Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter http://ezezine.com
Rob Brezsny's Free Will Astrology Newsletter
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October 20, 2004
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http://www.freewillastrology.com
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THIS IS A PERFECT MOMENT
by Rob Brezsny
This is a perfect moment.
It's a perfect moment for many reasons, but especially because you and I
are waking up from our sleepwalking thumbsucking dumbclucking
collusion with the masters of illusion and destruction.
Thanks to them, from whom the painful blessings flow, we are waking up.
Their wars and tortures,
their crimes against nature,
extinctions of species
and brand new diseases.
Their spying and lying
in the name of the father,
sterilizing seeds and
trademarking water.
Molestations of god,
celebrations of shame,
stealing our dreams and
changing our names.
Their ingenious commercials
and bloodsucking hustles,
their endless rehearsals
for the end of the world.
Thanks to them, from whom the painful blessings flow, we are waking up.
*
Their painful blessings are cracking open more and more gashes in the
shrunken and crippled mass hallucination that is mistakenly called
"reality." And through the fractures, ripe eternity is flooding in; news of
the soul's true home is pouring in; our allies from the other side of the veil
are swarming in: inspiring us to become smarter and wilder and kinder and
trickier.
We are waking up.
As heaven and earth come together, as the dreamtime and daytime
merge, we register the shockingly exhilarating fact that we are in charge--
you and I are in charge--of creating a brand new world. Not in some
distant time or faraway place, but right here and right now.
*
As we stand on this brink, as we dance on this verge, we can't let the
ruling fools of the dying world sustain their curses. We have to rise up and
fight their insane logic; defy, resist, and prevent their tragic magic;
unleash our sacred rage and supercharge it.
But overthrowing the living dead is not enough. Protesting the well-
dressed monsters is not enough. We can't afford to be consumed with
our anger; can't be obsessed and possessed with their danger. Our sweet
animal bodies need love and fertility. Our imaginations crave tastes of
infinity.
In the New World that we are creating, we've got to be steeped in lusty
compassion and ecstatic duty, ingenious love and insurrectionary beauty.
We need radical curiosity and reverent pranks, voracious listening and
ferocious thanks.
*
So I'm curious, my fellow creators. Since you and I are in charge of making
a brand New World, where do we begin? What wild truths do we want at
the heart of our transformations? What fresh codes and stories will be our
oracles? What crafty questions and uplifting desires will be our
inspirations?
Here's where I want to begin: with pronoia. Pronoia is the opposite of
paranoia--the *antidote* for paranoia.
Pronoia is the true theory that all of creation is conspiring to shower you
with blessings.
Pronoia is the guarantee that life always gives you exactly what you need,
exactly when you need it.
Pronoia says that everything alive is working very hard to liberate you
from ignorance and transform you into the gift of love you were born to
be.
*
I am allergic to dogma. I thrive on questions, and don't trust any idea that
tempts me to believe in it absolutely. There are very few perceptions or
theories about which I am totally certain.
But I am absolutely certain that pronoia describes the way the world
actually is. Pronoia is wetter than water, truer than the facts, and
stronger than death. It smells like cedar smoke in early spring rain, and if
you close your eyes right now, you can feel it shimmering like the aurora
borealis in your soft, warm animal body.
Some Buddhists say the inherent nature of existence is suffering; they
long to escape into Nirvana. Many Catholics say the inherent nature of life
is sinful; they long for the purified peace of heaven. But pronoia assures
us that the inherent nature of life is to liberate us.
Being born on the earth is the highest honor and greatest privilege. To be
alive as human beings gives us the chance to pull off exquisite and
Herculean feats of magic that are not possible in nirvana or heaven or any
other so-called paradise, higher dimension, or better place.
I'm not exaggerating or indulging in poetic metaphor when I say this.
Visualize it if you dare.
The sweet stuff that quenches all of our longing is not far away in some
other time and place. It's right here and right now.
As Elizabeth Barrett Browning knew, "Earth is crammed with heaven."
