Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
APRIL 27, 2011
FreeWillAstrology.com
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Jane Heaven of radio station KPFA did an interview with me and
played some of my songs. To listen to the archive, go here: bit.ly/KPFApronoia
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THE HONEY AND VINEGAR TASTERS
My long-time mentor and friend Richard Grossinger published what
I consider to be one of the best books of the past few years:
The Bardo of Waking Life. It's here: tinyurl.com/4kpket
Everyone has a piece of the truth and no one has more than a piece
of the truth. But Grossinger's masterwork is the biggest chunk
of truth I've read in a long time.
I love it so much, I wrote the foreword for the book. It's Called
"The Honey and Vinegar Tasters."
You can read my foreword in its entirety here: bit.ly/HoneyVinegar
Here's how it begins:
John Keats wrote that "if something is not beautiful, it
is probably not true." I celebrate that hypothesis in my
book Pronoia Is the Antidote for Paranoia. I further
propose that the universe is inherently friendly to human beings;
that all of creation is set up to liberate us from our suffering
and teach us how to love intelligently; and that life always gives
us exactly what we need, exactly when we need it (though not necessarily
what we want).
Dogmatic cynics are often so mad about my book's title that they
can't bring themselves to explore the inside. Why bother to actually
read about such a preposterous idea? They accuse me of intellectual
dishonesty, disingenuous Pollyannaism, or New Age delusion.
If they do manage to read even a few pages, they find that the
blessings I reference in the title are not materialistic fetishes
like luxurious vacation homes, high status, and a perfect physique.
I'm more interested in fascinating surprises, dizzying adventures,
challenging gifts we hardly know what to do with, and conundrums
that compel us to get smarter and wilder and kinder and trickier.
I also enjoy exposing secret miracles, like the way the sun continually
detonates nuclear explosions in order to convert its own body
into heat, light, and energy for our personal use.
But I don't take the cynics' fury personally. When I suggest
that life is a sublime mystery designed to grow us all into strong,
supple messiahs, I understand that's the equivalent, for them,
of denying the Holocaust. They're addicted to a formulation that's
the opposite of Keats': If something is not ugly, it is probably
not true.
Modern storytellers are at the vanguard of promoting this doctrine,
which I refer to as pop nihilism. A majority of journalists, filmmakers,
novelists, critics, talk-show hosts, musicians, and pundits act
as if breakdown is far more common and far more interesting than
breakthrough; that painful twists outnumber redemptive transformations
by a wide margin, and are profoundly more entertaining as well.
Earlier in my life, I too worshiped the religion of pop nihilism.
In the 1980s and 1990s, for example, my band World Entertainment
War and I launched a crusade against what I called "the global
genocide of the imagination." I railed against the "entertainment
criminals" who barrage us with floods of fake information
and inane ugliness, decimating and paralyzing our image-making
faculties.
For years, much of my creative work was stoked by my rage against
the machine for its soulless crimes of injustice and greed and
rapaciousness and cruelty.
But as the crazy wisdom of pronoia overtook me in the 1990s,
I gradually weaned myself from the gratuitous gratification that
wrath offered. Against the grain, I experimented with strategies
for motivating myself through crafty joy and purified desire and
the longing for freedom. I played with ideas that helped me shed
the habit of seeing the worst in everything and everyone. In its
place I built a new habit of looking for the best.
But I never formally renounced my affiliation with the religion
of cynicism. I didn't become a fundamentalist apostate preaching
the doctrine of fanatical optimism. In the back of my wild heart,
I knew I couldn't thrive without at least a tincture of the ferocity
and outrage that had driven so much of my earlier self-expression
. . . .
READ THE REST OF THIS PIECE HERE: bit.ly/HoneyVinegar
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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
GROW, BABY, GROW!
64,000 trees planted in 15 minutes
tinyurl.com/4sqgv38
GOODNESS PAYS
Higher Job Performance Linked to People Who Are More Honest and
Humble
tinyurl.com/4ef5mqu
WANNA SEE GOD?
Face to face with the central throb
tinyurl.com/6dtvgto
(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 April 28
Copyright 2011 by Rob Brezsny
FreeWillAstrology.com
TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
Many artists want "to aim for the biggest, most obvious
target, and hit it smack in the bull's eye," says Brian Eno,
a Taurus genius renowned for his innovative music. He prefers
a different approach. He'd rather "shoot his arrow"
wherever his creative spirit feels called to shoot it, then paint
the target around the place where it lands. That's why his compositions
don't resemble anyone else's or fit into any traditional genre
-- it's Brian Eno-like music. Can I talk you into trying a similar
strategy in the coming weeks and months, Taurus? I'd love to see
you create a niche for yourself that's tailored to your specific
talents and needs.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
When World War I ended in 1918, the victorious nations demanded
crushing financial reparations from the loser, Germany. It took
92 years, but the remaining $94 million of the debt was finally
paid last October. I hope this story serves as an inspiration
to you, Gemini. If entities as notoriously inflexible as governments
can resolve their moldering karma, so can you. In the next few
weeks, I'd love to see you finally clean up any messes left over
from your old personal conflicts.
CANCER (June 21-July 22):
I know how secretive you Cancerians can be because I'm one of
your tribe. Sometimes the secrecy is a bit neurotic, but more
often it serves the purpose of sheltering your vulnerable areas.
I'm also aware of how important it is for you to be self-protective.
