Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter November 11, 2009

Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
NOVEMBER 11, 2009
FreeWillAstrology.com

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Life is a vast and intricate conspiracy designed to keep you well-supplied with blessings. What kind of blessings? Ten million dollars, a gorgeous physique, a perfect marriage, a luxurious home, and high status? Maybe.

But just as likely: interesting surprises, dizzying adventures, gifts you hardly know what to do with, and conundrums that dare you to get smarter and wilder and kinder and trickier.

- PRONOIA

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The revised and expanded version of my book PRONOIA IS THE ANTIDOTE FOR PARANOIA is available.

You can order it at Amazon: tinyurl.com/lxpnyt

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1. See a Youtube video of a scene from my show "Sacred Uproar": tinyurl.com/yeoe66j

2. Hear an MP3 of a spoken word piece from my future album "This Is a Perfect Moment": tinyurl.com/yzj6jnu

3. See one of the smashing images that grace the book: tinyurl.com/ydo5sm7 or tinyurl.com/2dzos2

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Here's some more information about the Youtube video, the MP3, and the image from the book.

1. I've developed a show, "Sacred Uproar," that draws on material from my book PRONOIA. In the coming weeks, I'll be offering videos from a show I did at The Marsh, a theater in San Francisco. This is the first, a piece called "Prayer for Us": tinyurl.com/yeoe66j

If you'd like to read along with my performance, the text is on page 178 of the book. Or you can find it here: tinyurl.com/yh637zw

2. I've been working on an album of songs and spoken word pieces to serve as the soundtrack for the book PRONOIA. It won't be done till 2010, but this is a sneak preview of one piece, "Shadow Blessings": tinyurl.com/yzj6jnu

3. The new book has over 70 new images that weren't in the first edition. One of the new images is a Spiral Blessing Spell. It begins this way: "The universe always gives us exactly what we need, exactly when we need it . . . ."

You can steal and reproduce this Spell freely for your own use, as long as you don't make commercial use of it.

Here's the spell with the solar face in the center: tinyurl.com/ydo5sm7

Here's the spell without the solar face in the center: tinyurl.com/2dzos2

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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:

FIGHT THE HYPE
Roland Emmerich's movie 2012 debuts this week. It's the grossest, most obscene heap of apocalyptic propaganda ever splurged. I renounce it, denounce it, and pronounce it obscene.

If you'd like to tune in to some alternative views of 2012, check out a counterpoint to Emmerich's absurd vision: the event "2012, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Dimensional Shift."
Find out more here: tinyurl.com/yfvyxme

CAN YOU THINK YOUR WAY OUT OF THE FEAR-MONGERING?
Reality Sandwich has a variety of thoughtful perspectives on 2012.
tinyurl.com/yzlkxm2

ALTERNATIVE FUTURE HISTORIES
The 2012 Story: The Myths, Fallacies, and Truth Behind the Most Intriguing Date in History
by John Major Jenkins
"How can we cut through all the noise about 2012 and gain true wisdom from the Mayan teachings about this moment?"
tinyurl.com/y9ct3s2

2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl
by Daniel Pinchbeck
Pinchbeck proposes that "what happens in 2012 depends on what humanity decides to make of it. We might see global famines and wars and increasing misery," he says, "or we might decide to institute a new planetary culture based on empathy, alternative economic systems, sustainable design, and an equitable sharing of wealth."
tinyurl.com/yccvtzd

Beyond 2012: Catastrophe or Awakening?: A Complete Guide to End-of-Time Predictions
by Geoff Stray
tinyurl.com/yloguvp

CAST YOUR LOT WITH THOSE WHO IMAGINE REDEMPTION
2012: Time for a Change is a film presenting an alternate view of the numinous transformations ahead.
"Rather than breakdown and barbarism, 2012 will herald the birth of a regenerative planetary culture, where collaboration replaces competition, where exploration of psyche and spirit becomes the new cutting edge, replacing the sterile materialism that has pushed our world to the brink."
2012timeforchange.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 November 12

Copyright 2009 by Rob Brezsny
FreeWillAstrology.com

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):

A 13-year-old girl shocked everyone by winning a plowing contest in England. Driving a 12,000-pound tractor and pulling a five-furrow plow, Elly Deacon did a better job than all of the middle-aged male farmers she was competing against. What's more remarkable is that she was a newcomer, having had less than a week's experience in the fine art of tilling the soil with a giant machine. She's your role model for the coming week, Scorpio. Like her, you have the potential to perform wonders, even if you're a rookie, as you prepare a circumscribed area for future growth.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):

I hope that by now you have finished scrabbling along on your hands and knees over burning hot shards of broken glass. The next and hopefully final phase of your redemptive quest should be less torturous. In this upcoming chapter, the operative metaphor might be assembling a jigsaw puzzle with 200 pieces, all of which are red. Amazingly enough, you actually have it in you to accomplish this improbable feat -- as long as you don't spread out the puzzle pieces all over the burning hot shards of broken glass. Find a nice, clean, quiet place to do your work.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):

According to psychologist Carl Jung, one of the most potent influences that our parents have on us is their unlived lives. Whatever dreams they didn't pursue, whatever longings they didn't fulfill, are likely to worm their way into our core, often without our conscious awareness. There they get mixed up with our own dreams and longings, causing us confusion about what we really want. The coming weeks will be a good time for you to get clear about this. You'll have the power to untangle your own deepest, truest desires from the muffled wishes your mommy and daddy deposited in you.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):

