Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
MAY 14, 2014
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:
EVIL IS BORING
To read the entire text of this piece, go here:
bit.ly/EvilisBoring
To hear a shorter audio version, go here:
bit.ly/A9cl4D
When an old tree in the rain forest dies and topples over, it
takes a long time to decompose. As it does, it becomes host to
new saplings that use the decaying log for nourishment.
Picture yourself sitting in the forest gazing upon this scene.
How do you describe it? Would you dwell on the putrefaction of
the fallen tree while ignoring the fresh life sprouting out of
it? If you did, you'd be imitating the perspective of many modern
storytellers, especially the journalists and novelists and filmmakers
and producers of TV dramas. They devoutly believe that tales of
affliction and mayhem and corruption and tragedy are inherently
more interesting than tales of triumph and liberation and pleasure
and ingenuity.
Using the juggernaut of the media and entertainment industries,
they relentlessly propagate this covert dogma. It's not sufficiently
profound or well thought out to be called nihilism. Pop nihilism
is a more accurate term. The mass audience is the victim of this
inane ugliness, brainwashed by a multibillion-dollar propaganda
machine that in comparison makes Himmler's vaunted soul-stealing
apparatus look like a child's backyard puppet show. This is the
engine of the phenomena I call the global genocide of the imagination.
At the Beauty and Truth Lab, we believe that stories about the
rot are not inherently more captivating than stories about the
splendor. On the contrary, given how predictable and ubiquitous
they are, stories about the rot are actually quite dull. Obsessing
on evil is boring. Rousing fear is a hackneyed shtick. Wallowing
in despair is a bad habit. Indulging in cynicism is akin to committing
a copycat crime . . .
To read the rest of "EVIL IS BORING," go here: bit.ly/EvilisBoring
To hear the audio version:
bit.ly/A9cl4D
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Steal This Image from PRONOIA: bit.ly/A5Lhuv
"I am totally opposed to all duality"
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What if there's no contradiction between being your idiosyncratic
self in love with your life and serving others with the best gifts
you have to give?
What if exploring your inner world to activate your personal
genius dovetails perfectly with fighting to recreate the soulless
culture we're embedded in?
What if working on your own salvation makes you a more effective
force in liberating others from their suffering?
- bit.ly/Pronoia
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Are you turned off by the authoritarian, libido-mistrusting perversity
of the right-wing moral code, but equally reluctant to embrace
the atheism embedded in the left wing's code of goodness?
Are you hungry for a value system rooted in beauty, love, pleasure,
and liberation instead of order, control, politeness, and fear,
but allergic to the sophistry of the New Age?
Are you apathetic toward the saccharine goodness evangelized
by sentimental, superstitious fanatics, but equally bored by the
intellectuals who worship at the empty-hearted shrine of scientific
materialism?
It may be time for you to whip up your very own moral code. If
you do, you might want to keep the following guidelines in mind:
1. A moral code becomes immoral unless it can thrive without
a devil and enemy.
2. A moral code grows ugly unless it prescribes good-natured
rebellion against automaton-like behavior offered in its support.
3. A moral code becomes murderous unless it's built on a love
for the fact that EVERYTHING CHANGES ALL THE TIME, and unless
it perpetually adjusts its reasons for being true.
4. A moral code will corrupt its users unless it ensures that
their primary motivation for being good is because it's fun.
5. A moral code deadens the soul of everyone it touches unless
it has a built-in sense of humor.
- bit.ly/Pronoia
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Are you in quest of an Intimate Ally? A Soul Friend? A Wild Confidante?
Check out Match.com via Free Will Astrology's link: bit.ly/SoulMatch
Look for a Co-Pilot, Co-Conspirator, or Collaborator . . . an
Agent to represent you or a Disciple to worship you . . . a Secret
Sharer who'll listen better than anyone or an Amazing Accomplice
with whom you can practice the Art of Liberation.
