Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
NOVEMBER 5, 2008
FreeWillAstrology.com
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"The Net of Indra is a profound and subtle metaphor for
the structure of reality. Imagine a vast net; at each crossing
point there is a jewel; each jewel is perfectly clear and reflects
all the other jewels in the net, the way two mirrors placed opposite
each other will reflect an image ad infinitum.
"The jewel in this metaphor stands for an individual being,
or an individual consciousness. Every jewel is intimately connected
with all other jewels in the universe, and a change in one jewel
means a change, however slight, in every other jewel."
- Stephen Mitchell, The Enlightened Mind
For more on the Net of Indra: tinyurl.com/5q7wf8
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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
The piece below borrows from material in the book.
PRAYER OF GRATITUDE
TO THE TRICKY GODDESS OF BENEVOLENT MISCHIEF
All hail the Tricky Goddess of Benevolent Mischief, also known
as the Cosmic Instigator of Healing Trouble. Let us praise and
ratify her ingenious plan to turn the status quo upside-down.
The vivid exposure of greed, corruption, and delusion among the
top echelons of the American political and financial hierarchy
is a blessing on all of humanity.
The eruption of fertile chaos is making it difficult to carry
on with business as usual, and we could not have received a more
energizing gift.
A prayer:
Oh Wise Trickster Goddess, You Compassionate Conjurer of Relentless
Change, You Righteous Rascal in Charge of Keeping a Steady Flow
of Sacred Uproar Pouring into Our Lives:
Please continue to influence the masters of plutocracy and war
and their media minions to be ever-more obvious as they spin out
their perversions of your glorious creation. In this way, more
and more of our sleeping tribe will wake up to the Open Secret
of your glorious creation!
Inspire the enforcers of mass hallucination to display their
hypocrisy in an ever-escalating melodrama of spittle flecks and
sour faces, as in a slapstick morality play from the Middle Ages,
so that we, their once-captive audience, may convulse with purgative
guffaws that shatter the mass hallucination.
And if you don't mind, Sweet Divine Rebel Goddess, please conspire
with us to ensure that the breakdown in the Way Things Have Always
Been Done will lead to fresh, hot, tidal-wave breakthroughs of
beauty, truth, justice, equality and love everywhere we turn.
*
And now, in my capacity as Humble Witness to the Invisible Government
of Sweaty Meditation, I hereby declare the entire North American
continent a Temporary Autonomous Zone.
As formulated by writer Hakim Bey, a Temporary Autonomous Zone
(TAZ) is any festive event that liberates the imaginations of
everyone present, thereby making it possible for life to be penetrated
by the Marvelous. Authority and dignity and routine have no place
at a TAZ; an uninhibited quest for rabble-rousing conviviality
must be the only guideline. (See more at tinyurl.com/9ozz4.)
Here are a few suggestions, mostly from Bey, to get you started
in creating your own local celebration of TAZ. Feel free to dream
up your own, and make sure to tell me about them. (Send your emails
to uaregod@comcast.net.)
Organize a strike in your school or workplace on the grounds
that it does not satisfy your need for indolence and spiritual
beauty. Burglarize houses, but instead of stealing, leave behind
beautiful and confusing gifts. Spread gossip about the unsung
genius of people who don't get nearly enough credit for their
good work.
Take a few friends and a boom box to an all-night grocery store
and engage in ecstatic, whirling dervish-style dancing in the
aisles until you're thrown out. Scrawl the following graffiti
in courthouse lavatories and on playground walls: "I dare
you to scare yourself with how beautiful you are."
Pick people at random and convince them they're the heirs to
an enormous, useless, and amazing fortune -- say, 5,000 square
miles of Antarctica, or an aging circus elephant, or a leper colony
in India, or a collection of alchemical manuscripts. Later they
will come to realize that for a few moments they believed in something
extraordinary, and will perhaps be driven to cultivate a more
intense quest for exhilarating adventures.
