Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter September 5, 2012

Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
SEPTEMBER 5, 2012
FreeWillAstrology.com

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Dear Readers:

I suspect that none of us has the capacity to foretell the future of the human race. No one -- not psychics, not doomsayers, not intelligent optimists, indigenous shamans, no one.

There is a strong case to be made that this is the worst of times, and an equally strong case that this is the best of times; a strong case that everything will collapse into a miserable dystopia and a strong case that we are on the verge of a golden age.

It’s impossible to know in any “objective way” which is “truer.” Anyone who asserts they do know is just cherry-picking evidence that rationalizes their emotional bent. The variables are chaotic and abundant and beyond our ken.

In the meantime, I'm doing what I can to create a golden age.

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My book
PRONOIA IS THE ANTIDOTE FOR PARANOIA
is available at Amazon: bit.ly/Pronoia
or Powells: bit.ly/PronoiaPowells

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Here's an excerpt:

LETTERS TO THE BEAUTY AND TRUTH LAB, Part 2

DEAR BEAUTY AND TRUTH LAB: Can you tell me why my trivial prayers are often answered (please don't let the light turn red, please let there be enough milk for one cup of coffee, etc.), but never my big life-changing prayers (please send me a soul mate, please help me make money at what I love to do)? Are God's priorities screwed up, or is it me? - Dumb Luck Collector

Dear DLC: There's an old fairy tale in which two old folks are given three wishes by a magic dwarf, but impulsively waste them on the first silly whims that pop into their heads. I'll tell you what I would have told them: Proceed on the assumption that only a few of your fervent prayers will be granted. Don't use them up on pleas for convenience when you're tired, cranky, or desperate. A Tibetan proverb says, "The person who gets stuck on petty happiness will not attain great happiness."

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DEAR BEAUTY AND TRUTH LAB: You must be kidding with your Pollyanna crap. Either that or you're lying to get gullible people to love you and give you money.

The truth is, life is not in the least bit kind. It's a brutal struggle for survival -- at best. We are, sadly, animals who are stuck being conscious of our own mortality, forever stalked by death, and trying to avoid both that knowledge and the inevitable appearance of the grim reaper. Wake up and see the sickness and misery that life on this planet really is. - Your Good Cheer Makes Me Puke

Dear Puker: It's true that the Beauty and Truth Lab errs on the side of optimism, but only because so many so-called experts and leaders err on the side of cynicism. Our calling is to overcompensate for the relentless propaganda that creates the false impression that ugliness rules the world.

By the way, when we urge people to more fully appreciate the multitude of blessings they take for granted, it's not the same as advising them to pretend there's no suffering in the world.

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DEAR BEAUTY AND TRUTH LAB: I recently borrowed a copy of Pronoia from my local library. I was attracted to the idea of scribbling my thoughts and ideas in the book, but I was unsure whether I should commit this act of flagrant vandalism. Then I noticed the book had been borrowed at least a half dozen times prior, but nobody had written anything in it. I was shocked. Clearly they were zombies, or else too (un-pronoiacally?) reverent to the sacred scrolls to tarnish its beauty.

So, my question is: Would you write, scribble, and doodle in a library book? —Artillery

Dear Artillery: Did you ever hear the CD called The Bees Made Honey in the Lion's Skull? We're listening to it right now.

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DEAR BEAUTY AND TRUTH LAB: I was lying in my bed basking in a sunbeam this morning, too comfortable to get up and take my Prozac, when I thought, Hey, what if I'm not, you know, emotionally challenged? What if I'm just lazy? Maybe if I worked harder at cultivating happiness, I'd just sort of outgrow my depression -- you know, render it irrelevant. Do you have an opinion about this theory? - Slothful Slack Seeker

Dear Slothful: We'd have to know more about your personal history to evaluate whether laziness is the cause of your depression. We do know this, though: Many people are extremely lax about their pursuit of happiness. Here's our question to you: What tricks would you have to play on yourself in order to get more aggressive about mastering the art of feeling really good?

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DEAR BEAUTY AND TRUTH LAB: It's my goal to become a Texas Congressman 12 years from now and a Senator 20 years from now. I have a lot of original ideas about how to make the world a better place, and I've decided that the best way to make them happen is by becoming a force in national politics. Do you have any advice on how to proceed in a pronoiac manner? - Pragmatic Idealist Who Doesn't Need to Marry a Blond, Blue-Eyed Cheerleader with Six-Pack Abs

Dear Pragmatic Idealist: First, you could obtain a piece of the Burning Bush from the monastery of St. Catherine of Alexandria on Mt. Sinai. Next, acquire a tooth or finger bone of Mary Magdalene from one of her reliquaries in southern France. Bring these sacred objects to the NorthPark Center shopping mall in Dallas during a blow-out sale. While kneeling in front of the ATM near Neiman Marcus, place a shred of the bush under your tongue as you stroke the tooth or finger bone and reverently intone Emily Dickenson's poem "Soul at the White Heat."

