Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter http://ezezine.com
Rob Brezsny's Free Will Astrology Newsletter
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December 8, 2004
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http://www.freewillastrology.com
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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
Week beginning December 9
Copyright 2004 by Rob Brezsny
http://www.freewillastrology.com
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
ARIES (March 21-April 19): According to my reading of the astrological
omens, you need to feel high levels of both reverence and exuberance in
the coming week. You'll thrive whenever you can experience awe and
rowdy happiness in the same setting. Here's one possible way to achieve
that: Dance in a church, synagogue, mosque, oak grove, mountaintop, or
meditation sanctuary. Take a boom box or Walkman with you, and move
your beautiful body with sacred, uproarious grace.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): I almost always discourage you from feeding
your anxieties. The worrisome specters that sometimes eat away at your
imagination only rarely have much resemblance to what's actually
happening. But I'm going to make a departure from my usual practice this
week. During the brief transition period ahead, your fears have the
potential to make you stronger and wiser. You will find power in
marshaling measured responses to any influence that seems to oppose
you. Here's the paradox: You're not in any real danger, but it will be useful
for you to act as if you are.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Your horoscope this week is brought to you by
Wendell Berry's poem, "Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front,"
which appeared in his book, *The Country of Marriage.* Thanks to Mr.
Berry for his generous grant of soul power. It's the perfect gift for you
during your unbirthday season, when you have a mandate to go against
the grain and against the flow. Here's an excerpt from Berry's poem.
"Friends, every day do something that won't compute. Love someone
who does not deserve it. Denounce the government and embrace the
flag. Give your approval to all you cannot understand. Ask the questions
that have no answers. Put your faith in the two inches of humus that will
build under the trees every thousand years. Laugh. Be joyful though you
have considered all the facts. Practice resurrection."
CANCER (June 21-July 22): One of my favorite prophets, John Hogue,
thinks you Crabs can get lost in your dreamy visions at the expense of
your commitment to the real world. Your karmic lesson, he says, is to
"transcend your attachments to sweet but isolating illusions." I believe
the coming months will offer you an excellent chance to accomplish this.
If you're open to the truth, the real world will actually be more fun and
interesting than your fantasy world. And the week ahead will provide you
with a vivid opportunity to start the transition.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Playing off the concept of deja vu, comedian
George Carlin has proposed a variation: *vuja de,* or "the uncanny feeling
that none of this has ever happened before." Write that term on the back
of your hand, Leo. Imprint it on your mind's eye. *Vuja de* will be your
operative theme for the coming week. You'll be inundated by a flood of
fresh, hot novelty. You'll see events you've never seen and feel emotions
that maybe no one in the history of the planet has ever felt. If you're ever
tempted to repeat yourself or get bogged down in familiarity, stop what
you're doing immediately. Take full advantage of this unprecedented
chance to cultivate beginner's mind.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): I turn your attention to Cory Doctorow's
review of Neal Stephenson's three-volume "Baroque Cycle." Writing for
Boingboing.net, Doctorow says Stephenson's books are like good curry.
"They're mild and interesting when you first taste them, but after you've
swallowed, they grow on you, spreading a warm fire throughout your
digestive system, making beads of sweat appear on your forehead." This
happens to be an excellent description of the experiences you'll be invited
to enjoy in the coming week, Virgo. They'll go down easy and ultimately
make you hot with inspiration.
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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): In a past incarnation, it's possible that you
were imprisoned or burned at the stake for expressing your beliefs. That
might help explain why you're sometimes reluctant to speak your mind
with total candor in this life. But you can't afford to let that ancient
inhibition rule you now, Libra. Somehow you've got to find the courage to
express your core truths with sustained, unflinching clarity. To do so
won't lead to a punishment nearly as severe as what you suffered in that
previous lifetime, but there may still be a bit of hell to pay. The tradeoff,
which will strengthen your soul in ways you can't imagine, will be well
worth it.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): The entrance to my local post office is an
odd set of double doors. One of the doors is of normal width, but the
other is bizarrely narrow, like something out of Alice in Wonderland. The
only way I can use it is to turn sideways and squeeze through it. I believe
this is an apt symbol for the metaphorical door you will have to negotiate
in the coming week, Scorpio. As you approach it, you may feel bothered
by its illogical and inconvenient construction. You may even be inclined to
take it personally, as if it were an affront to your dignity. Avoid those
reactions. Just turn sideways and squeeze through as best as you can,
suppressing the urge to bitch and complain. That will prepare you
perfectly for the weird but good luck that awaits you on the other side.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Let's say, hypothetically, that you came
into possession of an instrument that might allow you to wield
supernatural power: a magic wand, for example, or an Aladdin's lamp, or
ruby slippers like the kind Dorothy had in the story of the Wizard of Oz.
