Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
MARCH 23, 2011
FreeWillAstrology.com
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The piece below is excerpted from my book PRONOIA IS THE
ANTIDOTE FOR PARANOIA
available at Amazon: bit.ly/Pronoia
or Powells: bit.ly/PronoiaPowells
LOVE BOMB
I feel closer to you when I imagine that all of us are collaborating
to fight monumental dangers. The telepathic links among us heat
up when our emotions register the possibility that a global cataclysm
could wipe us out.
That's why I think of the nuclear bomb as a gift. It's a terrible
and sacred taboo that mobilizes our love for each other better
than any other symbol.
It's the superhuman profanity on which all life depends and against
which all values must be tested. Shadowing every one of our personal
actions, the bomb is the fascinating blasphemy that won't stop
ranting unless we're all very, very good.
In the quiet abyss of our imaginations, we unconsciously worship
it, believing in its extravagant potency as if it were a god.
It is the most spiritual, most supernatural material object in
the world, a fetish that has the power to literally change all
life on earth instantly and forever. We agree to be possessed
by it, to be haunted by its apparition above all other apparitions.
No other spectacle inspires more perverse attraction.
And yet it's secret. How few of us have ever stood next to the
magic body of a hydrogen bomb in a missile silo or laboratory
-- breathed in its smell, touched it, communed with its actual
life. Its presence among us is rumor and mystery, like flying
saucers and the afterlife. We hear stories.
At night our dreams turn the bomb into the philosopher's stone,
the pearl of great price, the doppelganger of the messiah, the
violent ecstasy of religious conversion. Our blood is alive to
its alchemy, alert to its offer of the blinding flash of irreversible
illumination. We recognize the bomb as our impossible teacher
because it harbors a dangerous light that seems to mimic the sun.
It's ours. We made it. We imagined it into existence so we could
remember that we are all one body. When I fantasize the bomb vaporizing
me into its pure primeval heat and radiation, I remember that
you and I are made of the same stuff. The bomb frees us to imagine
that we all live and die together, that we are all born out of
Adam, the indivisible hermaphrodite god of our species. And we
can return now because we never left.
We need the bomb. We need the bomb because only the tease of
the biggest, most original sin can heal us. The bomb is a blind,
a fake, a trick memory we're sending ourselves from the future
that shocks us better than all the abstract devils.
Let's call the bomb a love that's too big for us to understand
yet. Let's say it's the raging creative life of a cleansing disease
that wants to cure us so it doesn't have to kill us. Let's say
it's the last judgment that promises not to come true if we can
figure out what it means.
We have genetic potentials and divine powers so undreamed of
that they will feel like magic when they finally bloom. But they
may remain partially dormant in us until we're terrified not just
of our individual deaths but also of the extinction of the human
archetype.
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Bless the fear. Praise the danger. O God of Good and Evil Light,
let the ugly power fascinate us all now. Let it fix our dread
so precisely that we become one ferocious, potently concentrated
magician, a single guerrilla mediator casting a spell to bind
the great Satan bomb. There will be no nuclear war.
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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
PRONOIA SNEAKS INTO THE MAINSTREAM
A lead actor in the CBS sitcom "How I Met Your Mother"
told The New York Times he's reading my book "Pronoia
Is the Antidote for Paranoia." Looks like he's making a very
pronoiac movie, too; it's called "Happythankyoumoreplease."
He says: "I didn't know the movie was going to be about gratitude,
but that's what it's about: going from 'What's missing?' to 'Everything
I see is a blessing.'"
tinyurl.com/4vav2nf
THE FASCINATION WITH CRIME SEEMS TO BE FADING
The number of serial murders is dwindling, along with the public's
fascination with them. The golden age of serial killers is probably
past.
tinyurl.com/6hgl7s5
STRETCH YOUR MIND SOME MORE, BABY
A Physicist Explains Why Parallel Universes May Exist
tinyurl.com/4z7d5p8
(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 March 24
Copyright 2011 by Rob Brezsny
FreeWillAstrology.com
ARIES (March 21-April 19):
Were you under the impression that the sky is completely mapped?
It's not. Advances in technology are unveiling a nonstop flow
of new mysteries. In a recent lecture, astronomer Joshua Bloom
of the University of California described the explosion of wonder.
One particular telescope, for example, detects 1.5 million transient
phenomena every night, and an average of 10 of those turn out
to be previously undiscovered. Reporting on Bloom's work, Space.com
compared astronomers' task to "finding a few needles in a
giant haystack night after night." I see this challenge as
resembling your imminent future, Aries. Mixed in with all the
chatter and hubbub, there are some scattered gems out there --
rich revelations and zesty potentials. Will you have the patience
to pinpoint them?
TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
If you're thinking of calling on a ghost to provide you with
information, make sure you know how to banish it when you're finished
milking it. If you're considering a trek into the past to seek
some consolation or inspiration, drop breadcrumbs as you go so
you can find your way back to the present when it's time to return.
Catch my drift, Taurus? It's fine to draw on the old days and
the old ways, but don't get lost or stuck there.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
From an astrological point of view, it's a favorable time for
people to give you gifts and perks and blessings. You have my
permission to convey that message to your friends and associates.
Let them know it's in their interest to be generous toward you.
The truth, as I see it, is that they will attract rewards for
themselves, some unexpected, if they help you. So what's your
role in this dynamic? Be modest. Be grateful. Be gracious. At
the same time, rake it all in with supreme confidence that you
deserve such an outpouring.
