Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
February 3, 2021
FreeWillAstrology.com
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Somewhere in the world there is a treasure that has no value to anyone but you;
and a shimmering secret that is meaningless to everyone except you;
and a frontier that harbors a marvelous revelation only you know how to understand and make use of.
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WHAT WILL YOUR STORY BE?
I've gathered together all of the long-term, big-picture horoscopes I wrote for you in the past weeks, and bundled them in one place. Go here to read a compendium of your forecasts for 2021:
bit.ly/BigPicture2021
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In addition to these, I've created three-part, in-depth EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES about Your Long-Range Future. They go even further in exploring your prospects and challenges in 2021.
Who do you want to become in the coming months? Where do you want to go and what do you want to do? How can you exert your free will to create adventures that'll bring out the best in you, even as you find graceful ways to cooperate with the tides of destiny?
To listen to these three-part, in-depth reports, go here:
RealAstrology.com
Register and/or log in through the main page, and then access the horoscopes by clicking on "Long Range Prediction." (Choose from Part 1, Part 2, or Part 3.)
If you'd like a boost of inspiration to fuel you in your quest for beauty and truth and love and meaning, tune in to my meditations on your Big-Picture outlook.
Each of the three-part reports is seven to nine minutes long. The cost is $6 per report. There are discounts for the purchase of multiple reports.
P.S. You can also listen to a short-term Expanded Audio Horoscope for the coming week.
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MY STORY
Years ago, on a bleak January morning, I unexpectedly found my fortune. While waiting in the food stamp office for my monthly allotment, I grabbed the local newspaper and turned to its help wanted section. "Horoscope columnist needed, $15 a week," it said.
My first reaction was "feh." As a proud practitioner of the art of astrology, I'd always disliked horoscope columns for how they pandered to the superstitious instincts in people.
But on second thought, I mused, why not try to revolutionize the genre? So I dashed off 12 poetic horoscopes and submitted them. Success! So began my surprising career.
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But I wrote my column for 17 years before it earned me enough money to rise above the poverty line. I'm glad I stuck with it!
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"Follow your bliss and the money will come." I believed that quixotic slogan from the moment I first heard it when I was young.
And I continued to cling to it even during those long lean eons when I was following my bliss like a madman and cooking my twice-a-day rice and broccoli on a hot plate in my one-room shack.
Having graduated to more decent digs and a more varied diet, I've acquired the wisdom to know that my beloved slogan was incomplete. It should read, "Follow your bliss and the money will come—although it might take 17 years."
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PS: I also followed my bliss as a musician in the music business for 20 years. And though my band was managed by rock impresario Bill Graham until he died, and produced by the same producer who worked with the Clash and Blue Oyster Cult, and signed to a contract with a major recording company, I never made much money. So alas, following my bliss in that case didn't work to earn me a living wage.
PS: I've continued to make music since I left the rock and roll business, and plan to keep at it.
Thankfully all my music lives on:
freewillastrology.com/music/listen
and
soundcloud.com/sacreduproar
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GOOD, HOLY DESIRES
Some religious and spiritual traditions preach the value of banishing or renouncing your desires. I do not subscribe to those traditions, so I will never urge you to banish or renounce your desires. I prefer to encourage you to cultivate excellent desires. Here are a few I highly recommend:
* a desire for interesting riddles and fascinating challenges that excite both your mind and your heart;
* a desire for comrades who enjoy your specific idiosyncrasies and eccentricities;
* a desire to attract ongoing encounters with nonstandard beauty so as to always ensure a part of you remains untamed;
* a desire to help create a world in which everyone gets the food, housing, and health care they need;
* a desire for good surprises and unpredictable fun;
* a desire for group collaborations that enhance the intelligence of everyone in the group;
* a desire to keep outgrowing what worked for you in the past and a desire to ceaselessly explore and invent new approaches to being yourself;
* a desire to be playful and creative with your libidinous energy;
* a desire to help cultivate the health and beauty of the natural world;
* a desire for revelations and experiences that steer you away from thinking and acting like the machines you interact with so much;
* a desire to keep reinventing and reinvigorating your relationships with those you love;
* a desire to keep refining and expanding your ability to learn from non-human intelligences;
* a desire to keep refreshing your quest for freedom and deepening your capacity to be free;
* a desire to move your body in ways that delight your soul;
* a desire to help eliminate bigotry, misogyny, plutocracy, racism, and militarism.
