Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter http://ezezine.com
Rob Brezsny's Free Will Astrology Newsletter
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November 24, 2004
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What's inspiring me, messing with me, changing me, making me crazy and
mad and grateful and thoughtful this week? Here's one thing:
An excerpt from
"The Flame of The Search,"
a passage in the book, *Diamond Heart, Book III*
by A.H. Almaas
The entire article is here:
http://www.ridhwan.org/flameof.html
Almaas' website is here:
http://www.ahalmaas.com/
Why are we in such haste to have answers? We jump on the first promise
of salvation that comes. Why not stay with the question? What makes
you think that salvation is the answer, that freedom is the answer? What
makes you think that enlightenment is the answer? What makes you think
that love is the answer? You might feel that you want these things, but
how do you know that getting them is the best thing that could happen in
this moment? How do you know whether you're supposed to be dead or
alive, rich or poor, free or enslaved? Is it possible to let your mind be
free?
I am not trying to give you an answer; I'm just giving you a question. You
need to let your being be ablaze like a flame, an aspiring flame, with no
preconceived ideas about what it aspires to. To be just burning intensely,
deeply wanting to know, wanting to see the truth without following any
preconceptions, totally in the present with the question itself, and let it
burn away all the ideas, all the beliefs, all the concepts, even the ones you
learned from the great teachings. If you don't allow that flame
completely, will you ever rest in your life? Will you ever rest in your life as
long as you're covering up your question, answering it before it's really
answered? Will you ever really be content with someone else's answer?
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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
Week beginning November 25
Copyright 2004 by Rob Brezsny
www.freewillastrology.com
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Sometimes it's just not worth trying to gnaw
through the leather straps; you're better off accepting your bondage,
saving your energy, and escaping into daydreams. But in the coming
weeks, Aries, you should definitely strive to chomp through the leather
straps. In fact, you're likely to have excellent results whenever you do
anything to wriggle out of your "mind-forg'd manacles," slip away from
your volunteer slavery, or break free from your self-imposed
incarceration. When you look back on your life from the perspective of
next year, you will probably call December your Month of Liberation.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): "The basic difference between an ordinary
person and a warrior," wrote Carlos Castaneda, "is that a warrior takes
everything as a challenge while an ordinary person takes everything either
as a blessing or a curse." Maybe you consider yourself an ordinary person,
Taurus, and therefore think Castaneda's definition of a warrior has no
meaning for you. But I'm here to tell you that the astrological omens say
you will *have* to be a warrior in the coming weeks, even if you're usually
not. So please act as if every experience will have the potential to be an
interesting, invigorating challenge.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): *San Francisco Chronicle* critic Mick LaSalle
described the movie *Van Helsing* as "what a chimpanzee might do with
an Etch A Sketch." I suspect that someone in your sphere has recently
produced something similar--perhaps a bad work of art, a botched
business deal, or an awkward relationship. It's not necessarily your sacred
duty to try to make this mess more beautiful, and you certainly shouldn't
try to prop it up or pretend it's well-done. But I do believe you should
create something better to compensate for it--*much* better. Though
almost anything you come up with will look good in comparison, you can't
afford to merely act like a smarter chimpanzee with a more deluxe Etch A
Sketch.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Psychologist James Hillman says that taking
action to correct social and economic injustice in the world can serve as
powerful psychotherapy. In some cases, it may even be a more effective
way to transmute one's personal pain than talking endlessly about the
pain with a therapist. That thought is the seed of my advice for you,
Cancerian. In the coming weeks, the sure cure for your problems--even
your most uncomfortable enigma--is to take your mind off yourself and
summon all your emotionally rich ingenuity to help others.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In honor of your entrance into the Season of
Romance, I've written you a love poem. Here it is. *Be my slow-motion
dance. Be my birthday earthquake. Be my ripe pomegranate floating in a
blue plastic swimming pool on the first day of winter. Be my handstand on
a barstool, my whirlwind week in clown school, my joke shared with a
Siberian shaman while shopping for socks at Wal-Mart. Be my puzzle with
one piece missing. Be the waves crashing on a beach in the south of
France in the twenty-second century. Be my golden hammer resting on
the moss of a ten-million-year-old rock.*
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): In the film *Catch Me If You Can,* a character
played by Christopher Walken tells a story that illustrates persistence
under duress. "Two little mice fell in a bucket of cream," he begins. "The
first mouse gave up and drowned. The second mouse wouldn't quit. He
struggled so hard that eventually he churned that cream into butter and
crawled out." I urge you to make that second mouse your role model in
the coming days, Virgo. Can you summon that much courage, stamina,
and strength of will? The astrological omens say you can.
