Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter November 11, 2015

 Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
 November 11, 2015
 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

Below are excerpts.

Dear Goddess: Please make it immoral, illegal, irrelevant, unpatriotic, and totally tasteless for us to be in love with anyone or anything that's no good for us.

Teach us to know the difference between oppressive self-control and liberating self-control.

Awaken in us the power to do the half-right thing when it is impossible to do the totally right thing . . . .

Read or hear the rest of the Goddess Prayer:
bit.ly/GoddessPrayer

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EXPERIMENT: Review in loving detail the history of your life. Remember how and why you came to be where you are now.

Extra Credit: Figure out a way to feel gratitude for it all.

CRAFTY OPTIMISM

Pessimism is enshrined as a hallmark of worldliness. Compulsive skepticism masquerades as perceptiveness. Mean-spirited irony is chic. Stories about treachery and degradation provoke a visceral thrill in millions of people who think of themselves as reasonable and smart. Beautiful truths are suspect and ugly truths are readily believed.

So it's hard work to be lovers of life -- taboo, against-the-grain work. We've got to be both wrathful insurrectionaries and crafty optimists. We've got to cultivate cheerful buoyancy even as we resist the temptation to swallow thousands of delusions that have been carefully forged and seductively packaged by those among us who have bravely volunteered to play the role of know-it-all deceivers.

We have to learn how to stay in a good yet unruly mood as we overthrow the sour, puckered mass hallucination that is mistakenly referred to as "reality."

Maybe most importantly, we have to be dedicated to the cause of beauty and truth and love even as we keep our imaginations wild and hungry and free. We have to be both disciplined and rowdy.

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YOUR IMPROBABLE QUEST

I invite you to have an improbable quest playing at the edge of your imagination: a heroic task that provokes deep thoughts and noble passions even if it incites smoldering torment . . . an extravagant dream that's a bit farfetched but not entirely insane . . . a goal that stretches your possibilities and opens your mind . . . a wild hope whose pursuit makes you smarter and stronger even if you never fully accomplish it.

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1. Discourage all traces of shame.

2. Verify the irrational.

3. Multiply all opinions.

4. Blush perpetually in gaping innocence.

5. Burrow beneath the subconscious.

6. Bear no cross.

7. Extend all boundaries.

8. Pass from one world to another in carefree devotion.

9. Exhaust the primitive.

10. Generate the free brain.

11. Forego no succulent filth.

12. Acquire a sublime reputation.

13. Make one monster at least.

14. Inhabit everyone.

These suggestions were generated by Kenneth Patchen.
See the rest:
bit.ly/nxnorZ

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"Here is a new spiritual practice: Don't take your thoughts too seriously."
- Eckhart Tolle

"Being spiritual has nothing to do with what you believe and everything to do with your state of consciousness."
- Eckhart Tolle

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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:

For the first time, the Canadian government has a cabinet with an equal number of men and women.
tinyurl.com/olyht3q

The Mindful Life Project is an organization that brings meditation, yoga, and mindfulness training to classrooms.
tinyurl.com/oyjkw8h

"The Lax Kw'alaams Band, a Canadian first nations people living in a remote part of British Columbia, turned down an offer amounting to $267,000 per person to allow a natural gas pipeline and processing facility to be built on their lands."
tinyurl.com/q33gs76

(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 November 12

Copyright 2015 by Rob Brezsny
FreeWillAstrology.com

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):

Elsie de Wolfe (1859-1950) was a pioneer in the art of interior design. She described herself as "a rebel in an ugly world." Early in her career she vowed, "I'm going to make everything around me beautiful," and she often did just that. In part through her influence, the dark, cluttered decor of the Victorian Era, with its bulky draperies and overly ornate furniture, gave way to rooms with brighter light, softer colors, and more inviting textures. I'd love to see you be inspired by her mission, Scorpio. It's a good time to add extra charm, grace, and comfort to your environments.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):

At the age of 36, author Franz Kafka composed a 47-page letter to his father Herman. As he described the ways that his dad's toxic narcissism and emotional abuse had skewed his maturation process, he refrained from lashing out with histrionic anger. Instead he focused on objectively articulating the facts, recounting events from childhood and analyzing the family dynamic. In accordance with the astrological omens, I recommend that you write a letter to your own father -- even if it's filled with praise and gratitude instead of complaint. At this juncture in your life story, I think you especially need the insights that this exercise would generate. (P.S. Write the letter for your own sake, not with the hope of changing or hurting or pleasing your dad. You don't have to give it to him.)

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):

Shizo Kanakuri was one of Japan's top athletes when he went to compete in the marathon race at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics. Partway through the event, fatigued by sweltering heat, bad food, and the long journey he'd made to get there, Kanakuri passed out. He recovered with the help of a local farmer, but by then the contest was over. Embarrassed by his failure, he sneaked out of Sweden and returned home. Fast forward to 1966. Producers of a TV show tracked him down and invited him to resume what he'd started. He agreed. At the age of 74, he completed the marathon, finishing with a time of 54 years, eight months. I think it's time to claim your own personal version of this opportunity, Capricorn. Wouldn't you love to resolve a process that got interrupted?