Any others you'd like to add?
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TRANSFORMATIVE POWER OF LOVE
The transformative power of love is not fully embraced in our society because we often wrongly believe that torment and anguish are our "natural" condition.
—author and activist bell hooks, who writes about the intersectionality of race, capitalism, and gender
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The practice of love is the most powerful antidote to the politics of domination.
—author and activist bell hooks
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WEAR GOOD MASKS, PRACTICE SOCIAL-DISTANCING, MINIMIZE YOUR TIME INSIDE PLACES WHERE THERE ARE PEOPLE YOU DON'T KNOW
Some people still downplay the danger of the coronavirus. "It doesn't kill a high percentage of the people it infects," they say. "Most people who get it don't have bad symptoms," they say.
But here are the facts the deniers ignore:
1. As more people contract COVID-19, the virus has more and more chances to mutate into versions that are more contagious, possibly resistant to vaccines, and more dangerous. That is exactly what has been happening.
2. In the US, COVID-19 is now the third leading cause of death, behind heart disease and cancer.
3. Many people who "recover" from COVID-19 continue to have debilitating symptoms for months, and may suffer permanent damage to their hearts, lungs, and brains.
4. If hospitals are overwhelmed, which they have been for a couple of months, then people with COVID-19 are in danger of not getting sufficient care. In addition, people with other immediate health problems, like heart attacks, injuries, drug overdoses, and premature labor are at risk for not getting thw care they need.
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PS: Early on, some ignoramuses claimed that COVID-19 is no worse than the flu.
In fact, the deadliest flu season of the last decade, 2017-2018, had a death toll of 61,000 people. Usually it's less than that. In 2015-2016, for instance, 23,000 people died of the flu in the US.
In the 10 months since coronavirus started killing Americans, more than 435,000 have died. Projections are that by March 15, 536,000 will have died from the virus. That's 700% more than the number flu has killed in its
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So how do we fight the virus's mutations? The best way is to suppress replication—and that means stopping infections. The more replications that occur, the greater the number of mutations.
Occasionally, a slight error in replicating the genetic code creates a mutant variant that spreads more successfully and, when that happens, evolution takes over. Stopping transmission blocks the opportunity for viral mutation; it’s the only thing that does.
More: tinyurl.com/y5du7ltr
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Why Aren’t We Wearing Better Masks? Cloth masks are better than nothing, but they were supposed to be a stopgap measure. tinyurl.com/y2khq3xw
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Double-masking is even better:
tinyurl.com/y639n4h6
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Harvard Medical School's Dr. Abraar Karan says the US can end the Covid-19 pandemic in four weeks if everyone wears N95 masks. He also says cloth masks may be as low as 26% effective, compared to the N95’s 95% effective. tinyurl.com/y6s9g9ez
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From The New York Times: The United States has recorded 25 million coronavirus cases.
Experts say that as staggering as that figure is, it significantly understates the true number of people in the country who have been infected and the scope of the nation’s failure to contain the spread of the virus.
The official tally works out to about one in every 13 people in the country, or about 7.6 percent of the population.
“Twenty-five million cases is an incredible scale of tragedy,” said Caitlin Rivers, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, who called the coronavirus pandemic one of the worst public health crises in history.
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One of the covid-deniers go-to "experts" is a guy named Zach Bush. I plucked this statement of his from his Facebook page: "Viruses do not take down healthy humans." I'm assuming he's actually eferring to wealthy humans who can afford all the best health enhancements. As far as I know, he doesn't address the fact that People of Color are being taken down by the COVID-19 in disproportionate numbers.
From US News & World Report: "Coronavirus is disproportionately striking minority populations -- particularly urban blacks and Navajo Indians living on their reservation. Experts say social and economic factors that predate the COVID-19 crisis may help explain why.
"We found that there were large disparities in the proportion of people at risk of COVID-19 from minority and low-income populations," said study co-author Julia Raifman. tinyurl.com/y9xqsanw
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INACCESSIBLE TO THE POOR?
If it's inaccessible to the poor, it's neither radical nor revolutionary.
—Jonathan Herrera
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ENCOURAGE OTHERS
A student asked Soen Nakagawa during a meditation retreat, "I am very discouraged. What should I do?"
Soen replied, "Encourage others."
