Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
May 10, 2017
FreeWillAstrology.com
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If you would like to support my ongoing work, please visit my Virtual Tip Jar at Paypal. It's here: paypal.me/FreeWillAstrology
You can also support my work by buying the Expanded Audio Horoscopes I create every week. These forecasts are different in tone and content from the written horoscopes I provide here. They're my four- to five-minute-long ruminations about the current chapter of your life story. They're available at RealAstrology.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.
"I pledge to see my problems as tremendous opportunities and my flaws as imperfect or unripe talents."
"I pledge to remember that I am not only a sweating, half-asleep, excitable, bumbling jumble of desires, but that I am also an immortal four-dimensional messiah in continuous telepathic touch with all of creation."
"As long as I live, I vow to die and be reborn, die and be reborn, die and be reborn, over and over again, forever reinventing myself."
"I vow to love and honor both the life I wish I had and the life I actually have. I vow to love and honor my highs and my lows, my yeses and noes, my give and my take.
"I pledge to wake myself up, never hold back, have nothing to lose, go all the way, kiss the stormy sky, be the hero of my own story, ask for everything I need and give everything I have, take myself to the river when it's time to go to the river, and take myself to the mountaintop when it's time to go to the mountaintop."
"I promise to be stronger than hate, wetter than water, deeper than the abyss, and wilder than the sun."
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IMAGINAL HYGIENE
"Imaginal hygiene is the inner art of self-managing your imagination, to defend it from forces that compromise, pollute, colonize, shrink, and sterilize it, and to cultivate those that illuminate, expand, and nourish it."
The above is an excerpt from a wonderful piece by M. T. Xen, which I highly recommend. tinyurl.com/q4wxvj9
You can also listen to my six-minute take on the power of your imagination here: bit.ly/lovesmart
Or read my piece here: bit.ly/1RZgPVe
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THE 80% RULE
Readers of my horoscope column "Free Will Astrology" are sometimes surprised when I say I only believe in astrology about 80 percent. "You're a quack?!" they cry. Not at all, I explain. I've been a passionate student of the ancient art for years. About the time my over-educated young brain was on the verge of desertification, crazy wisdom showed up in the guise of astrology, moistening my soul just in time to save it.
"But what about the other 20 percent?" they press on. "Are you saying your horoscopes are only partially true?"
I assure them that my doubt proves my love. By cultivating a tender, cheerful skepticism, I inoculate myself against the virus of fanaticism. This ensures that astrology will be a supple tool in my hands, an adaptable art form, and not a rigid, explain-it-all dogma that over-literalizes and distorts the mysteries it seeks to illuminate.
Read the rest of this essay: bit.ly/167qJ3j
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I AM YOU AND YOU ARE ME AND WE ARE ALL TOGETHER
"Feelings, whether of compassion or irritation, should be welcomed, recognized, and treated on an absolutely equal basis; because both are ourselves.
"The tangerine I am eating is me. The mustard greens I am planting are me. I plant with all my heart and mind. I clean this teapot with the kind of attention I would have were I giving the baby Buddha or Jesus a bath.
"Nothing should be treated more carefully than anything else. In mindfulness, compassion, irritation, mustard green plant, and teapot are all sacred."
~ Thich Nhat Hanh, "The Miracle of Mindfulness: An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation"
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LIVING IN THE INQUIRY
“I find that a lot of people are more invested in position-taking than they are in the inquiry. Generally speaking, I am in the inquiry. I live in the question. People have so many positions, and usually the evidence is not strong enough for them really to be so confident in those conclusions. There are just a lot of things that are not certain.”
- Jerry Brown, quoted in "The Atlantic"
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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
The city of Philadelphia reduced total crime by 23% in 10 years.
tinyurl.com/lq58hld
Overfishing in U.S. waters is at a historic low, with only 16% of US stocks overfished compared to 63% globally. 39 fisheries have recovered from overfishing since the 1990s.
tinyurl.com/mxrvhux
New method for tapping vast plant pharmacopeia to make more effective drugs.
tinyurl.com/lghq7tr
(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 May 11
Copyright 2017 by Rob Brezsny
FreeWillAstrology.com
TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
"Kiss the flame and it is yours," teased the poet Thomas Lux. What do you think he was hinting at? It's a metaphorical statement, of course. You wouldn't want to literally thrust your lips and tongue into a fire. But according to my reading of the astrological omens, you might benefit from exploring its meanings. Where to begin? May I suggest you visualize making out with the steady burn at the top of a candle? My sources tell me that doing so at this particular moment in your evolution will help kindle a new source of heat and light in your deep self -- a fresh fount of glowing power that will burn sweet and strong like a miniature sun.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
Your symbol of power during the next three weeks is a key. Visualize it. What picture pops into your imagination? Is it a bejeweled golden key like what might be used to access an old treasure chest? Is it a rustic key for a garden gate or an oversized key for an ornate door? Is it a more modern thing that locks and unlocks car doors with radio waves? Whatever you choose, Gemini, I suggest you enshrine it in as an inspirational image in the back of your mind. Just assume that it will subtly inspire and empower you to find the metaphorical "door" that leads to the next chapter of your life story.
