Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
August 15, 2018
FreeWillAstrology.com
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Everyone's my teacher. Everywhere I go, I'm a student. Everyone is in some way my informant, my revelator, my direction connection to the Divine Wow.
The animals, too: They are my confidants, my beloveds, my spirit guides.
And yes, the plants! My godparents, my role models, my advisers.
I vow to gleefully shut up and listen reverently on a regular basis.
Playful, mysterious intelligences surround me in every direction. I'm available!
(Yes, to you, too, wind and sun and sky and mountain and rivers and oceans and rocks: I greet you daily as my family members, my agent provocateurs, my fellow celebrants.)
Hey, YOU reading this: Is there any clue or secret or surprise you’d like to impart to me?
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WHAT IF YOUR DESIRES ARE HOLY?
What if your desires are holy? Listen to a brief meditation on the subject. Sample: "There's a difference between degrading desires that enslave you and sacred desires that liberate you." Tune in at bit.ly/1MPMODh
Here are excerpts:
Some religious traditions teach the doctrine, "Kill off your longings." In their view, attachment to desire is at the root of human suffering. But the religion of materialism takes the opposite tack, asserting that the meaning of life is to be found in indulging desires. Its creed is, "Feed your cravings like a French foie gras farmer cramming eight pounds of maize down a goose's gullet every day."
At the Beauty and Truth Lab, we walk a middle path. We believe there are both degrading desires that enslave you and sacred desires that liberate you.
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Psychologist Carl Jung believed that all desires have a sacred origin, no matter how odd they may seem. Frustration and ignorance may contort them into distorted caricatures, but it is always possible to locate the divine source from which they arose. In describing one of his addictive patients, Jung said: "His craving for alcohol was the equivalent on a low level of the spiritual thirst for wholeness, or as expressed in medieval language: the union with God."
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Psychotherapist James Hillman echoes the theme: "Psychology regards all symptoms to be expressing the right thing in the wrong way." A preoccupation with porn or romance novels, for instance, may come to dominate a passionate person whose quest for love has degenerated into an obsession with images of love. "Follow the lead of your symptoms," Hillman suggests, "for there's usually a myth in the mess, and a mess is an expression of soul."
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Like all of us, you have desires for things that you don't really need and aren't good for you. But you shouldn't disparage yourself for having them, nor should you conclude that every desire is tainted. Rather, think of your misguided longings as the bumbling, amateur expressions of a faculty that will one day be far more expert. They're how you practice as you work toward the goal of becoming a master of desire. It may take a while, but eventually you will get the hang of wanting things that are really good for you, and good for everyone else, too.
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"The only way anyone is ever cured of desiring nonsensical things is by getting the nonsensical things and then experiencing the unpleasant but educational consequences." -Ann Davies
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To become a master of desire, keep talking yourself out of being attached to trivial goals and keep talking yourself into being thrilled about the precious few goals that are really important. Here's another way to say it: Wean yourself from ego-driven desires and pour your libido into a longing for beauty, truth, goodness, justice, integrity, creativity, love, and an intimate relationship with the Wild Divine.
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SORRY, I HAVE TO VENT
* I've told you a million times not to exaggerate.
* I really get antsy when you refuse to be patient.
* If you don't stop berating yourself, I'm going to have to cut you down to size.
* I hate it when you do something nice for me.
* Sure am feeling positive about my pessimism lately.
* “CALM DOWN!!!!”
* Stop being so agreeable.
* I can't stand it when people complain!
* I'm totally opposed to all duality, so if you're one of the 50% of the population that divides everything into us versus them, please stop.
* It's bad luck to be superstitious, so please refrain from turning logic into just another form of magical thinking.
* DAMN ALL YOU PEOPLE WHO CAN'T GET BEHIND UNCONDITIONAL LOVE!!!!!
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THE REAL SECRET OF MAGIC
"The real secret of magic is that the world is made of words," said Terence McKenna, "and that if you know the words that the world is made of, you can make of it whatever you wish."
Here's my version of that hypothesis: What world you end up living in depends at least in part on your use of language.
Do you want to move and breathe amidst infertile chaos where nothing makes sense and no one really loves anyone? Then speak with unconscious carelessness, expressing yourself lazily. Constantly materialize and entertain angry thoughts in the privacy of your own imagination, beaming silent curses out into eternity.
