Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
June 17, 2020
FreeWillAstrology.com
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EXPLORE THE BIG PICTURE OF YOUR LIFE
with my MID-YEAR AUDIO PREVIEW of YOUR DESTINY
for the REST of 2020:
RealAstrology.com
This week my Expanded Audio Horoscopes explore themes that I suspect will be important for you during the next six months.
What areas of your life are likely to receive unexpected assistance and divine inspiration?
Where are you likely to find most success?
How can you best cooperate with the cosmic rhythms?
What questions should you be asking?
To listen to my IN-DEPTH, LONG-TERM AUDIO FORECAST for YOUR LIFE during the next six months, go here, then register and/or sign in:
RealAstrology.com
After you log in through the main page, click on the link "Long Term Forecast for Second Half of 2020."
For phone access, call:
1-877-873-4888
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The Expanded Audio Horoscopes cost $6 apiece if you access them on the Web. There are discounts for the purchase of multiple reports.
They're also available for $1.99 per minute if you want them over the phone.
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SATURN AND PLUTO CONJUNCT IN CAPRICORN
Saturn and Pluto have been conjunct in Capricorn from January to late March this year, and will be again from July to December. Their conjunction in Capricorn doesn't happen often. The last time was in 1518—when Spain's King Charles I opened the trans-Atlantic slave trade on a massive scale.
He authorized Spain to ship enslaved people directly from Africa to the Americas, marking a new phase in the transatlantic slave trade in which the numbers of enslaved people brought directly to the Americas rose dramatically.
Clearly, the Pluto-Saturn conjunction in Capricorn in 2020 is an opportunity to reverse and remedy one of civilization's greatest calamities.
More info: tinyurl.com/yazlgt2w
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PEOPLE WHO ARE VOID OF EMPATHY
If you’re feeling impatient or weary about your conversations and arguments with people who are void of empathy, you have life's permission to let them go.
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THE POSSIBILITY THAT RACISM CAN BE UNDONE
George Wallace was one of the 20th century's most vicious and dangerous racists. He personally perpetrated irreparable harm and damage on many African American people.
As a presidential candidate and four-term governor of Alabama, he supported "Jim Crow" and opposed desegregation. In his 1963 inaugural speech, he declared, "Segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever."
Surprise: Later in his life, George Wallace totally renounced his bigotry. He said his past actions were wrong and publicly asked for forgiveness from black people.
During Wallace's final term as governor (1983–1987) he made a record number of black appointments to state positions, including, for the first time, two black people as members in the same cabinet.
His conversion can serve as a symbol of the possibility that racism can indeed be undone.
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CONSORTING WITH THE ENEMY
My favorite George Wallace story: Shirley Chisholm was the first black woman elected to Congress. While serving seven terms, she was an outspoken warrior who fought tirelessly for the rights of women, minorities, and the poor. "My greatest political asset, which professional politicians fear," she said, "is my mouth, out of which comes all kinds of things one shouldn't always discuss for reasons of political expediency."
Yet one of Chisholm's most famous exploits was her visit to segregationist politician George Wallace in the hospital after he was shot. Her supporters complained that she was consorting with the enemy, but years later it paid off. Wallace helped her win the votes of southern congressmen when she sponsored legislation to give domestic workers a minimum wage.
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HOW TO CHANGE THE WORLD
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.
—anthropologist Margaret mead
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Nonviolent protests informed by civil disobedience are twice as likely to succeed as armed conflicts. Those that engage a threshold of 3.5 percent of the population are usually successful.
—political scientist Erica Chenoweth
More info: tinyurl.com/ThresholdProtest
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There are moments in life when keeping silent becomes a fault, and speaking an obligation. A civic duty, a moral challenge, a categorical imperative from which we cannot escape.
—journalist Oriana Fallaci
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SKIN TONES
In 1992, Crayola began making Flesh crayons in eight different skin tones—finally acknowledging that the color of Caucasian skin is not the main one.
And a few weeks ago, Crayola announced a further expansion of that variety. In July, it will release a pack of 24 crayons featuring a range of different flesh tones from people all over the world.
Bonus: The company that makes Band-Aids will begin creating bandages in a variety of skin colors.
These symbolic measures aren't as critical as, say, making sure American cops no longer use chokeholds. But I think they're important in expanding people's white people's awareness and redefining the culture's imprints.
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WE HAVE THE POWER
We live in capitalism. Its power seems inescapable. So did the divine right of kings. Any human power can be changed by humans.