CANCER (June 21-July 22):
You are free to reveal yourself in your full glory. For once in your life, you have cosmic clearance to ask for everything you want without apology. This is the LATER you have been saving yourself for. Here comes the reward for the hard work you've been doing that no one has completely appreciated. If the universe has any prohibitions or inhibitions to impose, I don't know what they are. If old karma has been preventing the influx of special dispensations and helpful X-factors, I suspect that old karma has at least temporarily been neutralized.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
"I don't want to be at the mercy of my emotions," said Irish writer Oscar Wilde. "I want to use them, to enjoy them, and to dominate them." In my opinion, that may be one of the most radical vows ever formulated. Is it even possible for us human beings to gracefully manage our unruly flow of feelings? What you do in the coming weeks could provide evidence that the answer to that question might be yes. According to my reading of the astrological omens, you are now in a position to learn more about this high art than ever before.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
Africa's highest mountain is Mount Kilimanjaro. Though it's near the equator, its peak is covered year-round with glaciers. In 2001, scientists predicted that global warming would melt them all by 2015. But that hasn't happened. The ice cap is still receding slowly. It could endure for a while, even though it will eventually disappear. Let's borrow this scenario as a metaphor for your use, Virgo. First, consider the possibility that a certain thaw in your personal sphere isn't unfolding as quickly as you anticipated. Second, ruminate on the likelihood that it will, however, ultimately come to pass. Third, adjust your plans accordingly.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
Will sex be humdrum and predictable in the coming weeks? No! On the contrary. Your interest in wandering out to the frontiers of erotic play could rise quite high. You may be animated and experimental in your approach to intimate communion, whether it's with another person or with yourself. Need any suggestions? Check out the "butterflies-in-flight" position or the "spinning wheel of roses" maneuver. Try the "hum-and-chuckle kissing dare" or the "churning radiance while riding the rain cloud" move. Or just invent your own variations and give them funny names that add to the adventure.
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WHY IS IT CALLED "FREE WILL" ASTROLOGY?
It's called Free Will Astrology because my goal is to create horoscopes that nurture your free will!
And if you ever want more than the 'scopes you're reading here, keep in mind that I also create EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES for you. They're four-to-five-minute meditations on the current state of your destiny.
Need more help in figuring out the questions life is asking you? Crave more support in your efforts to build your courage? Check out the 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.
The Expanded Audio Horoscopes work on most smart phones and tablets.
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"The best part about your audio horoscopes is that they pat me on the head and kick me in the ass at the same time." - Rita L., San Diego
"Your audio oracles go beyond helping me find the truth -- they inspire me to find the WILD truth." - Patrick K., Montreal
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SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
Right now the word "simplicity" is irrelevant. You've got silky profundities to play with, slippery complications to relish, and lyrical labyrinths to wander around in. I hope you use these opportunities to tap into more of your subterranean powers. From what I can discern, your deep dark intelligence is ready to provide you with a host of fresh clues about who you really are and where you need to go. P.S.: You can become better friends with the shadows without compromising your relationship to the light.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
You can bake your shoes in the oven at 350 degrees for 40 minutes, but that won't turn them into loaves of bread. Know what I'm saying, Sagittarius? Just because a chicken has wings doesn't mean it can fly over the rainbow. Catch my drift? You'll never create a silk purse out of dental floss and dead leaves. That's why I offer you the following advice: In the next two weeks, do your best to avoid paper tigers, red herrings, fool's gold, fake news, Trojan horses, straw men, pink elephants, convincing pretenders, and invisible bridges. There'll be a reward if you do: close encounters with shockingly beautiful honesty and authenticity that will be among your most useful blessings of 2017.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
Of all the signs of the zodiac, you Capricorns are the least likely to believe in mythical utopias like Camelot or El Dorado or Shambhala. You tend to be uber-skeptical about the existence of legendary vanished riches like the last Russian czar's Fabergé eggs or King John's crown jewels. And yet if wonderlands and treasures like those really do exist, I'm betting that some may soon be discovered by Capricorn explorers. Are there unaccounted-for masterpieces by Georgia O'Keeffe buried in a basement somewhere? Is the score of a lost Mozart symphony tucked away in a seedy antique store? I predict that your tribe will specialize in unearthing forgotten valuables, homing in on secret miracles, and locating missing mother lodes.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
According to my lyrical analysis of the astrological omens, here are examples of the kinds of experiences you might encounter in the next 21 days: 1. interludes that reawaken memories of the first time you fell in love; 2. people who act like helpful, moon-drunk angels just in the nick of time; 3. healing music or provocative art that stirs a secret part of you -- a sweet spot you had barely been aware of; 4. an urge arising in your curious heart to speak the words, "I invite lost and exiled beauty back into my life."
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
Ex-baseball player Eric DuBose was pulled over by Florida cops who spotted him driving his car erratically. They required him to submit to a few tests, hoping to determine whether he had consumed too much alcohol. "Can you recite the alphabet?" they asked. "I'm from the great state of Alabama," DuBose replied, "and they have a different alphabet there." I suggest, Pisces, that you try similar gambits whenever you find yourself in odd interludes or tricky transitions during the coming days -- which I suspect will happen more than usual. Answer the questions you want to answer rather than the ones you're asked, for example. Make jokes that change the subject. Use the powers of distraction and postponement. You'll need extra slack, so seize it!
ARIES (March 21-April 19):
The process by which Zoo Jeans are manufactured is unusual. First, workers wrap and secure sheets of denim around car tires or big rubber balls, and take their raw creations to the Kamine Zoo in Hitachi City, Japan. There the denim-swaddled objects are thrown into pits where tigers or lions live. As the beasts roughhouse with their toys, they rip holes in the cloth. Later, the material is retrieved and used to sew the jeans. Might this story prove inspirational for you in the coming weeks? I suspect it will. Here's one possibility: You could arrange for something wild to play a role in shaping an influence you will have an intimate connection with.
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HOMEWORK:
If you knew you were going to live to 100, what would you do differently in the next five years? Testify at Freewillastrology.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 2017 Rob Brezsny
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