Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
September 7, 2016
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
Book review by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat:
Rob Brezsny has written "Free Will Astrology," the most widely syndicated feature in North America's alternative weeklies, for years. He is a truth-seeker, a buoyant optimist, a true believer in love and optimism, a child at play in the wonderland of life, "a master of rowdy bliss," and a writer whose imagination is wild and untamed.
Pronia Is the Antidote for Paranoia is a revised and expanded edition of the radical and life-changing manifesto he wrote in 2005. With great zest and an inimitable creativity, Brezsny sees the present moment as the perfect moment:
"In the New Earth we're creating, we need lusty compassion and ecstatic duty, ingenious love and insurrectionary beauty. We need radical curiosity and reverent pranks, voracious listening and ferocious thanks."
Instead of the gloom and doom message which is so prominent in the media, Brezsny suggests "the cause of zoom and boom." Throughout this extraordinary book, he celebrates many of the qualities we have incorporated in our vision of Spiritual Literacy: imagination, wonder, gratitude, reverence, play, beauty, compassion, connections, mystery, and more.
Instead of a negative and toxic view of the world, Brezsny contends that the universe is basically friendly. This means we don’t have to live our days in paranoia; we can choose instead to align with pronia: "a mode of training your senses and intellect so you're able to perceive the fact that life always gives you exactly what you need, exactly when you need it."
He hopscotches even further: "Evil is boring. Cynicism is idiotic. Fear is a bad habit. Despair is lazy. Joy is fascinating. Love is an act of heroic genius. Pleasure is your birthright. Receptivity is a superpower."
Proving his point in an awesome segment in the book titled "Glory in the Highest," Brezsny presents a few of the everyday miracles which we overlook, the positive qualities we possess in abundance, the special wonders of this age, and the varied gifts and services provided by strangers we do not even know.
There's a common perception that tales of carnage, revenge, horror, mayhem, and tragedy are more real and engaging than stories of triumph, liberation, and reconciliation.
Brezsny's Beauty and Truth Laboratory proclaims that succumbing to pop nihilism propagated by the media is toxic for our spiritual health and well-being. Instead of watering the seeds of violence within yourself, take a break and savor the joy of a small moment of silence or pleasure. "Bow down to the greatest mystery you know." Or "pick blackberries naked in the rain."
In The Pronia News Network, Brezsny delivers up a treasure trove of quips, quotes, snippets, and epiphanies for all of us who are sick and tired of all the bad news that surrounds us and threatens to sink us in a sea of despair. Here are bits and pieces from Brian Swimme, Gandhi, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Krishna Das, Ken Wilber, Emily Dickinson, and many more positive voices with good news to share.
We were also mightily impressed by the many informal and creative spiritual practices suggested in the paperback. Here are a few examples:
* "Take an inventory of the extent to which your "No" reflex dominates your life. . . . Retrain yourself to say "YES" at least 51 percent of the time."
* " 'There are two ways for a person to look for adventure,' said the Lone Ranger, an old TV character. 'By tearing everything down, or building everything up.' Give an example of each from your own life."
* "Salvador Dali once staged a party in which guests were told to come disguised as characters from their nightmares. Do the reverse. Throw a bash in which everyone is invited to arrive dressed as a character from the most glorious dream they remember."
There are many other essays and probes in this endlessly inventive work that we haven't even mentioned in this brief review. Suffice it to say, this is a rollercoaster ride that surprises, entertains, and edifies in equal measures. It is the perfect resource to lift your spirits and send you on your way rejoicing!
-Book review by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat -
tinyurl.com/z6hhlee
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Potential code words for your Dream Incubation Experiments:
vorfreude : (n.) the joyful, intense anticipation that comes from imagining future pleasures
numinous: (adj.) describing an experience that makes you overwhelmed yet fascinated, awed yet attracted—the powerful, personal feeling of being viscerally inspired
ostranernie: (n.) encouraging people to see common things as strange, wild, or unfamiliar; defamiliariaing what is known in order to know it differently or more deeply
smultronställe: (n.) lit. "place of wild strawberries"; a special place discovered, treasured, returned to for solace and relaxation; a personal idyll free from stress or sadness
rasasvada: (n.) the taste of bliss in the absence of all thoughts
firgun: (n.) the act of sharing in or even contributing to someone else's pleasure or fortune, with a purely generous heart and without jealousy
(Words gleaned from other-wordly.tumblr.com)
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How can we influence people to stop their extermination of nature? How can we motivate people to stop committing genocide against animal species? [Choose Method A or Method B or a blend of both.]
Method A.
