Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
May 17, 2017
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.
Here are practical ways I carry on the work of championing and embodying the Divine Feminine:
I regard relationship as a crucible for spiritual work.
I think of the practical expression of kindness and compassion and ethical behavior as an essential spiritual practice.
I assume that a crucial element of spiritual practice is the consciousness and compassion we bring to the sometimes chaotic and messy details of being human beings.
I proceed as if loving and caring for animals and plants and the Earth is the test of our spiritual intentions.
I regard play and fun and humor as not diversions from "serious" spiritual work, but rather being at the center of it.
There are more, but I'll stop for now. What about you? What are the practical ways you carry on the work of loving Goddess? Tell me at Truthrooster@gmail.com.
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DON'T GO NUMB!
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.
6. Express smart love for the interconnected web of life.
7. Celebrate the fact that there are other forms of consciousness and intelligence besides just the human kind.
8. Embody the hypothesis that spending time in wild places enhances one's mental hygiene and physical health.
9. Value the feminine as much as the masculine.
10. Cultivate the art of empathy, and demonstrate how to make it work in everything you do.
11. Show what it means to think with your heart and feel with your head.
12. Stay in close touch with the Mysterium, the other real world that is the root of the material world.
13. Vow to bring the I-Thou dynamic to bear on all your relationships.
14. Be as curious about intimacy as you are about power.
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X-RATED PRONOIA
Much of my book Pronoia Is the Antidote for Paranoia is rated PG. Some is R. But there's one story that's X. Not in the same way that porn is. While it's uninhibited in its rendering of ecstatic eroticism, it's a feminist meditation on spiritual intimacy, not a heap of vulgar stereotypes.
Still, when the book came out, I decided not to send full copies of the book to certain relatives of mine who are a bit prudish. So I came to a compromise: Using a razor blade, I sliced out the nine pages in question and gave my loved ones the mostly-intact remainder.
Here are those nine pages: bit.ly/OrgasmicOrigins
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DISCIPLINE YOUR WILDNESS
Clarissa Pinkola Estés suggests that we all need to periodically go cheerfully and enthusiastically out of our minds. Make sure, she says, that at least one part of you always remains untamed, uncategorizable, and unsubjugated by routine. Be adamant in your determination to stay intimately connected to all that's inexplicable and mysterious about your life.
At the same time, though, Estés believes you need to keep your unusual urges clear and ordered. Discipline your wildness, in other words, and don't let it degenerate into careless disorder.
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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
Baltimore's solar-powered water wheel has now removed 1.1 million lbs of rubbish from the river.
tinyurl.com/k5dbo6w
The billionaire on a mission to save the planet from Trump.
tinyurl.com/mltdbon
Self-esteem might boost our egos, but self-compassion opens our hearts.
tinyurl.com/ls895uq
(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 18
Copyright 2017 by Rob Brezsny
FreeWillAstrology.com
TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
My pregnant friend Myrna is determined to avoid giving birth via Caesarean section. She believes that the best way for her son to enter the world is by him doing the hard work of squeezing through the narrow birth canal. That struggle will fortify his willpower and mobilize him to summon equally strenuous efforts in response to future challenges. It's an interesting theory. I suggest you consider it as you contemplate how you're going to get yourself reborn.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
I invite you to try the following meditation: Picture yourself filling garbage bags with stuff that reminds you of what you used to be and don't want to be any more. Add anything that feels like decrepit emotional baggage or that serves as a worn-out psychological crutch. When you've gathered up all the props and accessories that demoralize you, imagine yourself going to a beach where you build a big bonfire and hurl your mess into the flames. As you dance around the conflagration, exorcise the voices in your head that tell you boring stories about yourself. Sing songs that have as much power to relieve and release you as a spectacular orgasm.
CANCER (June 21-July 22):
In normal times, your guardian animal ally might be the turtle, crab, seahorse, or manta ray. But in the next three weeks, it's the cockroach. This unfairly maligned creature is legendary for its power to thrive in virtually any environment, and I think you will have a similar resourcefulness. Like the cockroach, you will do more than merely cope with awkward adventures and complicated transitions; you will flourish. One caution: It's possible that your adaptability may bother people who are less flexible and enterprising than you. To keep that from being a problem, be empathetic as you help them adapt. (P.S. Your temporary animal ally is exceptionally well-groomed. Cockroaches clean themselves as much as cats do.)
