Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
MAY 8, 2013
FreeWillAstrology.com
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The revised and expanded version of my book PRONOIA IS THE
ANTIDOTE FOR PARANOIA
is available at Amazon: bit.ly/Pronoia
and also at Powells:
bit.ly/PronoiaPowells
Much of the material below appears in the book:
QUESTION. How can an intelligent, educated person possibly believe
astrology has any merit?
ROB BREZSNY. Many of the debunkers who're responsible for trying
to discredit astrology have done no research on the subject. They
haven't read smart astrological philosophers like Dane Rudhyar,
don't know that seminal astronomer Johannes Kepler was a skilled
astrologer, and aren't aware that eminent psychologist C.G. Jung
cast horoscopes and believed that "astrology represents the
summation of all the psychological knowledge of antiquity."
The closest approach the fraudulent "skeptics" usually
make to the ancient art is to glance at a tabloid horoscope column.
To match their carelessness, I might make a drive-by of a strip
mall and declare that the profession of architecture is shallow
and debased.
That's one reason why these ill-informed "skeptics"
spread so many ignorant lies. For instance, they say that astrologers
think the stars and planets emit invisible beams that affect people's
lives. The truth is, many Western astrologers don't believe any
such thing. Astrologer Richard Tarnas says it well: Just as clocks
tell time but don't create it, the heavenly bodies show us the
big picture but don't cause it.
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QUESTION. Because you pack your column with doses of humor and
wild imagery, some people think you don't take astrology seriously.
ROB. On the contrary, I think this proves how much respect I
have for astrology -- I mean REAL astrology. Not astrology as
a superstitious belief system that generates boring predictions
in dead language about trivial events that only our neurotic egos
are obsessed with; but rather astrology as a mytho-poetic symbol
system that expands your imagination about the big cycles of your
life, liberates you from the literalistic trance that the daily
grind tends to trap you in, and opens you up to the understanding
that you're much more beautiful and full of potential than you've
been taught to believe.
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QUESTION. You have said that you believe in astrology "about
80 percent." What's up with the other 20 percent?
ROB. I use the same 80-20 approach with every belief system I
love and benefit from: science, psychology, feminism, and various
religious traditions like Buddhism and Christianity and paganism.
I take what's useful from each, but am not so deluded as to think
that any single system is the holy grail that the physicists call
the "Theory of Everything." Unconditional, unskeptical
faith is the path of the fanatic and fundamentalist, and I aspire
to be a rowdy philosophical anarchist, aflame with objectivity
and committed to the truth that the truth is always mutating.
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QUESTION. But don't you risk playing the same role the tabloid
astrologers do: enticing people to take on a superstitious approach
to life and seducing them into believing their fate is determined
by supernatural forces beyond the influence of their willpower?
ROB. I call what I do predicting the present, not forecasting
the future. My goal is to awaken my readers to the hidden agendas,
unconscious forces, and long-term cycles at work in their lives
so that they can respond to the totality of what's happening instead
of to mere appearances. I want to be a friendly shocker who helps
unleash their imaginations, giving them the power to create their
destinies with the same liberated fertility that great artists
summon to forge their masterpieces.
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QUESTION. How do you write your column? Do you use actual astrological
data, or just go into a trance and let your imagination run wild?
TO READ THE REPLY TO THIS QUESTION, as well as the rest of this
Q & A, go here: bit.ly/FWA-QandA
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My book THE TELEVISIONARY ORACLE is now available for
the first time in a Kindle Edition:
bit.ly/12791ba
"I've seen the future of American literature and its name
is Rob Brezsny."
- Tom Robbins, author of Jitterbug Perfume, Still
Life with Woodpecker, and many more
Read a review of The Televisionary Oracle here: bit.ly/BrezsnyReview
Excerpts from the review:
"Brezsny holds his own place next to other cultural shamans
such as Robert Anton Wilson, Timothy Leary, Reverend Ivan Stang,
William S. Burroughs, and Ken Kesey."
