Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
NOVEMBER 12, 2008
FreeWillAstrology.com
To hear my podcasts, go here:
tinyurl.com/5v9rxb
+
"The best political, social, and spiritual work we can do
is to withdraw the projection of our shadow onto others."
- Carl Jung
+
Dear Readers,
Every week, the newsletter you're reading goes out to a community
of 35,500 subscribers all over the world. I love our relationship.
You feel like my extended family. And if you know the importance
that family often holds for people born under the sign of Cancer,
like me, you're aware of how evocative it is for me to make a
statement like that.
A substantial minority of you aren't Americans, and so have had
only a marginal interest in the electoral spectacle that we Americans
have been enthralled by for so long. I hope that my writing about
the Obama-versus-McCain showdown (and its parallel theme, the
Uranus-versus-Saturn showdown) has yielded some useful fodder
for your personal evolution, even if you haven't been riveted
by the specific details of the unfolding drama.
Among the American part of my readership, there have been a few
outcries and uproars about my involvement with the political process.
Those of you who are McCain supporters or Nader devotees haven't
been happy with my tilt toward Obama. Other readers don't think
I should sully myself with any kind of political meditations at
all, but should remain above it all.
I've welcomed your dissidence and complaints about these issues,
as I do any time my writing piques your desire to speak out. One
of my favorite tasks is to inspire you to liberate your imagination.
To do that well, you have to be eternally primed to question the
ideas and motivations of any so-called authority, expert, leader,
or teacher -- including me.
And besides that, I love the fact that my extended family is
a diverse group of wildly different characters. I certainly don't
want to hang around exclusively with people who are like me.
With all that as a preface, I'll go ahead and express my joy
in Obama's ascendancy. More than a vindication of a particular
ideology or political agenda, his selection by a majority of American
voters (ratified by an even vaster majority of the world's citizens)
is a triumph of intelligence, thoughtfulness, reasonableness,
compassion, and the higher powers of human consciousness. It is
a profound sign that Americans are growing up and have begun to
say no to being motivated by fear.
I think the rise of Obama also vividly demonstrates an important
point about pronoia. Many of us have been absolutely convinced
that we've been living through a New Dark Ages; we've been entranced
by the belief that the world is in terrible trouble and we're
all on the brink of disaster. Even those of us who don't swallow
that cynical meme have had to acknowledge that some crazy bad
stuff has been happening.
At the same time, the election of a smart black man who is a
good listener and has a flexible mind is not some impossible miracle.
The truth is that many of us have been preparing the way for this
outbreak of pronoia for years. Obama's emergence as a prime leader
is a natural evolution of the work we've all been doing behind
the scenes and outside of the media's spotlight -- both on ourselves
and on our local institutions.
Here are two essays that capture some of the essence of what
I think is most important about Obama:
"Obama is the first postmodern president": tinyurl.com/68yyb8
"Very smart people are thinking and talking in serious conversations
from which narrow ideologues have been rigorously excluded":
tinyurl.com/68dsrh
+
Now I want to mention two big caveats about this monumental shift
in the collective destiny of America.
First, Obama and his team have a lot of work to do. That's why
I endorse the website called Fix This, Barack: fixthisbarack.com.
Second we, you and I, have a lot of work to do. The resuscitation
of America will have to be accomplished primarily by we-the-people,
and as much on the local level as in the federal realm.
This won't just be a matter of political organization. It will
also require us to be continually at work on ourselves, purging
the parts of us that resonate in harmony with the dying world
and feeding the parts of ourselves that are capable of creating
a paradise-on-earth.
Here's a quote from my book:
As much as we might be dismayed at the actions of our political
leaders, pronoia says that toppling any particular junta, clique,
or elite is irrelevant unless we overthrow the sour, crippled
mass hallucination that is mistakenly called "reality"
-- including the part of that hallucination we foster in ourselves.
The revolution begins at home. If you overthrow yourself again
and again, you might earn the right to help overthrow the rest
of us.
Here's a quote from Carl Jung:
"The best political, social, and spiritual work we can do
is to withdraw the projection of our shadow onto others."