1. Nag people with scientific data that shocks them into acknowledging how much harm human activity is inflicting.
2. Shame them about the sin of bequeathing their descendants a damaged, impoverished planet.
3. Badger them to dissolve the unethical greed that leads them to consume so many of the earth's resources and produce too much waste.
4. Criticize them for being too stubborn and ignorant to change their destructive habits.
5. Goad them with financial incentives to do the right thing even if they don't want to do the right thing.
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Method B.
7. Express smart love for the interconnected web of life.
8. Celebrate the fact that there are other forms of consciousness and intelligence besides just the human kind.
9. Embody the hypothesis that spending time in wild places enhances one's mental hygiene and physical health.
10. Value the feminine as much as the masculine.
11. Cultivate the art of empathy, and demonstrate how to make it work in everything you do.
12. Show what it means to think with your heart and feel with your head.
13. Stay in close touch with the Mysterium, the other real world that is the root of the material world.
14. Vow to bring the I-Thou dynamic to bear on all your relationships.
15. Be as curious about intimacy as you are about power.
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"I call the high and light aspects of my being spirit and the dark and heavy aspects soul.
"Soul is at home in the deep, shaded valleys. Heavy torpid flowers saturated with black grow there. The rivers flow like warm syrup.
"Spirit is a land of high, white peaks and glittering jewel-like lakes and flowers. Life is sparse and sounds travel great distances."
—The Dalai Lama, as quoted by James Hillman in "A Blue Fire"
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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
This tiny device makes dirty water drinkable in just 20 minutes.
tinyurl.com/gm565rq
How to Break the Power of Money. We can refuse to accept the pervasive, but false, claims that money is wealth and a growing GDP improves the lives of all.
tinyurl.com/z84t7mj
Ten images that remind us we live in a beautiful world with beautiful people.
tinyurl.com/h5bck9y
(Note: I endorse these because I like them. They aren’t advertisements, and I get no kickbacks.)
Please tell me your own nominations for PRONOIA RESOURCES: Truthrooster@gmail.com.
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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
Week beginning September 8
Copyright 2016 by Rob Brezsny
FreeWillAstrology.com
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
Is "Big Bang" the best term we can come up with to reference the beginning of the universe? It sounds violent and messy -- like a random, accidental splatter. I would much prefer a term that suggests sublime elegance and playful power -- language that would capture the awe and reverence I feel as I contemplate the sacred mystery we are privileged to inhabit. What if we used a different name for the birth of creation, like the "Primal Billow" or the "Blooming Ha Ha" or the "Majestic Bouquet"? By the way, I recommend that you consider those last three terms as being suitable titles for your own personal life story in the coming weeks. A great awakening and activation are imminent.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
The last few weeks have been fraught with rich plot twists, naked dates with destiny, and fertile turning points. I expect there will be further intrigue in the near future. A fierce and tender decision at a crossroads? The unexpected arrival of a hot link to the future? A karmic debt that's canceled or forgiven? In light of the likelihood that the sweet-and-sour, confusing-and-revelatory drama will continue, I encourage you to keep your levels of relaxed intensity turned up high. More than I've seen in a long time, you have the magic and the opportunity to transform what needs to be transformed.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
In the coming days, you will have more than your usual access to help and guidance. Divine interventions are possible. Special dispensations and charmed coincidences, too. If you don't believe in fairy dust, magic beans, and lucky potions, maybe you should set that prejudice aside for a while. Subtle miracles are more likely to bestow their gifts if your reasonable theories don't get in the way. Here's an additional tip: Don't get greedy. Use the openings you're offered with humility and gratitude.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
When my daughter Zoe was growing up, I wanted her to be familiar with the origins of ordinary stuff that she benefited from. That's why I took her to small farms where she could observe the growth and harvest of organic food crops. We visited manufacturing facilities where cars, furniture, toys, and kitchen sinks were built. She saw bootmakers creating boots and professional musicians producing songs in recording studios. And much more. I would love it if you would give yourself comparable experiences in the coming weeks, Sagittarius. It's an excellent time to commune with the sources of things that nurture you and make your life better.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
Unless you were brought up by a herd of feral donkeys, the coming weeks will be an excellent time to embark on your second childhood. Unless you're allergic to new ideas, the foreseeable future will bring you strokes of curious luck that inspire you to change and change and change your mind. And unless you are addicted to your same old stale comforts, life will offer you chances to explore frontiers that could expose you to thrilling new comforts.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
These days, my dear, your eccentric beauty is even more unkempt than usual. I like it. It entertains and charms me. And as for your idiosyncratic intelligence: That, too, is messier and cuter and even more interesting than ever before. I'm inclined to encourage you to milk this unruly streak for all its potential. Maybe it will provoke you to experiment in situations where you've been too accepting of the stagnant status quo. And perhaps it will embolden you to look for love and money in more of the right places.
