Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter January 21, 2009

Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
JANUARY 21, 2009
FreeWillAstrology.com

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"There is a muscular energy in sunlight corresponding to the spiritual energy of wind."
- Annie Dillard

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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 2009. Each report in the three-part series is about 6-9 minutes long.

What will be the story of your life in 2009? 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.

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

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This newsletter is also available via RSS. Go here to sign up:
FreeWillAstrology.com/newsletter

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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

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PRONOIA says that evil is boring. Cynicism is idiotic. Fear is a bad habit. Despair is lazy. Joy is fascinating. Love is an act of heroic genius. Pleasure is our birthright. Receptivity is a superpower.

MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:

GO DOWN BELOW AND DEEPER IN TO FIND HIDDEN PRONOIA
Earth's Most Beautiful Caves
tinyurl.com/5zthz3

PRONOIA ISN'T NECESSARILY ABOUT BIGGER AND MORE
Thriving on Less
tinyurl.com/7mjjtx

SINGING IS GOOD MEDICINE
Open That Gate
tinyurl.com/8a9zmt

(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 22

Copyright 2009 by Rob Brezsny
FreeWillAstrology.com

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):

In the ancient Chinese book Poets' Jade Splinters, Lu Ji says: "Avoid the morning flower in full blossom and gather instead evening buds which are not yet open." He's telling his fellow poets not to rely on what has already ripened, but rather to concentrate on what's still in embryonic form. Lu Ji's colleague Song Zijing adds a complementary thought: "If you always use a compass to draw a circle and a ruler to draw a square, you will always remain a slave." Both Lu Ji's and Song Zijing's counsel will work very well for you in the coming year, Aquarius, even if you're not a poet. (Source: tinyurl.com/5qu7fv)

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):

Once every few years, a panel of Hindu and Buddhist judges in Nepal chooses a new "living goddess," a young girl who serves, until she reaches puberty, as an incarnation of the deity Taleju. One of the tests each candidate must pass in order to be eligible for the role is this: She must show no fear as she spends a night alone in a room filled with the bloody heads of ritually killed buffaloes and goats. I'd like you to consider the possibility of carrying out a more humane equivalent of that ceremony, Pisces. For one night, keep symbols of what you're afraid of in the place where you sleep. To do so would be an excellent way to earn the right to graduate to the next level of your spiritual evolution.

ARIES (March 21-April 19):

In The Devil's Dictionary, Ambrose Bierce defines history as follows: "an account mostly false, of events mostly unimportant, which are brought about by rulers, mostly knaves, and soldiers, mostly fools." Bear that in mind as you interpret what I mean by the following: You won't make history in the coming weeks. Instead, you will help generate an interesting and important story that will involve unfamous people who have little political power or military skill but have a great deal of potent grace and nuanced strength and soulful intelligence.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20):

"Dear Rob: Are you holding back some painful truth from us Tauruses? I feel like you're going too easy on us, and as a result I'm missing some clue I desperately need. Please tell us what it is so we can face it and get on with life. - Semi-Elegant Bull in a China Shop." Dear Semi-Elegant: I'm not aware of having withheld a painful truth from you Tauruses. The only thing I can think of is that maybe I haven't been forceful or clear enough in saying the following: One of your primary tasks is to study hard and think deeply as you learn more about how to create peace and serenity in your life.

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EXPLORING YOUR LONG-RANGE FUTURE

Would you like some inspiration as you muse and wonder about your upcoming adventures in 2009?

You can still listen to my long-range, in-depth explorations of your destiny in 2009. Each report in the three-part series is about 6-9 minutes long.

Go to RealAstrology.com
for these EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES

A new short-range forecast for this week is also available.

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GEMINI (May 21-June 20):

Kenneth Koch wrote the poem "The Boiling Water." Read this excerpt: "A serious moment for the water is when it boils / And though one usually regards it merely as a convenience / To have the boiling water available for bath or table / Occasionally there is someone around who understands / The importance of this moment for the water -- maybe a saint, / Maybe a poet, maybe a crazy man, or just someone temporarily disturbed / With his mind 'floating,' in a sense, away from his deepest / Personal concerns to more 'unreal' things." In the weeks ahead, Gemini, I encourage you to be one of those crazy floaters -- someone who tunes in to the serious moments that are normally outside your personal concerns. You need a strong dose of the hidden reality behind the obvious reality.