—Ursula K. Le Guin
We live in a racist society. Its power seems inescapable. But like the divine right of kings, it's not. We will dismantle it. Any human power can be changed by humans.
—Us
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We really can overthrow racism: tinyurl.com/OverthrowRacism
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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
Millions of COVID Cases and Deaths Averted Thanks to Lockdowns — One of Humanity’s Greatest Achievements:
tinyurl.com/y98o6cne
Minneapolis has banned the use of chokeholds by police.
Dallas adopted a "duty to intervene" rule that requires officers to stop other cops who are engaging in inappropriate use of force.
New Jersey’s attorney general said the state will update its use-of-force guidelines for the first time in two decades.
In Maryland, a bipartisan work group of state lawmakers announced a police reform work group.
Los Angeles City Council introduced motion to reduce LAPD’s $1.8 billion operating budget.
MBTA in Boston agreed to stop using public buses to transport police officers to protests.
Police brutality captured on cameras led to near-immediate suspensions and firings of officers in several cities.
Street in front of the White House is renamed "Black Lives Matter Plaza.”
Statues honoring Confederate soldiers and politicians, most built during the heinous "Jim Crow" era, have been removed in Birmingham and Montgomery and Mobile, Ala.; Louisville, Ky.; Jacksonville, Fla.; Nashville, TN, and Alexandria, Va. Activists in many other cities are petitioning for their statues to be removed. tinyurl.com/y7f2wpfw
(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 June 18
Copyright 2020 by Rob Brezsny
FreeWillAstrology.com
CANCER (June 21-July 22):
"To hell with pleasure that’s haunted by fear," wrote Cancerian author Jean de La Fontaine. I'll make that one of my prayers for you in the coming weeks. It's a realistic goal you can achieve and install as a permanent improvement in your life. While you're at it, work on the following prayers, as well: 1. To hell with bliss that's haunted by guilt. 2. To hell with joy that's haunted by worry. 3. To hell with breakthroughs that are haunted by debts to the past. 4. To hell with uplifts that are haunted by other people's pessimism.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
Experiment #1: As you take a walk in nature, sing your five favorite songs from beginning to end, allowing yourself to fully feel all the emotions those tunes arouse in you. Experiment #2: Before you go to sleep on each of the next eleven nights, ask your dreams to bring you stories like those told by the legendary Scheherazade, whose tales were so beautiful and engaging that they healed and improved the lives of all those who heard them. Experiment #3: Gaze into the mirror and make three promises about the gratifying future you will create for yourself during the next 12 months.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
Vincent van Gogh's painting The Starry Night is one of the world's most treasured paintings. It has had a prominent place in New York's Museum of Modern Art since 1941. If it ever came up for sale it would probably fetch over $100 million. But soon after he created this great masterpiece, van Gogh himself called it a "failure." He felt the stars he'd made were too big and abstract. I wonder if you're engaging in a comparable underestimation of your own. Are there elements of your life that are actually pretty good, but you're not giving them the credit and appreciation they deserve? Now's a good time to reconsider and re-evaluate.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
Now is a favorable time to make adjustments in how you allocate your attention—to re-evaluate what you choose to focus on. Why? Because some people, issues, situations, and experiences may not be worthy of your intense care and involvement, and you will benefit substantially from redirecting your fine intelligence in more rewarding directions. To empower your efforts, study these inspirational quotes: "Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity." —philosopher Simone Weil. "Attention is the natural prayer of the soul." —philosopher Nicolas Malebranche.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
Scorpio poet Marianne Moore's poem "O To Be a Dragon," begins with the fantasy, "If I, like Solomon, could have my wish . . ." What comes next? Does Moore declare her desire to be the best poet ever? To be friends with smart, interesting, creative people? To be admired and gossiped about for wearing a tricorn hat and black cape as she walked around Greenwich Village near her home? Nope. None of the above. Her wish: "O to be a dragon, a symbol of the power of Heaven—of silk-worm size or immense; at times invisible. Felicitous phenomenon!" In accordance with astrological omens, I invite you to be inspired by Moore in the coming weeks. Make extravagant wishes for lavish and amusing powers, blessings, and fantastic possibilities.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
"Poems, like dreams, are a sort of royal road to the unconscious," writes author Erica Jong. "They tell you what your secret self cannot express." I invite you to expand that formula so it's exactly suitable for you in the coming weeks. My sense is that you are being called to travel the royal road to your unconscious mind so as to discover what your secret self has been unable or unwilling to express. Poems and dreams might do the trick for you, but so might other activities. For example: sexual encounters between you and a person you respect and love; or an intense night of listening to music that cracks open the portal to the royal road. Any others? What will work best for you?
