Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
AUGUST 7, 2013
FreeWillAstrology.com
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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:
THE OUTLAW CATALOG OF CAGEY OPTIMISM
(The complete text is here: bit.ly/CageyOptimism)
Psychiatry and psychotherapy obsess on what's wrong with people
and give short shrift to what's right. The manual of these professions
is a 943-page textbook called the DSM-IV. It identifies
scores of pathological states but no healthy ones.
Some time back, I began to complain about this fact, and asked
readers to help me compile material for a proposed antidote, the
Anti-DSM -- a compendium of healthy, exalted, positive states
of being. As their entries came in, we at the Beauty and Truth
Laboratory were inspired to dream up some of our own. Below is
part one of our initial attempt at creating an Anti-DSM-IV,
or as we also like to call it, "The Outlaw Catalog of Cagey
Optimism."
* ACUTE FLUENCY. Happily immersed in artistic creation or scientific
exploration; lost in a trance-like state of inventiveness that's
both blissful and taxing; surrendered to a state of grace in which
you're fully engaged in a productive, compelling, and delightful
activity. The joy of this demanding, rewarding state is intensified
by a sense that time has been suspended, and is rounder and deeper
than usual. (Suggested by H. H. Holiday, who reports that extensive
studies in this state have been done by Mihaly Cziscenmihaliy
in his book, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience.)
* AESTHETIC BLISS. Vividly experiencing the colors, textures,
tones, scents, and rhythms of the world around you, creating a
symbiotic intimacy that dissolves the psychological barriers between
you and what you observe. (Suggested by Jeanne Grossetti.)
* AGGRESSIVE SENSITIVITY. Animated by a strong determination
to be receptive and empathetic.
* ALIGNMENT WITH THE INFINITY OF THE MOMENT. Reveling in the
liberating realization that we are all exactly where we need to
be at all times, even if some of us are temporarily in the midst
of trial or tribulation, and that human evolution is proceeding
exactly as it should, even if we can't see the big picture of
the puzzle that would clarify how all the pieces fit together
perfectly. (Suggested by Meredith Jones.)
* AUTONOMOUS NURTURING. Not waiting for someone to give you what
you can give yourself. (Suggested by Shannen Davis.)
* BASKING IN ELDER WISDOM. A state of expansive ripeness achieved
through listening to the stories of elders. (Suggested by Annabelle
Aavard.)
* BIBLIOBLISS. Transported into states of transcendent pleasure
while immersed in reading a favorite book. (Suggested by Catherine
Kaikowska.)
* BLASPHEMOUS REVERENCE. Acting on the knowledge that the most
efficacious form of devotion to the Divine Wow is tinctured with
playful or mischievous behavior that prevents the buildup of fanaticism.
* BOO-DUH NATURE. Dwelling in the blithe understanding of the
fact that worry is useless because most of what we worry about
never happens. (Suggested by Timothy S. Wallace.)
* COMIC INTROSPECTION. Being fully aware of your own foibles
while still loving yourself tenderly and maintaining confidence
in your ability to give your specific genius to the world. To
paraphrase Alan Jones, Dean of Grace Cathedral: following the
Byzantine ploys of your ego with compassion and humor as it tries
to make itself the center of everything, even of its own suffering
and struggle.
* COMPASSIONATE DISCRIMINATION. Having astute judgment without
being scornfully judgmental; seeing difficult truths about a situation
or person without closing your heart or feeling superior. In the
words of Alan Jones: having the ability "to smell a rat without
allowing your ability to discern deception sour your vision of
the glory and joy that is everyone's birthright."
* CRAZED KINDNESS. Having frequent, overpowering urges to bestow
gifts, disseminate inspiration, and perpetrate random acts of
benevolence.
* ECSTATIC GRATITUDE. Feeling genuine thankfulness with such
resplendent intensity that you generate a surge of endorphins
in your body and slip into a full-scale outbreak of euphoria.
* EMANCIPATED SURRENDER. Letting go of an attachment without
harboring resentment toward the stimuli that led to the necessity
of letting go. (Suggested by Timothy S. Wallace.)
* FRIENDLY SHOCK. Welcoming a surprise that will ultimately have
benevolent effects.
* HIGHWAY EQUANIMITY. Feeling serene, polite, and benevolent
while driving in heavy traffic. (Suggested by Shannen Davis.)
* HOLY LISTENING. Hearing the words of another human being as
if they were a direct communication from the Divine Wow to you.
