful Ancient Warrior
And the Divine elements
You always carry inside
That infused this Universe with sacred Life
So long ago
And join you Eternally
With all Existence - with God!
- Hafiz, translated by Daniel Ladinsky
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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
You can listen to me read an excerpt from the book here:
FreeWillAstrology.com/Gazing.mp3
Last week's podcast is here:
FreeWillAstrology.com/Pronoia.mp3
The piece below contains some material that appears in the book:
DARK GODDESS WELCOMED BACK IN?
What if the Creator is like the poet Rainer Maria Rilke's God:
"like a webbing made of a hundred roots, that drink in silence"?
What if the Source of All Life inhabits both the dark and the
light, heals with strange splendor as much as with sweet insight,
is hermaphroditic and omnisexual?
What if the Source loves to give you riddles that push you past
the boundaries of your understanding, forcing you to change the
ways you think about everything?
What if, as Rusty Morrison speculates in Poetry Flash,
"the sublime can only be glimpsed by pressing through fear's
boundary, beyond one's previous conceptions of the beautiful"?
Close your eyes and imagine you can sense the presence of this
tender, marvelous, difficult, entertaining intelligence.
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A few years ago, astronomers announced the discovery of a shiny
red planet-like world orbiting the sun far beyond Pluto. They
called it Sedna, a name they said was derived from the Inuit deity
that created the Arctic's sea creatures. But the truth about the
myth of Sedna is more complicated.
She is the Dark Goddess, embodiment of the wild female potencies
that are feared yet sorely needed by cultures in which the masculine
perspective dominates. Dwelling on the edge of life and death
in her home at the bottom of the sea, Sedna is both a source of
fertile abundance and a mysterious prodigy. Shamans from the world
above swim down to sing her songs and comb her long black hair.
If they win her favor, she gives them the magic necessary to heal
their suffering patients.
The Beauty and Truth Laboratory enjoys entertaining the possibility
that the discovery of Sedna is an omen signaling our collective
readiness to welcome back the long-repressed influence of the
Dark Goddess.
We'd like to direct your attention to some further omens. They
all have pronoia embedded in their dark and fertile musings:
1. Women Who Run with the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola
Estes: tinyurl.com/5b2hq4
2. Spiritual Madness: The Necessity of Meeting God in Darkness,
an audio CD by Caroline Myss: tinyurl.com/5n9zzo
3. The Creative Fire, an audio CD by Clarissa Pinkola
Estes: tinyurl.com/5l8wwv
4. A book I wrote, The Televisionary Oracle. It's available
at amazon here: tinyurl.com/3yfezl.
Or if you don't want to buy it, you can read it for free on my
website. Chapter 1 starts here: tinyurl.com/6blklz.
A good review of The Televisionary Oracle is available
here: tinyurl.com/6qfs76.
5. The work of sacred activist Andrew Harvey. He has graciously
allowed me to publish a taste of his writing in the piece below,
which is available in its fullness here: tinyurl.com/3avtf6
Andrew's website is here: andrewharvey.net.
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BECOMING A SPIRITUAL REVOLUTIONARY
by Andrew Harvey
The entire world is now going through a massive crucifixion on
all levels. It's going through an environmental crucifixion. Hundreds
of species are vanishing every month. It's going through a personal
crucifixion. There are two billion people living on less than
a dollar a day. It's going through a crucifixion of all the patriarchal
systems.
Look at Enron and what it has shown us about Corporate America.
Look at the Catholic Church's scandals of pedophilia and what
it shows us about authority. Look at the growing disillusionment
with politicians of all kinds. All of the systems are being exposed
as illusory and fantasy-ridden, as deeply corrupt and exploitative.
There's another kind of crucifixion going on: crucifixion of
purpose and hope. Everybody is totally bewildered. They know that
the world is potentially on the brink of total apocalypse. There's
a tremendous danger that as people wake up to the horror of what
is going on, they will run into political extremism or into fundamentalism
of one kind or another.
So it's extremely important that the wisdom of the 'dark night
of the soul' gets across, because if people understand the necessity
for this crucifixion, and understand that it's preparing a resurrection
and empowerment, then they will be prepared to go through it without
too much fear, trusting in the logic of the divine transformation.
