Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
October 9, 2019
FreeWillAstrology.com
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The universe is, instant by instant, recreated anew. There is in truth no past, only a memory of the past. Blink your eyes, and the world you see next did not exist when you closed them. Therefore, the only appropriate state of the mind is surprise. The only appropriate state of the heart is joy. The sky you see now, you have never seen before. The perfect moment is now. Be glad of it.
—Terry Pratchett
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THE HEALING JOY OF ADMIRATION
“Admire as much as you can. Most people do not admire enough." So said Vincent van Gogh.
Admiring people who are worthy of our admiration doesn't cost us anything. Same with admiring animals and plants and natural phenomena: no pain involved. Same with admiring great accomplishments by our fellow humans: no agony or agitation required.
I'll go so far as to say that feeling and expressing admiration is a joyful form of healing.
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ENDLESS TRASNFORMATION
Nature is ever at work building and pulling down, creating and destroying, keeping everything whirling and flowing, allowing no rest but in rhythmical motion, chasing everything in endless song out of one beautiful form into another.
—John Muir
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When we contemplate the whole globe as one great dewdrop, striped and dotted with continents and islands, flying through space with other stars all singing and shining together as one, the whole universe appears as an infinite storm of beauty.
—John Muir
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BE WHOLLY ATTENTIVE
At a certain point, you say to the woods, to the sea, to the mountains, the world, Now I am ready. Now I will stop and be wholly attentive. You empty yourself and wait, listening.
—Annie Dillard
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BEAUTY AND GRACE
The answer must be, I think, that beauty and grace are performed whether or not we will or sense them. The least we can do is try to be there.
—Annie Dillard
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THE WISDOM OF GENEROSITY
The impulse to keep to yourself what you have learned is not only shameful, it is destructive. Anything you do not give freely and abundantly becomes lost to you. You open your safe and find ashes.
—Annie Dillard
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"A good song reminds us what we're fighting for," said Pete Seeger. So here's a good song by Rising Appalachia: tinyurl.com/jddw8tp
Here's another good song by Rising Appalachia:
tinyurl.com/ycca6e6v
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WHAT WE'RE HERE FOR
We are here to bring to consciousness the beauty and power that are around us and to praise the people who are here with us.
—Annie Dillard
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EARTH SEX
In the belly of the furnace of creativity is a sexual fire; the flames twine about each other in fear and delight. The same sort of coiling, at a cooler, slower pace, is what the life of this planet looks like. The enormous spirals of typhoons, the twists and turns of mountain ranges and gorges, the waves and the deep ocean currents—a dragonlike writhing.
—Gary Snyder
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HOPE SPRINGS UP
Hope has never trickled down, it has always sprung up.
—Naomi Klein
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In the eternal youth of Nature, you may renew your own.
—John Muir
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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
Experiment: Imprint yourself with the intention that, say, 25% of the time, you will seek out the GOOD news instead of the BAD stuff -- that you will regard tales of affliction and mayhem and corruption and tragedy as no more interesting or worthy of your attention than tales of triumph and liberation and pleasure and ingenuity.
If this idea appeals to you, here are sources of GOOD news to get you started:
Reasons to Be Cheerful: reasonstobecheerful.world
Yes magazine: yesmagazine.org
Good News Network: goodnewsnetwork.org
Celebrate Small Victories: celebratesmallvictories.com/archives
Reddit Uplifting News: reddit.com/r/UpliftingNews
New York Times' Good News section: tinyurl.com/ya2hpe9e
Heroic Stories: heroicstories.org
(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 October 10
Copyright 2019 by Rob Brezsny
FreeWillAstrology.com
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
I hope you are embarking on a vigorous new phase of self-redefinition. I trust you are excited about shedding old ways of thinking about yourself and eager to revise and re-imagine the plot of your life story. As you do, keep in mind this helpful counsel from physicist Richard Feynman: "You have no responsibility to live up to what other people think you ought to accomplish. I have no responsibility to be like they expect me to be. It's their mistake, not my failing."
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
You've probably heard the saying, "Genius is 99 percent perspiration and one percent inspiration." It's often attributed to inventor Thomas Edison. Sixteenth-century artist Michelangelo expressed a similar idea. "If you knew how much labor went into it, you would not call it genius," he said about one of his masterpieces. I'm guessing that you Scorpios have been in a phase when these descriptions are highly apropos. The work you've been doing may look productive and interesting and heroic to the casual observer, and maybe only you know how arduous and exacting it has been. So now what do you do? I say it's time to enjoy the fruits of your efforts. Celebrate! Give yourself a thrilling gift.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
"The universe is under no obligation to make sense to you," declared astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. If that's even a little bit true, I bet you won't believe it in the coming weeks. According to my analysis, the universe will make a great deal of sense to you—at times even exquisite, beautiful, breathtaking sense. Life will be in a revelatory and articulate mood. The evocative clues coming your way about the nature of reality could tempt you to believe that there is indeed a coherent plan and meaning to your personal destiny.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
In 2005, Facebook was a start-up company barely on the map of the internet. Its president asked graffiti artist David Choe to paint murals on the walls of its headquarters. Choe asked for $60,000, but the president convinced him to be paid with Facebook stock instead. Years later, when Facebook went public, Choe became a multi-millionaire. I suspect that in the coming months you will be faced with choices that are less spectacular than that, Capricorn, but similar and important. My conclusion: Be willing to consider smart gambles when projects are germinating.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
"Experiment is the sole source of truth," wrote philosopher and polymath Henri Poincaré. "It alone can teach us something new; it alone can give us certainty." He wasn't merely referring to the kinds of experiments that scientists conduct in laboratories. He was talking about the probes and explorations we can and should carry out in the course of our daily lives. I mention this, Aquarius, because the coming days will be prime time for you to do just that: ask provocative questions, initiate novel adventures, and incite fun learning experiences.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
In my opinion, Piscean singer, poet, and actor Saul Williams produces high-quality art. So he has earned a right to critique mediocre art. In speaking about movies and TV shows that are hard to enjoy unless we dumb ourselves down, he says that "we have more guilty pleasure than actual f------ pleasure." Your assignment in the coming weeks, Pisces, is to cut back on your "guilty pleasures"—the entertainment, art, and socializing that brings meager returns—as you increase and upgrade your actual f------ pleasure.
