Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
AUGUST 24, 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
PRONOIA THERAPY
1. Here's the catch about pronoia: Life always gives you exactly
what you need, exactly when you need it, but it doesn't necessarily
give you exactly what you want, exactly when you want it. Do you
know the differences between what you want and what you need?
What are they?
2. The English language is in a state of rapid ferment. New words
are barging into the dictionary at an unprecedented rate, even
as old familiars fall into disuse. There's one exception to this
trend: profanity. Antique four-letter favorites like those that
start with "f" and with "s" have gained an
acceptance unthinkable 30 years ago, but fresh, original curse
words are rarely coined.
At the Beauty and Truth Lab, we find the overused classics inadequate
for expressing our evolving rage at injustice, ignorance, and
ugliness. Furthermore, as deadening cliches, they don't satisfy
the pronoiac mandate to use language with sonorous precision.
There's another problem. Anger has become one of the trendiest
emotions of all. In moderation it can be a righteous force for
constructive change. But its hackneyed omnipresence means the
vast majority of its outbreaks are trivial. The paucity of colorful
obscenities is aggravated by an abundance of frivolous fury.
How can you purge the cliched ire that dilutes the useful, inspired
stuff? One good method is to make fun of it by expressing it bigger
than life.
Try this. Go alone to a place where it's safe to feel blind rage.
Envision a person or thing you love to hate, then unleash the
following mantra 15 times in the most vulgar tones possible: "You
miasmic heap of shaved-off cemetery warts. You mangled preen of
politicians' tongue scabs. You brackish tripe of experts' ego
tinkles. You fragile scrap of orphaned tyrants. You demented cluster
of fickle weasel vows. You curdled slosh of rotting fracas-spawned
opinions."
Now how about if you get to work helping us coin a new generation
of profanities?
3. "Watch out for the dark side of your own idealism and
of your moral sense," says Howard Bloom. "Both come
from our arsenal of natural instincts. And both easily degenerate
into an excuse for attacks on others. When our righteous indignation
breathes the flames of anger against a 'villain,' we all too often
become a fang in nature's scheme of tooth and claw." What's
the dark side of your idealism and morality?
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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
NOT ALL ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS IS WORRISOME
Snow Leopards Rebounding in Africa
tinyurl.com/3hf9252
THE CONSPIRACY OF DO-GOODERS IS GROWING
Greatest Person of the Day
Redefining student aid in Africa
tinyurl.com/5vdm9eb
GET YOUR MINIMUM DAILY DOSE OF BEAUTY
Electrifying Sublimity
i.imgur.com/WUcPf.jpg
(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 August 25
Copyright 2011 by Rob Brezsny
FreeWillAstrology.com
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
In August 2009, 120 scientists and their helpers staged a BioBlitz
in Yellowstone National Park. Their goal was to find as many new
species as they could in one day. To their surprise and delight,
they located more than 1,200, including beetles, worms, lichens,
and fungi that had never before been identified. An equally fertile
phase of discovery could very well be imminent for you, Virgo.
All you have to do is make that your intention, then become super
extra double-wildly receptive.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
"Two dangers threaten the universe: order and disorder,"
said poet Paul Valery. I think that's especially true for you
right now, although the "danger" in question is psychological
in nature, not physical, and it's a relatively manageable hazard
that you shouldn't stay up all night worrying about. Still, the
looming challenge to your poise is something that requires you
to activate your deeper intelligence. You really do need to figure
out how to weave a middle way between the extremes of seeking
too much order and allowing too much disorder. What would Goldilocks
do?
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
Readers of Reddit.com were asked
to describe their lives in just six words. It would be a good
time for you to try this exercise. You've reached a juncture in
your unfolding destiny when you could benefit from a review that
pithily sums up where you've been up until now, and where you've
got to go next. To inspire your work, here are some of the most
interesting from Reddit: 1. Early opportunities wasted, now attempting
redemption. 2. Searching tirelessly for that one thing. 3. Living
my dream requires modifying dream. 4. Must not turn into my mom.
5. Insane ambition meets debilitating self-doubt. 6. Do you want
to have sex? 7. Slowly getting the hang of it. 8. These pretzels
are making me thirsty.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
Go where the drama is, Sagittarius, but not where the melodrama
is. Place yourself in the path of the most interesting power,
but don't get distracted by displays of power that are dehumanizing
or narcissistic. You are in a phase of your astrological cycle
when you have a mandate to intensify your excitement with life
and increase your ability to be deeply engaged with what attracts
you. I urge you to be as brave as you once were when you conquered
a big fear and to be as curious as you were when you discovered
a big secret about who you are. For extra credit, be highly demonstrative
in your expression of what you care about.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
In his older years, after steadfastly cultivating his vices with
the care of a connoisseur, the agnostic actor W. C. Fields was
caught reading the Bible by an old friend. Questioned at this
departure from his usual behavior, Fields said he was "looking
for loopholes." I suspect a comparable shift may be in the
offing for you, Capricorn. In your case, you may be drawn to a
source you've perpetually ignored or dismissed, or suddenly interested
in a subject you've long considered to be irrelevant. I say, good
for you. It's an excellent time to practice opening your mind
in any number of ways.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
I watched a Youtube video that showed eight people competing
in a weird marathon. They ran two miles, ate 12 doughnuts, then
ran another two miles. I hope you don't try anything remotely
similar to that, Aquarius. If you're in the mood for outlandish
feats and exotic adventures (which I suspect you might be), I
suggest you try something more life-enhancing, like making love
for an hour, eating an organic gourmet feast, then making love
for another hour. It's a good time for you to be wild, maybe even
extreme, about getting the healing you need.