"Awesome" has become a commonplace word that is used to express gladness about small triumphs and simple pleasures. Today, for instance, a woman at the local cafe uttered a sweet "Awesome!" when someone pointed out to her where she could find an electrical outlet to plug in her laptop. Back in the old days, however, "awesome" was a portentous term invoked only rarely. "Awe" referred to an overwhelming feeling of wonder, reverence, admiration, inspiration, or even agitation in the face of a sublime or numinous experience. In the coming week, Aquarius, I expect you will experience more than your usual quota of both kinds of awesome.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):

According to Leonardo da Vinci, you could magnify the power of your prayers or meditations ten-fold by bathing in purple light. Back in his time, that was easiest to accomplish by standing near a church's stained glass window that was tinted purple. These days you can get the same effect with the help of a purple light bulb. Alternately, you could simply close your eyes and visualize yourself surrounded by a shimmering purple glow. I recommend this practice for you in the coming days. It's an excellent time to do anything and everything to intensify your spiritual power. P.S. Experts in color theory say that purple nurtures the development of the imagination, which would be of great value to you as you tone and firm your devotional impulses.

ARIES (March 21-April 19):

A whitewash happens when you use deceit to cover up the messy facts about a situation. A blackwash is just the opposite: It's when you invoke candor as you reveal complications that have previously been veiled. According to my analysis of the astrological omens, the coming weeks will be prime time to enjoy a jubilee of blackwashing. But I suggest that you proceed gently. Remember that not all hidden information is a sign of malfeasance or evil intentions. Sometimes the truth is so paradoxical and nuanced, it's hard to get it completely out in the open all at once. And sometimes people are motivated to keep things secret mostly because they're afraid to cause pain.

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LISTEN TO AN EXPANDED HOROSCOPE

In addition to the horoscopes 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 provide me with the Rest of the Story. I'm not necessarily a believer in the scientific accuracy of astrology, but I do think you've got a lot of practical wisdom to impart."
- M. Tennenbaum, New York

"No one knows more about me than me. But you're right up there near the top of the list of people who do understand something about how I tick. How is that possible?"
- R. Goren, Albuquerque

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TAURUS (April 20-May 20):

"Dear Rob: I've read horoscope columns written by many astrologers, and yours is the only one that's not prejudiced against at least one of the signs. You really do treat everyone equally. You play no favorites. But that's exactly the bone I have to pick with you. I'm wondering if you've got a passion deficiency or something. It seems abnormal not to display a hint of bias now and then. -Suspicious Taurus." Dear Suspicious: My own birth chart includes elements of both Taurus and Libra. The Taurus part of me has strong feelings and deep passions, while the Libra part of me is fair-minded and well-balanced. They've worked out a synergistic arrangement that allows me to maintain my equilibrium as I feed my intensity. I recommend this approach to you right now.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20):

Personally, I've never been very smart about making investments. At least in that area of my life, my intuition seems to work in reverse. I often do the precisely wrong thing at the wrong time. Billionaire businessman George Soros, on the other hand, is a genius. When facing a decision about which way to go financially, he says he becomes a jungle animal guided by actual sensations in his body. You Geminis have arrived at a phase when your choices could have long-term effects on your relationship with money. According to my reading of the astrological omens, you've got the potential to be like Soros rather than me. Trust your instincts.

CANCER (June 21-July 22):

This will be a smooth, easy, and graceful week for you -- if, that is, you get yourself out of the way and allow the universe to do its job. Can you do that? It doesn't mean you should be passive or blank. On the contrary, in order for the cosmos to perform its magic, you should be on the lookout for what captivates your imagination and be primed to jump when life says "jump!" Be both relaxed and alert; receptive and excitable; surrendered to the truth and in intimate contact with your primal power. Then the song will sing itself. The dream will interpret itself. The beauty will reveal itself.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):

Mathematician Charles Babbage (1791-1871) is considered a "father of the computer." Among his many inventions, he created a mechanical calculator that was a forerunner of the magical device that's so indispensable today. And yet Babbage had other obsessions that were not as useful. For his own amusement, he once counted all of the panes of glass that had been broken in a factory over a period of 10 months, and investigated the cause of each break. He also spent an inordinate amount of time estimating the statistical probability that the miracles reported in the Bible had actually occurred. I bring this up, Leo, in the hope that you will concentrate on your own equivalent to Babbage's calculator, and not get sidetracked by meditations on broken glass and Biblical miracles.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):

"Everything that emancipates the spirit without giving us control over ourselves is harmful," said Goethe. Luckily, Virgo, you're in the midst of a process that may emancipate your spirit and give you more control over yourself. Here are two ways you could cash in on this potential: 1. Brainstorm about a big dream even as you attend to the gritty details of making the dream a reality. 2. Expand your imagination about your tricky situation even as you burn away the illusions you have about your tricky situation.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):

Have you heard about the new sport of chess boxing? Two competitors play chess for four minutes, then put on boxing gloves and try to punch each other for three minutes; they continue this rhythm for up to 11 rounds. I suspect you'll soon be asked to meet a similar challenge, going back and forth between two contrasting modes. If you treat this challenge as a fun game rather than a crazy-making exertion, you'll do fine.

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HOMEWORK:

You're invited to celebrate Unhappy Hour, a ritual that gives you a license to whine and howl. Go here: bit.ly/28nbB9. Send your responses to uaregod@comcast.net.

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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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