—Essential Zen by Kazuaki Tanahashi and Tensho David Schneider
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COMPASSIONATE RAGE
I want a heaven for my compassionate rage, a paradise to house my greed for justice.
I want a choir singing blasphemous hymns for every surge of affectionate lust,
a wrecked and brilliant hallelujah for my hilariously lunatic confusion,
a generous explosion of divine gratitude for all my wise mistakes, bumbling terrors, and manic hopes.
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The above was written by me in response to the following passage from Arthur Rimbaud:
"I should have a hell for my fury, a hell for my conceit—a hell for each fondle and embrace; a decent orchestra of hells."
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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
Former White Supremacist Store and Klan Meeting Space is Being Turned Into a Community Center to Promote Healing.
tinyurl.com/y4qy4hrl
5 Habits of Highly Compassionate Men
"Having compassion leads to increased happiness, freedom from gender stereotypes, and better relationships with others."
tinyurl.com/m3cwldl
The Iguazu Falls, one of the largest waterfalls in the world. Argentina/Brazil. Photo by Wave Faber
tinyurl.com/mthvwfa
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For a lot more pronoiac resources and ideas, read my book Pronoia Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How the Whole World is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings
Available at Barnes & Noble: tinyurl.com/PronoiaBN
Available at Amazon: bit.ly/Pronoia
A free preview of the book is available here: tinyurl.com/PronoiaPreview
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Please tell me your own nominations for PRONOIA RESOURCES: Truthrooster@gmail.com.
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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
Week beginning February 2
Copyright 2021 by Rob Brezsny
FreeWillAstrology.com
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
Aquarian author Alice Walker writes, "In nature, nothing is perfect and everything is perfect. Trees can be contorted, bent in weird ways, and they’re still beautiful." In the coming weeks, I hope you'll adopt that way of thinking and apply it to every aspect of your perfectly imperfect body and mind and soul. I hope you'll give the same generous blessing to the rest of the world, as well. This attitude is always wise to cultivate, of course, but it will be especially transformative for you in the coming weeks. It's time to celebrate your gorgeous idiosyncrasies and eccentricities.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
"Though the bamboo forest is dense, water flows through it freely." I offer that Zen saying just in time for you to adopt it as your metaphor of power. No matter how thick and complicated and impassable the terrain might appear to be in he coming weeks, I swear you'll have a flair for finding a graceful path through it. All you have to do is imitate the consistency and flow of water.
ARIES (March 21-April 19):
Herman Hesse's novel Siddartha is a story about a spiritual seeker who goes in search of illumination. Near the end of the quest, when Siddartha is purified and enlightened, he tells his friend, "I greatly needed sin, lust, vanity, the striving for goods, and the most shameful despair, to learn how to love the world, to stop comparing the world with any world that I wish for, with any perfection that I think up; I learned to let the world be as it is, and to love it and to belong to it gladly." While I trust you won't overdo the sinful stuff in the coming months, Aries, I hope you will reach a conclusion like Siddartha's. The astrological omens suggest that 2021 is the best year ever for you to learn how to love your life and the world just as they are.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
Taurus physicist Richard Feynman said, "If we want to solve a problem we have never solved before, we must leave the door to the unknown ajar." That's always good advice, but it's especially apropos for you in the coming weeks. You are being given the interesting and fun opportunity to solve a problem you have never solved before! Be sure to leave the door to the unknown ajar. Clues and answers may come from unexpected sources.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
When we want to get a distinct look at a faint star, we must avert our eyes away from it just a little. If we look at it directly, it fades into invisibility. (There's a scientific explanation for this phenomenon, which I won't go into.) I propose that we make this your metaphor of power for the coming weeks. Proceed on the hypothesis that if you want to get glimpses of what's in the distance or in the future, don't gaze at it directly. Use the psychological version of your peripheral vision. And yes, now is a favorable time to seek those glimpses.
CANCER (June 21-July 22):
If the apocalypse happens and you're the last human left on earth, don't worry about getting enough to eat. Just find an intact grocery store and make your new home there. It's stocked with enough non-perishable food to feed you for 55 years—or 63 years if you're willing to dine on pet food. I'M JOKING! JUST KIDDING! In fact, the apocalypse won't happen for another 503 million years. My purpose in imagining such a loopy scenario is to nudge you to dissolve your scarcity thinking. Here's the ironic fact of the matter for us Cancerians: If we indulge in fearful fantasies about running out of stuff—money, resources, love, or time—we undermine our efforts to have enough of what we need. The time is now right for you to stop worrying and instead take robust action to ensure you're well-supplied for a long time.