CANCER (June 21-July 22):
Nobel Prizes are awarded to geniuses in a variety of fields
for work they've done to elevate science and culture. But have
you heard of Ig Nobel Prizes? The Annals of Improbable Research
hands them out to eccentrics whose work it deems useless but amusing.
For instance, one recipient was honored for investigating how
impotency drugs help hamsters recover quickly from jet lag. Another
award went to engineers who developed a remote-control helicopter
to collect whale snot. In 2000, physicist Andre Geim won an Ig
Nobel Prize for using magnetism to levitate a frog. Unlike all
of his fellow honorees, however, Geim later won a Nobel Prize
for his research on a remarkable substance called graphene (tinyurl.com/NobelGraphene).
I think you'll soon have a resemblance to him, Cancerian. Some
of your efforts will be odd and others spectacular; some will
be dismissed or derided and others will be loved and lauded.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
If you have ever fantasized about setting up a booth at the foot
of an active volcano and creating balloon animals for tourists'
kids, now is an excellent time to get started on making that happen.
Same is true if you've ever thought you'd like to be a rodeo clown
in Brazil or a stand-up comedian at a gambling casino or a mentor
who teaches card tricks and stage magic to juvenile delinquents.
The astrological omens suggest that playfulness and risk-taking
would synergize well right now. There's even a chance that if
you found a way to blend them, it would lead to financial gain.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
You've arrived at a phase in your cycle when you'll have the
opportunity to scope out new competitors, inspirational rivals,
and allies who challenge you to grow. Choose wisely! Keep in mind
that you will be giving them a lot of power to shape you; they
will be conditioning your thoughts about yourself and about the
goals you regard as worthy of your passions. If you pick people
of low character or weak values, they'll bring you down. If you
opt for hard workers with high ideals, they'll raise you up.
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FREE SAMPLE OF MY AUDIO OFFERINGS
If you'd like to get an idea of what my EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES
are like, tune in to my free podcast "You Are a Prophet."
bit.ly/YouAreAProphet
"You Are a Prophet" is a meditation about how your
imagination is your greatest resource and treasure.
Find out more about the EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES at RealAstrology.com.
The weekly forecasts are also available by phone: 1-877-873-4888
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LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
"There's no key to the universe," writes Swami Beyondananda.
But that shouldn't lead us to existential despair or hopeless
apathy, adds the Swami. "Fortunately, the universe has been
left unlocked," he concludes. In other words, Libra, there's
no need for a key to the universe! I offer you this good news
because there's a similar principle at work in your life. You've
been banging on a certain door, imagining that you're shut out
from what's inside. But the fact is that the door is unlocked
and nothing is stopping you from letting yourself in.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
When you travel to Mozambique, the Ministry of Fish and Wildlife
gives you a warning about the frequency of human encounters with
lions out in nature. "Wear little noisy bells so as to give
advanced warning to any lions that might be close by so you don't
take them by surprise," reads the notice you're handed. I'm
certain, Scorpio, that no matter where you are in the coming week
-- whether it's Mozambique or elsewhere -- you won't have to tangle
with beasts as long as you observe similar precautions. So please
take measures to avoid startling goblins, rascals, and rogues.
If you visit a dragon's domain, keep your spirit light and jingly.
If you use a shortcut that requires you to pass through the wasteland,
sing your favorite nonsense songs as you hippety-hop along.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
Few things make me more excited than being able to predict good
tidings headed your way. That's why, as I meditated on your upcoming
astrological aspects, I found myself teetering on the edge of
ecstasy. Here's what I foresee: a renaissance of pleasure . .
. an outbreak of feeling really fine, both physically and emotionally
. . . and an awakening of your deeper capacity to experience joy.
Here's your mantra for the week, generated by my friend Rana Satori
Stewart: yum yum yum yum yum / yum yum yum yum yummy yum / yum
yum yum yum yummy yummy yum yum.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
CNN reported on two neo-Nazi skinheads from Poland, a married
couple, who discovered they were actually Jews. It turned out
that during World War II, the truth about their origins had been
hidden by their parents for fear of persecution. Years later,
when the Jewish Historical Institute in Warsaw informed them that
they were members of the group they had hated for so long, they
were shocked. Since then, they have become observant Jews who
worship at an orthodox synagogue. The new perspective you'll be
getting about your own roots may not be as dramatic as theirs,
Capricorn. But I bet it will lead to a shift in your self-image.
Are you ready to revise your history? (More info: tinyurl.com/Ex-skinheads.)
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
My astrological colleague Antero Alli says that a lot of good
ideas occur to him while he's taking a shower. He also finds frequent
inspiration while riding his bike. Why, then, does he not enjoy
biking in the rain? He doesn't know. I bring this up, Aquarius,
because you're entering a phase of your cycle when flashes of
insight and intuition are likely to erupt at a higher rate than
usual. I suggest you aggressively put yourself in every kind of
situation that tends to provoke such eruptions -- including ones,
like maybe riding your bike in the rain, that you haven't tried
before.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
A Canadian man named William Treble once found over a thousand
four-leaf clovers in a single day. Niamh Bond, a British baby,
was born on the tenth day of the tenth month of 2010 -- at exactly
10:10 a.m. and 10 seconds. My friend Allan told me he was driving
in suburbia the other day when two white cats bolted across the
road right in front of him. And yet as lucky as all that might
sound, it pales in comparison to the good fortune that's headed
your way, Pisces. Unlike their luck, which was flashy but ultimately
meaningless, yours will be down-to-earth and have practical value.
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HOMEWORK:
What is the first thing you want? What's the last thing? Are
they related in any way? Testify at Truthrooster@gmail.com.
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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
2011 Rob Brezsny
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