Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
February 4, 2015
FreeWillAstrology.com
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"I've found a nice balance," writes EarthMover, one
of my readers, "between living like someone who has overdosed
on delusional optimism and someone who thinks everything and everyone
sucks. I can see things as they really are instead of through
either rose-colored glasses or crap-colored glasses.
"That means I can cultivate true objectivity, not the fake
cynical kind. I free myself from negative emotional biases that
used to cloud my ability to see the partially hidden beauty all
around me.
"At the same time, I'm not addicted to the idea that I should
be eternally happy and blithe and sweet. When the dark moods descend
on me, I trust them. I know they are openings into equally sacred
perceptions and insights."
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I've gathered together all of the long-range, big-picture horoscopes
I wrote for you in the past few weeks, and bundled them in one
place. Go here to read a compendium of your forecasts for 2015:
bit.ly/BigView2015
If you like, you can also review the long-range, big-picture
horoscopes I wrote for you back in 2014. They're here: bit.ly/BigLife2014
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Experiment: Imagine the way your body would feel if you knew
the secret of how everything fit together.
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Activist and author Naomi Klein tells a story about the time
she traveled to Australia at the request of Aboriginal elders.
They wanted her to know about their struggle to prevent white
people from dumping radioactive wastes on their land.
Her hosts brought her to their beloved wilderness, where they
camped under the stars. They showed her "secret sources of
fresh water, plants used for bush medicines, hidden eucalyptus-lined
rivers where the kangaroos come to drink."
After three days, Klein grew restless. When were they going to
get down to business? "Before you can fight," she was
told, "you have to know what you are fighting for."
- from my book PRONOIA IS THE ANTIDOTE FOR PARANOIA
which is available at Amazon: bit.ly/Pronoia
or Powells: bit.ly/PronoiaPowells
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"In purely spiritual matters, God grants all desires,"
said philosopher and activist Simone Weil. "Those who have
less have asked for less." I think this is a worthy hypothesis
for you to try out.
To be clear: It doesn't necessarily mean you will get a dream
job and perfect lover and ten million dollars. What it does suggest
is this: You can have any relationship with the Divine Wow that
you dare to imagine; you can get all the grace you need to understand
why your life is the way it is; you can make tremendous progress
as you do the life-long work of liberating yourself from your
suffering.
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"Human beings are not born once and for all on the day their
mothers give birth to them . . . life obliges them over and over
again to give birth to themselves."
- Gabriel García Marquéz
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In addition to my written oracles, I've created EXPANDED AUDIO
HOROSCOPES that go even further in Exploring Your Long-Range Destiny
in 2015.
To listen to these three-part, in-depth reports, go here:
RealAstrology.com.
Register and/or log in through the main page, and then access
the horoscopes by clicking on "Long Range Prediction."
(Choose from Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.)
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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
America's Most Beautiful Public Library?
tinyurl.com/btu7pdk
There's a lot of bad news about the climate, but there's a lot
of good news, too. Here's a fraction of the good news:
tinyurl.com/pb9lbva
Photographs That Show Indigenous Americans Without the Stereotypes
tinyurl.com/n6uatd7
(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 February 5
Copyright 2015 by Rob Brezsny
FreeWillAstrology.com
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
In 1753, Benjamin Franklin published helpful instructions on
how to avoid being struck by lightning during stormy weather.
Wear a lightning rod in your hat, he said, and attach it to a
long, thin metal ribbon that trails behind you as you walk. In
response to his article, a fashion fad erupted. Taking his advice,
fancy ladies in Europe actually wore such hats. From a metaphorical
perspective, it would make sense for you Aquarians to don similar
headwear in the coming weeks. Bolts of inspiration will be arriving
on a regular basis. To ensure you are able to integrate and use
them -- not just be titillated and agitated -- you will have to
be well-grounded.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
According to the Bible, Jesus said, "You will know the
truth, and the truth will set you free." Author David Foster
Wallace added a caveat. "The truth will set you free,"
he wrote, "but not until it is finished with you." All
this is apropos for the current phase of your journey, Pisces.
By my estimation, you will soon discover an important truth that
you have never before been ready to grasp. Once that magic transpires,
however, you will have to wait a while until the truth is fully
finished with you. Only then will it set you free. But it will
set you free. And I suspect that you will ultimately be grateful
that it took its sweet time.
ARIES (March 21-April 19):
In 1979, Monty Python comedian John Cleese helped direct a four-night
extravaganza, The Secret Policeman's Ball. It was a benefit
to raise money for the human rights organization Amnesty International.
The musicians known as Sting, Bono, and Peter Gabriel later testified
that the show was a key factor in igniting their social activism.
I see the potential of a comparable stimulus in your near future,
Aries. Imminent developments could amp up your passion for a good
cause that transcends your immediate self-interests.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
In the film Kill Bill: Volume 1, Taurus actress Uma
Thurman plays a martial artist who has exceptional skill at wielding
a Samurai sword. At one point, her swordmaker evaluates her reflexes
by hurling a baseball in her direction. With a masterful swoop,
she slices the ball in half before it reaches her. I suggest you
seek out similar tests in the coming days, Taurus. Check up on
the current status of your top skills. Are any of them rusty?
