Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
MAY 29, 2013
FreeWillAstrology.com
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Does anyone out there have ideas about what New York publication
might want to publish my column Free Will Astrology? Anyone have
any inside connections?
I've recently been banished from New York's Village Voice, where
I'd been published every week for over 14 years. The Voice also
fired three other veteran writers, including lifestyle columnist
Michael Musto, who'd been with the newspaper since 1984.
I welcome any brainstorms you might have. Send ideas to me at
Truthrooster@gmail.com
or post a message on my Facebook page at bit.ly/BrezFB.
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My book
PRONOIA IS THE ANTIDOTE FOR PARANOIA
is available at Amazon: bit.ly/Pronoia
or Powells: bit.ly/PronoiaPowells
Here's an excerpt:
I'M A STAR, YOU'RE A STAR
(To read the entirety of this feature, go here: bit.ly/YouStarYou)
You're a star -- and so am I. I'm a genius -- and so are you.
Your success encourages my brilliance, and my charisma enhances
your power. Your victory doesn't require my defeat, and vice versa.
Those are the rules in the New World -- quite unlike the rules
in the Old World, where zero-sum games are the norm, and only
one of us can win each time we play.
In the New World, you don't have to tone down or apologize for
your prowess, because you love it when other people shine. You
exult in your own excellence without regarding it as a sign of
inherent superiority. As you ripen more and more of your latent
aptitude, you inspire the rest of us to claim our own idiosyncratic
magnificence.
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Tibetan Buddhist teacher Geshe Chekawa (1220-1295) specialized
in bodhicitta, seeking enlightenment not for personal gain but
as a way to serve others. On his deathbed, he prayed to be sent
to hell so that he might alleviate the suffering of the lost souls
there.
As you explore pronoia, you will discover that like Chekawa,
you have a huge capacity to help people. Unlike him, you'll find
that expressing your benevolence doesn't require you to go to
hell. It may even be unnecessary for you to sacrifice your own
joy or to practice self-denial. Just the opposite: Being in service
to humanity and celebrating your unique power will be synergistic.
They will need each other to thrive.
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The Golden Rule is a decent ethical principle, but it could be
even better. "Do unto others as you would have them do unto
you" presumes that others enjoy what you enjoy. But that's
wrong. There are many things you'd like to have done unto you
that others would either despise or be bored by. Here's a new,
improved formulation, which we call the Platinum Rule: Do unto
others as they would like to have you do unto them.
Using this improved formula is not just a virtuous way to live,
but is also the best way to ensure the success of your selfish
goals. The rituals and spells of various occult orders purport
to be supercharged techniques for imposing your personal will
on the chaotic flow of events, but I say that practicing the Platinum
Rule outstrips all of them as an exercise to enhance your potency
and happiness.
TO READ THE REST OF "I'M A STAR, YOU'RE A STAR," go
here:
bit.ly/YouStarYou
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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
THERE ARE LOTS OF BRILLIANT PEOPLE YOU DON'T KNOW ABOUT
California teen invents device that could charge a cell phone
in 20 seconds.
tinyurl.com/ltzbe8r
LIFE ISN'T HALF AS BAD AS THE NEWS MEDIA SUGGEST IT IS
Graduation Rate Hits Record High For High School Students
tinyurl.com/a8hhhy5
THIS WEEK IN PRONOIAC HISTORY
Canadian Nobel Prize recipient Dr. Frederick Banting, discoverer
of insulin, sold the rights to the University of Toronto for $1
so that it was available to everyone.
tinyurl.com/7ml7p62
(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 30
Copyright 2013 by Rob Brezsny
FreeWillAstrology.com
GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
In Japan it's not rude to slurp while you eat your ramen noodles
out of a bowl. That's what the Lonely Planet travel guide
told me. In fact, some Japanese hosts expect you to make sounds
with your mouth; they take it as a sign that you're enjoying your
meal. In that spirit, Gemini, and in accordance with the astrological
omens, I encourage you to be as uninhibited as you dare this week
-- not just when you're slurping your noodles, but in every situation
where you've got to express yourself uninhibitedly in order to
experience the full potential of the pleasurable opportunities.
As one noodle-slurper testified: "How can you possibly get
the full flavor if you don't slurp?"
CANCER (June 21-July 22):
Here's a thought from philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein: "A
person will be imprisoned in a room with a door that's unlocked
and opens inwards as long as it does not occur to him to pull
rather than push that door." I'd like to suggest that his
description fits you right now, Cancerian. What are you going
to do about it? Tell me I'm wrong? Reflexively agree with me?