The Benedictine monk Bede Griffiths shared with me his experience
of the dark night of the soul. He said he was sitting outside
his hut one day when he felt as if a hand hit him on the right
side of his being. He had suffered a massive heart attack that
destroyed what he described as his patriarchal mind and gave him
access to a much deeper elaboration of Oneness with all things.
He said, "It's a very strange thing, but when I thought
of surrendering to the Mother I of course thought of Mary -- I
often say the 'Hail Mary' -- but it was Mary as the Black Madonna
that came into my mind. She is the mother of the earth as well
as heaven, of the body as well as the soul, the mother of the
subconscious, the hidden, of all those powers that the 'masculine'
mind represses; the Mother of the sacred darkness. In Her the
Western Christian vision of the Divine Mother and the Eastern
one merge and meet; you can think of her as both Mary and Kali,
both preserver and destroyer. From that time on, I have turned
to Her again and again. Invoking Her strength and grace, I find,
makes the 'birth' go so much faster and more cleanly."
The power that is doing this to us is coming towards us simultaneously
with terrifying destruction and extreme grace and prosperity.
The destruction is, in fact, a form of that extreme grace. It's
quite clear that humanity is now terminally ill, and can only
be transfigured by a totally shocking revelation of its shadow
side. And this is what we're living through, these shadow sides
exploding in every direction because we have done nothing but
betray the sacred in us.
We have lacerated the sacred in others. We have betrayed the
sacred in an orgy of fundamentalism. We have brutalized the sacred
in nature. We are now terminally destructive.
So only an almost terminal destruction that reveals to us the
full extent of our responsibility in this destruction can wake
us up. And that is what is happening, and it will get worse. It's
bound to get worse. But it is only being done to us for our own
redemption.
Those who turn to the Mother in total faith, those who turn to
the Black Madonna in total admiration, those who realize the mercy
behind the violence will be given extraordinary protection, strength,
and revelation. They will be empowered in the core of themselves
to become what everybody who has a heart and a mind must now become--a
spiritual revolutionary devoting their entire life and all their
resources to the preservation of the planet.
Finding the Black Madonna, in whatever form you want to find
her, realizing the massive task that she's doing and turning to
her for protection is now crucial to the preservation of the planet.
It's extremely important that people really come to understand
the feminine and turn towards it, because it's our betrayal of
the feminine in ourselves and in the divine that has led to this
crisis.
- Andrew Harvey, in an interview with Colleen O'Connor on the
Grace Cathedral website at tinyurl.com/3avtf6
Copyright Andrew Harvey -- All Rights Reserved
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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:
LET'S BEGIN THE SPIRITUAL REVOLUTION, PLEASE!
OVERTHROWING THE DOOM AND GLOOM
Imagine: What America Could be in the 21st century edited
by Marianne Williamson
tinyurl.com/4hsgam
"The writers in this optimistic anthology didn't want to
buy into the typical doomsayer theories and gloomy forecasts when
imagining the future of America. Instead, editor Marianne Williamson
assembled a soul-stirring gospel choir to sing out vivid, uplifting
songs of hope and imagination."
One reader at amazon says: "I almost did not buy this book,
and I say that because an awful lot of really smart folks might
be inclined to turn away on the basis of the title and the possibility
that this is a fairy tale wishful-thinking la la land kind of
book. It is not. It is practical and political."
BE AWARE OF THE MESS AND CLEAN THE MESS, BUT DON'T FORGET TO
CONCENTRATE ON THE BEAUTIFUL FUTURE
The Cultural Creatives: How 50 Million People Are Changing
the World by Paul H. Ray
tinyurl.com/4dgpcr
TURNING THE WORLD UPSIDE-DOWN WILL MAKE IT RIGHTSIDE UP
Blessed Unrest: How the Largest Movement in the World Came
into Being and Why No One Saw It Coming by Paul Hawken
"Hawken describes a convergence of the environmental and
social justice movements as the largest social movement in history,
and the fastest growing movement, comprising over 1 million organizations
in every country in the world."