But let's also hypothesize that the instrument had a quality that made it
problematic for you to use: maybe the wand was six feet long, weighed
200 pounds, and was hard to pick up, let alone wave around; or perhaps
the ruby slippers were much too small to fit on your feet. What then? I
suspect that the vignette I just outlined is an apt metaphor for the
dilemma you will soon face. There *is* a solution that will allow you to tap
into the mojo of the magic instrument, but you'll have to be dogged and
ingenious to discover it.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Ernest Hemingway didn't find it easy to let
go of his novel, *A Farewell to Arms.* He revised the last page 39 times.
Like Hemingway, Capricorn, you have been displaying a bit of obsessive-
compulsive behavior as you put the finishing touches on your long-term
projects. But according to my understanding of the astrological omens,
you shouldn't allow closing time to last beyond December 18. Please try
to wrap everything up by then. If there are still a few messy details that
are driving you half-crazy on December 19, forget about them as best as
you can.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): It's always a smart idea to be kind, but
especially so right now. Your benevolent acts are desperately needed by
the people whose lives you touch. Being generous is also important for
the sake of your own selfish needs; you won't meet your appointed date
with destiny unless you're unrestrained in doling out blessings. By the
way, kindness is much more than doing nice, polite deeds. It's also about
stirring up surprising acts of beauty, imaginative eruptions of love,
catalytic breakthroughs of justice, and artful expressions of liberation.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): I am pleased to inform you that you have
been granted a special dispensation in the coming week: a temporary
exemption from cosmic compulsion. During this grace period, fate will
have a dramatically reduced power to whip you around like a rag doll in a
gale. You will be virtually immune to the ravages of peer pressure, guilt
trips, and the nagging little voices in your head. While it is of course
impossible to completely escape the tyranny of the clock, you *will*
experience a release from the most ignominious debilitations of that
tyranny. In fact, you may have more free will than you've ever had before.
In the days ahead, playtime is never over.
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HOMEWORK:
What non-material object would you most like to receive as a gift this
holiday season? Testify by going to www.freewillastrology.com and
clicking on "Email Rob."
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This is what novelist TOM ROBBINS had to say after reading my book, THE
TELEVISIONARY ORACLE:
"I'VE SEEN THE FUTURE OF AMERICAN LITERATURE AND ITS NAME IS ROB
BREZSNY."
(Tom Robbins is the author of *Another Roadside Attraction,* *Jitterbug
Perfume,* *Skinny Legs and All,* and *Fierce Invalids Home from Hot
Climates,* among others)
You can read or buy THE TELEVISIONARY ORACLE directly here:
http://www.freewillastrology.com/store/
*
GIVE TOO MUCH, by me and my band WORLD ENTERTAINMENT WAR, is
packed with 24 tracks of music. There are some free mp3s here:
http://www.freewillastrology.com/cds/mp3s.html
To buy or find out more about the CD, go here:
http://www.freewillastrology.com/store/
REVIEWERS' COMMENTS ABOUT "GIVE TOO MUCH"
"They pack their songs full of enough heady words and phrases to fill a
Greil Marcus-style rock critique. But WORLD ENTERTAINMENT WAR
reminds us that smart music need not be the prisoner of rock academia.
It's a stirring, entertaining band with a smooth, funky sound and a loose,
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-- Gus Stadler, SF Weekly
"This is the greatest album of all time. I am not kidding. The lyrics and
music are amazing, and everything fits together perfectly, with themes
(both words and music) running through the entire album. Even though I
have heard it 100 times, my favorite way to listen is to sit quietly and
pay attention. It never disappoints and I keep finding new things to amaze
me. . . At least a half-dozen songs on it seem perfect for MTV, and
everything on it is perfect for college radio. The music is melodic and
intricate and soothing and in-your-face, all at the same time."
-- Reviewer on www.amazon.com.
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Contents of the Free Will Astrology Newsletter are Copyright
2004 Rob Brezsny
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