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WHAT'S TO COME?
BRAINSTORM ABOUT THE BIG PICTURE OF YOUR LIFE
with my Expanded Audio Horoscopes for the Second Half of 2020:
RealAstrology.com
What will be the story of your life during the coming months? How can you exert your free will to create the adventures that will bring out the best in you, even as you find graceful ways to cooperate with the tides of destiny?
If you'd like a boost of inspiration to fuel you in your quest for beauty and truth and love and justice and meaning, tune in to my meditations on your long-term outlook.
Go here:
RealAstrology.com
After you register and/or log in through the main page, click on the link "Long Term Forecast for Second Half of 2020."
Or for phone access, call:
1-877-873-4888
+
The cost is $6 per sign. (Discounts are available for bulk purchases.) You can also access them for $1.99 per minute by phone.
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"Your big-picture audio horoscope was somehow both a balm for my soul and a call to action. How did you do that?" - David G., Coral Gables, FL
"Your big-picture horoscopes filled the gaps in my imagination. They woke up the fun plot twists that had been just on the tip of my ability to visualize." - Ani Kraft, Brattleboro, VT
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CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
"We must combine the toughness of the serpent and the softness of the dove, a tough mind and a tender heart." Capricorn hero Martin Luther King, Jr. said that, and now I'm conveying it to you. In my astrological opinion, his formula is a strategy that will lead you to success in the coming weeks. It'll empower you to remain fully open and receptive to the fresh opportunities flowing your way, while at the same time you'll remain properly skeptical about certain flimflams and delusions that may superficially resemble those fresh opportunities.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
"If it makes you nervous—you're doing it right," says the daring musician and actor Donald Glover. Personally, I don't think that's true in all situations. I've found that on some occasions, my nervousness stems from not being fully authentic or being less than completely honest. But I do think Glover's formula fully applies to your efforts in the coming weeks, Aquarius. I hope you will try new things that will be important to your future, and/or work to master crucial skills you have not yet mastered. And if you're nervous as you carry out those heroic feats, I believe it means you're doing them right.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
Piscean author Patricia Hampl understands a lot about the epic tasks of trying to know oneself and be oneself. She has written two memoirs, and some of her other writing draws from her personal experiences, as well. And yet she confesses, "Maybe being oneself is always an acquired taste." She suggest that it's often easier to be someone you're not; to adopt the ways of other people as your own; to imitate what you admire rather than doing the hard work of finding out the truth about yourself. That's the bad news, Pisces. The good news is that this year has been and will continue to be a very favorable time to ripen into the acquired taste of being yourself. Take advantage of this ripening opportunity in the coming weeks!
ARIES (March 21-April 19):
My Aries friend Lavinia told me, "The fight I'm enjoying most lately is my fight to resist the compulsion to fight." I invite you to consider adopting that attitude for the foreseeable future. Now and then, you Rams do seem to thrive on conflict, or at least use it to achieve worthy deeds—but the coming weeks will not be one of those times. I think you're due for a phase of sweet harmony. The more you cultivate unity and peace and consensus, the healthier you'll be. Do you dare act like a truce-maker, an agreement-broker, and a connoisseur of rapport?
TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
"The answers you get depend upon the questions you ask," wrote physicist and philosopher Thomas Kuhn. That's always true, of course, but it's especially true for you right now. I recommend that you devote substantial amounts of your earthy intelligence to the task of formulating the three most important questions for you to hold at the forefront of your awareness during the rest of 2020. If you do, I suspect you will ultimately receive answers that are useful, interesting, and transformative.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
"A finished person is a boring person," writes author Anna Quindlen. I agree! Luckily, you are quite unfinished, and thus not at all boring—especially these days. More than ever before, you seem willing to treat yourself as an art project that's worthy of your creative ingenuity—as a work-in-progress that's open to new influences and fresh teachings. That's why I say your unfinishedness is a sign of good health and vitality. It's delightful and inspiring. You're willing to acknowledge that you've got a lot to learn and more to grow. In fact, you celebrate that fact; you exult in it; you regard it as a key part of your ever-evolving identity.
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HOMEWORK:
What is the greatest gift you have to offer your fellow humans? Have you found good ways to give it? 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 2020 Rob Brezsny
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