* IMAGINATIVE TRUTH-TELLING. Conveying the truth of any specific
situation from multiple angles, thereby mitigating the distortions
that result from assuming the truth can be told from a single
viewpoint.
* IMPULSIVE LOVE SPREADING. Characterized by a fierce determination
to never withhold well-deserved praise, inspirational encouragement,
positive feedback, or loving thoughts; often includes a tendency
to write love letters on the spur of the moment and on any medium,
including napkins, grocery bags, and skin. (Suggested by Laurie
Burton.)
* INADVERTENT NATURE WORSHIP. Experiencing the rapture that comes
from being outside for extended periods of time. (Suggested by
Sue Carol Robinson.)
* INGENIOUS INTIMACY. Having an ability to consistently create
deep connections with other human beings, and to use the lush,
reverential excitement stimulated by such exchanges to further
deepen the connections. A well-crafted talent for dissolving your
sense of separateness and enjoying the innocent exultation that
erupts in the wake of the dissolution. (Suggested by Sue Carol
Robinson.)
* JOYFUL POIGNANCE. Feeling buoyantly joyful about the beauty
and mystery of life while remaining aware of the sadness, injustices,
wounds, and future fears that form the challenges in an examined
life. (Suggested by Alka Bhargava.)
* LATE LATE-BLOOMING. Having a capacity for growth spurts well
into old age, long past the time that conventional wisdom says
they're possible.
* LEARNING DELIGHT. Experiencing the brain-reeling pleasure that
comes from learning something new. (Suggested by Sue Carol Robinson.)
* LUCID DREAM PATRIOTISM. A love of country rooted in the fact
that it provides the ideal conditions for learning lucid dreaming.
(Suggested by Kenneth Kelzer, author of The Sun and the Shadow:
My Experiment With Lucid Dreaming.)
* LYRICAL CONSONANCE. Experiencing the visceral yet also cerebral
excitement that comes from listening to live music played impeccably
by skilled musicians. (Suggested by Susan E. Nace.)
TO SEE THE REST OF THE EXALTED, POSITIVE STATES, GO HERE:
bit.ly/CageyOptimism
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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
Abandoned Walmart is Now America's Largest Library
tinyurl.com/9z3f92y
Dolphins call each other by name
tinyurl.com/lnltd23
A University of Colorado Boulder team has developed a radically
new technique that uses the power of sunlight to efficiently split
water into its components of hydrogen and oxygen, paving the way
for the broad use of hydrogen as a clean, green fuel
tinyurl.com/pvrsr8m
(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 8
Copyright 2013 by Rob Brezsny
FreeWillAstrology.com
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
Last year a young Nebraskan entrepreneur changed his name from
Tyler Gold to Tyrannosaurus Rex Gold. He said it was a way of
giving him greater name recognition as he worked to build his
career. Do you have any interest in making a bold move like that,
Leo? The coming weeks would be a good time for you to think about
adding a new twist to your nickname or title or self-image. But
I recommend something less sensationalistic and more in line with
the qualities you'd actually like to cultivate in the future.
I'm thinking of something like Laughing Tiger or Lucky Lion or
Wily Wildcat.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
African-American jazz singer Billie Holiday was the great-granddaughter
of a slave. By the time she was born in 1915, black people in
the American South were no longer "owned" by white "masters,"
but their predicament was still extreme. Racism was acute and
debilitating. Here's what Billie wrote in her autobiography: "You
can be up to your boobies in white satin, with gardenias in your
hair and no sugar cane for miles, but you can still be working
on a plantation." Nothing you experience is remotely as oppressive
as what Billie experienced, Virgo. But I'm wondering if you might
suffer from a milder version of it. Is any part of you oppressed
and inhibited even though your outward circumstances are technically
unconstrained? If so, now's the time to push for more freedom.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
What resounding triumphs and subtle transformations have you
accomplished since your last birthday? How have you grown and
changed? Are there any ways you have dwindled or drooped? The
next few weeks will be an excellent time to take inventory of
these things. Your own evaluations will be most important, of
course. You've got to be the ultimate judge of your own character.
But you should also solicit the feedback of people you trust.
They may be able to help you see clues you've missed. If, after
weighing all the evidence, you decide you're pleased with how
your life has unfolded these past ten to eleven months, I suggest
you celebrate your success. Throw yourself a party or buy yourself
a reward or climb to the top of a mountain and unleash a victory
cry.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
Monmouth Park in New Jersey hosts regular horse races from May
through November. During one such event in 2010, a horse named
Thewifenoseeverything finished first, just ahead of another nag
named Thewifedoesntknow. I suspect that there'll be a comparable
outcome in your life sometime soon. Revelation will trump secrecy.