Scrawl the following poem by Hafiz (translated by Daniel Ladinsky)
in courthouse lavatories, on playground walls, and through e-mail
lists:
AT THIS PARTY
I don't want to be the only one here
Telling all the secrets --
Filling up all the bowls at this party,
Taking all the laughs.
I would like you
To start putting things on the table
That can also feed the soul
The way I do.
That way
We can invite
A hell of a lot more
Friends.
(The poem above is from the book The Subject Tonight Is Love,
found at tinyurl.com/6bjloc.)
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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 ELATION OF CHANGE
"Election Hangover: 3 Things To Do the Morning After"
tinyurl.com/5wd9ek
ART IS A NECESSITY, NOT A LUXURY
"Reclaiming the Body as Home" by NalaWalla
"The arts must be restored to their central role in community
life if we are to achieve the goal of sustainable living."
tinyurl.com/5dt87f
OUR PRIORITIES ARE SHIFTING
"War on string may be unwinnable," says Cat General
tinyurl.com/6h8upg
(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 November 6
Copyright 2008 by Rob Brezsny
FreeWillAstrology.com
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
"Many times in my life," says philosopher Eckhart Tolle,
"it has been my experience that the most powerful starting
point for any endeavor is not the question 'What do I want?',
but what does Life (God, Consciousness) want from me? How do I
serve the whole?" I offer that meditation to you, Scorpio,
as you slip into the heart of the reinvent yourself phase
of your cycle. It's time to stage a grand reopening, launch a
new (relation)ship, or instigate a fresh batch of good trouble.
As you whip up the initiatory energy, ask the Big Cosmic Thou
where it would like you to go and what it would love you to do.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
"Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth,"
says Ishmael in Herman Melville's novel Moby Dick,"whenever
it is damp, drizzly November in my soul; whenever I find myself
involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses . . . it [is] high
time to get to the sea as soon as I can." Use this passage
as an inspirational kick-in-the-ass, Sagittarius. There's no need
for you to sink into the emotional abyss Ishmael describes. Fix
yourself before you're broken! Get to the sea immediately, and
prevent the grey glumness from taking over. If there's no ocean
nearby, then try the next best things: Walk along a river or lake.
Immerse yourself for long stretches in baths and saunas and heated
pools. Cry and sweat and come abundantly. Listen to music that
makes you feel like you're floating.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
This is the Week of the Upside-Down Rainbow. It's a time when
signs of good fortune are everywhere, but always with some odd
twist or anomalous feature. Should you worry that the tweaks mean
there's some mischief at work? Does it suggest you will have to
pay a price for the breakthroughs that are coming? I don't think
so. My interpretation of the upside-down rainbow (or the five-leaf
clover or the torn $10 bill you find on the street) is that you
will be asked to expand your capacities in order to take full
advantage of the unusual blessings.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
Should you go with the flow or should you try to wheedle, manipulate,
and entice the flow to go with you? This is one of those rare
times when I advocate the latter approach. The flow is currently
in an indecisive state, when it could go one of several different
ways. You have cosmic authorization to nudge it in the direction
that looks to you like it will be the best for the most people.
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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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PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
In the sci-fi film The Matrix, a small band of people
have managed to escape from the collective hallucination that
most of their fellow humans are stuck inside. Though life is hard
staying free, there are some perks. They can, for instance, get
downloads of data directly into their brains that allow them to
quickly master complex tasks. In this way, the heroine, Trinity,
learns to fly a helicopter in a few minutes. I call your attention
to these fictional events, Pisces, because I think you're close
to pulling off real-life accomplishments that resemble them. First,
you're in an excellent position to slip away from certain illusions
that enslave some of the people around you. Second, you have an
enormous power to rapidly understand new information and acquire
new skills.
ARIES (March 21-April 19):
Uranus is on the opposite side of the sun from Saturn right now.