ARCHIVES OF THESE PRONOIAC RESOURCES
This is a website that is archiving all the pronoaic resources
I call your attention to in this newsletter. The posts are categorized
and tagged, and there's built-in search.
pronoiaresources.wordpress.com
(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 September 18
Copyright 2008 by Rob Brezsny
FreeWillAstrology.com
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
I hate to lay a sports metaphor on you, Virgo, let alone one
articulated by a hockey player. But it's such an apt description
of the approach that will work best for you in the coming week,
I had to bring it to your attention. "I skate to where the
puck is going to be, not to where it has been," quoth Wayne
Gretzky. Apple CEO Steve Jobs liked those words so much, he made
them his own when he introduced the iPhone to the public back
in January 2007. Now I hope you will find a way to apply the idea
in your own sphere.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
Delfin Vigil interviewed the band Social Studies for the San
Francisco Chronicle. He asked guitarist Aaron Weiss, "What
is the meaning of life?" Here's what Weiss said: "Wearing
a big name tag, having something stuck in your teeth, walking
around with toilet paper stuck to your shoe while awkwardly trying
to hit on girls. Living on this planet is worthless without the
proper amount of humility." While I think that's close to
what the meaning of life has been for you recently, Libra, the
definition will soon change to something like this: You come on
stage to greet an adoring audience, do a riveting song and dance,
then announce that you won't be doing any more shows for a while
because you're about to go off and get busy on creating your next
big splash.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
Three enlightened teenagers I know have formed a gang called
The Disciples. It's dedicated to plying the dangerous arts of
humility, curiosity, and optimism -- three qualities that are
so undervalued in our culture as to be almost taboo. Here's their
motto, which reveals how far they're willing to go in order to
listen well, keep their egos in check, and constantly scour their
surroundings for reasons to be grateful: "We have no issues
and no problems, but only questions." I urge you to start
your own branch of The Disciples, Scorpio -- or at least work
on cultivating their approach.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
A poet friend of mine hatched a scheme for writing a book in
record time. He bought a round-trip ticket for a Greyhound bus
that would take him from Oakland, California to New York City
and back. He vowed that over the course of those nine grueling
days and 6,000 miles, as he ate stale sandwiches from vending
machines in bus stations and slept sitting up surrounded by strangers,
he would churn out an epic-length poem about the experience of
traveling cross-country on the most populist form of transportation.
The experiment worked. His book was witty, shocking, and entertaining.
I urge you to give yourself a comparable assignment, Sagittarius.
Invoke the magic of a strict deadline to create something beautiful
that will last a long time.
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LISTEN TO AN EXPANDED HOROSCOPE
In addition to the horoscopes that you read here, I create additional
in-depth audio horoscopes for your inspiration.
They're not repeats or elaborations of the stuff you find here,
but entirely fresh explorations of your astrological omens, designed
to help you tune in to your soul's code.
Try them at RealAstrology.com.
They're available by phone at 1-877-873-4888 or 1-900-950-7700.
They're $6 if you access them on the Web, or $1.99 per minute
over the phone.
"Your audio horoscopes help me love myself better, and I
mean that in a non-narcissistic way."
- Deva P., Indianapolis
"I'm really grateful for the way you pick up my telepathic
requests and answer them in your expanded audio 'scopes."
- Marion H., Birmingham, AL
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CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
I would love to place an elegant gold crown on your head. I have
the urge to declare you monarch of the expanding realm, maker
of new laws, and reshaper of the collective vision. Are you up
for wielding that much power? Can you handle an increased level
of responsibilities? Or would you prefer to preside over a smaller
domain, content merely to keep the daily grind from erupting into
chaos now and then? It's mostly up to you. What do you want?
