Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
MAY 20, 2009
FreeWillAstrology.com
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"Information is doubling faster all the time. It took from
the time of Jesus to the time of Leonardo for one doubling of
knowledge. The next doubling of knowledge was completed before
the American Revolution, the next one by 1900, the next one by
1950, the next one by 1960. You see how [it keeps] moving faster?
Now knowledge is doubling every eighteen months."
"With all these new bits, bytes, blips of information, no
model can last long because models only include the bytes of information
that were available when the model was made. As new bytes of information
come in it gets harder and harder to adjust our old models to
include the new blips and beeps of information, so we've got to
make new models."
- Robert Anton Wilson, tinyurl.com/ocvorz
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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
RADICAL, PRACTICAL OPTIMISM
The opposite of entropy is extropy.
"Seeking more intelligence, wisdom, and effectiveness, an
indefinite lifespan, and the removal of political, cultural, biological,
and psychological limits to self-actualization and self-realization.
Perpetually overcoming constraints on our progress and possibilities.
Expanding into the universe and advancing without end."
extropy.org/principles.htm
CONTROVERSIAL, CUTTING-EDGE OPTIMISM
Beyond the humanists are the transhumanists.
"Humanity will be radically changed by technology in the
future. We foresee the feasibility of redesigning the human condition,
including such parameters as the inevitability of aging, limitations
on human and artificial intellects, unchosen psychology, suffering,
and our confinement to the planet earth."
tinyurl.com/ootpfj
OUTRAGEOUS, OUTLANDISH OPTIMISM
Creating heaven on earth.
"Within a few generations, lifelong bliss that exceeds any
fantasized Christian afterlife can become the genetically-coded
basis of our existence . . . Post-Darwinian superminds will go
on to rewrite the vertebrate genome, redesign our whole global
ecosystem, and abolish suffering and cruelty throughout the living
world."
paradise-engineering.com/heaven.htm
(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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To buy my book,
PRONOIA IS THE ANTIDOTE FOR PARANOIA:
How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings
go here: tinyurl.com/qaj62
or here: tinyurl.com/3dsx6q
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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
Week beginning May 21
Copyright 2009 by Rob Brezsny
FreeWillAstrology.com
GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
A couple I know planned to have their second baby delivered at
home with a midwife's help. The father is a physician who assisted
with childbirths during his residency, so he and his partner felt
confident about conducting their rite of passage outside of the
hospital. But once the mom's water broke and labor began, everything
happened faster than expected. The dad gave the midwife an urgent
phone call, but the kid was already crowning. "Don't cut
the umbilical cord right away," the midwife advised. "It
will minimize the shock of transition if the baby can get the
hang of breathing while still being nurtured as she has for the
last nine months." That's exactly what they did. And I hope
you will do the metaphorical equivalent, Gemini. Keep getting
fed the old way for a while as you learn how to be fed in the
new way.
CANCER (June 21-July 22):
I swerve to avoid running over spiders that cross my path when
I'm riding my bicycle. While at home, I prefer to shepherd flies
out through an open door or window rather than swat them. I'm
still not sufficiently enlightened that I've stopped trying to
squash mosquitoes that dive-bomb me while I'm falling asleep,
however. I'm working on it, but may need a few more years of meditation
before I bring my reverence for all insect life up to the highest
level. The way I see it, my fellow Cancerian, you'd benefit from
working on a similar project in the coming weeks: improving your
relationships with influences you don't have a natural affinity
for.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed
citizens can change the world," wrote anthropologist Margaret
Meade. "Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."
An excellent example of that occurred during America's Revolutionary
War against England from 1775 to 1783. Of all the men in the 13
colonies who could have fought for freedom, only 16 percent did.
I hope that gives you encouragement as you seek to fix a glitch
in the status quo. You and your band of allies have more power
than you know.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
Up to one-tenth of the population is left-handed. Yet for centuries,
even as late as the 1950s, there were social stigmas against left-handers
-- similar in some ways to the perverse prejudice that has been
directed toward homosexuals. So strong was the taboo that many
parents tried to convert their naturally left-handed children
into righties. Thankfully, this absurd form of repression is now
defunct. (Five of the last seven American presidents have been
left-handed.) But it's a good reminder that there are countless
other ways in which our culture still attempts to coax us or force
us into not being who we really are. But here's the good news:
It's an excellent time for you Virgos to reject the pressure to
be someone else and get back to where you once belonged. Reunite
with the person you were destined to be!