I've got a better idea. Without either accepting or rejecting
my proposal, simply adopt a neutral, open-minded attitude and
experiment with the possibility. See what happens if you try to
pull the door open.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
If you have been waiting for the right moment to perfect your
party skills, I suspect this might be it. Is there anything you
can do to lower your inhibitions? Would you at least temporarily
consider slipping into a chronic state of fun? Are you prepared
to commit yourself to extra amounts of exuberant dancing, ebullient
storytelling, and unpredictable playtime? According to my reading
of the astrological omens, the cosmos is nudging you in the direction
of rabble-rousing revelry.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
Where exactly are your power spots, Virgo? Your bed, perhaps,
where you rejuvenate and reinvent yourself every night? A place
in nature where you feel at peace and at home in the world? A
certain building where you consistently make good decisions and
initiate effective action? Wherever your power spots are, I advise
you to give them extra focus. They are on the verge of serving
you even better than they usually do, and you should take steps
to ensure that happens. I also advise you to be on the lookout
for a new power spot. It's available.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
Reverence is one of the most useful emotions. When you respectfully
acknowledge the sublime beauty of something greater than yourself,
you do yourself a big favor. You generate authentic humility and
sincere gratitude, which are healthy for your body as well as
your soul. Please note that reverence is not solely the province
of religious people. A biologist may venerate the scientific method.
An atheist might experience a devout sense of awe toward geniuses
who have bequeathed to us their brilliant ideas. What about you,
Libra? What excites your reverence? Now is an excellent time to
explore the deeper mysteries of this altered state of consciousness.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
When explorer Ernest Shackleton was planning his expedition
to Antarctica in 1914, he placed this ad in London newspapers:
"Wanted: For hazardous journey. Small wages, bitter cold,
long months of complete darkness, constant danger, return doubtful.
Honor and recognition in case of success." Would you respond
to a come-on like that if you saw it today? I hope not. It's true
that your sense of adventure is ratcheting up. And I suspect you're
itching for intense engagement with the good kind of darkness
that in the past has inspired so much smoldering wisdom. But I
believe you can satisfy those yearnings without putting yourself
at risk or suffering severe deprivation.
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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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SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
"I'd rather not sing than sing quiet," said the vivacious
chanteuse Janis Joplin. Her attitude reminds me a little of Salvador
Dali's. He said, "It is never difficult to paint. It is either
easy or impossible." I suspect you Sagittarians may soon
be in either-or states like those. You will want to give everything
you've got, or else nothing at all. You will either be in the
zone, flowing along in a smooth and natural groove, or else totally
stuck. Luckily, I suspect that giving it all and being in the
zone will predominate.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
In 1948, Nelson Mandela began his fight to end the system of
apartheid in his native South Africa. Eventually he was arrested
for dissident activities and sentenced to life imprisonment. He
remained in jail until 1990, when his government bowed to international
pressure and freed him. By 1994, apartheid collapsed. Mandela
was elected president of his country and won the Nobel Peace Prize.
Fast-forward to 2008. Mandela was still considered a terrorist
by the United States, and had to get special permission to enter
the country. Yikes! You probably don't have an antiquated rule
or obsolescent habit that's as horrendous as that, Capricorn.
But it's past time for you to dissolve your attachment to any
outdated attachments, even if they're only mildly repressive and
harmful.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
As a renowned artist, photographer, and fashion designer, Karl
Lagerfeld has overflowed with creative expression for 50 years.
His imagination is weird and fantastic, yet highly practical.
He has produced a profusion of flamboyant stuff. "I'm very
down to earth," he has said, "just not this earth."
Let's make that your mantra for the coming weeks, Aquarius: You,
too, will be very down to earth in your own unique way. You'll
follow your quirky intuition, but always with the intent of channeling
it constructively.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
In the following passage, French novelist Georges Perec invites
us to renew the way we look upon things that are familiar to us.
"What we need to question," he says, "is bricks,
concrete, glass, our table manners, our utensils, our tools, the
way we spend our time, our rhythms. To question that which seems
to have ceased forever to astonish us." A meditation like
this could nourish and even thrill you, Pisces. I suggest you
boost your ability to be sincerely amazed by the small wonders
and obvious marvels that you sometimes take for granted.
ARIES (March 21-April 19):
Back in the 1920s, the governor of Texas was determined to forbid
the teaching of foreign languages in public schools. To bolster
her case, she called on the Bible. "If English was good enough
for Jesus Christ," she said, "it's good enough for us."
She was dead serious. I suspect you may soon have to deal with
that kind of garbled thinking, Aries. And it may be impossible
to simply ignore it, since the people wielding it may have some
influence on your life. So what's the best way to deal with it?
Here's what I advise: Be amused. Quell your rage. Stay calm. And
methodically gather the cool, clear evidence about what is really
true.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
A few weeks ago, the principal at a school in Bellingham, Washington
announced that classes would be canceled the next day. What was
his rationale? A big storm, a bomb threat, or an outbreak of sickness?
None of the above. He decided to give students and teachers the
day off so they could enjoy the beautiful weather that had arrived.
I encourage you to make a similar move in the coming days, Taurus.
Take an extended Joy Break -- maybe several of them. Grant yourself
permission to sneak away and indulge in spontaneous celebrations.
Be creative as you capitalize profoundly on the gifts that life
is offering you.
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HOMEWORK:
Name one of your least useful attitudes: a belief or perspective
you know you should live without, but which you haven't had the
courage to banish. Freewillastrology.com
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Contents of the Free Will Astrology Newsletter are Copyright
2013 Rob Brezsny
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