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LIFE IS BIGGER AND BETTER THAN ANY OF US CAN IMAGINE
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 astrology thingees help me remember who I
really am."
- Gareth N., Toronto
"I never knew it was possible to get my butt kicked and
my head patted at the same time -- until I listened to you, Rob."
- Kristi P., Portland, OR
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PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
In the out-of-print book In Portugal, A.F.G. Bell defines
the Portuguese word saudade as follows: "a vague
and constant desire for something that does not and probably cannot
exist, for something other than the present, a turning towards
the past or towards the future; not an active discontent or poignant
sadness, but an indolent dreaming wistfulness." In my astrological
opinion, Pisces, it is imperative that you banish as much saudade
from your system as you can. If you want, you can bring it back
again later, but for now, you need to clarify and refine your
desires for things that are actually possible. And that requires
you to purge the delusional ones.
ARIES (March 21-April 19):
I predict that in the coming weeks, you will be able to extract
an unexpected perk or benefit from one of your less glamorous
responsibilities. I also predict that you will decide not to ram
headfirst into an obstacle and try to batter it until it crumbles.
Instead, you'll dream up a roundabout approach that will turn
out to be more effective at eliminating the obstacle. Finally,
I predict that these departures from habit will show you precious
secrets about how to escape more of your own negative conditioning
in the future.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
"Dear Astrologer: My life is stagnant and slow. It suffers
bone-deep from a lack of changes, good or bad or in between. Why
has my karma been deprived of all motion? Why must I go on frozen
in such eerie peace and quiet? I seek your help. Can you cast
a spell for me so that I will be happily disrupted and agitated?
Will you predict my sorry state of stillness to be ended soon?
Arvind Agnimuka, Taurus from Darjeeling." Dear Arvind: Funny
you should ask. According to my analysis, members of the Taurus
tribe are about to be roused out of their plodding rhythm by a
bolt of cosmic mojo. Get ready to rumble -- and I mean that in
the best sense of the word.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
I found this unusual classified ad in a small California newspaper.
"Wanted: Someone to travel backwards in time with me. This
is not a joke. You must be unafraid to see the person you used
to be, and you've got to keep a wide-open mind about the past
-- I mean more wide-open than you have ever been able to. I have
made this trip twice before, and I don't expect any danger, but
there may be a bit of a mess. Please bring your own 'cleaning
implements,' if you know what I mean." As crazy as it sounds,
Gemini, I'm thinking you'd be the right person for this gig. The
astrological omens suggest you'll be doing something similar to
it anyway.
CANCER (June 21-July 22):
Of your five senses, which is the most underdeveloped? If you're
a typical Westerner, it's your sense of smell. You just don't
use it with the same level of acuity and interest you have when
you're seeing, hearing, tasting, and touching. You may speak excitedly
about an image you saw or song you heard or food you ate or massage
you experienced -- what they were like, how they made you feel
-- but you rarely do that with odors. You easily tolerate an ugly
building or loud traffic noise or mediocre food or itchy fabric,
and yet you feel a deep aversion to an unappealing smell. Having
said that, I want you to know it's an excellent time to upgrade
your olfactory involvement with the world. You'd benefit greatly
from the emotional enrichment that would come from cultivating
a more conscious relationship with aromas.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
"Enlightenment is simply this," said the Zen master.
"When I walk, I walk. When I eat, I eat. When I sleep, I
sleep." If that's true, Leo, you now have an excellent chance
to achieve at least temporary enlightenment. The universe is virtually
conspiring to maneuver you into situations where you can be utterly
united with whatever you are doing in the present moment. You'll
be less tempted than usual to let your mind wander away from the
experience at hand, but will instead relish the opportunity to
commit yourself completely to the scene that's right in front
of you.
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HOMEWORK:
What's the part of you that you trust the least? Think up a test
whereby that part of you will be challenged to express maximum
integrity. Testify at Freewillastrology.com.
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I SHARE MANY OF THE VIEWS THAT ARE ARTICULATED BRILLIANTLY BY
THIS GUY
One of my favorite thinkers and writers is my friend Jonathan
Zap. His vision is simultaneously cosmic and intimate, shocking
and healing.
His upcoming book is Crossing the Event Horizon -- the Singularity
Archetype & Human Metamorphosis. The first 40 pages are
available here for free: bit.ly/qvefZq.
Zap has also created a great online oracle deck you can use to
do your own divinations. Go to zaporacle.com
and click on ORACLE.
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Contents of the Free Will Astrology Newsletter are Copyright
2011 Rob Brezsny
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