Should you update them? Are they still of maximum practical use
to you? Do whatever's necessary to ensure they are as strong and
sharp as ever.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
French Impressionist painter Claude Monet loved to paint the
rock formations near the beach at Ètretat, a village in
Normandy. During the summer of 1886, he worked serially on six
separate canvases, moving from one to another throughout his work
day to capture the light and shadow as they changed with the weather
and the position of the sun. He focused intently on one painting
at a time. He didn't have a brush in each hand and one in his
mouth, simultaneously applying paint to various canvases. His
specific approach to multitasking would generate good results
for you in the coming weeks, Gemini. (P.S. The other kind of multitasking
-- where you do several different things at the same time -- will
yield mostly mediocre results.)
CANCER (June 21-July 22):
In 1849, author Edgar Allen Poe died in his hometown of Baltimore.
A century later, a mysterious admirer began a new tradition. Every
January 19, on the anniversary of Poe's birth, this cloaked visitor
appeared at his grave in the early morning hours, and left behind
three roses and a bottle of cognac. I invite you, Cancerian, to
initiate a comparable ritual. Can you imagine paying periodic
tribute to an important influence in your own life -- someone
who has given you much and touched you deeply? Don't do it for
nostalgia's sake, but rather as a way to affirm that the gifts
you've received from this evocative influence will continue to
evolve within you. Keep them ever-fresh.
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FEELING JOY STIMULATES YOUR COMPASSION?
Assume that your drive to experience pleasure isn't a barrier
to your spiritual growth, but is in fact essential to it. Proceed
on the hypothesis that cultivating joy can make you a more ethical
and compassionate person. Imagine that feeling good has something
important to teach you every day.
For inspiration in practicing this approach, tune in to your
Expanded Audio Horoscopes. They're four-to-five-minute meditations
on the current state of your destiny. The cost is $6 per reading,
with a discount for multiple purchases.
For another few weeks, you can also still listen to my Long-Range,
Big-Picture explorations of your destiny in the coming months.
Go here to register and/or sign in: RealAstrology.com
They're available on your tablets and smart phones as well as
your computers.
You can also listen over the phone by calling
1-877-873-4888
"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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LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
"What happens to a dream deferred?" asked Langston
Hughes in his poem "Harlem." "Does it dry up like
a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore -- And then run? Does
it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over -- like a syrupy
sweet?" As your soul's cheerleader and coach, Leo, I hope
you won't explore the answer to Hughes' questions. If you have
a dream, don't defer it. If you have been deferring your dream,
take at least one dramatic step to stop deferring it.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
Virgo author John Creasey struggled in his early efforts at
getting published. For a time he had to support himself with jobs
as a salesman and clerk. Before his first book was published,
he had gathered 743 rejection slips. Eventually, though, he broke
through and achieved monumental success. He wrote more than 550
novels, several of which were made into movies. He won two prestigious
awards and sold 80 million books. I'm not promising that your
own frustrations will ultimately pave the way for a prodigious
triumph like his. But in the coming months, I do expect significant
progress toward a gritty accomplishment. For best results, work
for your own satisfaction more than for the approval of others.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
Hall-of-Fame basketball player Hakeem Olajuwon had a signature
set of fancy moves that were collectively known as the Dream Shake.
It consisted of numerous spins and fakes and moves that could
be combined in various ways to outfox his opponents and score
points. The coming weeks would be an excellent time for you to
work on your equivalent of the Dream Shake, Libra. You're at the
peak of your ability to figure out how to coordinate and synergize
your several talents.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
In 1837, Victoria became Queen of England following the death
of her uncle, King William IV. She was 18 years old. Her first
royal act was to move her bed out of the room she had long shared
with her meddling, overbearing mother. I propose that you use
this as one of your guiding metaphors in the immediate future.
Even if your parents are saints, and even if you haven't lived
with them for years, I suspect you would benefit by upgrading
your independence from their influence. Are you still a bit inhibited
by the nagging of their voices in your head? Does your desire
to avoid hurting them thwart you from rising to a higher level
of authority and authenticity? Be a good-natured rebel.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
The crookedest street in the world is a one-way, block-long
span of San Francisco's Lombard Street. It consists of eight hairpin
turns down a very steep hill. The recommended top speed for a
car is five miles per hour. So on the one hand, you've got to
proceed with caution. On the other hand, the quaint, brick-paved
road is lined with flower beds, and creeping along its wacky route
is a whimsical amusement. I suspect you will soon encounter experiences
that have metaphorical resemblances to Lombard Street, Sagittarius.
In fact, I urge you to seek them out.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
In the baseball film The Natural, the hero Roy Hobbs
has a special bat he calls "Wonderboy." Carved out of
a tree that was split by a lightning bolt, it seems to give Hobbs
an extraordinary skill at hitting a baseball. There's a similar
theme at work in the Australian musical instrument known as the
didgeridoo. It's created from a eucalyptus tree whose inner wood
has been eaten away by termites. Both Wonderboy and the didgeridoo
are the results of natural forces that could be seen as adverse
but that are actually useful. Is there a comparable situation
in your own life, Capricorn? I'm guessing there is. If you have
not yet discovered what it is, now is a good time to do so.
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HOMEWORK:
Homework: What's the best possible mess you could stir up -- a
healing mess that would help liberate you? Testify at FreeWillAstrology.com.
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Contents of the Free Will Astrology Newsletter are Copyright
2015 Rob Brezsny
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