"If there is any one thing that stands out in this book
above all else, it is Brezsny's use of imagery. Not only does
he bring his characters and settings to life with a lucid dreaming
vividness, but he creates Technicolor imaginaries out of insane
word collages."
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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
PRONOIA REBELS AGAINST NORMAL EVERYDAY NUMBNESS
Guerrilla acts of love and kindness:
tinyurl.com/camhcpd
PRONOIA REQUIRES ACTS OF WILL
Would we give up burgers to stop climate change? A new study suggests
if we reduce our intake of animal products by 25%, we can halt
climate change.
tinyurl.com/d74bou6
PRONOIA PURIFIES PRIORITIES
Principal fires security guards to hire art teachers -- and transforms
elementary school.
tinyurl.com/dxk6f9x
(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 May 9
Copyright 2013 by Rob Brezsny
FreeWillAstrology.com
TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
You may have only a dim idea about how your smart phone and computer
work, but that doesn't prevent you from using their many wonderful
features. While you're swimming, you know almost nothing about
the physiological processes that are active inside you, and yet
you have no problem making all the necessary movements. In that
spirit, I'm not worried about whether or not you will grasp the
deep inner meaning of events that will be unfolding in the coming
week. Complete understanding isn't absolutely necessary. All you
need to do is trust your intuition to lead you in the direction
of what's interesting and educational.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
"I need not sell my soul to buy bliss," says a character
in Charlotte Bronte's 19th-century novel Jane Eyre. "I have
an inward treasure born with me, which can keep me alive if all
extraneous delights should be withheld, or offered only at a price
I cannot afford to give." This would be a great speech for
you to memorize and periodically recite in the next two weeks.
Do it in front of your mirror at least once a day to remind yourself
of how amazingly resourceful you are. It will also help you resist
the temptation to seek gifts from people who can't or won't give
them to you.
CANCER (June 21-July 22):
What is the big adventure you've been postponing forever because
it hasn't been convenient? How about an intriguing possibility
you have always wanted to experiment with but have consistently
denied yourself? Or what about that nagging mystery you've been
wishing you had the time and energy to solve? Wouldn't your life
change for the better if you finally dived in and explored it?
In the next two weeks, Cancerian, I urge you to consider giving
yourself permission to pursue something that fits one of those
descriptions.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
Right now, Leo, you are a majestic and mysterious mess of raw
power. You are a fresh, flaming fountain of pure charisma. Irresistible!
That's you! Unstoppable! You! Impossible to fool and immune to
the false charms of heartfelt mediocrity! You! You! You! In your
current condition, no one can obstruct you from seeing the naked
truth about the big picture. And that's why I am so sure that
victory will soon be yours. You will overcome the fuzziness of
your allies, the bad vibes of your adversaries, and your own inertia.
Not all conquests are important and meaningful, but you will soon
achieve the one that is.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
A character in Herman Hesse's novel Demian says the
following: "I live in my dreams. Other people live in dreams,
but not in their own." Whose dreams do you live in, Virgo?
What is the source of the fantasies that dominate your imagination?
Are they the authentic outpourings of your own soul? Or did they
originate with your parents and teachers and lovers? Did they
sneak into you from the movies and songs and books you love? Are
they the skewed result of the emotional wounds you endured or
the limitations you've gotten used to? Now is an excellent time
to take inventory. Find out how close you are to living in your
own dreams.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
Charles Ives was a renowned American composer who lived from
1874 to 1954. Because his music was experimental and idiosyncratic,
it took a long time for him to get the appreciation he deserved.
When he was 73 years old, he won the prestigious Pulitzer Prize
for a symphony he had written when he was 30. I expect that in
the near future you might be the beneficiary of a similar kind
of mojo, Libra. A good deed you did or a smart move you made in
the past will finally get at least some of the recognition or
response you've always wanted.
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WANT TO KNOW YOURSELF BETTER?
What new influences are heading your way?
How do you want to create your life story in the coming weeks?
How can you exert your free will to seek out the adventures that'll
bring out the best in you, even as you find graceful ways to cooperate
with the tides of destiny?
If you'd like help in figuring it all out, consider trying my
EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES. They're four-to-five-minute meditations
on the current state of your destiny and where you're headed.