*
"This Is a Perfect Moment" is an excerpt from:
*PRONOIA Is the Antidote for Paranoia:
How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings*
by Rob Brezsny
to be published in early 2005
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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
Week beginning October 21
Copyright 2004 by Rob Brezsny
www.freewillastrology.com
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
ARIES (March 21-April 19): I have a good imagination, but it's difficult for
me to wrap my mind around the possibility that anyone besides a white
Christian fundamentalist millionaire is planning to vote for George W. Bush
in the upcoming election. The man is not only a menace to the
environment, women's rights, healthcare, the economy, science, and the
English language, but is also fighting terrorism in all the wrong ways. Still,
I refuse to detest him. On the contrary, I send him my blessings. Likewise,
though I'm pained by readers who enjoy my horoscopes yet support Bush,
I love them just the same. It's very important for you to apply my
approach in the coming weeks, Aries. Do not, under any circumstances,
revile the people you disagree with. Keep in mind Booker T. Washington's
view: "I shall allow no man to belittle my soul by making me hate him."
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): "When one door closes, another door opens."
That old saying is only a half-truth, and what it leaves out is crucial.
Here's a more complete version: When one door closes, another door
opens, but where the new door opens might not be immediately obvious;
you may have to be energetic, persistent, and even ingenious to find it.
Keep this uppermost in your mind during the next three weeks, Taurus.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): As the most powerful nation prepares to
choose the world's most powerful leader, we all have a stake in the
proceedings. Whether or not you're an American, the candidate who wins
the presidential election will deeply affect your personal future. In my
estimation, John Kerry is far more likely to have a benevolent impact,
George W. Bush a negative one. I've arrived at this conclusion by carefully
paring away my emotional biases and taking an objective look at long-
term planetary omens. In my capacity as your astrological advisor, then, I
urge you to visualize Kerry being inaugurated as president next January.
Now here's your homework: Meditate on Pericles' assertion that "Just
because you don't take an interest in politics doesn't mean politics won't
take an interest in you."
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Astrology divides human personalities into
twelve basic types named after the zodiacal signs. In her books, Agapi
Stassinopoulos proposes an alternative system based on 15 Greek gods
and goddesses. Using her approach, I've determined that you are
currently a blend of Aphrodite and Artemis. Aphrodite embodies love,
beauty, and passion, and her essence is summed up by the statement, "It
is what I am, not what I do, that is valuable about me." Artemis, on the
other hand, is independent and strong; her message is "Be bold and
mighty forces will come to your aid." How is it possible to be a synthesis
of these two? You tell me, Cancerian. It'll be your specialty in the coming
weeks.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Here's good news for Leo actor Billy Bob
Thornton: The coming weeks will be a perfect time to conquer his phobias
of antique furniture, Komodo dragons, intestinal parasites, old silver forks,
and photos of Benjamin Disraeli's hair. For that matter, *all* of you Leos
will experience a dramatic increase in your power to conquer irrational
anxieties and superstitious fantasies. Stand up to your inner bully! Don't
let that intimidating fear-monger push you around any more.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): "The greatest menace to civilization," wrote
historian Herbert Butterfield, "is the conflict between giant organized
systems of self-righteousness--each system only too delighted to find
that the other is wicked--each only too glad that the sins give it the
pretext for still deeper hatred and animosity." Are you a part of one of
those giant organized systems of self-righteousness, Virgo? Do you
subscribe even a little to their simplistic, toxic philosophies? If so, I beg
you to banish their influence from your life. Dropping out of the great "us
versus them" racket is one of the single most important acts you can
take to heal your own psyche and guarantee your future success.
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EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES
Every week, in addition to the written horoscopes you get in this
newsletter, I offer a fresh batch of Expanded Audio Horoscopes.
They tend to be soothing and meditative, though now and then I invite
you to kick your own ass, too. My intention is for them to be healing and
inspirational at the same time.
The Expanded Audio horoscopes cost $6 if you access them on the Web
via RealAudio, or $1.99 per minute if you want them over the phone.
For Web access, go here:
http://www.relationshipnetwork.com/horo/index.asp?client_id=50700
From the United States, call
1-900-950-7700
or if you prefer to pay by credit card
1-877-873-4888
If you live in Canada, call 1-888-499-4425 to purchase a Block of Time
with your credit card.
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LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): What seemingly unconnected elements of your
life are actually ripe to be combined? Your past and your future?
Romance and education? Your drive for fairness and your love of beauty?
I'm telling you, Libra, there are fragments of your world that have more in
common than you've previously imagined, and should therefore be woven
together. Your sensuality and spirituality? Your relationship with money
and the power of your imagination? Your listening skills and your longing
to be more appreciated?