CANCER (June 21-July 22):

"When I grow up," writes Ramona McNabb, "I want to be a river." In the coming year, that would be a worthy aspiration for you as well, Cancerian. You'd generate a flood of benefits, some unexpected, by cultivating your ability to be perfectly yourself as you flow ever onward in rhythm with the sky and earth, unimpeded by the fluctuations of light and darkness, and in love with the ceaseless movement of your own strong currents.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):

For the citizens of Switzerland, it's immoral to absentmindedly pluck wildflowers out of the ground and throw them aside. That's because this enlightened country has a Bill of Rights for plants. The 22-page document, drawn up by a panel of theologians, philosophers, geneticists, and lawyers, strongly urges respect for the feelings and dignity of all vegetation. I wish you would think about including this mindset in your ethical code, Leo. It's high time for you to expand and refine your sense of right and wrong -- not just in relation to plants but to everyone and everything in the world.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):

"Many people feel guilty about things they shouldn't feel guilty about," wrote journalist Sydney J. Harris, "in order to shut out feelings of guilt about things they should feel guilty about." Your assignment is to figure out whether this description applies to you. If it does, be brave as you expose the truly guilt-worthy stuff you've repressed. Helpful cosmic energies will flow your way if you uncover what you need to atone for and then atone for it.

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LET'S IMAGINE WHAT BEAUTIFUL MYSTERIES
MIGHT COME YOUR WAY IN 2009

What hidden factors will be massaging your destiny in 2009? 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 2009. Each report in the three-part series is about 6-9 minutes long.

Go to RealAstrology.com
for these EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES

A new short-range forecast for this week is also available.

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LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):

While working on his first draft of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson hung out at a tavern in Philadelphia and drank beer. While contemplating how best to motivate you Libras to seek more autonomy and self-determination, I was strolling along a California beach sipping a piña colada and watching windsurfers. In the grand tradition of Jefferson and me, I hope you will put yourself in a relaxed and playful mood as you dream and scheme about all the things you could do to emancipate yourself in the coming months. For God's sake, don't make it a grave and ponderous meditation.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):

If you use a cell phone, you have in your possession a metal called coltan, a component that's essential to the phone's function. Most of the world's coltan comes from the Congo, and is mined by Rwandans who survived their country's genocide in the 1990s. They often work for militias that sell coltan illegally to finance their military operations. It so happens that the land where this metal lies is also the home of the Mountain gorilla, an endangered species that is being decimated as the miners and militias kill them for food and savage their habitat. Keep this in mind the next time you call a friend. While you're at it, Scorpio, use Google and your imagination to meditate on the origins of all the important resources in your life. It's prime time to know more about their origins. You will benefit from getting familiar with the roots of whatever gives you power.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):

Ninety-seven percent of all youth play video games, dwarfing the number of kids who participate in activities like basketball, track, and javelin throwing. That's why I'm an advocate of making video games an Olympic sport. We should recognize where the real future of competitive sports lies. I mention this, Sagittarius, because it would be a good time for you to start upgrading your video game prowess in preparation for a possible berth in the 2012 or 2016 Olympics. In fact, the moment is right to plan on getting the training you'd need to become a master of any skills that may eventually win you rewards, even if they're not yet getting their rightful due from our culture.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):

Most art critics long regarded Gustav Klimt (1862-1918) as a second-tier modern painter, writes Don Thompson in his book The $12 Million Stuffed Shark. But that estimation got upgraded in 2006, when one of Klimt's paintings sold for $135 million. Art history was rewritten with a checkbook, says Thompson. According to my reading of the astrological omens, there's a possibility that your worth will also jump to a higher octave in 2009, Capricorn. But unlike Klimt, who didn't do anything new, you'll have to take action to earn your rise in status. How? Some suggestions: 1. Practice forgiveness with more intensity. 2. Be more tolerant of imperfection in yourself and others. 3. Expand your capacity to give.

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HOMEWORK:

What would be the most fun and interesting thing for you to make next? Testify 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 2009 Rob Brezsny

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