Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter February 19, 2014

Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
FEBRUARY 19, 2014
FreeWillAstrology.com

+

Go here to read a compendium of your long-term, big-picture forecasts for 2014: bit.ly/BigLife2014

Maybe you'd also like to revisit the long-range horoscopes I offered at the beginning of 2013. You could see whether my forecasts back then turned out to be accurate and helpful. Did they match your actual experience last year? They're here: bit.ly/BigLife2013

To hear my EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES for your long-range future, go here: bit.ly/BigPicture2014

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

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

I invite you to deepen and intensify your commitment to the most important person in your life -- you. One way to further that sacred cause is to get married to yourself. In my book, I've created a text you can refer to as you perform the wedding. Or you can use my text for inspiration as you create your own version.

Below is an excerpt. To read the whole text, go here:
bit.ly/IMeWed

I ME WED

Let's begin by telling a simple truth: You will probably never create a resilient, invigorating bond with the lush accomplice of your dreams until you master the art of loving yourself ingeniously. A wedding ritual that joins you to yourself could catalyze an uncanny shift in your personal mojo that would attract a fresh, hot consort into your life, or else awaken the sleeping potential of a simmering alliance you have now.

If you're feeling brave, try speaking the following words aloud:

"I am no longer looking for the perfect partner.
I am my own perfect partner."

Say it even stronger:

"I am no longer looking for the perfect partner
to salve all my wounds
and fix all my mix-ups
and bridge all my chasms.
I am no longer looking for the perfect partner
because I am my own perfect partner."

TO READ THE REST OF "I ME WED," go here:
bit.ly/IMeWed

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:

8 Reasons for Optimism on Climate Change
tinyurl.com/k7dupzr

"Looking for an antidote to modern culture's emphasis on romantic love? Perhaps we can learn from the diverse forms of emotional attachment prized by the ancient Greeks."
tinyurl.com/kt298qm

Have you gotten your minimum daily requirement of natural beauty? Here's a photo of a chunk of Missouri River ice on the border of Nebraska and South Dakota.
tinyurl.com/p6y75o8

(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.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
Week beginning February 20

Copyright 2014 by Rob Brezsny
FreeWillAstrology.com

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):

From 2010 to 2012, Eric Garcetti worked as an actor on the TV cop shows The Closer and its spin-off series Major Crimes. He played the mayor of Los Angeles. Then in 2013, he ran for the office of L.A.'s mayor in real life, and won. It was a spectacular example of Kurt Vonnegut's suggestion that we tend to become what we pretend to be. Your assignment Pisces, is to make good use of this principle. I invite you to experiment with pretending to be the person you would like to turn into.

ARIES (March 21-April 19):

A woman from New Mexico wrote to tell me that after reading my horoscopes for three years in the Santa Fe Reporter, she had decided to stop. "I changed my beliefs," she said. "I no longer resonate with your philosophy." On the one hand, I was sad that I had lost a reader. On the other hand, I admired her for being able to transform her beliefs, and also for taking practical action to enforce her shift in perspective. That's the kind of purposeful metamorphosis I recommend for you, Aries. What ideas are you ready to shed? What theories no longer explain the nature of life to your satisfaction? Be ruthless in cutting away the thoughts that no longer work for you.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20):

In Arthurian legend, Camelot was the castle where King Arthur held court and ruled his kingdom. It housed the Round Table, where Arthur's knights congregated for important events. Until recently, I had always imagined that the table was relatively small and the number of knights few. But then I discovered that several old stories say there was enough room for 150 knights. It wasn't an exclusive, elitist group. I suspect you will experience a similar evolution, Taurus. You may be wishing you could become part of a certain circle, but assume it's too exclusive or selective to welcome you as a member. I suspect it's more receptive and inclusive than you think.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20):

The renowned Lakota medicine man Sitting Bull (1831-1890) wasn't born with that name. For the first years of his life he was known as Jumping Badger. His father renamed him when he was a teenager after he demonstrated exceptional courage in battle. I'd like to see you consider a similar transition in the coming months, Gemini. You're due to add some gravitas to your approach. The tides of destiny are calling you to move more deliberately and take greater care with the details. Are you willing to experiment with being solid and stable? The more willing you are to assume added responsibility, the more interesting that responsibility is likely to be.