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YOU'VE ALWAYS GOT MORE HELP AVAILABLE THAN YOU IMAGINE
What do you want to be when you grow up? Is it possible that you will eventually develop beautiful capacities and sublime understandings that you can't even imagine right now?
I might be able to help you move in the direction of becoming more of the person you were born to be.
Tune in to my EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES
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. Each forecast is 4-5 minutes long.
The Expanded Audio Horoscopes work on most smart phones and tablets.
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"Your audio horoscopes help me love myself better, and I mean that in a non-narcissistic way."
-Deva P., Indianapolis
"I'm really grateful for the way you pick up my telepathic requests and answer them in your expanded audio 'scopes."
-Marion H., Birmingham, AL
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PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
I'm giving you an ultimatum, Pisces: Within the next 144 hours, I demand that you become at least 33 percent happier. Fifty percent would be even better. Somehow you've got to figure out what you can do to enhance your sense of well-being and increase your enjoyment of life. I'm sort of joking, but on the other hand I'm completely serious. From my perspective, it's essential that you feel really good in the coming days. Abundant pleasure is not merely a luxury, but rather a necessity. Do you have any ideas about how to make this happen? Start here: 1. Identify your four most delightful memories, and re-enact them in your imagination. 2. Go see the people whose influences most thoroughly animate your self-love.
ARIES (March 21-April 19):
Two seven-year-old girls showed me three tricks I could use to avoid taking myself too seriously and getting too attached to my dignity. I'm offering these tricks to you just in time for the letting-go phase of your astrological cycle. Trick #1: Speak in a made-up language for at least ten minutes. Example: "Groftyp hulbnu wivgeeri proot xud amasterulius. Quoshibojor frovid zemplissit." Trick #2: Put a different kind of shoe and sock on each foot and pretend you're two people stuck in a single body. Give each side of you a unique nickname. Trick #3: Place an unopened bag of barbecue-flavored potato chips on a table, then bash your fist down on it, detonating a loud popping sound and unleashing a spray of crumbs out the ends of the bag. Don't clean up the mess for at least an hour.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
In accordance with the astrological omens, I suggest you spend less energy dwelling in profane time so you expand your relationship with sacred time. If that's of interest to you, consider the following definitions. PROFANE TIME happens when you're engulfed in the daily grind. Swarmed by a relentless flurry of immediate concerns, you are held hostage by the chatter of your monkey mind. Being in SACRED TIME attunes you to the relaxing hum of eternity. It enables you to be in intimate contact with your soul's deeper agenda, and affords you extra power to transform yourself in harmony with your noble desires and beautiful intentions.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
About 1.7 million years ago, our human ancestors began using primitive hand axes made from rocks. This technology remained in use for over 60,000 generations before anyone invented more sophisticated tools and implements. Science writer Marcus Chown refers to this period as "the million years of boredom." Its slow pace contrasts sharply with technology's brisk evolution in the last 140 years. In 1880, there were no cars, planes, electric lights, telephones, TVs, or Internet. I surmise that you're leaving your own phase of relatively slow progress, Gemini. In the coming months, I expect your transformations will progress with increasing speed -- starting soon.
CANCER (June 21-July 22):
Prediction #1: You will attract truckloads of good luck by working to upgrade and refine the way you communicate. Prediction #2: You will tickle the attention of interesting people who could ultimately provide you with clues you will need to thrive in 2017. #3: You will discover secrets of how to articulate complicated feelings and subtle ideas that have been locked inside you. Prediction #4: You'll begin a vibrant conversation that will continue to evolve for a long time.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
You know you have a second brain in your gut, right? (If not, read this: bit.ly/secondbrain.) During the past three weeks, I have been beaming telepathic instructions toward this smart part of you. Here's an edited version of the message I've been sending: "Cultivate your tenacity, darling. Build up your stamina, sweetheart. Feed your ability to follow through on what you've started, beautiful. Be persistent and spunky and gritty, my dear." Alas, I'm not sure my psychic broadcasts have been as effective as I'd hoped. I think you need further encouragement. So please summon more fortitude and staying power, you gutsy stalwart. Be staunch and dogged and resolute, you stouthearted powerhouse.
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HOMEWORK:
Look in the mirror and tell yourself an edgy but fun truth you've never spoken. If you care to share, write Truthrooster@gmail.com
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Submissions sent to Rob Brezsny's Astrology 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 submissions for length, style, and content. Requests for anonymity will be honored. We are not responsible for unsolicited submission of any creative material.
Contents of the Free Will Astrology Newsletter are Copyright 2016 Rob Brezsny
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