Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter July 10, 2013

Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
JULY 10, 2013
FreeWillAstrology.com

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Get more info about your Mid-Year Audio Preview of the Rest of 2013 and beyond:
bit.ly/ExpandedForecast

Or simply log in through the main page at RealAstrology.com, and then click on the link "Long Term Forecast for Second Half of 2013."

Here's a gathering of my written Big Picture horoscopes for 2013, which I wrote for you earlier this year:
bit.ly/LongTermLook

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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:

CRIMES THAT DON'T BREAK ANY LAWS
(To read the entirety of this feature, go here: bit.ly/WeDemand)

We're psychically assaulted by dangerous images and sickening words every day. The media relentlessly blast us with their trendy doom and gloom fixation, generating an endless onslaught of messages about how bad life is and what a mess the future will bring. The entertainment industry force-feeds us insipidly paranoid scenarios that keep our fear reflexes chronically throbbing.

Is this acceptable to you? It's not to me.

Our eyes and ears are constantly scalded by blistering harangues to buy stuff we don't really need. The sacred temples of our imaginations are pounded ruthlessly by smart bombs whipped up by evil advertising geniuses in their Madison Avenue laboratories. Our ability to envision the astounding intricacy and richness of the web of life has gotten hijacked and hooked on decadent fantasies about new possessions that would allegedly make us happier.

I for one am no longer willing to absorb the dazzling psychic toxins that sting and sap and wound our lust for life. I reject the epidemic obsession with big bad nasty things and flashy trite empty-hearted things. I say it's time for us to rise up and fight back -- to reconsecrate and regenerate our imaginations. Here are my demands.

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DEMAND #1: I demand that Amnesty International launch a crusade against a grievously unacknowledged form of terrorism. I call this crime against humanity the genocide of the imagination.

DEMAND #2: I demand that you refuse to be entertained by bad news. I demand that you seek out and create stories that make you feel strong and joyous and enigmatic.

DEMAND #3: I demand that People magazine do a cover story on "The World's 50 Sexiest Perpetrators of Beauty, Truth, and Love."

DEMAND #4: I demand that you learn the difference between your own thoughts and those of the celebrities who have demonically possessed you.

DEMAND #5: I demand that you wear underpants on your head and dance naked in slow motion whenever you watch TV movies about tormented geniuses who supposedly create great art but treat everyone in their lives like crap.

DEMAND #6: I demand that the sadomasochist storytellers disguised as journalists give prominent coverage to the startling fact that the world has become dramatically less violent since the end of the Cold War, and that we are currently living in the most peaceful era the human race has ever known. I further demand that the worshipers of cynicism who pretend to be clear-seeing news writers acknowledge that death rates from cancer are declining; that rising rates of intermarriage are helping to dissipate ethnic and religious strife worldwide; that Americans' IQ scores have been steadily rising for a long time; that the number of people living in poverty in the developing nations is declining dramatically; that the world is steadily becoming more free, and is now the most free it has ever been; and that the miracle of your breathing transpires about 10 million times a year, even though you never have to will it to continue.

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I have more demands, but I want to make sure you know that your imagination and the imaginations of everyone you know are at risk. And who's responsible? Who are the perpetrators of the genocide of the imagination?

TO READ THE REST OF THIS PIECE,
"CRIMES THAT DON'T BREAK ANY LAWS,"
go here: bit.ly/WeDemand

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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:

California reduced trash to record low in 2012
tinyurl.com/m8yrrvs

10 mindblowingly futuristic technologies that will appear by the 2030s.
tinyurl.com/kvyjxva

'Pay It Forward' Plan In Oregon Would Make Tuition Free At State's Public Universities
tinyurl.com/m7m5mv3

(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 July 11

Copyright 2013 by Rob Brezsny
FreeWillAstrology.com

CANCER (June 21-July 22):

When the comic book hero Superman first appeared on the scene in 1938, he had the power to jump over tall buildings, but he couldn't fly. By 1941, he was hovering in mid-air, and sometimes moving around while floating. Eventually, he attained the ability to soar long distances, even between stars. Your own destiny may have parallels to Superman's in the coming months, Cancerian. It's possible you will graduate, metaphorically speaking, from taking big leaps to hovering in mid-air. And if you work your butt off to increase your skill, you might progress to the next level -- the equivalent of full-out flight -- by March 2014.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):

"It's never too late to become what you might have been," said novelist George Eliot. I'd like you to keep that thought in mind throughout the rest of 2013 and beyond, Leo. I trust you will allow its sly encouragement to work its way down into your darkest depths, where it will revive your discouraged hopes and wake up your sleeping powers. Here are the potential facts as I see them: In the next ten months, you will be in prime time to reclaim the momentum you lost once upon a time . . . to dive back into a beloved project you gave up on . . . and maybe even resuscitate a dream that made your eyes shine when you were younger and more innocent.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):

When I first arrived in Santa Cruz some years back, I helped start a New Wave-punk band called Mystery Spot. Our first drummer was a guy named Lucky Lehrer. After a few months, our manager decided Lucky wasn't good enough and kicked him out of the band. Lucky took it hard, but didn't give up. He joined the seminal punk band the Circle Jerks, and went on to have a long and successful career. Flipside magazine even named him the best punk drummer of all time. I suspect, Virgo, that in the next ten to twelve months you will have a chance to achieve the beginning of some Lucky Lehrer-type redemption. In what area of your life would you like to experience it?