CANCER (June 21-July 22):

The English noun "offing" refers to the farthest reach of the ocean that is still visible as you stand on the beach. It's a good symbol for something that is at a distance from you and yet still within view. I suggest that you take a long thoughtful look at the metaphorical offing that's visible from where you stand. You'll be wise to identify what's looming for you in the future so you can start working to ensure you will get the best possible version of it.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):

A large plaster Buddha statue was housed at a modest temple in Bangkok, Thailand from 1935 to 1955. No one knew its age or origins. In May of 1955, workers were struggling to move the heavy ten-foot icon to a new building on the temple grounds when it accidentally broke free of the ropes that secured it. As it hit the ground, a chunk of plaster fell off, revealing a sheen of gold beneath. Religious leaders authorized the removal of the remaining plaster surface. Hidden inside was a solid gold Buddha that is today worth $250 million dollars. Research later revealed that the plaster had been applied by 18th-century monks to prevent the statue from being looted. I foresee a comparable sequence unfolding in the coming weeks for you, Leo. What will it take to free a valuable resource that's concealed within a cheap veneer?

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

YOU NEED MAGIC EVERY DAY

Every day, you have to wade through a relentless surge of soul-less facts. The experience tends to shut down your sense of wonder.

Every day, you're over-exposed to narratives that have been sucked free of delight and mystery. That's why you have to make such strenuous efforts to keep your world enchanted.

I like to think I can contribute to the sacred cause of feeding your sense of wonder and enchantment. In fact, that's one of my prime motivations for offering you the free weekly horoscopes you read in this newsletter.

If you ever want more of that good stuff, and think it's worth paying for, please consider trying out my EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES. They're four-to-five-minute meditations on the current state of your destiny.

Register and/or sign in at RealAstrology.com.

You can also listen over the phone by calling
1-877-873-4888

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):

Holistic health teacher Deepak Chopra suggests that we all periodically make this statement: "Every decision I make is a choice between a grievance and a miracle. I relinquish all regrets, grievances, and resentments, and choose the miracle." Is that too New Age for you, Virgo? I hope you can drop any prejudices you might have about it and simply make it your own. It's the precise formula you need to spin this week's events in the right direction -- working for you rather than against you.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):

In the savannas of Africa, waterholes are crucial for life. During the rainy season, there are enough to go around for every animal species to drink and bathe in comfortably. But the dry season shrinks the size and number of the waterholes. The impala may have to share with the hippopotamus, the giraffe with the warthog. Let's use this as a metaphor to speculate about your future. I'm guessing that the dry season will soon be arriving in your part of the world. The waterholes may dwindle. But that could ultimately prove to be a lucky development, because it will bring you into contact with interesting life forms you might not have otherwise met. Unexpected new alliances could emerge.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):

In his book The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human, literary scholar Jonathan Gottschall muses on the crucial role that imagination plays in our lives. "[The] average daydream is about fourteen seconds long and [we] have about two thousand of them per day," he says. "In other words, we spend about half of our waking hours -- one-third of our lives on earth -- spinning fantasies." I bring this to your attention, Scorpio, because you are entering a phase when your daydreams can serve you well. They're more likely than usual to be creative, productive, and useful. Monitor them closely.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):

The Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich wrote his Eighth Symphony in a mere two months during the summer of 1943. He worked on it in an old henhouse on a former chicken farm. The location helped relax him, allowing him to work with extra intensity. I wish you could find a retreat like that for yourself sometime soon, Sagittarius. I think you would benefit from going off by yourself to a sanctuary and having some nice long talks with your ancestors, the spirits of nature, and your deepest self. If that's not practical right now, what would be the next best thing you could do?

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):

Is there one simple thing you could do to bring a bit more freedom into your life? An elegant rebellion against an oppressive circumstance? A compassionate breakaway from a poignant encumbrance? A flash of unpredictable behavior that would help you escape a puzzling compromise? I'm not talking about a huge, dramatic move that would completely sever you from all of your burdens and limitations. I'm imagining a small step you could take to get a taste of spaciousness and a hint of greater fluidity. That's your assignment in the coming week.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):

There are 15,074 lakes in Wisconsin, but more than 9,000 of them have never been officially named. That's strange to me. In my view, everything is worthy of the love that is bestowed by giving it a name. I have named every tree and bush in my yard, as well as each egret that frequents the creek flowing by my house. I understand that at the Findhorn community in northern Scotland, people even give names to their cars and toasters and washing machines. According to researchers in the UK, cows that have names are happier: They produce more milk. Your assignment, Aquarius, is to name at least some of the unnamed things in your world. It's an excellent time to cultivate a closer, warmer personal relationship with absolutely everything.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

You can read free excerpts of my most recent book at bit.ly/PronoiaFree2. Tell me what you think at Truthrooster@gmail.com.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

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 2014 Rob Brezsny

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++