Finally, a quote from Tom Robbins:
"Political activism is seductive because it seems to offer
the possibility that one can improve society, make things better,
without going through the personal ordeal of rearranging one's
perceptions and transforming one's self."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
To read news and features from my book,
PRONOIA IS THE ANTIDOTE FOR PARANOIA:
How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings,
go here:
tinyurl.com/lhwx2
You can buy the book here:
AMAZON
tinyurl.com/qaj62
POWELLS
tinyurl.com/3dsx6q
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
OTHER PRONOIA RESOURCES:
THE WORLD IS RICHER THAN WE IMAGINE
The Ten Best Inventions of 2008
tinyurl.com/6palq5
LIFE IS BETTER THAN WE THINK
Top 10 Environmental Successes of 2008
tinyurl.com/68arwq
HUMANS ARE SMARTER THAN WE REALIZE
Top 10 New World-Changing Innovations of the Year
tinyurl.com/3uhm49
(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.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
Week beginning November 13
Copyright 2008 by Rob Brezsny
FreeWillAstrology.com
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
The New York Times ran a story about philosopher Nick
Bostrom. He believes there's a significant chance our world is
actually a computer simulation. In his scenario, you and I are
living in a version of The Matrix. Our "brains" are
merely webs of computer circuits created by our post-human descendants,
who are studying "ancestor simulations" of their past.
I bring this to your attention, Scorpio, because it's an excellent
time for you to find out, one way or another, whether Bostrom
is correct. Right now you have a special talent for knowing what's
real and what's not. You've also got a knack for escaping what's
illusory and gravitating toward what's authentic. So even if you
do find out that we're living in The Matrix, you could become
a kind of messiah with resemblances to the character that Keanu
Reaves played in the film trilogy.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
In his book Signs of Success, astrologer Steven Weiss
says "The question 'Do you believe in astrology?' is like
asking someone if they believe in art." I agree. Picture
a no-nonsense physicist gazing at a Kandinsky painting, with its
teeming blobs of mad color and exuberant shapes, and declaring
it to be a superstitious eruption of delusion that's not based
on a logical understanding of the world. Like Kandinsky's perspective,
astrology at its best roots us in the poetic language of the soul,
and isn't blindly submissive to the values of the rational ego.
It's here to liberate our imaginations and encourage us to think
less literally and to visualize our lives as mythic quests. I
bring this to your attention, Sagittarius, because right now it's
crucial that you spend some quality time in modes of awareness
akin to Kandinsky's and astrology's.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
Check out this excerpt from "Those Who Do Not Dance,"
by Chilean poet Gabriel Mistral: "God asked from on high,
/ 'How do I come down from this blueness?' / We told Him: /come
dance with us in the light." I love this passage because
it reminds me that nothing is ever set in stone: Everything is
always up for grabs. Even God needs to be open to change and eager
for fresh truths. Furthermore, even we puny humans may on occasion
need to be God's teacher and helper. Likewise, we can never be
sure about what lowly or unexpected sources may bring us the influences
we require. What do Mistral's words mean to you, Capricorn? Imagine
you're the "God" referenced in the poem. What blueness
are you ready to come down from, and who might invite you to dance
in their light?
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
All of the good works you do in the coming week will send ripples
far and wide, but not all of them will be recognized and appreciated.
I hope that's OK with you; I hope you won't get obsessed with
trying to get all the credit you deserve. The fact is, your influences
will be more effective and enduring if they are at least partially
anonymous. Ironically, your power will be greater if it's not
fully noticed.
#####################################
Want to get an idea of what my EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES are
like?
Tune in to my free podcast, "Fear Versus Intuition."
It's at tinyurl.com/5bt9ng
My approach there has a close resemblance to the style of my
weekly pay-for-view offerings.
Find out more about how to buy my EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES at
RealAstrology.com.
#####################################
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
Describing his writing class at Sarah Lawrence College, Jeffrey
McDaniel says: "There are two kinds of humor: ha-ha humor
that is light and airy and floats into the sky like a balloon,
vanishing as the giggling subsides; and then there is a darker,
heavier humor that is still there when the laughter stops, a humor
that must be reckoned with, a humor with teeth." I suggest,
Pisces, that you make the latter your specialty, your passion,
and your medicine. Consort with belly laughs and sublime guffaws
that rouse the ferocity you need in order to penetrate deeper
into the heart of the Great Mystery.