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):

According to my reading of the astrological omens, the next 12 months will be a time when you will have more power than usual to turn your dreams into realities. You'll have extra skill at translating your ideals into practical action. To help make sure you capitalize on this potential, I suggest you adopt this Latin phrase as your motto: a posse ad esse. It means "from being possible to being actual." So why not simply make your motto "from being possible to being actual"? Why bother with the Latin version? Because I think your motto should be exotic and mysterious -- a kind of magical incantation.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):

In 2010, two economics professors from Harvard wrote a paper that became a crucial piece of evidence for the global austerity movement. Politicians used it to justify their assertion that the best way to cure our long-running financial ills is for governments to spend less money. Oddly, no one actually studied the paper to see if it was based on accurate data until April 2013. Then Thomas Herndon, a 28-year-old Ph.D. student at the University of Massachusetts, dived in and discovered fundamental mistakes that largely discredited the professors' conclusions. I believe you have a similar mojo going for you, Scorpio. Through clear thinking and honest inquiry, you have the power to get at truths everyone else has missed.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):

Breakthrough will probably not arrive wrapped in sweetness and a warm glow, nor is it likely to be catalyzed by a handsome prince or pretty princess. No, Sagittarius. When the breakthrough barges into your life, it may be a bit dingy and dank, and it may be triggered by questionable decisions or weird karma. So in other words, the breakthrough may have resemblances to a breakdown, at least in the beginning. This would actually be a good omen -- a sign that your deliverance is nothing like you imagined it would be, and probably much more interesting.

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BRAINSTORM ABOUT THE BIG PICTURE OF YOUR LIFE

with my Expanded Audio Horoscopes for the Second Half of 2013:

RealAstrology.com

What will be the story of your life during the rest of 2013 and beyond? How can you exert your free will to create 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 a high-octane boost of inspiration to fuel you in your quest for beauty and truth and love and justice and meaning, tune in to my meditations on your long-term outlook.

Go here:

RealAstrology.com

Log in and click on the link "Long Term Forecast for Second Half of 2013"

You can also listen to your short-term forecast for the coming week by clicking on "This week (July 9, 2013)."

"The best part about your audio horoscopes is that they pat me on the head and kick me in the ass at the same time."
- Rita L., San Diego

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CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):

In a wheat field, a rose is a weed -- even if that rose is voluptuous and vibrant. I want you to promise me that you will work hard to avoid a fate like that in the coming months, Capricorn. Everything depends on you being in the right place at the right time. It's your sacred duty to identify the contexts in which you can thrive and then put yourself in those contexts. Please note: The ambiance that's most likely to bring out the best in you is not necessarily located in a high-status situation where everyone's ambition is amped to the max.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):

Is your soul feeling parched? In your inner world, are you experiencing the equivalent of a drought? If so, maybe you will consider performing a magic ritual that could help get you on track for a cure. Try this: Go outside when it's raining or misting. If your area is going through a dry spell, find a waterfall or high-spouting fountain and put yourself in close proximity. Then stand with your legs apart and spread your arms upwards in a gesture of welcome. Turn your face toward the heavens, open up your mouth, and drink in the wetness for as long as it takes for your soul to be hydrated again. (In an emergency, frolicking under a sprinkler might also work.)

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):

Igor Stravinsky was a 20th-century composer who experimented with many styles of music, including the avant-garde work "The Rite of Spring." "My music is best understood by children and animals," he said. In my vision of your ideal life, Pisces, that will also be true about you in the coming week: You will be best understood by children and animals. Why? Because I think you will achieve your highest potential if you're as wild and free as you dare. You will be fueled by spontaneity and innocence, and care little about what people think of you. Play a lot, Pisces! Be amazingly, blazingly uninhibited.

ARIES (March 21-April 19):

The Space Needle is a tourist attraction in Seattle. It's taller than the Washington Monument but shorter than the Eiffel Tower. Near the top of the structure is a circular restaurant that rotates slowly, making one complete turn every 47 minutes. The motor that moves this 125-ton mass is small: only 1.5 horsepower. In the coming days, Aries, I foresee you having a metaphorically similar ability. You will be able to wield a great deal of force with a seemingly small and compact "engine."

TAURUS (April 20-May 20):

"How many years can some people exist before they're allowed to be free?" asked Bob Dylan in one of his most famous songs, written in 1962. "The answer is blowin' in the wind," he concluded. Many people hailed the tune as a civil rights anthem. Thirteen years later, a hippie cowboy named Jerry Jeff Walker released "Pissing in the Wind," a rowdy song that included the line, "The answer is pissing in the wind." It was decidedly less serious than the tune it paid homage to, with Walker suggesting that certain events in his life resembled the act described in the title. "Makin' the same mistakes, we swore we'd never make again," he crooned. All of this is my way of letting you know, Taurus, that you're at a fork. In one direction is a profound, even noble, "blowin' in the wind" experience. In the other, it would be like "pissing in the wind." Which do you prefer? It's up to you.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20):

The Italian artist Duccio di Buoninsegna painted his Madonna and Child sometime around the year 1300. It's a compact piece of art -- just eleven inches high and eight inches wide. Nevertheless, New York's Metropolitan Museum paid $45 million for the pleasure of owning it. I propose that we choose this diminutive treasure as your lucky symbol for the next eight to ten months, Gemini. May it inspire you as you work hard to create a small thing of great value.

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HOMEWORK:

Talk about how your best and worst overlap. Testify at 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 2013 Rob Brezsny

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