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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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LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
The Tower of Terror is a thrill ride at Disney World. Riders
are yanked up and down as they travel along a 199-foot pillar.
A Florida woman named Denise Mooty believes this form of amusement
is essential to her health. She says the extreme G-forces she's
exposed to on the ride help dissipate the fibrous adhesions in
her belly. I recommend a similar kind of therapy for you, Libra.
Not to break up fibrous adhesions, since you probably don't have
any, but rather to jostle your mental blocks, repetitive fantasies,
and obsessive habits. They might just break into pieces and dissipate
if you shake them in the right way.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
It's your choice, Scorpio. You could be a creative dynamo who
changes the course of local history -- or you could be a plain
old boring sex maniac. What'll it be? We here at the Free Will
Astrology Libido Management Center encourage you to at least partially
sublimate your unruly mojo into beautiful works of art, innovative
business solutions, and brilliant strokes of collaboration. You
don't have to stop boinking altogether; just make it the second
most important thing you rather than your raison d'etre.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
The planets are conspiring to unleash energies that will touch
you in ways you didn't realize you needed to be touched. Any minute
now you may begin to feel a pleasurable burning sensation in your
soft underbelly, or a prickly wake-up call in your willpower,
or a ticklish electricity running through your funny bone. What
does it all mean? Maybe nothing. Or maybe it means so much that
you can't possibly analyze its meaning. What a valuable gift that
would be! When is the last time you felt free of the need to have
to understand everything?
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
A long-time Capricorn reader named Allison wrote me an apologetic
email. She said that she has always loved my horoscopes, and still
loves them, but for the foreseeable future she's got to stop reading
them. "Please don't take it as an insult, because it's not,"
she wrote. "I just need to be less subject to outside influences
for a while. Maybe that will help me get better at paying attention
to my own intuition." I understood exactly what she means.
According to my analysis, this is one time when you may have to
shield yourself from the noise around you -- even the good and
interesting noise -- in order to hear your own inner voice better.
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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.
"Your expanded audio horoscopes are the next best thing
to actually having you here next to me to remind me who I really
am."
- Alyssa R., Des Moines, Iowa
"When I listen to your audio 'scopes, my free will lights
up."
- Alex D., Los Angeles
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AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
Rolling Stone magazine has said that sixties folk singer
Tom Rush (born February 8) was a major force in launching the
era of the singer-songwriter. He's been lying low for a while,
though. Recently he came out with his first new studio album in
35 years. I'm guessing that, like him, quite a lot of other Aquarians
will also be climaxing new creations as 2009 unfolds -- perhaps
even works that are long overdue or that have been extraordinarily
slow in the making. And what happens in the next few weeks will
be crucial in that process.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
"All the problems we face in the United States today,"
said comedian and presidential candidate Pat Paulsen, "can
be traced to an unenlightened immigration policy on the part of
the American Indian." With that as your inspiration, Pisces,
I urge you to take inventory of your own "immigration policy."
It's an excellent time to do so, astrologically speaking. Here
are some questions to guide you. What influences do you allow
to pour into your sphere? Are they beneficial for your long-term
mental health? What people do you invite to share your resources?
Do they bring out the best in you? Do you have smart boundaries
that keep out the bad stuff and welcome in the good?
ARIES (March 21-April 19):
The fleas infesting dogs' skin have greater leaping power than
the fleas on cats. Why do you think that is, Aries? Maybe you
should use your waxing brainpower to get to the bottom of this
great mystery. Just kidding! While it is true that in
the coming weeks you will have unusual skill in deciphering enigmas
and clarifying ambiguities, I think you should direct that skill
to really important matters that will improve your life for months
to come -- not to trivial questions like fleas' jumping abilities.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
Studies show that when most people take a shower, they lather
the upper part of their bodies first and make their way down.
I recommend that you take the opposite approach this week, Taurus.
In fact, I think a similar strategy would be wise in just about
everything you do. Start at the bottom and work your way up. Establish
yourself at the ground level and then take care of the higher
stuff. Pay respect to the roots and then tend to the branches.
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HOMEWORK:
What other name would you give yourself if you could take a
vacation from your present name? Why? 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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Contents of the Free Will Astrology Newsletter are Copyright
2009 Rob Brezsny
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