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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
Srinivasa Ramanujan was one of India's greatest mathematical
geniuses. He lacked formal training and his work was thought peculiar
by his fellow mathematicians, but he made dramatic breakthroughs
that are highly regarded. He attributed his success to the Hindu
goddess Namakkal. She appeared regularly in his dreams, where
she revealed innovative formulas he had only to verify when he
awoke.
tinyurl.com/c39bcd7
We're getting richer. With all the gloom around the economy,
is the world actually growing wealthier?
tinyurl.com/msppjfs
New solar panels are cheaper, more environmentally sustainable
Tin can replace lead in new, more efficient solar cell design
tinyurl.com/k2lys5l
See a compendium of pronoiac resources:
pronoiaresources.com
(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 15
Copyright 2014 by Rob Brezsny
FreeWillAstrology.com
TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
I see you as having more in common with a marathon runner than
a speed racer. Your best qualities tend to emerge when you're
committed to a process that takes a while to unfold. Learning
to pace yourself is a crucial life lesson. That's how you get
attuned to your body's signals and master the art of caring for
your physical needs. That's also how you come to understand that
it's important not to compare yourself constantly to the progress
other people are making. Having said all that, Taurus, I want
to recommend a temporary exception to the rule. Just for now,
it may make sense for you to run fast for a short time.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
If you fling handfuls of zucchini seeds on the ground of a vacant
lot today, you shouldn't expect neat rows of ripe cucumbers to
be growing in your backyard in a couple of weeks. Even if you
fling zucchini seeds in your backyard today, you shouldn't expect
straight rows of cucumbers to be growing there by June 1. Let's
get even more precise here. If you carefully plant zucchini seeds
in neat rows in your backyard today, you should not expect ripe
cucumbers to sprout by August. But here's the kicker: If you carefully
plant cucumbers seeds in your backyard today, and weed them and
water them as they grow, you can indeed expect ripe cucumbers
by August.
CANCER (June 21-July 22):
"If we want the rewards of being loved," says cartoonist
Tim Kreider, "we have to submit to the mortifying ordeal
of being known." How are you doing with this trade-off, Cancerian?
Being a Crab myself, I know we are sometimes inclined to hide
who we really are. We have mixed feelings about becoming vulnerable
and available enough to be fully known by others. We might even
choose to live without the love we crave so as to prop up the
illusion of strength that comes from being mysterious, from concealing
our depths. The coming weeks will be a good time for you to revisit
this conundrum.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
There's a piece of art on the moon: a ceramic disk inscribed
with six drawings by noted American artists. It was carried on
the landing module of the Apollo 12 mission, which delivered two
astronauts to the lunar surface in November 1969. One of the artists,
Leo maverick Andy Warhol, drew the image of a stylized penis,
similar to what you might see on the wall of a public restroom.
"He was being the terrible bad boy," the project's organizer
said about Warhol's contribution. You know me, Leo. I usually
love playful acts of rebellion. But in the coming weeks, I advise
against taking Warhol's approach. If you're called on to add your
self-expression to a big undertaking, tilt in the direction of
sincerity and reverence and dignity.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
The planet we live on is in constant transformation. Nothing
ever stays the same. To succeed, let alone survive, we need to
acclimate ourselves to the relentless forward motion. "He
not busy being born is busy dying," was Bob Dylan's way of
framing our challenge. How are you doing with this aspect of life,
Virgo? Do you hate it but deal with it grudgingly? Tolerate it
and aspire to be a master of it someday? Whatever your current
attitude is, I'm here to tell you that in the coming months you
could become much more comfortable with the ceaseless flow --
and even learn to enjoy it. Are you ready to begin?
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
"It isn't that I don't like sweet disorder," said English
author Vita Sackville-West, "but it has to be judiciously
arranged." That's your theme for the week, Libra. Please
respect how precise a formulation this is. Plain old ordinary
disorder will not provide you with the epiphanies and breakthroughs
you deserve and need. The disorder must be sweet. If it doesn't
make you feel at least a little excited and more in love with
life, avoid it. The disorder must also be judiciously arranged.
What that means is that it can't be loud or vulgar or profane.
Rather, it must have wit and style and a hint of crazy wisdom.
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LOVE YOUR LIFE.
"Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life,
or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages
must show." So begins Charles Dickens' novel "David
Copperfield." So let me ask you: Are you becoming the hero
of your own life? Are you figuring out the secrets of how to create
your destiny -- and not just waiting around for destiny to happen
to you?
If you'd like help in this noble work, 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.
They are not repeats or extensions of the written 'scopes you
read here for free. They are entirely fresh explorations of your
astrological omens, and are designed to help you tune in to your
soul's code. (P.S. They're not free.)
Register and/or sign in at RealAstrology.com
They're available on your tablets and smart phones as well as
your computers.
"Your Expanded Audio Horoscopes provide me with the Rest
of the Story. I'm not necessarily a believer in the scientific
accuracy of astrology, but I do think you've got a lot of practical
wisdom to impart."
- M. Tennenbaum, New York
"No one knows more about me than me. But you're right up
there near the top of the list of people who do understand something
about how I tick. How is that possible?"
- R. Goren, Albuquerque
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SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
I have three sets of questions for you, Scorpio. First, are
you anyone's muse? Is there a person who draws inspiration from
the way you live? Here's my second query: Are you strong medicine
for anyone? Are you the source of riddles that confound and intrigue
them, compelling them to outgrow their narrow perspectives? Here's
my third inquiry: Are you anyone's teacher? Are you an influence
that educates someone about the meaning of life? If you do play
any of these roles, Scorpio, they are about to heat up and transform.
If you don't currently serve at least one of these functions,
there's a good chance you will start to soon.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
According to my reading of the astrological omens, you should
draw inspiration from this Chinese proverb: "Never do anything
standing that you can do sitting, or anything sitting that you
can do lying down." In other words, Sagittarius, you need
extra downtime. So please say NO to any influence that says, "Do
it now! Be maniacally efficient! Multitask as if your life depended
on it! The more active you are the more successful you will be!"
Instead, give yourself ample opportunity to play and daydream
and ruminate.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
In Raymond Chandler's pulp fiction novel Farewell, My Lovely,
his main character is detective Philip Marlowe. At one point Marlowe
says, "I needed a drink, I needed a lot of life insurance,
I needed a vacation, I needed a home in the country. What I had
was a coat, a hat and a gun." In accordance with your astrological
omens, Capricorn, I'm asking you to figure out how you might be
like Marlowe. Are there differences between what you think you
need and what you actually have? If so, now is an excellent time
to launch initiatives to fix the discrepancies.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
There's a slightly better chance than usual that you will have
a whirlwind affair with a Bollywood movie star who's on vacation.
The odds are also higher than normal that you will receive a tempting
invitation from a secret admirer, or meet the soul twin you didn't
even know you were searching for, or get an accidental text message
from a stranger who turns out to be the reincarnation of your
beloved from a previous lifetime. But the likelihood of all those
scenarios pales in comparison to the possibility that you will
learn big secrets about how to make yourself even more lovable
than you already are.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
Author Eva Dane defines writer's block as what happens "when
your imaginary friends stop talking to you." I suspect that
something like this has been happening for you lately, Pisces
-- even if you're not a writer. What I mean is that some of the
most reliable and sympathetic voices in your head have grown quiet:
ancestors, dear friends who are no longer in your life, ex-lovers
you still have feelings for, former teachers who have remained
a strong presence in your imagination, animals you once cared
for who have departed, and maybe even some good, old-fashioned
spirits and angels. Where did they go? What happened to them?
I suspect they are merely taking a break. They may have thought
it wise to let you fend for yourself for a while. But don't worry.
They will be back soon.
ARIES (March 21-April 19):
When the path ahead divides in two, Aries, I am hoping you can
work some magic that will allow you to take both ways at once.
If you do master this riddle, if you can creatively figure out
how to split yourself without doing any harm, I have a strong
suspicion that the two paths will once again come together no
later than August 1, possibly before. But due to a curious quirk
in the laws of life, the two forks will never again converge if
you follow just one of them now.
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HOMEWORK:
What's the thing you lost that should stay lost? What's the thing
you lost that you should find? FreeWillAstrology.com.
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Contents of the Free Will Astrology Newsletter are Copyright
2014 Rob Brezsny
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