To traditional astrologers, that's a stressful aspect. It bespeaks
a titanic clash between the forces of progress and the inertia
of the past. But there are mitigating factors. The expansive planet
Jupiter is trine to Saturn and sextile to Uranus, suggesting that
unexpected grace may provide beauty and healing during these strenuous
moments of truth. I predict that's what will occur in your personal
life, Aries. You're well-situated to navigate smartly through
the brouhaha. For best results, respect the old ways, but not
so much that it slows down your exuberant quest for the most interesting
possible future.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
Every year my friend Jim travels to Cabo San Lucas in Baja California
to participate in a deep-sea fishing competition. He says the
best way to catch the big fish is with actual bait in the form
of smaller fish. But marlins can be fooled into getting snagged
with merely pretty lures -- colorful fabrications that look like
food but are actually made of metal, wood, plastic, and rubber.
Jim says that hammerhead sharks, on the other hand, will never
bite the fake bait. They're too smart, insisting on the real thing.
I suggest you use this information as an allegory in the coming
weeks, Taurus. You may find it to your advantage to get yourself
"caught" by a metaphorical fisherperson, but only if
he or she is offering you the authentic bait, not a simulation.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
When the air is pure and clean, a bee can smell a flower from
3,281 feet. The presence of pollution severely cripples the bee's
awareness of floral scents, however, reducing its range to 650
feet. Consider the possibility that this is a metaphor for what
has been happening to you recently, Gemini. Have you suffered
a reduction in your sensitivity to sources of nourishment? Are
you oblivious to gifts and blessings that could be available to
you if you only knew about them? According to my analysis of the
astrological omens, this is quite possible. Luckily, you're reading
this horoscope, which will surely motivate you to overcome the
problem.
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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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CANCER (June 21-July 22):
Dolphins love erotic play, according to the book Dolphin
Chronicles. For almost a third of their waking life, they
caress and touch each other. They're ingenious about using their
Frisbees, plastic boats, and rubber balls as sex toys. Gender
isn't much of an issue. There's as much same-sex as opposite-sex
cavorting. If you'd like to place yourself in alignment with cosmic
rhythms, Cancerian, you will consider taking a page from the dolphin
Kama Sutra in the coming days. Remember, the key for them is simply
to play freely without any specific goal. Bliss comes as much
from experimenting with creative intimacy as from driving toward
orgasm.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
One of my friends on Facebook describes her vocation as "Hammer
of the Gods." Her task in life, she says, is to be a tool
that the divine powers wield as they nail together raw materials
to make useful structures. While I don't know if that's also one
of your long-range goals, Leo, I do know that it describes
a role you'd thrive in during the coming weeks. So how about it?
Are you ready to upgrade your game in order to be the best hammer
of the gods you can possibly be?
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
I'm not necessarily suggesting that you read Al Franken's book
The Truth (with Jokes). But I do recommend that you make
that title your motto in the coming week. According to my analysis
of the astrological omens, there will be no such thing as truth
without jokes, at least for you. Every situation you need to know
more about will, if you investigate it, reveal some amusing riddle.
All the information that'll be important for you to gather will
lead you in the direction of laughter.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
Some years back, I maxed out my credit cards to pay for recording
my band's CD. Soon afterwards, following a few financial setbacks,
I was close to declaring bankruptcy. Luckily, my parents stepped
in and bailed me out. (Thanks, Mom and Dad!) Since then, I've
rigorously kept my debts to a minimum. That policy has, on occasion,
cramped my style, but it looks pretty wise in light of the current
financial crunch. Please draw inspiration from my experience,
Libra. Take inventory of any patterns in your own life that may
be distorting your ability to get the money and resources you
need. This is an excellent time to flush your old conditioning
and imprint yourself with good, new habits.
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HOMEWORK:
Tell me how this year's election process and its results are
changing your life. Go 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
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including but not limited to newsletters,
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Astrology column, and Free Will
Astrology website. We reserve
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Requests for anonymity will be
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otherwise, reader names, screen
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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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