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): "I can't understand why people are
frightened of new ideas," said composer John Cage. "I'm frightened of the
old ones." That thought should be your guiding principle in the coming
weeks, Scorpio. No matter how useful your elegant theories have always
been, they're now becoming barriers to your progress. No matter how
attached you are to the insights and opinions that have made you what
you are today, you should be willing to outgrow them. "In a time of
drastic change," wrote Eric Hoffer, "it's the learners who inherit the
future. The learned usually find themselves equipped to live in a world
that no longer exists."
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Yellow jacket wasps have never been
known to journey north of the Arctic Circle. They prefer warmer climates.
But recently they began buzzing around a village in the northern part of
Baffin Island, surprising the local residents, who have no word for the
insects in their native Inuktitut language. I predict there'll soon be a
comparable event in your life, Sagittarius. You will need new terms as well
as fresh concepts to understand the appearance of an unprecedented
phenomenon.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): The coming week will be filled with
opportunities to improve your skills at diplomacy. You'll get a lot of
practice playing verbal games, talking in code, and being artfully
ambiguous. For best results, don't take yourself too seriously. Let your
imagination run half-wild-and maybe even risk crossing that fine line
between creative storytelling and BS. To put yourself in the right mood,
consult the Euphemism Generator at
http://walkingdead.net/perl/euphemism/.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): One of the tabloids revealed that Ronald
Reagan's ghost has been doing scores of good deeds since he died. For
example, when a surgeon in a hospital accidentally dropped his ring in his
patient's abdominal incision, the ex-president's spirit fished it out. On
another occasion, the friendly ghost saved an old woman from a rabid
raccoon during her walk in the woods. What the tabloid didn't report is
that Reagan also visited me. As I was working on your horoscope, he
materialized as a misty grey blob. "Need any assistance?" he croaked.
"Sure," I said. "But I've got to be honest-I always opposed your politics
and I never voted for you." "Want to know a secret?" he chuckled in
reply. "In the afterlife, I've turned into a bleeding heart liberal. All I do is
help people." "OK," I said, "then how about giving me some tips for the
horoscope I'm writing for Aquarians?" "Sure," Reagan beamed. "Tell 'em
to go hunting for a new power spot. Build up their clout. Act more
authoritative. Spread their influence with more confidence. But do it all
with love, not ego."
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): For the long-term well-being of planet Earth,
nothing is more important than electing a new American president. I'd
prefer to vote for the Green Party candidate, David Cobb, because his
principles are more aligned with mine than John Kerry's. And when I go to
cast my ballot near closing time on November 2, I *will* opt for Cobb if
exit polls show Kerry is comfortably ahead of Bush in my home state of
California. But if the race is still too close to call, I'll definitely choose
Kerry. I suggest you regard my plan as a model for how to approach your
entire life in the coming weeks, Pisces: Find a way to serve the greatest
good for everyone in your life while at the same time following your heart.
But if you can't do both, serve the greatest good.
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HOMEWORK:
Comment on the following: The wild but disciplined mind nurtured by
great sex and inexhaustible compassion is a key to reforming our
outmoded political system. Testify by going to www.freewillastrology.com
and clicking on "Email Rob."
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WANT TO GET YOUR CHART DONE?
I'm not doing charts these days. In addition to writing my weekly column
and expanded audio horoscopes, I'm also working on a book and CD.
But I can recommend a colleague whose astro-aesthetics closely match
my own. She's RO LOUGHRAN.
Ro utilizes a blend of well-trained intuition, emotional warmth, and a high
degree of technical proficiency in horoscope interpretation; she is skilled
at exploring the mysteries of your life's purpose and nurturing your
connection with your own inner wisdom. In addition to over 20 years of
astrological experience, Ro is also a licensed psychotherapist, allowing her
to integrate psychological insight with the cosmological perspective that
astrology offers.
Ro is based in California, but can do phone consultations and otherwise
work with you regardless of geographic boundaries.
Ro's website is at
http://www.astrology-psychotherapy.com/
She can also be reached at roloughran@comcast.net
Namaste,
Rob
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Contents of the Free Will Astrology Newsletter are Copyright
2004 Rob Brezsny
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