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
Lady Jane Grey was crowned Queen of England in July 1553, but she ruled for just nine days before being deposed. I invite you to think back to a time in your own past when victory was short-lived. Maybe you accomplished a gratifying feat after an arduous struggle, only to have it quickly eclipsed by a twist of fate. Perhaps you finally made it into the limelight but then lost your audience to a distracting brouhaha. But here's the good news: Whatever it was -- a temporary triumph? incomplete success? nullified conquest? -- you will soon have a chance to find redemption for it.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
While shopping at a funky yard sale, I found the torn-off cover of a book titled You're a Genius and I Can Prove It. Sadly, the rest of the book was not available. Later I searched for it in online bookstores, and found it was out of print. That's unfortunate, because now would be an excellent time for you to peruse a text like this. Why? Because you need specific, detailed evidence of how unique and compelling you are -- concrete data that will provide an antidote to your habitual self-doubts and consecrate your growing sense of self-worth. Here's what I suggest you do: Write an essay entitled "I'm an Interesting Character and Here's the Proof."
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
Leonardo da Vinci wrote a bestiary, an odd little book in which he drew moral conclusions from the behavior of animals. One of his descriptions will be useful for you to contemplate in the near future. It was centered on what he called the "wild ass," which we might refer to as an undomesticated donkey. Leonardo said that this beast, "going to the fountain to drink and finding the water muddy, is never too thirsty to wait until it becomes clear before satisfying himself." That's a useful fable to contemplate, Libra. Be patient as you go in search of what's pure and clean and good for you. (The translation from the Italian is by Oliver Evans.)
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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 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):
My friend Allie works as a matchmaker. She has an instinctive skill at reading the potential chemistry between people. One of her key strategies is to urge her clients to write mission statements. "What would your ideal marriage look like?" she asks them. Once they have clarified what they want, the process of finding a mate seems to become easier and more fun. In accordance with the astrological omens, Scorpio, I suggest you try this exercise -- even if you are already in a committed relationship. It's an excellent time to get very specific about the inspired togetherness you're willing to work hard to create.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
In ancient Greek myth, Tiresias was a prophet who could draw useful revelations by interpreting the singing of birds. Spirits of the dead helped him devise his prognostications, too. He was in constant demand for revelations about the future. But his greatest claim to fame was the fact that a goddess magically transformed him into a woman for seven years. After that, he could speak with authority about how both genders experienced the world. This enhanced his wisdom immeasurably, adding to his oracular power. Are you interested in a less drastic but highly educational lesson, Sagittarius? Would you like to see life from a very different perspective from the one you're accustomed to? It's available to you if you want it.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
"You remind me of the parts of myself that I will never have a chance to meet," writes poet Mariah Gordon-Dyke, addressing a lover. Have you ever felt like saying that to a beloved ally, Capricorn? If so, I have good news: You now have an opportunity to meet and greet parts of yourself that have previously been hidden from you -- aspects of your deep soul that up until now you may only have caught glimpses of. Celebrate this homecoming!
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
I predict that you won't be bitten by a dog or embarrassed by a stain or pounced on by a lawyer. Nor will you lose your keys or get yelled at by a friend or oversleep for a big appointment. On the contrary! I think you'll be wise to expect the best. The following events are quite possible: You may be complimented by a person who's in a position to help you. You could be invited into a place that had previously been off-limits. While eavesdropping, you might pick up a useful clue, and while daydreaming you could recover an important memory you'd lost. Good luck like this is even more likely to sweep into your life if you work on ripening the most immature part of your personality.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
Time out. It's intermission. Give yourself permission to be spacious and slow. Then, when you're sweetly empty -- this may take a few days -- seek out experiences that appeal primarily to your wild and tender heart as opposed to your wild and jumpy mind. Just forget about the theories you believe in and the ideas you regard as central to your philosophy of life. Instead, work on developing brisk new approaches to your relationship with your feelings. Like what? Become more conscious of them, for example. Express gratitude for what they teach you. Boost your trust for their power to reveal what your mind sometimes hides from you.
ARIES (March 21-April 19):
"A two-year-old kid is like using a blender, but you don't have a top for it," said comedian Jerry Seinfeld. Would you like to avoid a scenario like that, Aries? Would you prefer not to see what happens if your life has resemblances to turning on a topless blender that's full of ingredients? Yes? Then please find the top and put it on! And if you can't locate the proper top, use a dinner plate or newspaper or pizza box. OK? It's not too late. Even if the blender is already spewing almond milk and banana fragments and protein powder all over the ceiling. Better late than never!
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HOMEWORK:
Imagine what your life would be like if you even partially licked your worst fear. Describe this new world. 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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