No one is better than you at guarding your goodies, ensuring your
safety, and taking care of your well-being. I would never shame
you for expressing these talents and I would never ask you to
downplay them. Having said that, though, I want to make sure that
in the coming weeks they don't interfere with you getting the
blessings you deserve. It's crucial that you allow yourself to
be loved to the hilt. You simply must let people in far enough
so they can do that.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
With a fortune of $27 billion, business tycoon Larry Ellison
is the sixth richest person in the world. His monumental sense
of self-importance is legendary. One of his colleagues says, "The
difference between God and Larry is that God does not believe
he is Larry." Ellison seems to be what astrologers call an
unevolved Leo -- an immature soul whose ego is a greedy, monstrous
thing. Evolved Leos, on the other hand, are very different. Are
you one? If so, you do a lot of hard work on your ego. You make
sure that in addition to it being strong, it's beautiful and elegant.
It's not just forceful; it's warm and generous. It gets things
done, but in ways that bless those who come in contact with it.
For you evolved Leos, this is Celebrate Your Ego Week.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
Seventy-five percent of all adults confess they would like to
have sex in the woods at least once in their lives, and yet only
16 percent say they have actually enjoyed that thrill. If you're
one of the 59 percent who would like to but haven't, the coming
weeks will be an excellent time to make it happen. Your capacity
for pleasure in wild places will be at a peak, as will your courage
for exotic adventures. In fact, I suggest that between now and
May 21 you consider carrying out three fantasies that have been
marinating in your imagination for many moons.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
It's time for the Big Squeeze. All the contradictions in your
life are coming up for review. You will be asked to deal more
forthrightly with enigmas you've been avoiding, and you will be
invited to try, try again to unravel riddles you've been unable
to solve. Does all that sound a bit daunting? It could be. But
the end result should be evocative, highly educational, and maybe
even exhilarating. The scintillating play of opposites may caress
you with such intensity that you'll experience what we could refer
to as a metaphysical orgasm.
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WANT TO KNOW WHAT THE EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES ARE LIKE?
To get an idea of how my EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES might make
you feel, tune in to my podcast, "Fear Versus Intuition."
It's here: bit.ly/FearVersusIntuition
"Fear Versus Intuition" is a meditation about the difference
between your fearful fantasies and your authentic, accurate intuitions.
My approach there has a close resemblance to the style of my
weekly EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES. Go here to access them: RealAstrology.com
The weekly forecasts are also available by phone: 1-877-873-4888.
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SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
In the coming weeks, I would love to see you get excited about
many different people, places, animals, and experiences. And I
hope you will shower them with your smartest, most interesting
blessings. Do you think you can handle that big an outpouring
of well-crafted passion? Are you up for the possibility that you
might blow your cover, lose your dignity, and show how much you
care? In my opinion, the answer is yes. You are definitely ready
to go further than ever before in plumbing the depths of your
adoration for the privilege of being alive.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
Here's poet James Schuyler: "It's time again. Tear up the
violets and plant something more difficult to grow." In my
opinion, that's almost the right advice for you these
days. I'd prefer it if you didn't actually rip out the violets
to make room for the harder-to-grow blooms. Would it be possible
to find a new planting area that will allow you to keep what you
already have in the original planting area? One way or another,
I think you really should give yourself a challenging new assignment.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
"Dear Dr. Brezsny: For five years my wife and I have been
married but still have made no children. We have consulted uncountable
physicians with no satisfying result. Please predict a happy outcome
for our troubles. When will the stars align with her womb and
my manhood? She: born December 31, 1983 in Chakdaha, India. Me:
born January 7, 1984 in Mathabhanga, India. - Desperate for Babies."
Dear Desperate: I'm happy to report that you Capricorns have entered
a highly fertile period. It's already going strong, and will culminate
between May 16 to May 23. I suggest you jump on this sexy opportunity.
You couldn't ask for a better time to germinate, burgeon, and
multiply.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
"Welcome home, beautiful!" I hope you hear those words
or at least experience those feelings very soon. In my astrological
opinion, you need to intensify your sense of belonging to a special
place or community. You've got to grow deeper roots or build a
stronger foundation or surround yourself with more nurturing --
or all of the above. And that's not all. As you bask and thrive
in your enhanced support system, you also deserve to feel better
appreciated for the wonderful qualities you're working so hard
to develop in yourself. Ask and you shall receive.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
Whatever you have been trying to say, it's time to say it stronger
and clearer. You can no longer afford to hope people will read
your mind or guess what you mean. Your communications must be
impeccable and irresistible. A similar principle holds true for
the connections and alliances you've been working to ripen. It's
time to raise your intensity level -- to do everything you can
to activate their full potentials. Starting today, you'd be crazy
to tolerate shaky commitments, either from yourself or others.
Be sharp and focused and unswerving, Pisces -- keen and candid
and to the point.
ARIES (March 21-April 19):
To convey my vision of how best to proceed in the coming week,
I'll offer the following metaphorical scenario: Imagine that you
are not a professional chef, but you do have a modicum of cooking
skills. Your task is to create a hearty, tasty soup from scratch
without the benefit of a recipe. You will need a variety of ingredients,
but on the other hand you don't want to just throw in a welter
of mismatched ingredients without regard for how they will all
work together. To some degree you will have to use a trial-and-error
approach, sampling the concoction as it brews. You will also want
to keep an open mind about the possibility of adding new ingredients
in the latter stages of the process. One more thing: The final
product must not just appeal to you. You should keep in mind what
others would like, too.
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HOMEWORK:
What famous historical personage were you in your past life?
If you don't know or weren't really, make something up. Testify
at freewillastrology.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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