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DEAR BEAUTY AND TRUTH LAB: During your shows or workshops or rituals or whatever you call them, I have heard you refer to "learning the difference between stupid suffering and smart suffering." I had no idea what you were talking about until recently.

The truth finally hit me the morning after I climbed into bed with my sort of ex-boyfriend. He's pretty good at the sex thing, technically speaking, even though his inability to converse intelligently and honestly about emotions drives me into the ninth level of the abyss.

Afterward, as I got dressed, feeling that bizarre and oh-so-familiar disjunction of having had a physical release but being utterly distraught by the lack of authentic connection between me and the person who helped incite that orgasm, I suddenly thought, "Wow! This is stupid suffering. I've done this and done this and done this to death. Stupid suffering is repeating a lesson I've already learned and been through."

In the next breath I mused, "Maybe smart suffering is what happens when I'm trying something new, taking a good risk, that will teach me tough lessons I didn't even realize I needed to learn."

Thanks to you people for planting the seed in my head, and thanks to me for finally sprouting it. - Smart Sufferer

Dear Smart Sufferer: Don't be too hard on yourself about your "stupid" suffering -- especially in this case. Your stupid suffering was actually pretty smart, since it catalyzed in you an insight about avoiding stupid suffering in the future.

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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:

PRONOIA FOR THE POOR
Iceland economy is recovering from its collapse a few years ago? How? Because it has pushed losses on to bondholders instead of taxpayers, and because it has safeguarded a welfare system that shielded the unemployed from poverty.
tinyurl.com/c83qzpd
tinyurl.com/8h49d7f

THE PRONOIAC REVOLUTION STARTS WITH YOU
Honesty as a Soul-Making Activity
"Honesty is not just refraining from deliberate lies, it's the positive act of living in accordance with the deepest truth you can discover."
tinyurl.com/8lxgqld

STARS ARE BEING BORN RIGHT NOW
When's the last time you saw a stellar nursery?
tinyurl.com/9ppkt4p

(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 September 6

Copyright 2012 by Rob Brezsny
FreeWillAstrology.com

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):

I'll bet that a-ha! experiences will arrive at a faster rate than you've seen in a long time. Breakthroughs and brainstorms will be your specialty. Surprises and serendipitous adventures should be your delight. The only factor that might possibly obstruct the flow would be if you clung too tightly to your expectations or believed too fiercely in your old theories about how the world works. I've got an idea about how to ensure the best possible outcome. Several times every day, say something like the following: "I love to get my curiosity spiked, my hair mussed, my awe struck, my goose bumps roused, my dogmas exploded, and my mind blown."

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):

"Disappointments should be cremated, not embalmed," said the aphorist Henry S. Haskins. That's good advice for you right now, Libra. It's an auspicious moment for you to set fire to your defeats, letdowns, and discouragements -- and let them burn into tiny piles of ashes. I mean all of them, stretching back for years, not simply the recent ones. There's no need to treat them like precious treasures you have an obligation to lug with you into the future. The time is right for you to deepen your mastery of the art of liberation.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):

Columnist Sydney J. Harris told the following story. "I walked with a friend to the newsstand the other night, and he bought a paper, thanking the owner politely. The owner, however, did not even acknowledge it. 'A sullen fellow, isn’t he?' I commented as we walked away. 'Oh, he’s that way every night,' shrugged my friend. 'Then why do you continue being so polite to him?' I asked. And my friend replied, 'Why should I let him determine how I’m going to act?'" I hope you'll adopt that approach in the coming week, Scorpio. Be your best self even if no one appreciates it or responds. Astrologically speaking, this is prime time to anchor yourself in your highest integrity.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):

In the 1960 Olympics at Rome, Ethiopian runner Abebe Bikila was barefoot as he won a gold medal in the marathon race. Four years later, at the summer games in Tokyo, he won a gold medal again, this time while wearing shoes. I'm guessing this theme might apply to you and your life in the coming weeks. You have the potential to score another victory in a situation where you have triumphed in the past. And I think it's even more likely to happen if you vary some fundamental detail, as Bikila did.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):

Wikipedia has extensive lists of the biggest unsolved problems in medicine, computer science, philosophy, and nine other fields. Each article treats those riddles with utmost respect and interest, regarding them not as subjects to be avoided but rather embraced. I love this perspective, and urge you to apply it to your own life. This would be an excellent time, astrologically speaking, to draw up a master list of your biggest unsolved problems. Have fun. Activate your wild mind. Make it into a game. I bet that doing so will attract a flood of useful information that'll help you get closer to solving those problems. (Here's Wikipedia's big list: tinyurl.com/ListofProblems.)