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VISUALIZE YOUR BEST POSSIBLE FUTURE
Would you like some inspiration as you muse and wonder about your upcoming adventures in 2021?
You can still listen to my long-range, in-depth explorations of your destiny in the coming months. Each report in the three-part series is 7 to 9 minutes long.
Go to freewillastrology.sparkns.com
Register and/or log in through the main page, and then access the horoscopes by clicking on "Long Range Prediction." (Choose from Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.)
A new short-range forecast for this week is also available.
The cost is $6 per sign, with discounts for bulk purchases.
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"I don't much believe in astrology. But that doesn't seem to get in the way of me deriving a whole lot of benefits from your expanded audio horoscopes."
—A. Arrosto, Indianapolis
"You have an amazing aptitude for cutting through the lies I tell myself. Thanks for the gentle shocks."
—T. Preneris, Toronto
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LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
"Judge a moth by the beauty of its candle," writes Coleman Barks in his rendering of a poem by Rumi. In accordance with astrological omens, I am invoking that thought as a useful metaphor for your life right now. How lovely and noble are the goals you're pursuing? How exalted and bighearted are the dreams you're focused on? If you find there are any less-than-beautiful aspects to your motivating symbols and ideals, now is a good time to make adjustments.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
I invite you to try the following experiment. Select two situations in your world that really need to be reinvented, and let every other glitch and annoyance just slide for now. Then meditate with tender ferocity on how best to get the transformations done. Summoning intense focus will generate what amounts to magic! PS: Maybe the desired reinventions would require other people to alter their behavior. But it's also possible that your own behavior may need altering.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
Author Marguerite Duras wrote these words: “That she had so completely recovered her sanity was a source of sadness to her. One should never be cured of one’s passion.” I am spiritually allergic to that idea. It implies that our deepest passions are unavailable unless we're insane, or at least disturbed. But in the world I aspire to live in, the opposite is true: Our passions thrive if we're mentally healthy. We are best able to harness our most inspiring motivations if we're feeing poised and stable. So I'm here to urge you to reject Duras's perspective and embrace mine. The time has arrived for you to explore the mysteries of relaxing passion.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
Author Karen Barad writes, "The past is never finished. It cannot be wrapped up like a package, or a scrapbook; we never leave it and it never leaves us behind.” I agree. That's why I can't understand New Age teachers who advise us to "live in the now." That's impossible! We are always embedded in our histories. Everything we do is conditioned by our life story. I acknowledge that there's value in trying to see the world afresh in each new moment. I'm a hearty advocate of adopting a "beginner's mind." But to pretend we can completely shut off or escape the past is delusional and foolish. Thank you for listening to my rant, Scorpio. Now please spend quality time upgrading your love and appreciation for your own past. It's time to celebrate where you have come from—and meditate on how your history affects who you are now.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
Luisah Teish is a writer and priestess in the Yoruban Lucumi tradition. She wrote a book called Jump Up: Seasonal Celebrations from the World's Deep Traditions. "Jump up" is a Caribbean phrase that refers to festive rituals and parties that feature "joyous music, laughter, food, and dancing." According to my reading of the astrological omens, you're due for a phase infused with the "jump up" spirit. As Teish would say, it's a time for "jumping, jamming, swinging, hopping, and kicking it." I realize that in order to do this, you will have to work around the very necessary limitations imposed on us all by the pandemic. Do the best you can. Maybe make it a virtual or fantasy jump up. Maybe dance alone in the dark.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
"Perhaps we should know better," wrote poet Tony Hoagland, "but we keep on looking, thinking, and listening, hunting that singular book, theory, perception, or tonality that will unlock and liberate us." It's my duty to report, Capricorn, that there will most likely be no such singular magnificence for you in 2021. However, I'm happy to tell you that an accumulation of smaller treasures could ultimately lead to a substantial unlocking and liberation. For that to happen, you must be alert for and appreciate the small treasures, and patiently gather them in. (PS: Author Rebecca Solnit says, "We devour heaven in bites too small to be measured." I say: The small bites of heaven you devour in the coming months will ultimately add up to being dramatically measurable.)
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HOMEWORK:
What's the important thing you forgot about that you really do need to remember sometime soon? 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 2021 Rob Brezsny
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