ARIES (March 21-April 19):
"You can't know fire unless you play with it," says
Mark Finney, a math whiz who develops computer models for fighting
forest fires. I offer that as a motto for you in the coming week,
Aries. I'm not saying you should purposely ignite a conflagration
for the sake of impulsive experimentation. I'm not saying you
should kick smoldering embers around like soccer balls or light
a cigarette while you're pumping gasoline or buy yourself a flame-thrower.
What I am saying is that it will be in your interest to learn
more about how to play safely with intriguing, useful fires. (Finney's
quote comes from the July 2008 issue of National Geographic.)
TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
The time for keeping the doors closed is passing. But it is not
yet the right moment to fling them wide open. According to my
reading of the omens, your best strategy is to keep doors ajar
-- open just a crack, letting some air in and allowing a hint
of your light to trickle out. This will discourage unfocused wanderers
from barging in, while at the same time it encourages worthy candidates
with a healthy curiosity to sneak peeks inside.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
"There is a rose in Spanish Harlem," sings Ben E. King
in his old pop ballad. "It is a special one/ It's never seen
the sun/ It only comes out when the moon is on the run."
King is fantasizing with longing about an alluring woman from
a hardscrabble neighborhood. The rose is "growing in the
street/ right up through the concrete" -- a delicate beauty
blooming amidst tough conditions. Your assignment, Gemini, is
to cultivate a connection with your equivalent of that rose.
#####################################
Want to get an idea of what my EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES are
like?
Tune in to my free podcast, "Fear Versus Intuition."
It's at tinyurl.com/3j8huc.
My approach there has a close resemblance to the style of my
weekly pay-for-view offerings.
Find out more about how to buy my EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES at
RealAstrology.com.
#####################################
CANCER (June 21-July 22):
Every second of your life, your bone marrow produces 100 trillion
molecules of hemoglobin, the stuff that carries oxygen from your
lungs to the rest of you. Meanwhile, every minute, your immune
system begets 10 million lymphocytes, which are key players in
your body's defenses. These are just two examples of the endless
marvels you produce, Cancerian. You are a creator of the first
order. You're a supreme maker and a generative genius. Remember
that in the coming days. It will help you be confident and purposeful
as you birth minor miracles and intimate wonders.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
For decades the U.S. government has handed out far more welfare
benefits to big corporations than to poor people. Companies like
IBM, General Electric, Boeing, and others rake in over 100 billion
dollars of subsidies each year. In other words, socialism has
been a prominent feature of our so-called capitalist system for
a long time. Recently, Karl Marx's influence has made even deeper
inroads into the American way, with the government becoming part-owner
of many banks in order to keep them solvent. Will any of this
fantastic largesse be extended to us regular citizens, like maybe
in the form of nationalized health care? I can't answer that.
But I do know this, Leo: In the coming months, you will get help
from powers that you regard as above and beyond you.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
For many people, 10:30 a.m. is the single best time of day to
come up with fresh insights and new ideas. But that won't exactly
be true for you in the coming week. I mean, 10:30 will
be a time when you're likely to be really smart, but then so will
11:30, 1:05, 2:37, 3:46, and 4:20. For that matter, 6:35 may also
bring a gush of high intelligence, as well as 7:27, 8:19, and
the last ten minutes before bedtime. What I'm trying to tell you,
Virgo, is that you're in a phase when being brilliant should come
pretty naturally.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
Ruminate a minute about the people who don't see you for who
you really are. Some of them are enemies, but others may be loved
ones or allies. Consider the possibility that you have unconsciously
bought in to their beliefs about you; that you are at least partially
trapped in the habit of acting like the person they think you
are. Now visualize what it would be like to free yourself from
the images and expectations they have of you. Imagine the exhilaration
you'd feel if you answered only to the still, small voice of your
own lucid intuition. The coming weeks will be a good time for
you to practice this high art.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
HOMEWORK:
Name two ways you think that everyone should be more like you.
Go to FreeWillAstrology.com
and click on "Email Rob."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
|