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):

In most sporting events, there's never any doubt about which competitor is winning. Each step of the way, the participants and spectators know who has more points or goals or runs. But one sport isn't like that. In a boxing match, no one is aware of the score until the contest is finished -- not even the boxers themselves. I think you're in a metaphorically comparable situation. You won't find out the final tally or ultimate decision until the "game" is complete. Given this uncertainty, I suggest that you don't slack off even a little. Keep giving your best until the very end.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):

One night as you lie sleeping in your bed, you will dream of flying through the sunny summer sky. The balmy air will be sweet to breathe. Now and then you will flap your arms like wings, but mostly you will glide effortlessly. The feeling that flows through your body will be a blend of exhilaration and ease. Anywhere you want to go, you will maneuver skillfully to get there. After a while, you will soar to a spot high above a scene that embodies a knotty problem in your waking life. As you hover and gaze down, you will get a clear intuition about how to untie the knots. Whether or not you remember this dream, the next day you will work some practical magic that begins to shrink or dissolve the problem.

ARIES (March 21-April 19):

"I demand unconditional love and complete freedom," wrote Slovenian poet Tomaz Salamun. "That is why I am terrible." In accordance with the astrological omens, I'm offering you the chance, at least temporarily, to join Salamun in demanding unconditional love and complete freedom. But unlike him, you must satisfy one condition: Avoid being terrible. Can you do that? I think so, although you will have to summon unprecedented amounts of emotional intelligence and collaborative ingenuity.

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MY OTHER HOROSCOPES

Factual information and reasonable thinking alone are not sufficient to guide you through life's labyrinthine tests. You need and deserve regular deliveries of uncanny revelation.

One of your inalienable rights as a human being should therefore be to receive mysteriously useful omens on a regular basis. In this spirit, I offer you the free weekly horoscopes you read here.

If you ever want more, and think it's worth paying for, try my EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES. They're four-to-five-minute meditations on the current state of your destiny and where you're headed.

To listen to your Expanded Audio Horoscope online, go to RealAstrology.com.

Register and/or log in through the main page.

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

The cost is $6 per sign on the Web (discounts available for bulk purchases), or $1.99 per minute by phone.

The Expanded Audio Horoscopes work on most smart phones and tablets.

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"Your Expanded Audio Horoscopes seem to have the effect of activating my inner teacher. Thanks!" - Eleanor A., Toronto

"Your expanded audio horoscopes are the next best thing to actually having you here next to me to remind me who I really am." - Alyssa R., Des Moines, Iowa

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TAURUS (April 20-May 20):

You have the answers you need, but you keep sniffing around as if there were different or better answers to be had. Moreover, you've been offered blessings that could enable you to catalyze greater intimacy, but you're barely taking advantage of them -- apparently because you underestimate their potency. Here's what I think: As long as you neglect the gifts you have already been granted, they won't provide you with their full value. If you give them your rapt appreciation, they will bloom.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20):

Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875-1950) tried to earn a living by selling pencil sharpeners, but couldn't make it. In frustration, he turned to writing novels. Success! Among his many popular novels, 27 of them were about a fictional character named Tarzan. The actor who played Tarzan in the movies based on Burroughs' books was Johnny Weissmuller. As a child, he suffered from polio, and rebuilt his strength by becoming a swimmer. He eventually won five Olympic gold medals. Burroughs and Weissmuller are your role models in the coming weeks, Gemini. It's a favorable time for you to turn defeat into victory.

CANCER (June 21-July 22):

Artist Andy Warhol had an obsession with green underpants. In fact, that's all he ever wore beneath his clothes. It might be fun and productive for you to be inspired by his private ritual. Life is virtually conspiring to ripen your libido, stimulate your fertility, and expedite your growth. So anything you do to encourage these cosmic tendencies could have an unusually dramatic impact. Donning green undies might be a good place to start. It would send a playful message to your subconscious mind that you are ready and eager to bloom.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):

In the coming weeks, take special notice of the jokes and humorous situations that prompt you to laugh the loudest. They will provide important clues about the parts of your life that need liberation. What outmoded or irrelevant taboos should you consider breaking? What inhibitions are dampening your well-being? How might your conscience be overstepping its bounds and making you unnecessarily constrained? Any time you roar with spontaneous amusement, you will know you have touched a congested place in your psyche that is due for a cleansing.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):

For each of the last 33 years, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Los Angeles has selected a "National Hero Dog." It's an award given to a canine that has shown exceptional courage in helping or rescuing people. In 2015, the group departed from tradition. Its "National Hero Dog" is a female cat named Tara. Last May, she saved a four-year-old boy by scaring off a dog that had begun to attack him. I'm guessing you will soon have an experience akin to Tara's. Maybe you'll make a gutsy move that earns you an unexpected honor. Maybe you'll carry out a dramatic act of compassion that's widely appreciated. Or maybe you'll go outside your comfort zone to pull off a noble feat that elevates your reputation.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):

According to cartoon character Homer Simpson, "Trying is the first step towards failure." I don't agree with that comic advice. But I do think the following variant will be applicable to you in the coming weeks: "Trying too hard is the first step toward failure." So please don't try too hard, Libra! Over-exertion should be taboo. Straining and struggling would not only be unnecessary, but counterproductive. If you want to accomplish anything worthwhile, make sure that your default emotion is relaxed confidence. Have faith in the momentum generated by all the previous work you have done to arrive where you are now.

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HOMEWORK:

What's your most beautiful or powerful hidden quality? Testify at FreeWillAstrology.

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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 2015 Rob Brezsny

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