Or would you prefer to live in a realm that's rich with fluid epiphanies and intriguing coincidences and mysterious harmonies? Then be discerning and inventive in how you speak, primed to name the unexpected codes that are always being born right in front of your eyes. Turn your imagination into an ebullient laboratory where the somethings you create out of nothings are tinctured with the secret light you see in your dreams of invisible fire.
P.S. "The basic tool for the manipulation of reality is the manipulation of words," wrote Philip K. Dick in his essay, "How to Build A Universe That Won't Fall Apart in Two Days."
Listen to "Magic Secret" with a musical backing: soundcloud.com/sacreduproar/magicsecret
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HOW DOES YOUR PERSONAL LIFE AFFECT US ALL?
"How does my spiritual practice and daily life serve the earth? How does my spiritual practice and daily life affect the poorest third of humanity? How will my spiritual practice and daily life affect the generations to come in the future?"
~ Starhawk
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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
How to Use Desire to Trick Yourself Into Joyful Presence
tinyurl.com/y8nxw2nj
A Conservative Town Embraces Its Immigrants, Documented or Undocumented.
tinyurl.com/y7f9fqw3
How to Reclaim the Narrative—and Power—in Post-Truth America
Hope plus action and investment equals revolutionary muscle. Now is the time for the progressive majority to set the terms of the conversation.
tinyurl.com/y9cd59o3
(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.
Read old but still useful archives of Pronoia Resources: pronoiaresources.com
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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
Week beginning August 16
Copyright 2018 by Rob Brezsny
FreeWillAstrology.com
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
"Whoever does not visit Paris regularly will never really be elegant," wrote French author Honoré de Balzac. I think that's an exaggeration, but it does trigger a worthwhile meditation. According to my analysis of the astrological omens, you're in a phase of your cycle when you have maximum power to raise your appreciation of elegance, understand how it could beautify your soul, and add more of it to your repertoire. So here are your homework meditations: What does elegance mean to you? Why might it be valuable to cultivate elegance, not just to enhance your self-presentation, but also to upgrade your relationship with your deep self? (P.S.: Fashion designer Christian Dior said, "Elegance must be the right combination of distinction, naturalness, care, and simplicity.")
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
Many of us imagine medieval Europe to have been drab and dreary. But historian Jacques Le Goff tells us that the people of that age adored luminous hues: "big jewels inserted into book-bindings, glowing gold objects, brightly painted sculpture, paintings covering the walls of churches, and the colored magic of stained glass." Maybe you'll be inspired by this revelation, Virgo. I hope so. According to my reading of the astrological omens, you can activate sleeping wisdom and awaken dormant energy by treating your eyes to lots of vivid reds, greens, yellows, blues, browns, oranges, purples, golds, blacks, coppers, and pinks.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
An astrologer on Tumblr named Sebastian says this about your sign: "Libras can be boring people when they don't trust you enough to fully reveal themselves. But they can be just as exciting as any fire sign and just as weird as any Aquarius and just as talkative as a Gemini and just as empathetic as a Pisces. Really, Librans are some of the most eccentric people you'll ever meet, but you might not know it unless they trust you enough to take their masks off around you." Spurred by Sebastian's analysis, here's my advice to you: I hope you'll spend a lot of time with people you trust in the coming weeks, because for the sake of your mental and physical and spiritual health, you'll need to express your full eccentricity. (Sebastian's at venuspapi.tumblr.com.)
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
A blogger who calls herself Wistful Giselle has named the phenomena that make her "believe in magic." They include the following: "illuminated dust in the air; the moments when a seedling sprouts; the intelligence gazing back at me from a crow's eyes; being awaken by the early morning sun; the energy of storms; old buildings overgrown with plants; the ever-changing grey green blue moods of the sea; the shimmering moon on a cool, clear night." I invite you to compile your own list, Scorpio. You're entering a time when you will be the beneficiary of magic in direct proportion to how much you believe in and are alert for magic. Why not go for the maximum?
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
Since 1969, eight-foot-two-inch-tall Big Bird has been the star of the kids' TV show Sesame Street. He's a yellow bird puppet who can talk, write poetry, dance, and roller skate. In the early years of the show, our hero had a good friend who no one else saw or believed in: Mr. Snuffleupagus. After 17 years, there came a happy day when everyone else in the Sesame Street neighborhood realized that Snuffy was indeed real, not just a figment of Big Bird's imagination. I'm foreseeing a comparable event in your life sometime soon, Sagittarius. You'll finally be able to share a secret truth or private pleasure or unappreciated asset.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
Activist and author Simone de Beauvoir was one of those Capricorns whose lust for life was both lush and intricate. "I am awfully greedy," she wrote. "I want to be a woman and to be a man, to have many friends and to have loneliness, to work much and write good books, to travel and enjoy myself, to be selfish and to be unselfish." Even if your longings are not always as lavish and ravenous as hers, Capricorn, you now have license to explore the mysterious state she described. I dare you to find out how voracious you can be if you grant yourself permission.