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
Unable to control his appetite for prostitutes, New York's Governor
Elliot Spitzer destroyed his career. Many observers were aghast
at the incomprehensibility of his sacrifice. But Phillip Weiss,
writing in New York, said he understood. Spitzer desperately
"wanted some 'strange'" -- novelty that's hard to get
when you make love with just one person for many years. That's
not the kind of variety I advise you to consider in the
coming weeks, Aquarius. According to my reading of the omens,
it will be prime time for you to seek out some "strange,"
but not through multiple lovers. Rather, embark on travels outside
your usual haunts, entertain surprising ideas unlike any you've
been willing to think about before, and pursue unpredictable encounters
with people who have a lot to teach you.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
In a story about author Gore Vidal in The Independent,
Archie Bland reports on an event that happened just after Vidal's
parents were married. While traveling to their honeymoon, dad
told mom, "'There's something very important I want you to
know." Mom grew radiantly expectant, imagining he was about
to profess his love with a thrilling intensity. But dad had something
else in mind. "I have three balls," he confessed. In
the coming week, Pisces, I suspect that one of your expectations
will meet a fate similar to mom's hope. But don't fret. In the
long run, the revelations that come are likely to be more interesting
and valuable to you than the "I have three balls" shocker.
ARIES (March 21-April 19):
Believe it or not, whatever has been limiting your movement has
also been expanding your capacities. It's true. The pinching sensation
you've had to endure has been covertly generating psychic fuel
that you will soon be able to access. Therefore, Aries, I say
unto you: Praise your squelchers and constrictors! Be grateful
for your stiflers and tweakers! They have primed you for the arrival
of a luminous boon.
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LISTEN TO AN EXPANDED HOROSCOPE
In addition to the horoscopes that you're reading here, I create
more in-depth audio horoscopes for your inspiration. Find out
more at RealAstrology.com.
The audio horoscopes are also available by phone at 1-877-873-4888
or 1-900-950-7700.
"The best part about your audio horoscopes is that they
pat me on the head and kick me in the ass at the same time."
- Rita L., San Diego
"Your audio oracles go beyond helping me find the truth
-- they inspire me to find the WILD truth."
- Patrick K., Montreal
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TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
"An uninterpreted dream is like an unopened letter,"
says the Talmud. But professional dream researcher Stephen LaBerge
thinks that's too broad a statement. In his book Lucid Dreaming,
he says dreams are more like poems than letters. If you try to
extract literal meanings from them in the service of your ego,
they may reveal nothing. But if you're willing to find lyrical,
unexpected information that could aerate your imagination and
dislodge you from your habits, dreams are more likely to be useful.
Keeping in mind everything I've said, Taurus, treat the events
of your waking life in the coming week as if they were poems coming
from a dreamy part of your psyche that's enticing you to change
your life.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
As you navigate your way through the challenges ahead of you,
should you rely on what you know or on what you don't know? That's
a good question. I'm inclined to advise you to go with what you
know when it concerns your security, and to go with what you don't
know when you're pursuing pleasure. So if you're trying to come
to a decision about what will make you feel at home, trust what
the past has taught you. But as you seek creative inspiration
and effervescent adventure, shed all precedents. P.S. This is
one of those rare times when you can interweave comfort and thrills,
safety and risk, tradition and novelty.
CANCER (June 21-July 22):
Her brush with sublime wisdom has done wonders for Paris Hilton.
"Kabbalah helps you confront your fears," she told Us
magazine. "Like if a girl borrowed my clothes and never gave
them back, and I saw her wearing them months later, I would confront
her." You can snicker if you like, but Paris's testimony
exemplifies my main point for you: It's crucial that you get practical
use out of your religion or spirituality. So please take measures
to vigorously translate your highest ideals into your everyday
actions. What would it mean, for example, to invite God to inhabit
your lips as you kiss someone? Or to prepare your food as if you
were going to offer it to a beloved saint? Or to speak every word
as if it were a well-crafted prayer? Ask yourself 20 times a day,
what would Buddha (or your greatest hero) do?
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
What you're about to leave behind is helpful but a bit dull;
it's fortifying but old-fashioned; comforting but homely. What
you're headed toward, on the other hand, is invigorating, through
slightly disruptive; it's futuristic and amusingly confusing;
interesting but also a real test of your flexibility. The transition
may happen faster than you thought it would. Congratulations in
advance on being a good-natured transformer.
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HOMEWORK:
Imagine that everything important you know is condensed into
a single symbol or image. What is it? Report your 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
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including but not limited to newsletters,
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Requests for anonymity will be
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Please be sure to note your preference
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are not responsible for unsolicited
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material.
Contents of the Free Will Astrology Newsletter are Copyright
2008 Rob Brezsny
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