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):

There's a certain lesson in love that you have been studying and studying and studying -- and yet have never quite mastered. Several different teachers have tried with only partial success to provide you with insights that would allow you to graduate to the next level of romantic understanding. That's the bad news, Aquarius. The good news is that all this could change in the coming months. I foresee a breakthrough in your relationship with intimacy. I predict benevolent jolts and healing shocks that will allow you to learn at least some of the open-hearted truths that have eluded you all this time.

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Free Will Astrology's
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featuring tips and suggestions
to help liberate you from your suffering
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Register and/or sign in at RealAstrology.com.

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PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):

A mother wrote to the "Car Talk" columnists to ask whether it's possible to cook food on a car engine. She wanted to be able to bring her teenage son piping hot burritos when she picked him up from school. The experts replied that yes, this is a fine idea. They said there's even a book about how to do it, Manifold Destiny: The One! The Only! Guide to Cooking on Your Car Engine! I suggest you engage in this kind of creative thinking during the coming week, Pisces. Consider innovations that might seem a bit eccentric. Imagine how you might use familiar things in unexpected ways. Expand your sense of how to coordinate two seemingly unrelated activities.

ARIES (March 21-April 19):

Life tests you all the time. Sometimes its prods and queries are hard and weird; they come at you with non-stop intensity. On other occasions the riddles and lessons are pretty fun and friendly, and provide you with lots of slack to figure them out. In all cases, life's tests offer you the chance to grow smarter, both in your head and heart. They challenge you to stretch your capacities and invite you to reduce your suffering. Right now, oddly enough, you have some choice in what kinds of tests you'd prefer. Just keep in mind that the more interesting they are, the bigger the rewards are likely to be.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20):

According to the religion of ancient Egypt, Tefnut is the goddess of moisture. In the natural world, she rules rain, dew, mist, humidity, and condensation. For humans, she is the source of tears, spit, sweat, phlegm, and the wetness produced by sex. In accordance with the astrological omens, I nominate her to be your tutelary spirit in the coming week. I suspect you will thrive by cultivating a fluidic sensibility. You will learn exactly what you need to learn by paying special attention to everything that exudes and spills and flows.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20):

I'm guessing that you don't know the name of the person who sent the first email. It was Ray Tomlinson, and he did it in 1971. You're probably also unaware that he originated the use of the @ symbol as a key part of email addresses. Now I'd like to address your own inner Ray Tomlinson, Gemini: the part of you that has done valuable work hardly anyone knows about; the part of you that has created good stuff without getting much credit or appreciation. I celebrate that unsung hero, and I hope you will make a special effort to do the same in the coming week.

CANCER (June 21-July 22):

Busy editor Katie Hintz-Zambrano was asked in an interview what she does when she's not working at her demanding job. She said she likes to gets together with her "article club," which is like a book club, except it's for people who don't have time to read anything longer than articles. I would approve of you seeking out short-cut pleasures like that in the next few weeks, Cancerian. It's one of those phases in your astrological cycle when you have a poetic license to skip a few steps, avoid some of the boring details, and take leaps of faith that allow you to bypass complicated hassles.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):

Imagine you're living in 1880. You're done with work for the day, and are at home enjoying some alone-time leisure activities. What might those be? By the light of your oil lamp, you could read a book, sing songs, compose a letter with pen and paper, or write in your diary. Now transfer your imaginative attention to your actual living space in 2012. It might have a smart phone, tablet, laptop, TV, DVD player, and game console. You've got access to thousands of videos, movies, songs, social media, websites, and networked games. Aren't you glad you live today instead of 1880? On the other hand, having so many choices can result in you wasting a lot of time with stimuli that don't fully engage you. Make this the week you see what it's like to use your leisure time for only the highest-quality, most interesting and worthwhile stuff.

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HOMEWORK:

What are you more than ready for? What change have you prepared yourself to embrace? What lesson are you ripe to master? Write: FreeWillAstrology.com

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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 2012 Rob Brezsny

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