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WHY IS MY HOROSCOPE COLUMN CALLED "FREE WILL" ASTROLOGY?
It's called Free Will Astrology because my goal is to create horoscopes that nurture your free will.
Contrary to what some horoscope fans believe, there's no such thing as predestination. Fate is a tricky sucker that keeps changing its mind about where it wants to go. The stars may impel, as the astrological saying goes, but they don't compel.
That's why I've never considered myself a fortuneteller. I prefer to think that my greatest service is as a psychic intelligence agent, helping you expose the hidden patterns and unconscious forces that may be affecting your life without your knowledge.
If I "predict" anything, it's not so much the future as the unknown part of the present.
And if you ever want more than the horoscopes you're reading in this newsletter, 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.
To listen to your Expanded Audio Horoscope online, go here: freewillastrology.sparkns.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 are available for bulk purchases), or $1.99 per minute by phone.
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"Your expanded horoscopes get more personal and intimate with me than some of my closest friends. Thanks for the loving reflections."
- Ari S., Ann Arbor, MI
"When I listen to your audio 'scopes, my free will lights up." - Alex D., Los Angeles
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AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
According to my reading of the astrological omens, the coming weeks will be prime time to vividly express your appreciation for and understanding of the people you care about most. I urge you to show them why you love them. Reveal the depths of your insights about their true beauty. Make it clear how their presence in your life has had a beneficent or healing influence on you. And if you really want to get dramatic, you could take them to an inspiring outdoor spot and sing them a tender song or two.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
In her book Yarn: Remembering the Way Home, Piscean knitter Kyoko Mori writes, "The folklore among knitters is that everything handmade should have at least one mistake so an evil sprit will not become trapped in the maze of perfect stitches." The idea is that the mistake "is a crack left open to let in the light." Mori goes on to testify about the evil spirit she wants to be free of. "It's that little voice in my head that says, 'I won't even try this because it doesn't come naturally to me and I won't be very good at it.'" I've quoted Mori at length, Pisces, because I think her insights are the exact tonic you need right now.
ARIES (March 21-April 19):
"The prettier the garden, the dirtier the hands of the gardener," writes aphorist B. E. Barnes. That'll be especially applicable to you in the coming weeks. You'll have extra potential to create and foster beauty, and any beauty you produce will generate practical benefits for you and those you care about. But for best results, you'll have to expend more effort than maybe you thought you should. It might feel more like work than play -- even though it will ultimately enhance your ability to play.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
Author and theologian Thomas Merton thought that the most debilitating human temptation is to settle for too little; to live a comfortable life rather than an interesting one. I wouldn't say that's always true about you, Taurus. But I do suspect that in the coming weeks, a tendency to settle for less could be the single most devitalizing temptation you'll be susceptible to. That's why I encourage you to resist the appeal to accept a smaller blessing or punier adventure than you deserve. Hold out for the best and brightest.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
"I've learned quite a lot, over the years, by avoiding what I was supposed to be learning." So says the wise and well-educated novelist Margaret Atwood. Judging by your current astrological omens, I think this is an excellent clue for you to contemplate right now. What do you think? Have you been half-avoiding any teaching that you or someone else thinks you're "supposed" to be learning? If so, I suggest you avoid it even stronger. Avoid it with cheerful rebelliousness. Doing so may lead you to what you really need to learn about next.
CANCER (June 21-July 22):
Sometimes you make it difficult for me to reach you. You act like you're listening but you're not really listening. You semi-consciously decide that you don't want to be influenced by anyone except yourself. When you lock me out like that, I become a bit dumb. My advice isn't as good or helpful. The magic between us languishes. Please don't do that to me now. And don't do it to anyone who cares about you. I realize that you may need to protect yourself from people who aren't sufficiently careful with you. But your true allies have important influences to offer, and I think you'll be wise to open yourself to them.
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HOMEWORK:
Make a boast about how you'll pull off a feat you've previously lacked the chutzpah to attempt. 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 2018 Rob Brezsny
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