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OUR COLLABORATION
I really do feel that you're here with me as I create these horoscopes. In a sense, you're my assistant. Our telepathic connection is palpable and practical. The hopes and questions you project my way stream into my higher mind, coloring my psychic environment and enriching my desire to give you exactly what you need.
If you ever want more inspiration generated in that same collaborative spirit -- beyond the horoscopes you're reading here -- keep in mind that every week I also offer 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 to 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.
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The cost is $6 per sign on the On the Web. (Discounts are available for bulk purchases.) You can also access them for $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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ARIES (March 21-April 19):
"Love is when you meet someone who tells you something new about yourself," wrote poet André Breton. I think that's an excellent principle to put at the top of your priority list in the coming weeks, Aries. To be in maximum alignment with cosmic rhythms, you should seek input from allies who'll offer insights about you that are outside your current conceptions of yourself. You might even be daring enough to place yourself in the paths of strangers, acquaintances, animals, and teachers who can provide novel reflections. There's just one caveat: Stay away from people who might be inclined to fling negative feedback.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
Constantine P. Cavafy's poem "Waiting for the Barbarians" imagines the imminent arrival of an unpredictable agent of chaos. "The barbarians are coming today," declares the narrator. Everyone in town is uneasy. People's routines are in disarray. Faces look worried. What's going to happen? But the poem has a surprise ending. "It is night, and the barbarians haven't come," reports the narrator. "Some people have arrived from the frontier and say that there aren't any more barbarians." I propose that we use this scene as a metaphor for your life right now, Taurus. It's quite possible that the perceived threat isn't really a threat. So here's my question, taken from near the end of the poem: "What are we going to do now without the barbarians?"
GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
Some folklorists prefer the term "wonder tales" rather than "fairy tales." Indeed, many such stories are filled with marvelous events that feature magical transformations, talking animals, and mythical creatures like elves and dragons and unicorns. I bring this up, Gemini, because I want to encourage you to read some wonder tales. Hopefully, as you do, you'll be inspired to re-imagine your life as a wonder tale; you'll reframe the events of the "real world" around you as being elements in a richly entertaining wonder tale. Why do I recommend this? Because wonder tales are like waking dreams that reveal the wishes and curiosities and fascinations of your deep psyche. And I think you will benefit profoundly in the coming weeks from consciously tuning in to those wishes and curiosities and fascinations.
CANCER (June 21-July 22):
I suspect that in the coming days you'll be able to see into everyone's souls more vividly than usual. You'll have a special talent for piercing through the outer trappings of their personalities so as to gaze at the essence beneath. It's as if your eyes will be blessed by an enhancement that enables you to discern what's often hidden. This upgrade in your perception may at times be unsettling. For some of the people you behold, the difference between how they present themselves and who they actually are will be dramatic. But for the most part, penetrating to the depths should be fun, enriching, even healing.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
"This heart is rusty," writes poet Gabriel Gadfly. "It creaks, it clanks, it crashes and rattles and bangs." Why is his heart in such a state? Because he has been separated from a person he loves. And so he's out of practice in doing the little things, the caring gestures and tender words, that a lover does to keep the heart well-oiled. It's my observation that most of us go through rusty-heart phases like this even when we are living in close proximity to an intimate ally. We neglect to practice the art of bestowing affectionate attention and low-key adoration. We forget how important it is for our own welfare that we continually refresh and reinvigorate our heart intelligence. These are good meditations for you right now, Leo.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
"All the effort in the world won't matter if you're not inspired," writes novelist Chuck Palahniuk. I agree! And that's a key meditation for you right now. Your assignment is to enhance and upgrade the inspiration you feel about the activities that are most important to you—the work and the play that give you the sense you're living a meaningful life. So how do you boost your excitement and motivation for those essential actions you do on a regular basis? Here's a good place to begin: visualize in exuberant detail all the reasons you started doing them in the first place.
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HOMEWORK:
I discuss some of my ideas about astrology in the article published here: tinyurl.com/RobOnAstrology
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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 2019 Rob Brezsny
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