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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): I suggest that you refer to yourself as "we"
rather than "I" for the next couple of weeks. There is a power struggle
going on among your various sub-personalities, and the best way to keep
some of them from going berserk and doing something irrational is to
treat them all equally. In fact, I suggest that you give each of them a
name. Make each of them feel special. Then sit down with them in a big
summit conference. Clear the air. Create an environment that fosters
freedom of expression. Listen attentively as each of your many selves
describes his or her needs, and try to come up with a plan that satisfies
everyone.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): This is one of those odd turning points when
you have a license to be a cute brat in charge of mischievous healing. I
dare you to stir up the exact kind of trouble that will make everyone feel
better. It's also a good time to start benevolent rumors, break out in song
during committee meetings, and push your own buttons before anyone
else can push them. Please try to be one step ahead of yourself at all
times, Scorpio. And if you can't seem to resist your craving for the
metaphorical equivalent of pickles and ice cream--and I'll be amazed if you
can--be sure you balance it by cultivating a desire for ketchup and banana
sandwiches.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): You can't get what you want until you
ask for what you want. That's always true, of course. But in the coming
days, Sagittarius, it will be even more intensely true than usual. Your life
will be a desolate wasteland of frustration if you expect everyone to
telepathically guess what you're fantasizing about. But your life will be an
overflowing cornucopia of delights if you state concisely, without any
whining and without any attitude, precisely what it is you desire. Oh, by
the way, here's a corollary to this week's Main Rule: You can't get what
you want until you *know* what you want.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): With the help of a dead man, Boston Red
Sox pitcher Curt Schilling achieved success in baseball's post-season
playoffs. Shortly before his team's biggest games, Schilling suffered a
serious ankle injury. His doctors dreamed up an experimental procedure
that involved sewing his skin to the tissue beneath it, thereby creating a
temporary barrier to prevent his weakened tendon from slipping. Since
they'd never actually done it, they tried it out first on a cadaver. It
worked, and they applied what they'd learned to help Schilling. According
to my analysis of the astrological omens, Capricorn, you, too, will be
blessed and aided by the dead in the coming weeks. It may not be as
literal as in Schilling's case, but it could be equally dramatic.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): There will be times in 2005 when I will ask
you to spend quality time wrestling with people who disagree with you; I'll
suggest that you expose yourself eagerly to influences that are unfamiliar
and even alien. But don't do any of that in the coming weeks, Aquarius.
Right now your assignments are to hang around like-minded people, to
talk shop with cohorts who share your biases, and to build your
community through fun and games. You need to feel you're part of a
thriving web that supports you in your drive to live out your dreams--and
you need to feel a lot of joy as you do it.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): "If you want to build a ship," counseled
author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, "don't drum up the men to gather
wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for
the vast and endless sea." That's not only smart advice for a leader who
wants to inspire the best in her team members, but also for anyone
interested in motivating herself to risk great solo adventures. In fact,
that's exactly what you should do in the coming weeks, Pisces. Whisper
with wild abandon to your inner child, your inner explorer, your inner
magician, and your inner monarch. Fill them with the desire to go in
search of captivating mysteries that will thrill your heart.
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HOMEWORK:
Take a trip in your imagination to the future, where you will visit the
person you'll be four years from today. What is the most important
message you have to convey to him or her? Report your results 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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