Whoever is hiding information will lose out to anyone who sees
and expresses the truth. I advise you to bet on the option that's
forthcoming and communicative, not the one that's furtive and
withholding.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
You have both a poetic and a cosmic license to stretch yourself
further. It's best not to go too far, of course. You should stop
yourself before you obliterate all boundaries and break
all taboos and smash all precedents. But you've
certainly got the blessings of fate if you seek to disregard some
boundaries and shatter some taboos and outgrow some
precedents. While you're at it, you might also want to shed a
few pinched expectations and escape an irrelevant limitation or
two. It's time to get as big and brave and brazen as you dare.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
When I was 19, a thug shot me in the butt with a shotgun at close
range. To this day, my body contains the 43 pellets he pumped
into me. They have caused some minor health problems, and I'm
always queasy when I see a gun. But I don't experience any routine
suffering from the wound. Its original impact no longer plagues
me. What's your own personal equivalent of my trauma, Capricorn?
A sickness that racked you when you were young? A difficult break-up
with your first love? The death of someone you cared about? Whatever
it was, I suspect you now have the power to reach a new level
of freedom from that old pain.
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TAP INTO THE FUTURE
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
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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AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
Want to take full advantage of the sexy vibes that are swirling
around in your vicinity? One thing you could do is whisper the
following provocations in the ear of anyone who would respond
well to a dose of boisterous magic: 1) "Corrupt me with your
raw purity, baby; beguile me with your raucous honesty."
2) "I finally figured out that one of the keys to eternal
happiness is to be easily amused. Want me to show you how that
works?" 3) "I dare you to quench my thirst for spiritual
sensuality." 4) "Let's trade clothes and pretend we're
each other's higher selves."
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
Some people put their faith in religion or science or political
ideologies. English novelist J.G. Ballard placed his faith elsewhere:
in the imagination. "I believe in the power of the imagination
to remake the world," he wrote, "to release the truth
within us, to hold back the night, to transcend death, to charm
motorways, to ingratiate ourselves with birds, to enlist the confidences
of madmen." As you make your adjustments and reconfigure
your plans, Pisces, I suggest you put your faith where Ballard
did. Your imagination is far more potent and dynamic than you
realize -- especially right now.
ARIES (March 21-April 19):
"You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestation
of your own blessings," says author Elizabeth Gilbert. I
recommend that you experiment with this subversive idea, Aries.
Just for a week, see what happens if you devote yourself to making
yourself feel really good. I mean risk going to extremes as you
pursue happiness with focused zeal. Try this: Draw up a list of
experiences that you know will give you intense pleasure, and
indulge in them all without apology. And please don't fret about
the possible consequences of getting crazed with joy. Be assured
that the cosmos is providing you with more slack than usual.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
"I am not washed and beautiful, in control of a shining
world in which everything fits," writes Taurus author Annie
Dillard, "but instead am wandering awed about on a splintered
wreck I've come to care for, whose gnawed trees breathe a delicate
air." I recommend you try on her perspective for size. For
now, just forget about scrambling after perfection. At least temporarily,
surrender any longing you might have for smooth propriety. Be
willing to live without neat containment and polite decorum. Instead,
be easy and breezy. Feel a generous acceptance for the messy beauty
you're embedded in. Love your life exactly as it is, with all
of its paradoxes and mysteries.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
Studies show that when you're driving a car, your safest speed
is five miles per hour higher than the average rate of traffic.
Faster than that, though, and the danger level rises. Traveling
more slowly than everyone else on the road also increases your
risk of having an accident. Applying these ideas metaphorically,
I'd like to suggest you take a similar approach as you weave your
way through life's challenges in the coming week. Don't dawdle
and plod. Move a little swifter than everyone else, but don't
race along at a breakneck pace.
CANCER (June 21-July 22):
The key theme this week is relaxed intensification.
Your assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to heighten
and strengthen your devotion to things that are important to you
-- but in ways that make you feel more serene and self-possessed.
To accomplish this, you will have to ignore the conventional wisdom,
which falsely asserts that going deeper and giving more of yourself
require you to increase your stress levels. You do indeed have
a great potential for going deeper and giving more of yourself,
but only if you also become more at peace with yourself and more
at home in the world.
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HOMEWORK:
Make a guess about where you'll be and what you'll be doing
ten years from today. Testify at Freewillastrology.com.
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Contents of the Free Will Astrology Newsletter are Copyright
2013 Rob Brezsny
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