Go here to register and log in. RealAstrology.com
You can also listen over the phone by calling
1-877-873-4888
The cost is $6 if you access them on the Web -- with discounts
for multiple purchases -- or $1.99 per minute over the phone.
"I always feel like I know myself better after listening
to your audio 'scopes."
- June R., Austin, TX
"Your audio horoscopes calm me down when I'm too manic and
pep me up when I'm down."
- Arthur T., Cleveland, OH
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SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
"There are no right answers to wrong questions," says
science fiction writer Ursula K. Le Guin. And that's why you must
be so conscientious about coming up with the very best questions.
Right, Scorpio? All your efforts to hunt down solutions will be
for naught unless you frame your problems elegantly and accurately.
Now here's the very good news: Your skill at asking pertinent
questions is at a peak. That's why I suggest you make this Focused
Inquiry Week. Crisply define three questions that will be important
for you to address in the next seven months.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
Charlie Parker was a great jazz musician. As a saxophonist and
composer, he was an influential innovator. Unfortunately, he also
had an expensive heroin addiction. It interfered with his ability
to achieve financial stability. There's a famous story about him
showing a bystander two veins on his arm as he prepared to shoot
up. "This one's my Cadillac," he confessed. "And
this one's my house." I'm bringing this up, Sagittarius,
in the hope that it will provide a healthy shock. Are you doing
anything remotely like Charlie Parker? Are you pouring time and
energy and money into an inferior form of pleasure or a trivial
distraction that is undermining your ability to accomplish higher
goals? If so, fix that glitch, please.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
"I hate a song that makes you think that you are not any
good," said iconic songwriter Woody Guthrie. "I hate
a song that makes you think that you are just born to lose. Because
you are too old or too young or too fat or too slim too ugly or
too this or too that. Songs that run you down or poke fun at you.
I am out to sing songs that will prove to you that this is your
world." Amen, brother Woody! I have the same approach to
writing horoscopes. And I'm happy to advise you, Capricorn, that
you should have a similar attitude toward everything you put out
and take in during the coming week. Just for now, reject all words,
ideas, and actions that demoralize and destroy. Treat yourself
to a phase of relentless positivity.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
"I know not what my past still has in store for me,"
testified the Indian spiritual poet Tukaram. I believe most of
us can say the same thing, and here's why: The events that happened
to us once upon a time keep transforming as we ripen. They come
to have different meanings in light of the ever-new experiences
we have. What seemed like a setback when it first occurred may
eventually reveal itself to have been the seed of a blessing.
A wish fulfilled at a certain point in our history might come
back to haunt us later on. I bring up these ideas, Aquarius, because
I think you're primed to reinterpret your own past.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
According to legend, Jennifer Lopez's butt is insured for $300
million. Bruce Springsteen has supposedly insured his voice for
$31 million and wine expert Angela Mount is said to have insured
her taste buds for $16 million. In that spirit, Pisces, I encourage
you to consider insuring your imagination. To be clear, I don't
anticipate that you will have occasion to collect any settlement.
Nothing bad will happen. But taking this step could be a fun ritual
that might drive home to you just how important your imagination
will be in the coming weeks. Your power to make pictures in your
mind will either make you crazy with unfounded fantasies and fearful
delusions, or else it will help you visualize in detail the precise
nature of the situations you want to create for yourself in the
future.
ARIES (March 21-April 19):
The Tarahumara Indians of northwestern Mexico are renowned for
their ability to run long distances. The best runners can cover
200 miles in two days. The paths they travel are not paved or
smooth, either, but rather the rough canyon trails that stretch
between their settlements. Let's make them your inspirational
role models in the coming week, Aries. I'm hoping that you will
be as tough and tenacious as they are -- that you will pace yourself
for the long haul, calling on your instinctual strength to guide
you.
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HOMEWORK:
In what circumstances do you tend to be smartest? When do you
tend to be dumbest? Testify at Freewillastrology.com.
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Contents of the Free Will Astrology Newsletter are Copyright
2013 Rob Brezsny
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